# Are cb radios still as reliable as in the 70's



## myrtle55

Just wondering if cb' s still work or if most antennas are gone now.


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## OldCootHillbilly

There still available and so are the antenna's. Taint many folk round here still use em (that ain't all bad either) so ya don't get ta talk ta to many folk. Get over by the interstate an ya can pick up some truckers. 10 years ago it were a nightmare cause a all the kids playin an yackin on em. Ya couldn't get a word in edgewise. Taday they got nothin ta do with em cause they all got cell phones. Be one good thin what come outa cell phones!

Not lots a choices on radios here no more but ya can still buy em. Interweb really heps out with that though cause ya can oder almost anything ya wan't. 

There still be lots a antennas available to. Prolly have ta order em though. I been lookin at building a emergency antenna an radio kit. Whole works will be contained in a military ammo can. I have a good en in my truck an a portable unit what momma carries in her vehicle. I also have a couple a handheld portables fer emergencies.

Ham radio will reach out further, but ya gotta have a license fer that. Not all that hard ta get though. I still like the simplicity a CB's.

So that bein a long answer ta yer question, yes they still have a purpose taday.


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## tooltime

I have seen cb's at Walmart but not sure about the antenna's


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## backlash

Don't know for sure but I would bet any truck stop will have radios and antennas.
Might even be able to get the antenna tuned there.


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## OldCootHillbilly

Truck stops be good spot fer mobile stuff. Ifin yer lookin fer basestation stuff not so much. There still be some radio shops round, but ya gotta look fer em. Google er such will list em out. ebay got a pery good selection a stuff an sometimes ya can find it on craigslist.


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## myrtle55

I guess what I wondered is are there still repeater towers out there making them work?


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## k0xxx

myrtle55 said:


> I guess what I wondered is are there still repeater towers out there making them work?


It's hard, but not impossible to locate CB repeaters in some parts of the country. Most of them are toned and clandestine though, because it's illegal to use a repeater for CB (as per the FCC). There are repeaters for bands like MURS, I believe, and of course there or lots on the Ham Bands. Are you sure it was CB you're thinking about?


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## drfacefixer

K0xxx, 

You may have more knowledge on this, but a lot of Ham forums speak ill of the 10m band because of CB overlap and illegal modding into the 11M. Currently, I tend to stay in the 2m and 70cm bands because of local activity. I was looking at getting into the 10M just for fun, but wonder if there is a better band for the buck if I'm mainly looking at talking within the US.


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## Dakine

drfacefixer said:


> K0xxx,
> 
> You may have more knowledge on this, but a lot of Ham forums speak ill of the 10m band because of CB overlap and illegal modding into the 11M. Currently, I tend to stay in the 2m and 70cm bands because of local activity. I was looking at getting into the 10M just for fun, but wonder if there is a better band for the buck if I'm mainly looking at talking within the US.


Interested to see what K0xxx has to say, but I was looking into your question and found this...

http://www.arrl.org/here-comes-the-sun

it's an interesting read! I wonder if all you're interested in is US comm'z, maybe a Yagi antenna and the right satellite are all you need?


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## Geek999

drfacefixer said:


> K0xxx,
> 
> You may have more knowledge on this, but a lot of Ham forums speak ill of the 10m band because of CB overlap and illegal modding into the 11M. Currently, I tend to stay in the 2m and 70cm bands because of local activity. I was looking at getting into the 10M just for fun, but wonder if there is a better band for the buck if I'm mainly looking at talking within the US.


I don't mean to step on K0xxx, but let me take a crack at this.

The issue is that the rules on CB are different here vs. other countries. We have wattage limits on both CB and HAM radios and if everyone observes the rules, then there is very little issue. Unfortunately, you can get a 10m plus CB transmitter designed for overseas use and transmit at a higher power than is allowed here, resulting in problems and interference for others. Some individuals have done this deliberately in order to extend their CB range and it is not a good idea.

If you need more range than a CB, the proper thing to do is get a HAM license and then you can achieve your goal.

Note that it is legal to use a radio in a car, and if memory serves the Federal rules authorizing HAM use in cars have been established in a way to preempt any state laws that may be introduced to prevent such use.

Also, to return to the OPs question, CB radios work fine, but are not as popular as they were back in the 1970s, which may be good or bad depending on your intended use. If your intention is to use CBs as a prep item, you'll need a few of them as you will need to pass them out to whoever you are going to communicate with. I think FRS/GMRS is a little more popular for this use, as the available radios are handhelds, while most CBs are intended for vehicle use. FRS/GMRS radios are also cheaper.

