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Songbirds's avatar
Songbirds
Explorer
Jun 18, 2020

Okay How many RV'ers here use CB-Radio's?

While waiting on my wife I struck up a conversation with a fellow RV'er. During our exchange, he began telling me of his dependence on his CB-Radio while SHOPPING, Appointments, pickups, and other uses. I informed him I had not used a CB radio in over 50-years. So my idea was a radio with a long cord and a mic. NO, he informed they are walkie Talke radios.

He was carrying his own in his pocket about 3"-high, about 2"-wide. I was captivated by some of his stories and our conversations about CB-Radio's many uses. I think he was a midline, In our old Class A Winnebago Tour we had 4-handheld radios and in the years we had that RV, I never took one out of its holder near the front door.

I also learned the range with the small one was the same as I had with the one under the dash about 5-miles, back in what 1974.

So how many RV'ers here use CB-Radios today in place of a cellphone and for what if you have a phone? The best recommendations you have about them if you have any. I'm thinking with all this flu and virus it could come in handy to have a set. Your thoughts, please?

45 Replies

  • I have a regular handheld CB, similar to one posted in a picture above, but it does not have an external antenna. I use it to check traffic backups mainly. Years ago, we had the large size handheld ones.. and many years ago had the installed one under the dashboard with hand-held mic. Monitor Ch 19 when on the highway if I start seeing a slow down.

    For parking, my husband and I had the the pair of handheld little 2-way radios.
  • I thought I had a family radios but they're billed as COBRA ACXT545 Walkie Talkies. They look like family radios and have a range of 28 miles. I use them to communicate between my RZR and home base trailer.
  • What he has is most likely FSR radios. Short range but useful around the CG, in big box stores & for the spotter in parking in tight sites.
  • i've never seen a CB radio that small. we've had a traditional CB mounted on or under the dash in ouf two previous motor homes. they saves our bacon in terms if traffic backups a couple of times. just haven't mounted the antenna on our current MH.

    what you saw was likely a Family Radio Service radio (FRS),
    Family Radio Service

    CB is AM modulation in the 27mhz band and in a mobile setting have a typical real world range of 3-5 miles...assumes a 5-watt radio feeding a correctly installed externally mounted antenna.

    the FRS radios are FM modulation in the 460mhz band only come in hamndheld models, are forbidden to be conncted to an external antenna and have a typical real-world trange of 1-3 miles. useful range in both services can be more or less depending on terrain, weather, etc.

    typical CB mobile radio


    typical CB handheld radio


    typical FRS handheld radio

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