RV CB Radios

[bryancass]

Does anyone use a CB radio while on the road? Is there a recommended brand or type of radio for occasional use while traveling? I don't think I need a 'professional' model - I'm just wanting something I can connect with other RVers on the road and get traffic and weather updates.

Thanks!

[MoonShadow_1911]

Does anyone use a CB radio while on the road? Is there a recommended brand or type of radio for occasional use while traveling? I don't think I need a 'professional' model - I'm just wanting something I can connect with other RVers on the road and get traffic and weather updates.

Thanks!

I have a radio in my rig. I would recommend something from Cobra, Galaxy, or Uniden. Also, if your truck does not have an aluminum body, like my 2019 F350, you can get a magnet mount and stuck it in the center of your roof, running the coax through the door. I would also get a cigarette lighter adapter and solder that on to the end of the power wire (I think you can buy after market ones that are premade as well). Figure out where you want to put it, unless you are going to permanently mount it on the cab. If you go that route, I would permanently mount the antenna as well. Google has a lot of good information out there. You can go as expensive or as cheaply as you would like.

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[TheGuy]

I have a Uniden Bearcat 980 in my truck. It's a big radio and wouldn't fit in a lot of newer trucks. I got it because I wanted SSB and it was the cheapest modern option. I had the space for it but I really wish it had a front firing speaker. I'm a big fan of President radios as well. Most of their better units have automatic squelch control (ASC) and are fantastic quality. My buddy got a President McKinley at the same time I got mine and I like his more for the front-firing speaker, roger beep, and ASC. Other than that, mine is just flashier. He can also change channels from his mic, but I don't really miss that as mine is right to hand.

President also makes a radio called Bill that's VERY compact if you prefer to go that route. There's some reviews on it from Farpoint Farms on YT. Seems like a decent radio, but not super feature-rich. They also make a Johnson II unit that has a front firing speaker but no SSB if the speaker is more important than size.

https://uniden.com/products/40-chann...igital-display
https://president-electronics.us/CB-.../MC-KINLEY-USA
https://president-electronics.us/CB-...ivers/BILL-FCC
https://president-electronics.us/CB-...JOHNSON-II-USA

Uniden used to make a remote mic that uses bluetooth and has a speaker built-in but I don't see it on their site right now. You can literally walk around outside and talk on the CB. It's cool, a little pricey and if it was built into the radio would be awesome. As it exists now it plugs into the MIC port on the front of the 980 (and some others including many of the presidents) and has a wired, remote cradle to charge the handset. It is neat, but I didn't buy it because I didn't want to find space for the remote mic holder.

[offtohavasu]

I run a Cobra in my truck. Mine is permanently mounted. I try to keep the volume low enough so the kids in the back seat can't hear.

[boyscout]

Does anyone use a CB radio while on the road? Is there a recommended brand or type of radio for occasional use while traveling? I don't think I need a 'professional' model - I'm just wanting something I can connect with other RVers on the road and get traffic and weather updates. Thanks!

I've had a CB radio in my truck several times for thousands of miles each time in recent years and have not often found it useful. Truckers do sometimes report something useful about the road ahead but there's a lot more noise - local chatter and illegal long-distance communications which are often commercial messages. Some truckers install illegal amplifiers to powerfully boost their signals and therefore are heard when they are far outside an area that might be relevant to you. Finally, they're often not keen to talk to you if you're not a professional trucker. And if RVers routinely chat with each other on them I haven't heard it.

Maybe others will jump in and tell me how wrong I am, but that's been my experience.

If you plan on traveling with other RVers that you know, a CB would be a great thing (if they have one too, of course!) If you decide to get one, @MoonShadow_1911 has given you the names of the three leading manufacturers and all three have decades of experience. There's also a company called President. Choose one of their models with features you want and are willing to pay for. I wouldn't consider something other than those brands.

