eldirector
Grandmaster
I led a little communications discussion for the Hendricks County MSG a few weeks ago. It wasn't much of a presentation (I only know so much), but it led to a great discussion about the different radio options, and their pros/cons. I thought I'd do a little follow-up for that group, but post it here for anyone who has an interest.
I had to travel from the Indy area to Louisville for work on Monday. As is my habit, I popped on my CB antenna before I left (it has a quick connect), so I could listen to the truckers for some entertainment. A bit before the Outlet Mall exit, I started to pick up one of the local truck stops advertising their services. I decided to try a little range test, and they helped me out.
My setup is a little Midland CB and a 3' FireStik antenna. It is tuned pretty well, with an SWR of about 1.5 or less across the whole band. Not sure what the truck stop was running, other than a stock base radio (4 watts) and a small antenna tower outside. They were located at the US-31/I-65 interchange. I was heading southbound on I-65.
In the end, I was able to transmit (they heard me) and receive out to about 10 miles. I could still pick them up at 16 miles, but was well out of my radio's transmission distance.
So?
CB's are still a cheap, license-free way to communicate locally. By locally, I mean a pretty respectable distance. At least with a decent radio setup. They are MUCH better than FRS and GMRS hand-held radios, even though they advertise 25-35 mile ranges (my tests yielded no more than 2 miles). A good CB base station (with a tall antenna) can cover a decent range. The fact that the CBs can be a base station, a mobile unit, or even handheld makes them really flexible.
Sure, it isn't HAM. But, if you need to talk within your county, for pretty cheap, and without a license (either you or the person on the other end), then CB might work pretty well.
I've about got my wife talked into experimenting with a base station and reasonably tall antenna at home. I'd like to try Single Side band radios as well. They can run 12 watts on certain channels, to talk with other SSB radios, in addition to the standard 40 channels at 4 watts. My goal is to be able to talk between my vehicle at work and my wife at home (about 8-10 miles) in the event that phones (cell and landline) are down. Additionally, this may be a great way for MSG members to stay in contact during an emergency.
I had to travel from the Indy area to Louisville for work on Monday. As is my habit, I popped on my CB antenna before I left (it has a quick connect), so I could listen to the truckers for some entertainment. A bit before the Outlet Mall exit, I started to pick up one of the local truck stops advertising their services. I decided to try a little range test, and they helped me out.
My setup is a little Midland CB and a 3' FireStik antenna. It is tuned pretty well, with an SWR of about 1.5 or less across the whole band. Not sure what the truck stop was running, other than a stock base radio (4 watts) and a small antenna tower outside. They were located at the US-31/I-65 interchange. I was heading southbound on I-65.
In the end, I was able to transmit (they heard me) and receive out to about 10 miles. I could still pick them up at 16 miles, but was well out of my radio's transmission distance.
So?
CB's are still a cheap, license-free way to communicate locally. By locally, I mean a pretty respectable distance. At least with a decent radio setup. They are MUCH better than FRS and GMRS hand-held radios, even though they advertise 25-35 mile ranges (my tests yielded no more than 2 miles). A good CB base station (with a tall antenna) can cover a decent range. The fact that the CBs can be a base station, a mobile unit, or even handheld makes them really flexible.
Sure, it isn't HAM. But, if you need to talk within your county, for pretty cheap, and without a license (either you or the person on the other end), then CB might work pretty well.
I've about got my wife talked into experimenting with a base station and reasonably tall antenna at home. I'd like to try Single Side band radios as well. They can run 12 watts on certain channels, to talk with other SSB radios, in addition to the standard 40 channels at 4 watts. My goal is to be able to talk between my vehicle at work and my wife at home (about 8-10 miles) in the event that phones (cell and landline) are down. Additionally, this may be a great way for MSG members to stay in contact during an emergency.