My family has a FRS/GMRS radio in each BOB. We have a couple CBs lying around the house, and will add more HAM radios as more individuals get licensed.


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## k0xxx

drfacefixer said:


> K0xxx,
> 
> You may have more knowledge on this, but a lot of Ham forums speak ill of the 10m band because of CB overlap and illegal modding into the 11M. Currently, I tend to stay in the 2m and 70cm bands because of local activity. I was looking at getting into the 10M just for fun, but wonder if there is a better band for the buck if I'm mainly looking at talking within the US.


My daughter always accuses me of trying to tell her how to build a clock, when she only wants to know what time it is, but... here goes.

The 10m band _is_ a lot of fun in spite of the occasional problem with unlicensed operators, but it isn't reliable for anything but local communication. 10m and 11m rely on sky wave or "skip" (technically called sporadic E propagation) which refers to the propagation of radio waves reflected or refracted back toward Earth from the ionosphere, an electrically charged layer of the upper atmosphere. Typically the conditions needed for skip occurs during the Summer months.

For covering the US, the 80, 40 and 20m bands will generally provide coverage of the continent 24/7. These three bands perform differently depending on the time of year and whether it's night or day. However, between the three it's normally possible to talk anywhere in the US at any time. The drawback is these bands require a General or higher license for voice.

If you'd like a band that would give you almost the same propagation and fun as the 10m band, without the problem of unlicensed operators, look into 6m. It's available to Technicians, and when the propagation is there, can provide some amazing distances and fun. We are currently entering the beginning of the 6m meter "season".

Just ask if have any more questions that you'd like more long winded answers to.


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## Geek999

This is probably a good time to encourage getting a HAM license. The lowest level license is a Technician license. It is a 35 question test. All the questions are published and it requires about 10 hours of study to prepare. The Technician license is used heavily by HAMs that are interested in local communications. The General license is another 35 questions and another 10 hours of study. You can take both exams on the same day, which is encouraged. The General license grants you permission to use a broader range of frequencies and you will want it if you wish to do long distance communications.

Last I checked the exams cost $14 each and you may wish to purchase some study materials, so cost is really not a barrier.

I would think it wise for any prepper group to get as many members licensed as possible.


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## myrtle55

Mostly I just wanted to know if I put cb' s in everyone's vehicle would they still work. I really don't understand the technology of radios...I am a part time rocket scientist and I play a doctor on tv..lol...but radio eludes my senses. I just wanted to know how to reach my kids, etc an easy way. We live between the mountains and the ocean so interference by the geography is a given.


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## Geek999

CB radios will work just as well as they did in the 70s and we have given you some real overkill in responses. You seem to realize from the last post that CB is a line of sight radio and that mountain between you and your kids will be an issue.

However, if you were to use something like 2m HAM radio then you would have a decent likelihood that someone had parked a repeater on that mountain top. Around here the repeaters stayed operational during Hurricane Sandy, so short of an EMP, you may find that a superior solution.


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## hardrock

*CB Radios*

Our county civil disaster director is the laughing stock of Oklahoma.
He will only use cb radios for all communications in a disaster.

One of the questions in the tech. pool is about when to use the 11m cb band 
and the answer is NEVER.

My icom 706 will do just fine on 11m but I will probably never do it.

In Ok. the tech. license question pool has 394 questions from which they choose 35 and you have to score 74% to pass. General has 456 questions and
xtra has 700.

I guess I'm a little dense because it took me longer than 10 hrs to study the 394 and the 456 for general. Plan to take the Xtra in Sept. at Mena hamfest.

If you study to understand and not to just memorize it may take longer.


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## Viking

We are surrounded by mountains where we live but have used a CB while hunting, especially on roads where they are doing a lot of logging, road work where the truckers are running road rock trucks towing dump trailers or there are crummies running loggers to cut sites. It gets crazy on the narrow roads unless you know these guys are coming at you. Usually they will spray paint the channel on a tree or if the road is paved they spray it there. CB has helped but there's been a few times we've come close to having to change our underwear with rock truck encounters with just a narrow ledge to pull over on next to a creek canyon.


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## Geek999

One piece of advice: Don't use your call sign on this forum due to OPSEC.


