First I am going to give a little bit of information on the type of CB radios then I’m going to share what I use personally that I know for sure works and it works well.
It use to be that
one could walk into just about any electronics store and purchase
both a radio and the antenna and have them installed in under an hour
or even minutes but that isn’t so today. CB radios are still sold
at truck stops and stores like Homedepot Walmart and Best Buy. The
most inexpensive CB radio can still be found at Walmart on the shelf
however you will still need to buy a good antenna for that CB radio
and you don’t want to buy a cheap antenna which could cause serious
damage.
The best most
affordable antennas will also be covered here too. First to address
the types of CB radios lets start with the basic CB radio which is
the 4 watt AM CB radio. The AM CB radio uses the 40 channel AM
frequency band from channel 1 to channel 40 with channel 9 meant to
be used for emergency and informational purposes only with the
remaining channels for normal communications.
The newly released
FM frequency radio is the latest addition to CB radio adding 40 more
channels for use on the FM frequency FM giving a much more cleaner
signal however it doesn’t reach quit as far leaving AM the choice
band for distance. I did my own test not long ago to see which out
of AM and FM performed better and I could that both reach almost the
same distance however AM was a little better.
There are also
radios that have the SSB feature which stand for single side band
included on a regular standard AM CB radio with SSB addition a
addition 80 channels to the existing 40 channel AM radio which adds a
total of 120 channels in all if you included channel 9 on AM radio.
On a AM SSB radio you have 40 channels AM 40 channels USB (upper side
band) and 40 channels LSB (lower side band).
SSB channels are allowed up to 7 watts whereas regular AM and FM radio are only allowed 4 watts the legal maximum.
And as you have
probably guessed the additional wattage allowed on SSB makes better
for reaching someone at a distance than will regular AM radio. But
not everything is based on wattage when it comes to reaching over a
distance it is the antenna and the height of the antenna that makes
the difference which is why you want to make sure you get the best
antenna you can afford to buy. Just about any CB radio regardless of
bells and whistles all perform the same and I have the following.
The radio is a
Uniden PC78LTXFM which includes both AM and FM and has a built in SWR
meter for calibrating and setting the SWRS. The stock mic that came
with the Uniden radio was replaced with a Workman Super Star DM-507-4
mic with is a very powerful mic highly recommended. As for the base
antenna it is a 5/8 High Gain antenna. As for the mobiles both a K30
and Tram 300 work very well and if you want the very best you would
need to get a 102 whip antenna. See also beam antenna below.
With the Uniden
PC78LTXFM radio to mobile to date I am getting about 7 miles from
base to mobile and base to base comfortably reaching 11 miles
barefoot (No Amp) with the Uniden radio on the AM channels (band).
Although I haven’t tested a beam antenna as of yet a beam is a
directional antenna that concentrates the entire signal energy into
one direction making the stronger maximizing the distance. The beam
antenna also ignores attenuates it cuts off signals in all other
directions.
As with the base
omnidirectional antenna the beam antenna requires height in order to
perform well and for good performance the base of the antennas should
be mounted at least 20 feet off the ground which may require a
extending pole or a flag pole to mount it on some operators have even
mounted them in the tops of trees. A beam antenna would also require
a rotator motor to turn the antenna for the antenna to work it is
turned in the direction where it is needed to make it go the
distance.
If deciding to use
both a omnidirectional antenna that radiates in all directions and a
beam antenna that concentrates the signal in one direction then
unless you were using two CB radios you would need a CB coax switcher
and allows switching from one antenna source to another. If you only
want to talk to those closest to you that are within a few miles 7 to
11 miles then you would more likely only need to use a
omnidirectional antenna such as the 5/8 High Gain antenna I will add
the going prices below.
Prices currently as
of 11-17-2024
What CB radios work
well which are professional radios? All CB radios if they are being
used legally are factory set at the maximum 4 watts and unless
something were to be wrong with the radio they should all work well
no matter how inexpensive or cheap they are it’s only the features
that cost more and as of to date you can purchase a Uniden Pro 520XL
in the ball park of $74.99 maybe even cheaper depending where you
look. But I recommend the Uniden PCL78XLT FM for its added features.
As for mobile
antennas if you are on a budget and or face antenna placement or
other limitations I would recommend either the K30 in the price rage
of $40 to $50 or the Tram 300 around $39.00. But if you can swing it
and you are not limited by antenna height and you want the very best
antenna you can get then I would go with a 102 whip antenna and you
can get a complete kit currently whip antenna mount and cable for
around $125.50 on ebay maybe even cheaper on other sites.
The Workman Super
Star mic gives excellent performance much better and more powerful
than stock radio mics at least most of them and the mic needs no
batteries it’s also they very budget very cheap. On ebay currently
from $15.95 to $19.95 however make sure the mic is wired to fit your
radio make and model. I found with the Uniden PC78XLTFM mic that
came with the radio made the distance however the stock mic was
lacking they couldn’t hear me which is why I replaced it with the
Workman.
The 5/8 High Gain
antenna is going for around $143.00 with free shipping and mine
shipped super fast it was here I want to say I had it within 2 or 3
days and it came from the UK.
Before I recap the
list unless you have experience working on CB radios fixing them etc
I would not recommend getting a used radio due to many of the used
radios age because they may work well when you first get them yet
quit working at a time you need them. I’m not saying don’t buy
used radios there are tons of quality used radios you can get however
for your first radio I do recommend you get a new radio for
dependability sake because you don’t want them to fail at a time
you need them the most.
Unless you intend on
talking to those within a mile or so from you I also don’t
recommend getting walkie talkies either not if you intend on talking
across town or across county lines because the walkie talkies have
very short antennas that will reach only a mile or so and that is
pushing it you can connect them with special connectors to something
like a mobile antenna and they will do the distance but not with
their native built in antenna walkie talkies are idea for camping
hiking and construction sites etc.
PRICE RANGE RECAP
CB radios
Uniden Pro 520XL
(Does not include the built in SWR feature), in the ball park of
$74.99
Uniden PC78XLTFM
(Includes FM and the built in SWR feature) $139.99 from Uniden.com
Mic
The Workman Super
Star mic price is in the ball park of $15.95 to $19.95 exceptionally
powerful good mic – make sure it’s for the radio you have.
Mobile base CB
antennas
K30 and the Tram 300
are in the price rage of $40 to $50. The 102 whip antenna with mount
kit around $120.
Base CB antennas
5/8 High Gain
antenna around $143.00 shipping included UK ships very fast.
As of yet I haven’t
tested beam antenna directional antenna’s and at least one of the
cheapest I have found which I plan and test is the Maco M103C is in
the price rage of $221.00.
I also want to bring
to the readers attention that there is a difference between the
Uniden model PC78XLTFM and the Unden model PC78XLT the difference
being that the one ending with FM is the model you want if you want
the additional 40 FM channels.
And as always should
you get a CB radio and you find there is no one talking locally then
make you some leaflets easily done with office software add your
information times to meet (evenings are best), channels to meet on
etc print them cut them pass them out in nearby stores schools etc.
Have custom T-shirts or bumper stickers made put them in your rear
window your bumper spread the word invite your relatives friends
neighbors others and inform them to do the same.
I hope you found
this information useful and once again thank you again for reading.
