Newbie - CB radios & WalMart index

Bumpyroad wrote:

wintersun wrote:

I would never buy anything from Wal-Mart as enough of my tax dollars already go to subsidize the welfare needed by their grossly underpaid employees. Plenty of places to buy anything online without having to put money into the pockets of the Walton billionaires.

do you get all of your facts/news from MSNBC?
bumpy

Didn't they change the name to MSLSD?

Biggyniner wrote:
Amateur (Ham) radio's are a great safety feature to have while traveling. I say this because on the standard 2-meter VHF band you can reach out 50+ miles (even further with a repeater) depending on terrain conditions. One of the super cool benefits of being a Ham operator out here in the pacific NW is; if there is ever an emergency and I have no cell phone service, 99% of the time I can get out and make contact with someone with my Ham radio.

The test is easy and you will have a fun new hobby!

Chris

THAT is a fact! I took two tests in one day, and wound up with a General license. I could have taken the Extra test, but chickened out, didn't feel I was ready for that.
KJ7POE

Amateur (Ham) radio's are a great safety feature to have while traveling. I say this because on the standard 2-meter VHF band you can reach out 50+ miles (even further with a repeater) depending on terrain conditions. One of the super cool benefits of being a Ham operator out here in the pacific NW is; if there is ever an emergency and I have no cell phone service, 99% of the time I can get out and make contact with someone with my Ham radio.

The test is easy and you will have a fun new hobby!

Chris

wa8yxm wrote:
Fixing mic cords is easy, How many pins on the connector...

One of my Kenwoods has an 8 pin cord.. (Actually all 3 of them do) and I had no end of connector tribbles.. Finally got a HEIL mic connector.. So far. So good.

5 pins. so far, I haven't been able to find a good wiring diagram. I'm sure there is one on the 'net, I just haven't found it. I also misplaced the Owners Manual for the radio.
Microphones and I don't play well together. I also have a D104 that I tried to replace the cord on, to use it with my FT101ZD. I need to take it apart again, and find out what I did wrong, and fix it.
Yeah, microphones and Holley carburetors I have problems with, fer sure!

I just bought a Cobra from Walmart with the weather alerts (channels) on it. Weather works very good. Weather was the reason I bought that model. Think I paid like $75 maybe?

wintersun wrote:

I would never buy anything from Wal-Mart as enough of my tax dollars already go to subsidize the welfare needed by their grossly underpaid employees. Plenty of places to buy anything online without having to put money into the pockets of the Walton billionaires.

do you get all of your facts/news from MSNBC?
bumpy

CB is a nice to have but not essential in most parts of the USA. The antenna will make the biggest difference in performance and can cost as much as the radio. The hand held units provide the lowest signal power which is to save your brain from the radiation and is mandated by the FCC.

I would never buy anything from Wal-Mart as enough of my tax dollars already go to subsidize the welfare needed by their grossly underpaid employees. Plenty of places to buy anything online without having to put money into the pockets of the Walton billionaires.

The CB is going to depend a lot on where you are traveling. We have an old CB that works and set it to see if there was anyone still on. We tried it on the turnpike in PA and got no response and heard no chatter. We did connect with one trucker on the NJ Tpk. - one. I am told that around the country you can still find truckers using them. It certainly is not like it used to be. So many use a GPS with traffic alerts instead of the CB now.

You have already gotten the word about Walmarts - there are free smartphone apps and the Walmart website will tell you if there is a Walmart where you are heading. Once you get to the Walmart parking lot look for a sign that says No Overnight Parking. If there is no sign you are good. You will probably see other RVs parked on one side of the lot. Go there and park and then go into the store and ask at the customer service desk if it is OK to stay the night. 24 hour Walmarts often have a security car patrolling the parking lot and the manager will often alert security to be aware that you are there for the night. Walmarts will only say to no to staying overnight if there are local community regulations that prohibit it.

Fixing mic cords is easy, How many pins on the connector...

One of my Kenwoods has an 8 pin cord.. (Actually all 3 of them do) and I had no end of connector tribbles.. Finally got a HEIL mic connector.. So far. So good.

"But it was the CB that told me of the multiple fatal accidents blocking the freeway..."

Yepper, that's why the Maxon will be installed come spring!
I might fix the mic cord on the old Midland 40 channel portable and put it back in service, too. Come to think of it, that 77-861 is a smaller radio than the Maxon, it might fit the truck better.
someday when it is warmer than 16 degrees (MUCH warmer!) I'll check it out.