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## k0xxx

Geek999 said:


> One piece of advice: Don't use your call sign on this forum due to OPSEC.


I believe in OPSEC to a point, but *K0XXX* _is_ my actual call sign. I don't worry about someone showing up at my house for a lot of reasons, but mainly because if you went to mailbox for the address listed for my license you still wouldn't locate me. It is my proper and correct address of where I reside, but good luck actually locating me there.

I don't worry about individuals coming to look for me and steal my supplies, because there aren't that many truly stupid people in the world. I certainly don't worry about the authorities finding out who I am, because they either already know or could know in an instant if they wanted to, just for me being logged on to this site. Besides I don't do anything that I'd be upset about if they knew...


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## k0xxx

myrtle55 said:


> Mostly I just wanted to know if I put cb' s in everyone's vehicle would they still work. I really don't understand the technology of radios...I am a part time rocket scientist and I play a doctor on tv..lol...but radio eludes my senses. I just wanted to know how to reach my kids, etc an easy way. We live between the mountains and the ocean so interference by the geography is a given.


There would be no difference in how they work now, as opposed to how they worked then.


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## OldCootHillbilly

Koxx, someday were gonna have ta have a face ta face. Maybe do a cookout, have a cold one er two an discuss the world. Ozarks be a perty place.


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## IlliniWarrior

I see at least a dozen CBs every weekend at garage sales ... antennas, meters, mics, power supplies, wire ect ect .... give away prices mostly .... complete portable set ups for a $1 .... big base units $5 to $20 depending .... 

I have plenty of CBs stored and EMP protected .... plan on setting a SHTF neighborhood comm system using CBs and field phone ....


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## k0xxx

OldCootHillbilly said:


> Koxx, someday were gonna have ta have a face ta face. Maybe do a cookout, have a cold one er two an discuss the world. Ozarks be a perty place.


That would definitely be something that I would look forward to.


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## RJTINNC

I think you should own 1 to 2 CB radios in your complete comms package along with HAM, MURS, GMRS,FRS, etc. It is one more means of communication in a SHTF situation with limited communication. Keep in mind like all communication the antenna is as important or more important than the radio itself. Also you will need to have the antenna tuned to your particular setup. Last one I had done was at a truck stop CB shop and cost was $10. Or buy yourself a $25 meter and watch a couple Youtube videos on how to do it.


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## readyprepared

CBs and antennas are readily available online, though the designs are still stuck in the 70s. I bought a handheld model plus a hefty magnetic mount antenna and have found this to be surprisingly helpful when interstate highway traffic comes to a crawl. Information on which lane up ahead is closed is invaluable and has enabled me to make decisions as to whether or not get off at the next exit and take a detour.

But for house to house communications, for greater distance without a license, you might want to look into CB SSB and MURS units.


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## TheLazyL

myrtle55 said:


> Mostly I just wanted to know if I put cb' s in everyone's vehicle would they still work. ....


Yes they would work.

Be careful of buying used CBs at garage sales. Many receive OK but their transmitters are burned out (trying to transmit without an antenna).

I got a new Uniden Bearcat CB SBB (built in SWR meter) for $140 and firestick antenna for $16. All online.


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## myrtle55

Thanks to all of you


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## officer1

they do sell them at walmart if your wondering who this is it is officer romero


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## myrtle55

Thanks much officer


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## frankd4

CB's are on the 11 meter band witch is not the best for long range como, 27 MHZ is subject to allot of interference you are beter of with GMRS or FRS even MURS than a CB.


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## TheLazyL

frankd4 said:


> CB's are on the 11 meter band witch is not the best for long range como, 27 MHZ is subject to allot of interference you are beter of with GMRS or FRS even MURS than a CB.


For me it depends on what the communications are needed for. The further range of your transmission the more chance of someone else eavesdropping or triangulating your position IMHO.

Bugging out in a convoy or close in patrols, short range best.

BOL to another BOL. Long range may be best.

Below is the results of my tests:

Amatuer 2 meters. Base is a Beofeng UV5RE contacted to a J-pole antenna located in the garage attic. Portable is a UV5RE plus with a Nagoya NA-771 16 inch Antenna. My range is .87 miles.

FRS (low power). Base is a Beofeng UV5RE contacted to a J-pole antenna located in the garage attic. Portable is a Midland GXT1050VP4. My range is 1.02 miles.

