Selecting a CB Radio

[Rod Kandel]

I am not trying to argue with anyone. I agree completely that a person can go into a lot of CB shops or truck stops and get radios that are not per FCC rules ( Federal Law). I also am not arguing that these radios can be tuned and peaked beyond the FCC limit, it's been done for as long as CB's have been around. That doesn't make it legal.

Recently a CB shop at a truck stop in Pennsylvania got busted for selling unapproved, over powered radios, and for using them
http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2011/db0411/DOC-305678A1.txt

A couple years ago a CB shop here in Colorado was siezed, shut down and fined $7,000.00 by the FCC for selling radios that were not approved by the FCC for use as a CB (11 meter radio).

What are some of the radios not allowed to be operated in the USA according to the FCC? If the radio does not have a FCC label on the back of it, from the factory, it is against the FCC rules ( Laws) to operate it within the United States. Here is a list:
FCC LIST OF BANNED RADIOS

COBRA - model: 200 GTL DX
CONNEX - models: 3300, 3300 HP, 3300HP-ZX, 3300 PLUS, CX-3800, 4300 HP, 4300 HP 300, 4400, 4400 HP, 4600 Turbo, 4800 DXL, 4800 HPE, Deer Hunter, General Lee, General Washington
GALAXY - models: 33HML, 44V, 45MP, 48T, 55, 55V, 66V, 73V, 77, 77HML, 88HL, 93T, 95T, 99V, 2517, 2527, 2547, Melaka, Saturn and Saturn Turbo
GENERAL - General Jackson, Grant, Stonewall Jackson, Lee, Washington, A.P. Hill, Longstreet
MAGNUM - models: 257, 357DX, Alpha force, Delta Force, Mini, Omega Force,S3, S3RF, S6, S9,
MIRAGE - models: 33HP, 44, 88, 99, 2950, 2950EX, 2970, 6600, 88H/L, 9900,
NORTH STAR - models: NS-3000 and NS-9000
PRESIDENT - models: Grant, J.F.K., Jackson, Lincoln, HR-2510 and HR-2600
PRO STAR - model: 240
RANGER / RCI - models: AR-3500, RCI-2900, RCI-2950, RCI-2950-DX, RCI-2970, RCI-2970-DX, RCI-2980-WX, RCI-2985-DX, RCI-2995-DX, RCI-6300, RCI-6300 Turbo, RCI-6300F-25, RCI-6300F-150, RCI-6900, RCI-6900 Turbo, RCI-6900F-25, RCI-6900F-150, RG-99, Voyage VR-9000
STRYKER - model: 440
SUPERSTAR - model: 121, 122, 36, 3700, 3900, 3900HP, 3900 American Spirit, 3900 HP G, 3900 Gold, 3900GHPA, 3900GHPM, 4800, Grant
TEK - model: HR-3950
UNIDEN - models: HR-2510 and HR-2600
VIRAGE - model: 3300, 3300 HP, VX-38, VX-39

I have had or used several of the radios on this list before I learned that it was in violation of Federal Law. After receiving my Amateur Radio License from the FCC I looked more into it, simply because I did enjoy the CB still, and also enjoyed a CB with more power. I wish I could run my S9 with a linear in my Jeep, that would be great, but I won't. These are the things I have learned that I am only trying to share with you. You can do what you want with the information.

I am fully aware of the need for a better performing radio than what the FCC allows for a CB. I too was once a trucker, running W900's, Pete 379's, Anteaters and Frieghtshakers to name a few. I am now not behind the wheel so much as I am a desk. So I do know about what you have been saying. I am not condemning or putting you down. I just wanted you to know the legal aspects of CB radio. Whether a CB radio or drugs, a person can go many places and buy what they want. Whether or not it is legal is another matter. But this is America, and we can make choices for ourselves here. I was only trying to share the information I knew, and appreciate you sharing yours as well.

Yeah I know my radio is beyond FCC specs but I feel I use it responibly. Some people get carried away. My cousin had a radio in his van with a 10,000 watt kicker. Alittle much if you ask me. It had so much power that he was sitting at the locate walmart one day and bled over on their pa. I generally keep mine turned down and only turn it up when I need to talk to someone. No like some of them "billy big riggers" that set at the truck stop with it cranked up to talk to the truck across the lot and I work for a lumber company for their timber crew and need a good loud radio so we can keep in conact when going down miles of back country roads. So I kinda feel like that is important for safety reasons. And where I live I doubt anyone with fuss to much

Sent from my Ally using Jeepz

 

[Brian Z]

