CB radio??

[BaTmAn13]

hey I am just curious there has been mention of some sort of truck rally (sick) and I am not seriously considering getting a CB radio is there anything that i should look for in a CB unit or anything that I should stay away from. Is there a governing body that controls them. Do I need a radio license in order to use one. If so where do I apply for that. do I make up my own call name or is that given to me by others??

thoughts.....


cheers

[Rev]

hey I am just curious there has been mention of some sort of truck rally (sick) and I am not seriously considering getting a CB radio is there anything that i should look for in a CB unit or anything that I should stay away from. Is there a governing body that controls them. Do I need a radio license in order to use one. If so where do I apply for that. do I make up my own call name or is that given to me by others??

is there anything that i should look for in a CB unit or anything that I should stay away from. Just get a basic CB for $60. They are all 4w anyway. Even the pricey ones. A good antenna and proper tuning is the most important thing. If you plan to wheel get a cheap tuneable metal whip antenna otherwise it will get snapped by a tree. If your CB does not have a SWR meter then you will need one.

Is there a governing body that controls them. No it is the Citizens Band

Do I need a radio license in order to use one. no

do I make up my own call name or is that given to me by others?? We use our web nicks because it gets confusing otherwise

[Xtrapol8]

It sounds like you should borrow, or buy second hand, a handheld unit.

Failing that, you're into at least $100 for a cheap CB and short magnet-mount whip...but even then, you have to hook that up to the battery and .... how far do you want to go?

No authoritarian oppression, just plug and play.

I don't have enough experience to know about call names, but if you deserve it, I'm sure people will call you names

Search the forum for "CB Radio", "Antenna", "Radioworld", "Durham Radio" stuff like that.

[Bow_Tied]

Is there a governing body that controls them. No it is the Citizens Band

Actually I think Canada calls it General Radio Service but it is identical to the US Citizens Band.

[Rev]

huh. Learn something new every day. Then we should call it a GRS, not a CB.

"Citizens' Band radio (often shortened to CB radio) is, in many countries, a system of short-distance radio communications between individuals on a selection of 40 channels within the 27-MHz (11 m) band." wiki

[Bow_Tied]

That is correct, GRS is the proper term. The US term CB has simply caught on. I checked the wikipedia reference and if you scroll down to the section on Canada: "In Canada, the "General Radio Service" has the identical frequencies and modes as the United States "Citizen's band"..."


We should all read this link and do the quiz at the end (although it contains info we likely won't use for home base installs)

Enjoy

[Rev]

I checked the wikipedia reference and if you scroll down to the section on Canada: "In Canada, the "General Radio Service" has the identical frequencies and modes as the United States "Citizen's band"..."

ya i read that too. but it could have been you who put that in there.

[Bow_Tied]

No, but good idea!!!

[Nd4SpdSe]

I am not seriously considering getting a CB radio

It sounds like you should buy second hand, a handheld unit.

[Bow_Tied]

I think he meant to write "I am NOW seriously considering...." ?

[BaTmAn13]

hey wow typo ...oops
I have e-mailed a few people about purchasing theirs

[Ozzker]

I Have the Cobra 18ST I bought off Sandor for $40 kickin around since I recently got a new one, and I have the Whip I got from Dudu off my truck now as well.

They can both be yours for $40, same price I paid, and works great!!

[dududuckling]

You sure its from me? I know my antenna goes to Dave and the mount goes back to Rod, lol

[HotWod]

Ok I found a CB thread... No more sh!t'n up the Grimsby run thread

So you can eff up your CB if the Antenna isn't the right one? And what the hell do you adjust with the SWS meter?

[HolidayNation]

Ok I found a CB thread... No more sh!t'n up the Grimsby run thread

So you can eff up your CB if the Antenna isn't the right one? And what the hell do you adjust with the SWS meter?

Short answer YES, you could if your antenna is not tuned or connected. It is SWR=standing wave ration
see:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_wave_ratio

see thread:http://www.cntc.ca/phpBB3/viewtopic.php ... SWR#p25142

[sandor]

Not a clue what you do with an SWS meter...some weird sh!t?

With an SWR meter, you can tune your antenna by making it longer or shorter, and therefore improve the transmission and reception of your CB.

Why you playing dumb Hotwod? You know this stuff!!!

[Nissanboy97]

Good god, i thought this would be easier to install than a stereo.... guess not, theres a lot more stuff to worry about. I suggest a coffee meet somewhere near the Radioworld in Toronto and then those who dont have a cb aka me and Batman, could go in there with someone more experienced with this stuff and we could buy the right stuff we need.

[HotWod]

I didn't know that little end on my antenna would mean the difference between a Working and not working antenna. I used a non-adjustable antenna for God knows how long with no blown up CB

[Rev]

It isn't that hard. Go get that CB, get cable, get an antenna. Figure out where/how you want to mount it. The staff will help you.

The Cobra 29 has a built in SWR meter btw but it is big and pricey.

Last time I went to Mud St. only a few trucks had CBs and we had to spend a lot of time stopping to communicate with those without them.

[HotWod]

I agree with Rev, Get the Cobra 19... Antenna and a base, either fixed or Magnetic. Pete has an *SWR* METER and would prolly use it on whatever set-up you have to make sure its not gonna blow up. (and I wouldn't mind if he gave mine a test too) Most magnetic bases come with a length of Coax that will be long enough for your application. If you get a fixed one you'll have to buy 20 feet of coax. Either way, I'm sure Dudu wouldn't mind picking up what you need, if he's gonna go grab you a CB, he'd probably be able to carry a base and coax... he has be working out