RV'rs and CB/Two Way Radios

[OLYLEN]

Trouble with Ham is others must have it too. CB is still full of scrap but doable. FRS are short range a little less range than CB, but I have no experience with the moble above but assume with a better antenna should much better range but again someone else needs to be on the other end. As to the privacy code that only block you from others on the frequency, you don't hear them but they hear you.

LEN

[PbdBlue]

Originally Posted by cimplexsound

I have seen these and this is actually a downgrade from I already have. My radios have more features and a better built design and good reception. But this unit is still good.

Downgrade? Mobil unit with external antenna vs handheld with internal antenna?

[CajunCathy71]

My husband and I are traveling with a follow truck. Both are equipped with CB's. You don't need a special permit or license in Louisiana, and if this backwards state doesn't require one, NOBODY does. LOL

[dancogan]

When CB's first became popular you needed a license to operate one legally. However there was no test. It was merely a matter of filling out a form and sending in a check. The license arrived by mail shortly thereafter. Still remember my call sign, but haven't used it in many years.

[JohnH12]

Originally Posted by SilverBob

I still wonder what people have against getting a ham radio license. There hasn't been a Morse code requirement since 2007. The test costs $12-$15 and the license is good for 10 years. You have to pass a 35 question, multiple choice test, the answers for which are available on-line. Basically, if you're smart enough not to poke your eye out with your antenna, you should be able to pass the Technician Class (entry level) test.

Get a call sign and you'll be able to talk for miles around with FM quality sound, with no background noise. I'm a member of the Sierra Nevada Amateur Radio Society in Reno, NV. We operate a repeater network that allows licensed ham operators to talk to each other anywhere between Winnemucca, NV and Sacramento, CA on I80, and between Bridgeport, CA and Susanville CA on US395. Other ham radio clubs operate similar systems around the country. I love demonstrating the capabilities to folks who had no interest in ham radio before. When they hear the audio from somebody 25 or more miles away, the can't wait to throw away their CB!

My primary (only) reason for a radio is to get road info while traveling. I understand that a 10 meter ham license and setup is much better than a cb but isn't it true you still can't talk to the truckers on it with more than 5 watts?
Several hunt clubs in my area have gone to 10 meter sets and most don't even bother with the license but they are still talking with a closed group of people.
Isn't a decently installed and tuned cb still the better option for road info?

[SilverBob]

Originally Posted by JohnH12

My primary (only) reason for a radio is to get road info while traveling. I understand that a 10 meter ham license and setup is much better than a cb but isn't it true you still can't talk to the truckers on it with more than 5 watts?

Nope! The Technician Class license limits you to 200 watts on 10 meters. The next step up is the General Class. That gets you up to 1500 watts. That said, unless you're trying to talk to someone on the other side of the continent, you would rarely need that much power.

Originally Posted by JohnH12

Several hunt clubs in my area have gone to 10 meter sets and most don't even bother with the license but they are still talking with a closed group of people.
Isn't a decently installed and tuned cb still the better option for road info?

I think you might be thinking of 2 meter radios, not 10 meter. 2 meter is by far the most popular band for local (within 50 miles or so) communication. The radios and antennas are small and inexpensive, and there are repeaters you can use all over the country. No matter who you're talking to though, on 2 meters, 10 meters, or wherever, you're required to have a license.

I don't know how it is in the eastern part of the country, but here in rural Nevada, I hear about all the accidents or back-ups in our club's coverage area on the 2 meter repeaters all the time. This time of year there's always somebody giving road reports for I-80 over Donner Summit. Last weekend my DW and I drove from Las Vegas to Reno on US95. We chatted with several other mobile users the whole way on 2 meter simplex. I've never had any problem getting local info or road conditions on the ham radio.

[jrusselltx]

No matter the band, using a ham radio on any frequency is illegal (Federal crime) without a license. That said, I've given hundreds of tests even to youngsters of 8 years old who have passed the technician level license. It does give you a lot more options, including much more power than FRS or GMS radios. With an external antenna and a radio that sells for $150

Robot Check

you can talk for 10-15 mile on flat land direct, less in hilly country, and literally around the world using a repeater with Echolink, It was my first hobby, long before RVing, even having a driver's license.

[JohnH12]

Thanks for the correction. I might be prone to exaggerating measurements ��.
The 2 meter might be worth checking out.
I have an old Galaxy side band that I used when I drove commercial. I want to get a no ground plane antenna to mount on the rear ladder but I was told additional coax would degrade the swr pretty bad. I just don't want to put holes in the coach up front.
I have a 36 foot rig so I would need at least 45 ft of coax to run from the ladder mounted antenna to the dash.
I'd welcome any recommendations about options.

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by JohnH12

Thanks for the correction. I might be prone to exaggerating measurements ��.
The 2 meter might be worth checking out.
I have an old Galaxy side band that I used when I drove commercial. I want to get a no ground plane antenna to mount on the rear ladder but I was told additional coax would degrade the swr pretty bad. I just don't want to put holes in the coach up front.
I have a 36 foot rig so I would need at least 45 ft of coax to run from the ladder mounted antenna to the dash.
I'd welcome any recommendations about options.

You might find this article interesting: Exposing the 18' CB Coax Myth

[Ray,IN]

Getting back on topic, CB radios are quite useful when traveling in a group or alone. I'm neve concerned about talking to anyone over a few miles away because by the time I arrive there conditions may have changed drastically. As long as I can hear others from a few miles away I'm content. This gives me time to evaluate my location and alternate routes, or just find a parking spot until conditions improve.

Examples are the I 75 complete closure just South of the KY/TN state line, or the I 65 southbound IN/KY bridge closure for 6 months and expected congestion on the detour routes for both interstate closures.

[SilverBob]

Yep. As I said above, I can't speak to how things are done back east. What I can say is that out here, your CB range often doesn't exceed the distance between Interstate off ramps. I prefer to know what's happening as far ahead as possible. But that's just me. Your mileage, as they say, may vary.

[barmcd]

Why is talking on a radio safer than talking on a cell phone? I have to back our RV on to a narrow county road with a bar ditch on either side. Katherine guides me out using the cell phone. She has to walk from the back right side of the coach to the front right to make sure I don't run into either ditch. There may be times I can't see her so the phone works great and we both already own one. I just put it on speaker and sit it on the side panel.

[barmcd]

Originally Posted by JohnH12

My primary (only) reason for a radio is to get road info while traveling. I understand that a 10 meter ham license and setup is much better than a cb but isn't it true you still can't talk to the truckers on it with more than 5 watts?
Several hunt clubs in my area have gone to 10 meter sets and most don't even bother with the license but they are still talking with a closed group of people.
Isn't a decently installed and tuned cb still the better option for road info?

My navigation system with live weather and traffic updates does a good job of letting me know what's ahead.

[chris1953]

The only time I turn the CB on is if the traffic comes to an abrupt halt on the interstate. It lets me know what's happened. I never talk on it ; there is so much abusive language, I have to turn it off.