GMRS (high power). Base is a Beofeng UV5RE contacted to a J-pole antenna located in the garage attic. Portable is a Midland GXT1050VP4 with and advertized range of 36 miles. My range is 2.98 miles.

CB SSB. Base is a European model (purchased at a garage sale) connected to a FireStik IBA-5 CB base antenna located in the garage attic. Mobile unit is a Uniden Bearcat 980SSB connected to a FireStik FL3-B 3 foot FireFly antenna mounted on the Mule. My range is 4 miles.


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## readytogo

*Cb radios will never die..........*

I was dumb as hell giving my away several years ago but now I think they may be coming back, my in-law is a trucker and he uses his constantly, he helps plenty of drivers, Channel 9 was issued by the FCC for emergency communication and is scanned by US agencies, such as police, rescue for medical emergencies, accidents, vehicle breakdowns, and lost motorists. This makes it simple to use, no need to remember numbers or dead cell phones and in almost every rural zone someone has a cb or base at home and in the city no need to worried about the minutes or dropping the cell phone, the wife can get to you at a moment's notice for milk or bread, hell I may get me one.artydance:


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## musketjim

Listening to a prepper podcast, an old Ham radio operator stated that the penalties for a licensed operator using a Ham radio improperly are more severe than an unlicensed operator using a Ham Radio. Also a license can give your location for commandeering of your gear. Don't know personally just listened to the podcast. I don't have a license and at present don't own a Ham system. I'll stick with my cb and a system for monitoring shortwave. I'll try to broadcast as little as possible to stay under the radar as much as possible.

"The good guys aren't coming"


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## bkt

Operating on amateur radio frequencies without a call and/or failing to observe the protocols may result in a fox hunt to locate you. HAMs will do this as a matter of pride, then tell the FCC where you're broadcasting from. Almost certainly, you will lose your radio(s). It's also possible to incur a hefty fine.

Being realistic, if you broadcast on a frequency that is not in use by a repeater and you don't abuse it by setting up a pirate radio station or whatever and you don't broadcast too often, you probably won't get busted at all. I don't recommend that because it really is too easy to get an amateur radio operator license.

It is true that anyone can look up a call sign to get a name and address of the operator.

All that said, what does this have to do with CB? That's not amateur radio. I have a Midland 75-822 CB. It comes with an adapter to use it in a vehicle and mine came with two battery packs (one rechargeable and one that takes AAs) to use it as a handheld. It puts out 4 watts and doesn't do SSB but it isn't bad.


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## bkt

TheLazyL said:


> Amatuer 2 meters. Base is a Beofeng UV5RE contacted to a J-pole antenna located in the garage attic. Portable is a UV5RE plus with a Nagoya NA-771 16 inch Antenna. My range is .87 miles.


Something's wrong, then. I've got four of these with the same Nagoya 771 antenna and they reach out several miles with no problem.


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## Blackdogwinery

*Cb range?*



bkt said:


> Operating on amateur radio frequencies without a call and/or failing to observe the protocols may result in a fox hunt to locate you. HAMs will do this as a matter of pride, then tell the FCC where you're broadcasting from. Almost certainly, you will lose your radio(s). It's also possible to incur a hefty fine.
> 
> Being realistic, if you broadcast on a frequency that is not in use by a repeater and you don't abuse it by setting up a pirate radio station or whatever and you don't broadcast too often, you probably won't get busted at all. I don't recommend that because it really is too easy to get an amateur radio operator license.
> 
> It is true that anyone can look up a call sign to get a name and address of the operator.
> 
> All that said, what does this have to do with CB? That's not amateur radio. I have a Midland 75-822 CB. It comes with an adapter to use it in a vehicle and mine came with two battery packs (one rechargeable and one that takes AAs) to use it as a handheld. It puts out 4 watts and doesn't do SSB but it isn't bad.


I'm a fairly well rounded prepper, but communications is definately one of my weak spots. I'm curious about cb's. I thought they only worked in line of sight, with a couple mile range. I have a couple midland radios that say they go 32 mi., But they don't go anywhere near that. I live in the mountains in n. Ga. and would appreciate some advice about cb's. Are the worthwhile when home based? Or would it be better to save the cash and invest in a ham system. I have no desire to get too involved with communications, but would like to have a little more news/info capability than my noaa radio.


