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 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.
I think handheld power is limited more by battery life for a portable radio than concern about RF exposure. If a ham or CB handheld were to put out more than 5w, the battery life would be cut back to mere minutes of transmit time. As it is, my 5w handheld will only transmit 20 - 30 min on a fully charged lithium. So, I usually have the power dialed back to 500mw if that will work.
FRS/GMRS radios are power limited *and* antenna limited to reduce range of operation. That way, a lot of users can share the limited number of FRS channels. If only people would stop using illegal power amps on CB, then CB would also be a lot more useful.
Just my humble opinions.
