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
wintersun wrote:the limitation of any handheld is purely battery on permitted bands.
The limitation of Ham, CB, FRS, GMRS is that the hand held units have their output limited to avoid damage to the user's brain. Need a mobile unit connected to the vehicle's 12v DC for power and an external antenna to get much range. Even then it is line of sight so OK for wide open spaces but not for wooded, rocky, or hilly areas.
With a cell phone the tower is well above the horizon and it is putting out a much stronger signal then even a Ham transmitter station. In the USA the best geographic coverage is with Verizon.
VHF is not legal for use on land unless you are a marine business operator. It has the same power limitations of Ham and GMRS. FRS is so limited in terms of range as to be nearly useless most of the time. Unlike a cell phone conversation where only a couple million NSA employees and contractors can listen in, with FRS/GMRS/Ham/VHF anyone can listen in with ease.
As far as cell sites being above the horizon, the opposite is true which is why they ALL are on low towers, poles or buildings. You cannot build an efficient cellular network these days from high sites, there are way too many users. While there may be high sites out in the middle of nowhere, they are the exception. Ham repeaters, and any reasonable base station can easily out perform any cellular node distance wise due to frequency and power.
