CB & Handheld Radios

BC4277 wrote:
Do any of you use (or just listen to) a CB radio when travelling? If so, what kind do you use? I'm thinking of using a magnetic antennae to mount on the roof of my pickup. Any suggestions on brands and features I should be looking for?

Does your spotter use a handheld when you are backing up? Again, what kind works?

Thanks, Bryan

1. yes, i use when traveling and backing 5th wheel into RV sites and in my yard at home
2. Cobra
3. Buy a magnetic Wilson antenna, the taller the better. Don't buy one of those little cute short antennas or your range will be limited for clear cb contacts.
4 .Cobra or Uniden are about the same quality. Make sure they have the National Weather Service feature that will automatically alert you to a pending disaster, even when the CB is not turned on.
5. Yes , I bought a hand held Cobra CB. we turn both CB's to channel 16 or any channel that does not have a lot of traffic going on.
6. Channel 17 and 19 are used primarily by truckers who can give you current road conditions, detours or accidents in your area.
7. And last but real important, ask the truckers " Break break on 17, what did you leave behind you?" Translated " where are the Bears or Calif. Hwy. partrol cars? the truckers will also give the milage marker where they last saw a Bear.

Thanks for everyone's input.
Bryan

GordonThree wrote:
Traffic jam? I just use Waze or Twitter. They'll have the info just as fast as any truckers.

I've had at least two incidents where I learned of accidents in front of me on the highway *as they happened* via CB. Waze/Twitter aren't that fast. For one of them I had time to exit and was able to avoid the jam on the access road. It was just out of sight - maybe a mile and a half from where I heard it. The other one was maybe a quarter mile up the road, without room or a place to exit. Incidentally, for people on here asking about cursing on the air, one of those was the few times I've heard it. A trucker said, "Oh SH**, look at that idiot!" as some guy illegally passing ran off the road and into the guard rail to avoid oncoming traffic. Similarly, I've heard more or less the same profanity a couple times in complaint of traffic being stopped. I've never heard anything you wouldn't hear on cable TV, on the air, and think it's blown out of proportion. Arguably, I think limiting children's exposure to profanity is a lost and pointless cause most of the time anyway.

I'm not sure if you're suggesting to use Waze for navigation while towing or driving a large rig, but that's the absolutely last app I'd ever use. It likes to choose some really poor routes for taking a large trailer through.

I took mine off in 2000 and so far haven't missed it. On my 99 truck I took it into the garage and told them the truck had a noise I could not identify. turns out it was my magnet antenna on the roof. so I took it off and the radio out and like I said I don't miss it

GordonThree wrote:
Traffic jam? I just use Waze or Twitter. They'll have the info just as fast as any truckers.

when approaching a large city and I want to know whether to take the North or the South bypass or go straight thru I contact an oncoming trucker and ask. no wazetwitter for me.

And how many years ago did the fella hear all of this cussing,etc.?
I have heard very little on I-95 the last few years.
and if you do use a magnetic mount, do NOT slide it to get it off.
bumpy

Traffic jam? I just use Waze or Twitter. They'll have the info just as fast as any truckers.

I'll hook up my CB when towing the trailer, takes just a few seconds but works well when traveling in a group or if traffic is bad up ahead you'll usually hear chatter over channel 19. Or if a fellow CB'er can see if I have my "ears on" and alert me of anything happening to trailer to warn me before something bad happens.

I have had a Cobra and a Uniden. The cheaper 40 channel ones. Both worked well. I also have a magnetic antennae about 24" tall, it was also good for a couple miles. I use them when going with friends that also have them, work nice for talking back and forth. I put a cig. adapter on the 12 volt and with the magnetic antennae, you can put it in any vehicle you are using.
Brian

If you do get one of the magnetic type antenna mounts, I found that they don't stay attached very well at speeds over 75...mind you, this was on my car years ago, and the mounts may have gotten better. Also, I imagine if you are hauling a trailer, you won't be doing over 75 either...

Just my 2 cents...

Have a CB(bought a new one recently also) always have it on while traveling just for background noise. As others have noted, not a lot going on now with CB radio but also as stated, it's great to have when your stuck in stop and go traffic or at a dead stop on the roadway. I sometimes will catch another RV'er on the air or a trucker who is still using one. It's more a toy then a tool nowadays...

FRS/GMRS radio's...have those too and use them on occasion when backing into a tight spot or just playing around in the campground. I've also found them useful in a casino where you can't get a cell signal...it helps me keep tract of the wife before she loses the Farm!!! LoL :-)