Consider buying your radio from a shop that specializes in selling them rather than just off the shelf at a truck stop. These specialty shops do exist here and there, usually on busy truck routes on highways. They will be able to advise you about proper antenna installation and will often be able to help you tune your antenna in place - quite important - to get best performance from your radio. Some of them can also offer to modify the radio for you, making sometimes-illegal but relatively-harmless changes that slightly boost power and signal clarity for reliable communications.

Good luck with your decisions.

[bryancass]

I've had a CB radio in my truck several times for thousands of miles each time in recent years and have not often found it useful. Truckers do sometimes report something useful about the road ahead but there's a lot more noise - local chatter and illegal long-distance communications which are often commercial messages. Some truckers install illegal amplifiers to powerfully boost their signals and therefore are heard when they are far outside an area that might be relevant to you. Finally, they're often not keen to talk to you if you're not a professional trucker. And if RVers routinely chat with each other on them I haven't heard it.

Maybe others will jump in and tell me how wrong I am, but that's been my experience.

If you plan on traveling with other RVers that you know, a CB would be a great thing (if they have one too, of course!) If you decide to get one, @MoonShadow_1911 has given you the names of the three leading manufacturers and all three have decades of experience. There's also a company called President. Choose one of their models with features you want and are willing to pay for. I wouldn't consider something other than those brands.

Consider buying your radio from a shop that specializes in selling them rather than just off the shelf at a truck stop. These specialty shops do exist here and there, usually on busy truck routes on highways. They will be able to advise you about proper antenna installation and will often be able to help you tune your antenna in place - quite important - to get best performance from your radio. Some of them can also offer to modify the radio for you, making sometimes-illegal but relatively-harmless changes that slightly boost power and signal clarity for reliable communications.

Good luck with your decisions.

Thank you all for the help. I mostly wondered if RVers used CB radios regularly (as in a certain channel or call sign or something). My main concern would be going places where cell coverage is spotty, grid-down scenarios, and weather updates. I don't really want to chatter on the radio unless needed. I used to have one in my car back in the 70s and it was fun at the time, but not really practical.

So I would want something for emergency use that's portable (i.e. magnet antenna and removeable/portable radio) and powerful enough to reach out maybe 5-10 miles? I've seen handheld CBs, but wonder how useful they are for range and sound quality.

[boyscout]

Thank you all for the help. I mostly wondered if RVers used CB radios regularly (as in a certain channel or call sign or something). My main concern would be going places where cell coverage is spotty, grid-down scenarios, and weather updates. I don't really want to chatter on the radio unless needed. I used to have one in my car back in the 70s and it was fun at the time, but not really practical.

I'm not aware of routine CB communications between RVers while on the road; correction is welcome.

I'm a radio amateur and I've often traveled with a scanner that included CB bands; no recollection of ever hearing obvious RVers chatting with each other. IIRC one of my CB radios also did scanning but again, I didn't hear much on it to excite your interest.

So I would want something for emergency use that's portable (i.e. magnet antenna and removeable/portable radio) and powerful enough to reach out maybe 5-10 miles? I've seen handheld CBs, but wonder how useful they are for range and sound quality.

AFAIK pretty much everything that's called a Citizens Band radio has the same frequencies and the same four-watt output power. The compromise of a handheld unit isn't the radio, it's the antenna (and the speaker) so a handheld CB will pretty much never equal the performance of a mobile with a good antenna.

However if there's some reason you really want a handheld you can connect it to a "proper" antenna while in your vehicle and get decent performance from it. Again, a specialty shop can ensure that the handheld you buy has a standard antenna connector (usually an "SMA" connector) and can likely provide the necessary inexpensive adapter to make the connection to a good mobile antenna. Then you'll suffer only for the small speaker while you're on the road.

As for range, it is dependent on terrain and obstructions. Ten miles is pretty optimistic - you might get that over an unobstructed body of water but will usually get less. Five miles is closer to best-case and it's quite often less than that.

[MoonShadow_1911]

Thank you all for the help. I mostly wondered if RVers used CB radios regularly (as in a certain channel or call sign or something). My main concern would be going places where cell coverage is spotty, grid-down scenarios, and weather updates. I don't really want to chatter on the radio unless needed. I used to have one in my car back in the 70s and it was fun at the time, but not really practical.