Wow, there is truth on both sides. I drive truck also, and yes there are some whats called BIG RADIOS out there, but at the same time FCC does regulate the wattage at 4watts. thats what any standard out of the box radio will push UNLESS you go to a radio shop and buy a stryker or galaxy, or connex. But those are the big radios that will push more wattage. they have the built in amps. You can get a standard cobra ltd 29 classic and have the limiters taken out with larger finals put in . swing kits, connex boards what have you, Ive done all that. But If you have a powerful radio, and a good antenna, K-40, wilson, monkey made, ect, thats great, BUT dont forget your coax! that is what carries your signal, if you have crap wire, youll have crap reception or transmission. I would prefer having a good system with distance incase I get in a spot where I need help. at least some one can hear me calling. just sayin, my .02

 

[0III0forlife]

Very well said, the coaxial cable that i run has a 24k gold shield in it, and costs $8 per foot. But, well worth the money if you want crystal clear reception. I have been a trucker for over 30 years, and have had all the "big" radios. My little Cobra 29 will out talk and out distance those big radios because i have a good antenna system.

 

[Brian Z]

i just can't seem to tune this thing, cb grounded to a non painted surface, CHECK, antenna, 4' firestik fiberglass grounded to the frame as well, CHECK. no tuning techniques have worked so far. What else?

You might wanna try what I did. I found that a francis antenna is a pre-tuned antenna, no swr meter needed. I bought one for about $20.00 , and it works great. I have a Galaxy 939 which has the switch for swr, and its at a 1.5, good Luck..

 

[Dragon5126]

WHAT? there is NO SUCH thind as a 68 or 44 watt CB... Ham Radio yes CB no and a Ham fig in these power ranges would have longer range and different frequencies... Come on... fess up! 15 miles de pending on terrain and noise is about typical for a 4 watt CB...

 

[Dragon5126]

The radios you list are modified (export is the term often used) 10 meter ham radios and are not legal for Citizen Band use. Buthere is a sad fact the most people dont realize, especially most truckers ( not pointing fingers at you). For a single S unit increase in recieved signal strength the output power of the transmtter must be doubled. Now lets put this in perspective. This is an EXPONENTIAL power increase. For example a 4 watt cb: to bring the signal up one S unit the power needs to be doubled to 8 watts so if we started at 3 S units, that takes it to 4 units, to go to 5 units the power needs to rise to 16 watts, 32 watts to reach 6 S units, for 7 S units the power needs to reach 64 watts, 128 watts for 8 S units, so on and so forth... Now bear in mind that your coax actually induces a power loss, which is why, as you point out it is absolutely necessary to use the BEST coax you can. Cheap RG58 is the botttom of the barrel, Use RG 8X (mini-8 ) in mobile installations. gold plated braid is overkill but it will not corrode so that means it wont eventually cause what is known as copper loss, that is resistance from oxidation of the copper. Silver plated will work just as well as the gold. Coax is part of the antenna system and a bad antenna will make the best radio work like a piece of junk. So as you see it is a waste of effort and money "peaking up" radios or buying the so called medium power Big radios (under 75 watts), when the real key to getting the signal out is in the antenna and the coax feeding it.
Keep spreading the word Brian, you are 100% correct!

 

[Dragon5126]

10,000 watt kicker? lets see, by Ohms law, thats 10000 watts driven by the 12 volts automotive power supply that means he was drawing 833.34 amps every time he keyed his mic...

 

[Dragon5126]

A note about these banned radios: they are ONLY unlawful for use outside of the frequencies they were designed to operate on. That is, these are all legal to use BY a duely licensed ham radio operator On the 10 Meter ham radio band. I own several of these radios and use them, lawfully, every day. The big problem with the use of these rigs on citizen band is the idiots connected to the microphones and not the radios themselves.

 

[Dragon5126]

You have NO CLUE as to that of which you speak, and I highly doubt you are a trucker as you would know that the "export" radios you note are not legal fir use on citizen band in the US as their packaging specifically states such

 

[Dragon5126]

no need of a license based on technical knowledge

 

[Dragon5126]

you wipe your butt so that makes you a proctologist?

 

[Dragon5126]

To everyone who is wondering why I am "arguing with myself"... I have issues with threads that have value that have just died off. I hope that some of my comments, both serious and tongue in cheek, will get people to come back and revive this thread. Communications between "wheelers" has been foolishly replaced by cell phones and has often left the group in the dark, so to speak. Replacing myth with fact is important and I am impressed at how well informed this group is.

 

[stumblnyj]

Looking to buy a CB. Well its on the list of things I need......

 

[TerryMason]

Communications between "wheelers" has been foolishly replaced by cell phones and has often left the group in the dark, so to speak. Replacing myth with fact is important and I am impressed at how well informed this group is.

