Ya, I've got one in my jeep. Most of the guys I wheel with use a CB. As for channel 4 we usually just pick a channel nobody else seems to be using. A CB can be handy and it's kinda nice to shoot the bull over the CB when nobody is riding with you.
Aaron.

 

Does the antenna need to be grounded to the jeep (mirror mount) or should it be isolated/insulated?
JD

 

A good ground is critical! Without it you run the risk of damaging the radio, and for sure it won't get out.

I have always run a CB. We use Channel 32, since most Jeepers out here uses Channel 4 and it gets really crowded.

 

The antenna is grounded through the radio by the outer shield of the co-ax. It often works better if the antenna mount is isolated, because there can be a ground potential difference from one end of a body to the other, particularly on an old, rusty Jeep.

Another communication choice is the 2-meter ham band. The license is easy to get - the FCC has dropped the Morse code requirement and the test isn't terribly difficult - and the radios aren't much more expensive than a top-quality CB. There's a huge range of frequencies so you're never competing, and the range is measured in miles rather than yards.

On the down side, not too many guys have a license yet, but I think that will change.

 

I use one every day as Im on the road all day ,, they are alot better than a scanner for radar or laser as there are alot in use by the truckers that run our highways,, They are always giving updates on where the police are siting ,road hazards & if your stuck in trafic they can tell you what lanes are getting by or not,, They do keep you company too,,

 

I have run a CB in every truck/Jeep/Car I ever had. I even have a base setup.
If its setup right you will get out just find. I can talk to people 30 miles out most of the time. How ever there are allot of punks on the CB and a 2-way is nice to get away from that stuff.

 

I have a hand held CB so i can radio to someone when i'm not in the jeep, doing a -poor job spotting or otherwise.

also have the 2m ham radio...actually i have 80m to 70cm....but dont use any band other than 2m.......so far the only jeep person i've talked to on it is Jim_lou..i think Will has one but i don think he uses it....

anyways CBs on the trail are good.....get a good ground on your antenna mount, as mentioned, and you will avoid a lot of hassles.

 

also have the 2m ham radio...actually i have 80m to 70cm....but dont use any band other than 2m.......so far the only jeep person i've talked to on it is Jim_lou..i think Will has one but i don think he uses it....

I have a 2m antenna on each jeep and move the radio between them. I usually just use it when wheeling with Jim, at the 100 acre wood rally or other local events. The rest of the time, I use it to listen to the railroad. :grin:

 

Yeah we use CB's when wheeling...

No one cares how you use CB's today (ask any trucker).

No reason to get crazy, just a standard CB. It doesn't need to be top of the line. Get a cheap CB and just make it work.

:cheers:
Dale

 

Every one I have bought came from a wreck or the like. No since in spending a bunch for some thief to have it. Mine is a Uniden and it rocks when I can keep a antenna on the jeep

 

Wal-mart has a good small and cheap radio. Its a Uniden and works very well when setup right. Thats what i have in my Jeep and its only $30

 

Yeah I picked my son up from his mom yesturday, and he saw me installing my old CB into the jeep, and the next thing I know him and his step mom have to go "some where" so now I got me a new 35 dollar cobra from Wally world! nice and small compaired to the old midland I was installing.
JD

 

Say, your wife have an unmarried sister?

 

Yes but My mother in law was abducted by aleins and my wife was an implant,so htere aint any one else in her family like her. Sorry,if I thought it would work,I would introduce you to her sister, I would like to have someone with jeep knowledge in the family.But sooner or later you would burn my jeep, shoot at me, :gun: and not be a happy person any more.:cussing:
As it is now, You will share your knowledge with me and perhaps not go on a homicidal rage.:itsallgood:
JD :bow:

 

Well, that's OK. I'm already married anyway, and my Boss is pretty darn good, but she's never bought me a Jeep. Just checking around, but I think I'll keep what I have.

 

Good Idea!!!

 

Yuo guys are talking about CB as in Citizen Band right? DOes anyone over there use UHF PRS's. The CB is still around here, but pretty much only used by the truckers. Although the UHF PRS only transmits about 30kms (sorry, ummm..... 18 miles??) they seem to be the way that folks here in the 4x4 community are going. however uniden are now doing a unit that scans CB and UHF, which might just be the best of both worlds.

 

Yeah, Citizen Band. Don't know what a PRS is. The best alternative we have is the 2-meter short wave band, but a ham license is required to use it, and the radios are three times as much as a CB. The U.S. Federal Communication Commission dropped the Morse code requirement for the license, so it's not too difficult to get any more. There is a big test on electronics and rules, but I read a book and passed, so it's not bad. I'd like to see more guys get it, but I only know of a few who have it now.

 

So whats involved it getting a ham license? where do you apply, and how much is it?

 

Contact a local HAM radio group. They'll administer the testing. The cost is minimal, and the Technican Test isn't hard. Being a Ham doesn't need to be expensive, like Jeeping. It's all up to you, what to buy, how far you want to go buying equipment and what you're willing to pay.

Get involved with SKYWARN in your area, it's a good group and always could use more HAM operators. I did it while I was in Wisconsin, but there aren't too many tornadoes here on the Palouse.