So I would want something for emergency use that's portable (i.e. magnet antenna and removeable/portable radio) and powerful enough to reach out maybe 5-10 miles? I've seen handheld CBs, but wonder how useful they are for range and sound quality.

I've been in the radio for over 40 years. My handle is Moon Shadow. For most handheld CB radios (Radio Shack is the only brand of battery operated handheld CB radio that I know of) you are lucky to get a mile out of it, line of sight. For most mobile setups, whether temporary or permanent, you'll get between 4 and 20 miles. That all depends on weather conditions, terrain, SWR, antenna placement, and the"noise" of the radio. With my Cobra 29LTD Classic, I get about 4 miles. I have a high SWR and I also turn the gain down so I don't get a lot of fringe talk.

Most 18-wheelers no longer have radios in their trucks, thanks in part to satellite radio, cell phones, and connected GPS systems that have live traffic updates.

I use mine when I encounter a backup so I know will in advance, which lane I need to be in to get by the accident. I have used it to chat with some of the truckers, and, in an RV convoy, we gave used them, along with GMRS hand held radios, to keep everyone up to date, and to generally chat.

As for a breakdown, yes they can be used for that, but you have to hope the person at the other end can call for assistance for you. Sometimes it might have to be relayed to several radio operators to get a message out.

So far, knock on wood, I've been lucky and have always been in cell service when I've broken down. Now, this remains to be seen once the wife and I go full time in about 2 years.

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[TheGuy]

Thank you all for the help. I mostly wondered if RVers used CB radios regularly (as in a certain channel or call sign or something). My main concern would be going places where cell coverage is spotty, grid-down scenarios, and weather updates. I don't really want to chatter on the radio unless needed. I used to have one in my car back in the 70s and it was fun at the time, but not really practical.

So I would want something for emergency use that's portable (i.e. magnet antenna and removeable/portable radio) and powerful enough to reach out maybe 5-10 miles? I've seen handheld CBs, but wonder how useful they are for range and sound quality.

As far as I know, there's no "RV Clique" in the CB world. I have heard of RV-touring caravanners using it as their baseline COMs, but nothing really besides that.

As for emergencies sans cellphone coverage, I'm not sure how much use it'll be because of the limited range and the fact that they're just not as popular anymore. I understand that a lot of the truckers have gone to HAM bands now. Honestly though, I can't remember the last time we camped with no cell service. It's just not a big problem for us here in NE FL. If you're out west or in the mountains a lot, I imagine it's a much bigger issue though.

With regards to range, you can forget a handheld (unless you can hook up a proper external antenna). Using my 3' Firestik and my 'barefoot' (stock, non-amplified) 980 I've gotten 10-12 miles using SSB with favorable conditions. On regular AM (ch1-40) you'll probably get 3-5 miles depending on your antenna and the environment. CB just wasn't really meant to be long range (that said, antennas and placement make all the difference).

GMRS on the other hand has a longer range. It's most commonly used as walkie-talkies, but they make mobile/base units as well. There's lots of benefits to GMRS --for one it's a much higher frequency band so the antennas can be super short and still perform. Also it's FM vs AM so it's immune to lots of forms of interference. The thing is, I don't think too many folks carry those on all the time either. We've only ever done it on road trips or off-road and that was just to chat with the other cars in our group. Of course being the nerd I am, I've considered putting GMRS radios in the truck and the camper so that we can chat with the handhelds or the vehicles, but it's a lot of work and money for what would really be a toy for me (the DW is not as enthralled with radios vs. cell phones). It might be more useful as my son grows up and can run afield on his own though.

Good luck and if you do decide to pursue it, keep the thread updated and I and others will help where we can.

[bryancass]

OK, thank you again for the help. With a limited range and not many people using CBs any more, I think I'll wait for now. I do have some walkie talkies that can reach probably a mile or two while on the road, so that would work as well as a handheld CB. I guess the ultimate factor would be how many people people are available to connect with? Good point.