I'm with you on this one. I've got a CB, but usually I'm one of two or three with one - not a big deal when there are three or four wheelers, but a must have when there's a line of 20+ Jeeps. It's frustrating just sitting and waiting on the trail without knowing why. Last time I went out people kept getting left behind / lost and we'd have to either wait or go find them.

 

[Turbogus]

It's been a spell since I read my ARRL book (was an aspiring 10 meter operator) and I seem to recall a phrase that went something like transmissions intentionally used to cause disturbances or interference is prohibited. Now I'm no expert and despite studying never did apply for my ticket, that being said, I do have a small brick attached to my seat but I only use my 11 meter radio on rare occasions. (I don't get out much).
One of these rare occasions occurred yesterday though and to those whom say CB's are obsolete, I was stuck in a 4 mile long traffic jam yesterday afternoon, an unusual occurrance in this part of Oregon, and approaching a bottleneck where four lanes were reduced to two, I politely asked a truck driver to let me slip in the 'rockin' chair' and he let me merge in safely and easily. Mind you, I was OTR myself for a little more than a decade so I became familiar with trucker's parlance so it may have been easier for me, your mileage may vary.

 

[Dragon5126]

Having a slew of ham equipment in the jeeps (yes, plural, the whole family is licensed so it makes sense to have ham rigs in all my jeeps) I rarely use the CBs that are in them. But on occasion, when on the highway they get turned on when the traffic turns freaky. Just as you did. I can tune in on the ham rigs but talking is a different issue. The fact is you never know when you need Comms. Good equipment is not a luxury, it's a must. When you have something, you depend on it. It's like a cheap wrench that breaks when you try to use it, and it's the only one you have with you. Always have the best you can afford on hand. It's not like you can run to the store for a replacement when you are out in a bad situation.

 

[bugleboy]

Would you guys recomend one like this? I want something I can take out and use as a handheld radio but could also be plugged into a firestick to make it work well on the hwy, also, I dont want to cut holes in my dash to mount, i was thinking i could mount it on one of those suction cup windshield cell phone holders Amazon.com: Midland 75-822 40 Channel CB-Way Radio: Electronics [h=2]Product Features[/h]

• Portable CB radio with 40 CB channels, 10 NOAA channels, and 4 Watts of output power
• Power with six AA batteries or included cigarette lighter adapter for mobile use
• Instant access to NOAA Radio, channels 9 and 19; Dual Watch monitors channel 9 and additional channel
• ANL (automatic noise limiter) and squelch control for improving reception and eliminating noise
• One-year manufacturer's warranty

all for $79.00 for just the cb

 

[TerryMason]

Are you trying to talk to other wheelers a half mile away, or are you looking for max range when on the highway.

I've found that I only use the CB when offroading, and then it's just to the front of the line, so the range doesn't mean too much to me. I went with this:
Amazon.com: Cobra 75WXST 40-Channel CB Radio: Car Electronics

It fits your mounting requirements, but doesn't work as a handheld.

 

[JPNinPA]

Would you guys recomend one like this? I want something I can take out and use as a handheld radio but could also be plugged into a firestick to make it work well on the hwy, also, I dont want to cut holes in my dash to mount, i was thinking i could mount it on one of those suction cup windshield cell phone holders Amazon.com: Midland 75-822 40 Channel CB-Way Radio: Electronics Product Features

• Portable CB radio with 40 CB channels, 10 NOAA channels, and 4 Watts of output power
• Power with six AA batteries or included cigarette lighter adapter for mobile use
• Instant access to NOAA Radio, channels 9 and 19; Dual Watch monitors channel 9 and additional channel
• ANL (automatic noise limiter) and squelch control for improving reception and eliminating noise
• One-year manufacturer's warranty

all for $79.00 for just the cb

expect the radio to pick up all transmitted noise. Using the jeep power and external mounted antenna improves the noise and distance. One thing you/all need to understand is a good antenna system properly tuned is needed no matter what radio. A $200 radio cans and will sound like crap if the antenna system is not tuned.

 

[bugleboy]

Are you trying to talk to other wheelers a half mile away, or are you looking for max range when on the highway.

I've found that I only use the CB when offroading, and then it's just to the front of the line, so the range doesn't mean too much to me. I went with this:
Amazon.com: Cobra 75WXST 40-Channel CB Radio: Car Electronics

It fits your mounting requirements, but doesn't work as a handheld.

to be honest id like a little of both, i want one that can be plugged into a antenna so i can get better range and if theres a speed trap or sting id like to hear about it before I go blasting thrue speeding because im late to school lol gotta listen for those bear checks, on the other hand id like something i can plug the battery into at jeep beach an carry it with me to keep intouch with my buddys while im checking out the events