Merlin

depends on where you live and what you plan to do with it. in town here, almost nobody uses them except to talk with friends and convoy around or shoot skip. there are still a handful of hardcore cb'ers around, but nothing like it was in the 80's.

we use them mostly to communicate with friends on our way to and from work, or when we're fishing and get separated. depending on conditions, sometimes we'll try and work the skip too, but the big boys on the bowl pretty much shut us down.

surf4runner

...and then its all spanish talk. like AM radio in BFE.

i only use mine out on the trails anymore.

faubrunner64

Yeah cb's are awesome my buddy installed one after he saw my cb/pa setup and he doesnt even have a rig yet althoug he does plan on lifting his heep. but we convoyed up to tahoe this summer and it was so fun having the cb to talk to eachother. here is my setup: firestik firefly, firestick hitch mount and cobra ultra 19 III
Antenna and mounting


routing:


mounting and finished product:


and mt pa is under the hood:


the pa is very fun to yell around on.
the location of th e pa muffles the sound but it is still very loud.

ozziesironmanoffroad

sorry, i was meaning the magnetic mount. thats all the radioshacks ive been to offer, the magnetic mount antennas. and ive found they dont work very well. when i had one, it was always falling off at highway speeds, and i finally killed it by running over the mount on the freeway. good riddance, when i do a cb again i plan to do it right. if i can find a radioshack that has a bolt mount, then that will be my antenna.

plumb bob

I just installed one of these for a wheelin' trip to the Welsh mountains, got a mag mount on the roof ( as I didn't want to drill any holes in the surf just yet), but having some SWR problems at the moment.


http://www.4x4cb.com/public/item.cfm?itemID=620

Had one back in the '80's but haven't used one since, there is nobody on channel thesedays, but therewill be 12 vehicles on the trip this weekend, so a cb is a must.

olharleyman

The Best Radar detector I have ever bought plus I can talk to people telling me where the radar trap is set up. I use mine all the time but it is a 10meter ham as well as a c.b..

Djlarroc

Faubrunner, that is a cool cb. I wanted to get one that was smaller and didn't look so truckerish.. Where did you get it? and how much? Is being a smaller cb any different? When I drove the big trucks, those cbs were huge.

TC4RNR

i just changed my antenna mount from magnetic to bolt-on. bought the solid aluminum bracket from fry's for $5 and 15-foot coax cable with male/male connectors for another $6.

faubrunner64

i actualy got the cb at wal-mart but you can get them at radio shack or online too. i picked it up for i think 39.99 not bad, yeah we used to have a big one in out jeep back in the day but i havent noticed any difference in performance. i realy wanted this one because it would fit in my dash, and it had the pa switch so it was a win win!

Djlarroc

Nice! I'll take a look. Thanks.. What's everyone's opinions on CB's vs walkie talkies? WT's are mobile too so that is good for spotting, etc.

YouDigMyRig

Any opinions on best cb/pa combo? I've been meaning to get a cb but want to get a combo just to make things easier/more fun. And as far as the antennae mount, anybody like it on the rear bumper?

faubrunner64

i dont think that there is a best combo, i got my pa from radio shack the 60 watt powerhorn!

KevinInSac

^^ That's rediculous. I love it. For some reason I remember my engine bay being much more cramped in that corner...

Merlin

rear bumper is quick, easy, and convenient. there are bolt holes on the underside of the bumper that you can attach a bracket to with little trouble, all you need is a piece of straight angle iron or aluminum and a couple of bolts. you can mount the antenna right to this.

the best part is if you ever need to return your truck to stock, just unbolt the bracket and antenna, and there is no evidence of it every being there - no holes, no plugs in the body, etc...

YouDigMyRig

Got a picture of that? I was considering an ARB rear bumper to match a future ARB bull bar so stock-ness wouldn't bother me. How about in between the liftgate next to the tail light? I've seen a couple of those and they look alright, remind me of remote control cars a bit though... which isn't that bad since it's a TOYota!

stormin94

Yeah, me too... I'll have to check tomorrow just to be sure, though.

KevinInSac

I figured it out. Mine is stuffed with a cruise control servo.

ozziesironmanoffroad

ok i think i might get yelled at by fuster, since im doing his job of bringing old posts back, but this isnt that old so i dunno. anyways, anyone know where to get a linear amplifier? i had one a couple years ago, 800w, but it caused my antenna to glow bright red and fry... (yeah, i was dumb and didnt use a fiberglass). oh, and the most important thing.. is it true that the FCC can pinpoint your exact location if you use a linear cb amplifier?

Merlin

hmm... i'm assuming b/c you're inquiring about the FCC that you know linears and cbs that output over 4w (export radios, dual finals) are illegal for use in the U.S.

having said that, here we go:

800w is enough to make any antenna not rated for that kind of wattage to melt or get really, really hot. the guys that participate in keydowns generally use all-metal or coil antennas, or fighting sticks if allowed... but that's assuming over 1 kw power, or "sky's the limit" class.

if you're planning on running that big of an amp, you might want to check to make sure your electricals are up to it. that's going to put a big drain on the electrical system if you key up in high gear with that. also you need to make sure you have your radio or kicker tuned to it to optimize swing and that you have sufficient drive.

in the past, the FCC used to be able to triangulate on your position, but you'd have to be keying up in stationary position for awhile for them to find you (assuming you're not keying up on a base station and ratchet jawing). picture it like playing fox and hounds, except with more sophisticated equipment. and yes, people have been "found" by the FCC, and the penalties can be rather severe.

as far as point of purchase goes, there are numerous sites online, but you might want to do some research beforehand on good brands, reputable dealers, etc... the cb forums are full of horror stories about chop shops/truck stops with "golden screwdriver" doctors that have done more harm than good, chopped limiters, etc...

you will also need to know whether you want a high drive or regular level input amp, and have your radio matched to it. find out if you need a kicker or not (800w is probably around where the comp boxes would need a kicker).

there's also somewhat of a difference between comp boxes and regular boxes (and not just price). in most cases, you get what you pay for, but no sense paying for more than you need. if you're not going to play in keydowns, no need to pay for a comp box that's overdesigned to be volted to get max output.

anyway... kinda long msg., but hope it helps some. others with more experience may have different opinions. just my .02.

ozziesironmanoffroad

ok, screw it ill stick with the standard 4w. yeah im pretty familiar with the laws of cb... no cussing, nothing over 5w... etc. and every watt is roughly a mile i believe. i dont want to put such a huge strain on my electrical system, i do remember now why i stopped using mine... it kept killing my battery. ill just mount my antenna on my rollbar, pay someone from ttora in this area, or someone here from this area that can weld, give em a few bucks to weld another plate on my roll bar for the antenna, and just hope my frequencies bounce off that atmosphere thing and i can talk to lets say you or fuster or something.. that would be pretty cool. thanks. i didnt know you have to have a cb tuned to use a linear