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## bkt

Blackdogwinery said:


> I'm a fairly well rounded prepper, but communications is definately one of my weak spots. I'm curious about cb's. I thought they only worked in line of sight, with a couple mile range. I have a couple midland radios that say they go 32 mi., But they don't go anywhere near that. I live in the mountains in n. Ga. and would appreciate some advice about cb's. Are the worthwhile when home based? Or would it be better to save the cash and invest in a ham system. I have no desire to get too involved with communications, but would like to have a little more news/info capability than my noaa radio.


Regarding range, think of radio waves the way you would think of a laser: they go pretty much line-of-sight and unless you and/or the receiving antenna is elevated on a tower or big hill or mountain, you really can't reach more than a few miles at best. It is possible to bounce radio waves off the ionosphere to send and receive signals extremely far away - from all over the world, in fact - but that's not consistent or reliable. And, it requires a HAM license.

HAM doesn't need to cost a lot: you can get started with inexpensive handheld radios that put out 5 watts. You do need at least a technician-level license to operate them, however, and that's not too hard to get. Study the questions, learn the answers, take the exam, get your license. Let me know if you want some links for study material.

CB doesn't require a license, and some CBs work on single sideband (SSB) and dump their full wattage into that narrow transmission channel. That can help improve range but you are still limited by line-of-sight.

For what it's worth, I tried FRS, GMRS, MURS, eXRS and CB before finally getting my amateur radio (HAM) license. While I still have all these radios, I use my HAM radios pretty much exclusively now. Hands down, the range (particularly when you consider repeaters) is outstanding, clarity is great, and you don't have a bunch of idiots swearing a blue streak when you're trying to talk with a buddy.

Update: I will say the biggest problem with getting a HAM license is getting your local prepper friends to get theirs. Maybe you'll have better luck.


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## TheLazyL

bkt said:


> Something's wrong, then. I've got four of these with the same Nagoya 771 antenna and they reach out several miles with no problem.


I'll agree with you, something is wrong. I just haven't taken the time to figure out what.

Same J-pole, coax and base HH is working fine for the FRS and GMRS.

I did drive a different route then what I did for the FRS/GMRS test. Perhaps something is blocking the signal south of me.


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## TheLazyL

Blackdogwinery said:


> I'm a fairly well rounded prepper, but communications is definately one of my weak spots. I'm curious about cb's. I thought they only worked in line of sight, with a couple mile range. I have a couple midland radios that say they go 32 mi., But they don't go anywhere near that. I live in the mountains in n. Ga. and would appreciate some advice about cb's. Are the worthwhile when home based? Or would it be better to save the cash and invest in a ham system. I have no desire to get too involved with communications, but would like to have a little more news/info capability than my noaa radio.


See my post #30 regarding my range tests


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## zombieresponder

bkt said:


> Regarding range, think of radio waves the way you would think of a laser: they go pretty much line-of-sight and unless you and/or the receiving antenna is elevated on a tower or big hill or mountain, you really can't reach more than a few miles at best. It is possible to bounce radio waves off the ionosphere to send and receive signals extremely far away - from all over the world, in fact - but that's not consistent or reliable. And, it requires a HAM license.
> 
> HAM doesn't need to cost a lot: you can get started with inexpensive handheld radios that put out 5 watts. You do need at least a technician-level license to operate them, however, and that's not too hard to get. Study the questions, learn the answers, take the exam, get your license. Let me know if you want some links for study material.
> 
> CB doesn't require a license, and some CBs work on single sideband (SSB) and dump their full wattage into that narrow transmission channel. That can help improve range but you are still limited by line-of-sight.
> 
> For what it's worth, I tried FRS, GMRS, MURS, eXRS and CB before finally getting my amateur radio (HAM) license. While I still have all these radios, I use my HAM radios pretty much exclusively now. Hands down, the range (particularly when you consider repeaters) is outstanding, clarity is great, and you don't have a bunch of idiots swearing a blue streak when you're trying to talk with a buddy.
> 
> Update: I will say the biggest problem with getting a HAM license is getting your local prepper friends to get theirs. Maybe you'll have better luck.


CB frequencies are capable of long distance, with the right equipment. That said, CB is limited(legally) to just a few watts of output power. The power limit on SSB is about 3x higher if I remember correctly. Even with that, it's illegal to even try to make contact more than 200 miles away(yay government!).

I will concur that Amature Radio is the way to go, though I think that it's better to have multiple options if for no other reason than to monitor more frequencies at any given time.


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