Lets Talk Cb radios!!!!!

I started out with the old Formac 700, a 200 channel, AM/FM radio with a build in echo. A good radio in it's day.
Then I bought a used Kenwood TS50, a true all band, all mode, HF general coverage transceiver. The Kenwood TS50 requires a simple clip of a diode to open up the radio for general coverage transmit. Not being a "Channel bound" radio, the TS50 has 100 memory channels that can be programmed. I programmed my first 40 channels with the 11 meter "CB" band, AM, 25 watts.
On sideband, FM, & CW the radio puts out 100 watts, on AM the radio puts out 25 watts. The TS50 has dual VFO, can be programmed to operate split frequency, and has served me well over the 16 years that I've owned it. I've worked Europe, Russia, all of North America, the Caribian, & Central America with it mobile on side band.
It mostly depends on what you want to do with a radio, if you don't want to work DX and have no other need than to talk on channel 19, most out of the box CB radios will work, If you want to talk around the world mobile on sideband, and still want to use it on CB, the TS50 is a hard radio to beat. Kenwood TS50 radios can still be found on E-Bay.
Personnally I have no use for an AM only radio. The truck I drive came with a built in CB, I put in a HF/VHF/UHF all mode Yeasu, and very rarely turn on the Cobra. In fact, the only time I turn on the CB is when I'm at a shipper or receiver that requires I monitor a channel to be called to a dock, and most of the time I give them my cell phone number.
Forget the "Export" radios, if all you want to do is talk on CB. If you want an export radio, don't buy it from a truck stop solder jockey, as most of them are way over priced. Call a place like AES in Cleveland, remember, the truck stop solder jockey is in business to make money, he buys from wholesalers, fiddles with the radio and sells it as a peaked & tuned wizbang radio.
Forget the toys, just more garbage you don't need. There's no one radio that is the best, it mostly depends on what you want to do with it, and how much you're willing to pay to do what you want.
There're alot of scams out here on the road, I've seen truck stop radio shops installing "SuperModulators," and other junk that are nothing more that a capacitor soldered acrossed ground, turn up the modulation pot and charge $30.00.

 

We have a CB radio forum that will answer questions here.

Me? I'd just stick with a basic, no frills CB radio.

If you get one of those 10 meter radios and have it opened up to work on the 11 meter band, stay in the 11 meter band. Get your radio properly tuned by a reputable shop so it doesn't splatter across the band and cause interference, and get a good antenna and get it matched to the antenna.

Be aware that the 10 meter radios are illegal for use by you if you do not have an amateur license, and be aware that the 10 meter radios opened up to work on the CB band are illegal in any case on that band...keep your head down and don't attract any attention. You don't sound like the type of fellow that looks to cause trouble, anyway, so you shouldn't have any problems. Don't bother with the idiotic noise toys, echos, whatever.

AES that Otter referred to is Amateur Electronic Supply. Good people. Sparky's is a good place I hear from, too.

The HF radios Otter is referring to require an amateur radio license to use to talk on the bands around the world...and they are pretty expensive. We hams really will not look kindly AT ALL upon to someone using those bands without the proper license. I will overlook using a 10 meter export radio on CB if it isn't causing any interference...

But if you want to get serious about radio, getting your amateur radio license is the way to go. There is no morse code requirements for any of the three classes anymore (Technician, General, and Extra).

 

I cant stand the base station people in Milwaukee all they do is talk crap to drivers and act all tuff like they are hot stuff. When im sure there sitting in the ghetto somewhere, just wish they would be polite or if there just gonna sit there and talk with there buddy across town, either go to another channel other than 19 or just friggin call him. Kinda pain when your trying to get weather, traffic, or directions and everyone has there radio off because of these people.

 

I would stick with the regular 40 channel CB radio. There really isn't a "best" , loudest, biggest, baddest, radio for CB. All that is simply a matter of opinion. There is no real need to "peak and tune" CB radios. That is mostly a way to relieve unwitting people from their money. It's almost as if people think the builders don't even know how to build a radio. And, like you, it if I had to listen to all the crap that goes on on the CB, I be in the looney bin! DANG! HOW STOOPID can ya get???

And the Kenwood TS-50, unless you ARE after the Amateur license is OVERKILL-----and also ILLEGAL to use on CB anyway. All those other "channels" are not usable for you anyway without the license, so I'd stick with the CB rig.

Gadfly

 

a proper tune and alignment can help any new radio perform better . better cb companies build their radios to do way more than the 4 watts max the FCC allows on AM or the 12 max on SSB because they know theyll sell more radios that way . they just under run then from the factory to keep legal .

i also prefer cb's over exports . unidens for AM and galaxies for SSB .

 

That TS-50 looks like a pretty cool radio. They are still bringing a pretty good price on e bay