CB radio

[Red Rattler]

How many of you have them, I don't use them all the time but they sure are nice when you get caught up in a wreck on the highway and know which lane to be in.

 

[GReed]

I have one. I have never talked on it. No one to talk to. I do listen to it once in a while for road, traffic conditions. It also has the weather channels. They come in handy to get up to date weather reports.

 

[Tractorat]

Ive still got one. If nothing else, when traveling across i90, it has come in handy to find out why traffic has not moved for the last 20 minutes, or which lane to be in. Or how far up the road the accident is. But, other than that, not a lot of use or value.

 

[Tuesdak]

Maybe it's changed in the last decade since 2008?

Otherwise they are not what they used to be. I have had the honor of a CB stolen out of my truck way back when. I had a stack of them I was repairing so no real loss except they cut the wires taking more time to repair the antenna wire. Generally Mic wires burned up or broke in stacks of them I repaired for construction companies in the early 90's.

The info above is somewhat rare to the point of 'what lane to be in is dumb luck to hear' on CB's anymore. @GReed is spot on, but, forgetting English speaking isn't a given on them. After using them all the time back in the day we put one in 2008 and hauled RV's. It was useless except for the weather channels. Even had a tuned Firestick antenna that they still make here in Phoenix. Used it once to load gravel as the scale house that still uses CB.

I feel the show "Highway Thru Hell" playing clear English speaking CB transmissions is a work of pure fiction.

They were even factory options on Oldsmobile built into the radio so you could hear it vs. the small standard speakers CB radios come with. Had a 1985 Olds 98 that had one and it needed repair in 96 for cracked solder joints.

Haven't put the CB back in future trucks. Sad really.

 

[Tractorat]

Dont know about the new ones, mine are pretty old and work well. No, they are not as useful as they once were. But, the last maybe 10 years, Ive had call to get "usefull" information while in stopped traffic at least once a year over i90. And it gives me something to do talking with the truckers while we wait. But if you want to be on the air talking to someone all the time, not a lot of use.That being said, I do get a chuckle every now and then heckling the "feriners" who are speaking non english on the radio. I have some fun with them when I can.

 

[TFucili]

Haven't had one mounted in a vehicle in many, many years. I still have one that I would throw in the truck with a mag mount antenna for truck to truck comms on our snowmobile trips to Maine. I've had it on C-List for weeks with no takers.

 

[Wayne M.]

I haven’t had one since I’ve convoyed with friends on trips to nowhere so many moons ago.
While on one of my I81 trips to Dolly, I had the urge to buy a walkie style Uniden at a truck stop. While I heard some drivah chatter, it was mostly dead. I understand I don’t have range, but I was expecting more.
To respond to the OP, this piece would be good to have under the seat for such situations.

 

[Red Rattler]

Mine saved me from getting a speeding ticket a couple days ago, truckers reported a state police car running radar. he would have nailed me. I also have the weather band on mine,. I use it in the deer woods to keep track of bad weather. I'll try and get a pic of them tomorrow.

 

[jgillott]

We don't have any in our current trucks. I still have a real nice Uniden and a Wilson magnetic antenna that I could throw in one of the trucks for a road trip, but haven't in the last 10 years or so.

My buddy that has a garage here still has a CB shop attached to it that believe it or not still does some business. Most is owner operators installing stuff in their trucks. Those places are a dying entity. I can still remember years ago getting close to Carlisle and there was that one CB shop just of the Turnpike exit that would advertise specials at their shop every 10 min or so. Oh, the old days.

 

[jgillott]

Here's the CB shop near me.

 

[Red Rattler]

I have nothing expensive, excuse the dirt, they really need cleaning but deer season ain't over yet. the one in the Ford was a freebie.

 

[BIGNASTY]

Mine is a Ranger 3500, 10 Meter with the CB channels added & a DX 500 Texas Star Kicker

REACH OUT, REACH OUT & TOUCH SOMEONE!!!!

 

[Jim W]

I haven't had one since the late 80's. In my area you really need to look for a store that still sells them. I know Loves truck stop sells them but that is between 50 and 60 miles away and this is no where near me.

 

[NIsaacs]

Haven't put the CB back in future trucks. Sad really.

I agree. Back in the 70's and 80's if you didn't have one you were square. We used them all the time in the log woods, I even had a base back then. Never have had one in either of the Dodges. The old Ford still has one but I think it is cooked, lol.

 

[p-Bar]

Used to install cb's back in the seventies. Made 20 bucks for an hours work, matched the antenna also. They were big back in the day, kept truckers from falling asleep. I think with the advent of the cellphone they talk to family and friends now. I have an old SBE sidebander probably needs new caps. got a guy on the east coast that will do it for me.

 

[Wiredawg]

I have one in my 5500 and Jeep, wife hasn't let me put one in her new 1500. I like the ones with NOAA weather alert and channels. Best use of CB for me is accident avoidance. Just fewer and smaller places to install them on the new trucks.

 

[GrantP]

I haven't had one in 20 years or so. I used to use it when I did a lot of group 4x4 trips and it was useful for that, not much else.

 

[p-Bar]

They still work where cell phones won't.

 

[Tractorat]

Best use of CB for me is accident avoidance. Just fewer and smaller places to install them on the new trucks.

I dont know if you can still find them. But I have a cobra that has all the controls in the mic. The actual radio is just a small box that I put under the seat. So all I have is the mic laying on the seat beside me. I have a radio shack speaker velcrowed to the floor just in the middle.

 

[Wiredawg]

Thanks Tractorat, I have an old one from a former truck I may install in my wife's truck, and surprise her.