 

Thanks Leve. This sounds interesting. I dont know how to find a local ham but I bet I can!
JD

 

Try this:

 

Howd you dodat???
Ohhhh yes you ARE in the cpu!!!:shocked:
I found a very in expensive mobile ham radio I'm going to try to purchase and start learning. as many tornados as we have had in this area lately, it may come in handy.
JD

 

It's pretty easy. There is a pool of 510 questions, with only 35 on the exam, of which you must get at least 26 right, and they aren't difficult. Probably half can be answered with only common sense and common knowledge.

Get a Technician Class license study book. I used one by Gordon West. It gives all of the questions, all of the answers and notes the right answer with an explanation. There are other books that get much more into the why's and wherefore's, but I didn't have the time or inclination to do that.

Then look for a local ham club. Most give an exam every couple of months. If you go to the American Radio Relay League website, http://www.arrl.org/hamradio.html, you can find a club. They'll have a small charge for administering the test and applying for the license - I think I paid less than $50, but it's been a few years.

The club also gave the test for the General Class license to everyone who passed the Technician test. Had I known that I would have also read that study book and could have easily passed - I was only a few right answers from passing it anyway. At the time the General Class had a Morse code requirement, but it's been dropped now.

The guys in the club can point you to a good radio and place to buy it. I got a Yaesu FT1500M and antenna from Amateur Electronics Supply, AES Home page, for about $165.00. It's a nice little piece that will do everything I need and a bunch more.

 

I've gotten a line on a reasonably priced Azden pcs4000. I've got the books and locateda club near by thanks to Leve. I think I'll check into another expense...er.. hobby.:smirk:
Thanks,
JD

 

Well I am now the proud owner of a 2 meter mobile ham radio and antenna. now all I have to do is pass the first test. which doesn't look too difficult. Thanks Jim Lou and Leve for the info.:thumbsup:
JD

 

JD and I had the following conversation in private messages.


Originally Posted by newguyJD
Well I have been studying the tech license test and seems fairly simple to pass even though I'll have to brush up on some of the stuff. It's been about 25 years since I was in collage. and the reason I didn't take the test then was because of the morse code requirement. I have some questions you may be able to help me with.
1) what would be the effective range of a 2 meter mobile radio,and if it is not any farther than a regular CB what is the benefit?
2) if in a disaster situation such as a tornado, if the cell phone towers are down wouldn't the repeter towers possibly be down as well?
3) do the old tube type heathkit radios (Base stations) still work as well as new technology solid state and IC type circuits fround in todays radios.
4) Will I be able to use this radio in other parts of the country since I do quite a bit of traveling?
This is just my ramblings I always go thru before jumping into a new hobby.
I like to tinker alot more than my wallet likes to let me some times and often get too many irons in the fire at once. I was a martial artist at one time until an injury stopped most of that. Now that I'm religated to the side lines and training others, I have more time on my hands and need to keep busy. I guess the wife should have picked a jeep that wasn't in as good of condition even though there are still plenty of things I need to do to it as well. Thanks in advance for your time and answers
JD


Originally Posted by Jim_Lou
There are several other hams on the board, so you might want to throw your questions up there as an OT thread for everyone to read, answer and benefit from. If you want to copy and paste this over, go ahead.

I'm not an expert by ANY means, but I'll do my best.

The range is MUCH more than a CB. Most of my experience is in the Ozarks, which are pretty hilly. There the range is fifteen or twenty miles. It's more in the flatlands, but I don't know how much.

What's really nice that there is a comparatively huge band with very few users. You can pick a frequency with your buddies and go for days without ever hearing another user. The main reason that CB range is so limited is that there are hundreds of users on every channel, which comes in as white noise drowning out a weak signal. I have a buddy who was in CB when it first started. He could call his wife at home when he left work about 20 miles away.

If the repeaters are down you still have that much range. Repeaters give you that much more range, but most communication is done simplex - one radio talking to another on the same frequency. Repeaters receive on one frequency and transmit on another, so you radio has to do the same on the opposite frequencies.

Which gets to your next question. I really don't know about the tube radios, but they surely can't have the features of a new radio, are bigger, use more power, aren't as reliable, aren't as easy to use, and surely are hard to get tubes for. I wouldn't bother with one, certainly not a mobile unit. I would guess that a lot of them can't be used with a repeater.

Your license and radio are good everywhere in the U.S. and in most countries in the world. There are only a small handful that do not recognize a U.S. FCC license.

Good luck with getting your license!

Jim


thanks for the answeres!
You cleared up alot. I was only asking about the tube type radios from a hobby aspect. I have a friend in Louisville who rebuilds them for some reason.
If you can repost these PM's in the original CB question post and think it would help someone else, feel free do do so. I don't think I know how to do that.
I have gleaned more from this forum than any other I have been on. Thanks,
JD

 

I know that Jim, Greg and several other on here can give alot of info on HAM, but here's more info from another board I'm on that just added a HAM section to their board. There is alot of good info there already and surely more to come.

Ham Radio - Virtual Jeep Club