ham or cb radio
getting ready to spend this year travailing in US. Is CB radio a worthwhile investment ,also what brand best ,user with easy hook up
Forum Discussion
The key differences are:
- Ham radio is about communicating with OTHER licensed Ham operators. Unless all the parties you'd like to talk to also have a license, its rather useless. While you can build your own HAM gear, the majority of HAM operators today are "appliance operators".
- FRS has much more limited possible communication distance, however ANYONE can purchase a FRS radio and begin using it. We often use these while 2 or more people/rigs in a group are traveling together.
- CB is fairly to completely useless. I would not waste any money on this.
- While I carry a VHF/UHF handheld HAM radio in the camper, I can't recall the last time I actually used it as its fairly rare that I don't also have a CELL PHONE signal which includes Text, Internet and direct communication with anyone else whom has a cell phone (and useable signal).
In conclusion, if you wish to chat with folks who are not licensed HAM's, get a FRS radio. If you have a license and have a extra HAM handheld/mobile, toss it in, some of the more modern smaller ones don't take up much space.
N7GHI
- Ham radio is about communicating with OTHER licensed Ham operators. Unless all the parties you'd like to talk to also have a license, its rather useless. While you can build your own HAM gear, the majority of HAM operators today are "appliance operators".
- FRS has much more limited possible communication distance, however ANYONE can purchase a FRS radio and begin using it. We often use these while 2 or more people/rigs in a group are traveling together.
- CB is fairly to completely useless. I would not waste any money on this.
- While I carry a VHF/UHF handheld HAM radio in the camper, I can't recall the last time I actually used it as its fairly rare that I don't also have a CELL PHONE signal which includes Text, Internet and direct communication with anyone else whom has a cell phone (and useable signal).
In conclusion, if you wish to chat with folks who are not licensed HAM's, get a FRS radio. If you have a license and have a extra HAM handheld/mobile, toss it in, some of the more modern smaller ones don't take up much space.
N7GHI
