Do i need to get a cb?

It used to be the only method of communication that a driver had was a pay phone and a CB. The only way that the customer could talk with you was on the CB to let you know if you were loaded or empty.

With the wide spread use of cell phones they have become "almost" obsolete. However, there is something to be said for the ability to chat with drivers around you when you are rolling in the middle of the night.

My advice...save a few bucks and get a cheap one to see whether or not you are a CB'er. You can always get bigger and better later. One expense after the initial purchase would be to buy an upgraded mic. It makes all of the difference.

 

well said popeye, i would add one thing , spend the money on a good quality full wave whip antenna, your radio is only as good as the antenna , i have a pc33 uniden that i bought in "84" it has an adjustable tip full wave 4' whip and puts out 25 watts stock cause i turned it up , i could talk to trucks 150 to 200 miles out in front of me without blowing the guy behind me out of his cab..... I tuned the antenna to match the radio and wow it works good.... Problem is these days only us old guys seem to use the radio when running and thats few and far between , when you have someone to bs with on those long dark lonley nites it makes your driving shift go by in a heartbeat and keeps you wide awake too....you can buy a good antenna for around $50 and it'll be money well spent....

 

I could agree more, the antenna is very impotent as it can improve both transmission and reception but I think you mean a ¼ wave whip (102") antenna.

I full wave whip would be a 34 foot high antenna and would have a very high impedance instead of the 50 ohm impedance of a ¼ wave whip. The pattern of a full wave is poor compared to a ¼ wave as well.

 

no they do make full wave 3' and 4' fiberglass whips, i have two sets of each my cb tech also matched them to my radios after he tweaked the power up to 25 watts on the radios.... in fact i just bought a new 3' full wave whip at the carneys point nj flying j and its a full wave antenna too. they also sold 5/8 waves too.

 

A CB radio is your best friend, get one. I use a Magnum Delta Force. CB radios sometimes save lives. Sometimes their a pain, Get one.

 

Hah, I'll admit sometimes I get ahead of myself and forget to set the GPS coordinates before I take off. I'll usually do it while stopped at a light if I really need to figure out where I'm going.

 

last nite i had to go from carneys point flying j to ryder wilmington de. to do a tractor swap , got on my google maps and found my most direct route. 295-95-495-edgemoore rd, turn right on govenor printz blvd to - ryder, turn left into yard.... co, had to turn on his stupid gps with that stupid woman telling me to turn here and turn there , he is telling me " dude you went the wrong way" when i arrived with 10 miles less travel he shut up.... she had me driving all over town to get there, i did some simple route planning the old fashioned way , and got there in less miles less time and just fine.... ya'll can have that gps, it ain't helped this old boy yet, and just manages to piss me off alot....

 

To OP, sorry to hijack the thread for just a sec..,

Cowpie, you are whistling my tune. My 20+ years if active service turned me into a data miner as well. I just LOVE those spreadsheets!


Charlie
"Resistance is not futile; I will not be assimilated."

 

Nothing beats using a map book as long as it's up to date. I'd normally do the same but I've succumbed to the lazy bug lately. We youngsters are getting lazier and lazier.

 

i always figure my route ahead of time , eliminates the suprises and if i doink, i have google maps on black berry phone with you are here feature and gps in phone to solve my problem if one should arise.... pull over and look at it.... I also learned as a commercial fishing vessel skipper , to never trust electronics always be prepared for mr murphy to step in and ruin your day, and in a fog bank on the ocean you better know where the hell your at, the old fashioned way. lol