Citizen Band radios?

[Brake Weight]

How many people use one in their vehicle? Their home?

I recently purchased a Cobra 19 to play with. I used it maybe a week and realized it's low on the list of nice radios. I then purchased a Galaxy DX 949, which is 100X better. Since I was eager in getting a better radio, I didn't research enough on the actual sizes of each unit. My 949 is too large a frame to mount in my Tacoma decently. I've completed more research and have narrowed the field down to just a few radios that will fit my truck, and my wallet. One of these is an 'Export Radio'. As such, it covers many more frequencies and this is my question:

Can I use this daily as a CB radio only...legally?

 

[Jimbrown]

Legally no. If you have it in your possesion then the presumption is that you will use it.

In reality will the Feds come knocking on your door and hual you off to jail. Not likely unless you start trying to brodcast over the top of legally licensed stations.

 

[Sutol]

Still got my FM set from the seventies when the government over here made it illegal and legalised AM sets which are rubbish.

Whats the situation in the US with them is it a total ban?

 

[ultrarunner]

I've got a couple...

The antique car club uses them to keep in touch when on club tours.

It makes it possible to be in touch with the entire group... sometimes 25 or more cars traveling together...

Most have made a small box with a motorcycle battery since the old cars are magneto or 6 volt.

 

[Brake Weight]

Legally no. If you have it in your possesion then the presumption is that you will use it.

In reality will the Feds come knocking on your door and hual you off to jail. Not likely unless you start trying to brodcast over the top of legally licensed stations.

That's what I was thinking. How about if I get pulled over, for whatever reason, and the LEO searches the vehicle. Will/can the average LEO do anything about it?

What is really drawing me toward the exports is that they can be used on Ham, and can be tuned up much higher than legal. I would not do this until it was needed to do so. Beings I live down south, we got hit during Katrina. No power, water, phones, cell phones, nothing for several weeks. Had I had a CB, let alone a powerful export, I could have received word from the outside world. We had a small stash that was dwindling down rapidly. We made it, but another week and we would've been scratching bottom. Had I had one then, I could've gone and bought-traded-whatever for needed supplies without running around the county burning gas.

 

[MadJack]

Check out the Cobra 25. Good mid-size radio.
It's a bit narrower than my uniden and I mounted mine on the tranny hump to the right of the shifter. Get a 90* coax elbow so the coax doesn't kink where it rubs the floor.
Dash mounted radio's just ask for trouble.

I just repaired an inner fuse on a 949... their huge! As big as my Galaxy Delta 88.

The biggest feature you want in a mobile is "RF Gain" so you can turn down the skip while in convoy.

 

[Combustix]

Got one a few years back just a small one maybe a cobra. Don't use it much on the highway except when heading out to go camping in backwoods with a buddy. Were it is useful is in the backwoods on active logging roads. They trucks are moving and all one lane win pull outs. You call out mile markers it paid for itself on our first trip

 

[grsthegreat]

I really didnt think that they still made these CB's any more. I thought they were a "in my days" kind of a thing.

Our horse clubs all use the handheld FM radios for years. I know they have limited distance, but were usually not far away from each other.

I used to have a nice CB back in College days (80's) and they were nice back then... before cell phones

 

[marimus]

Yeah I just put a 18' antenna up on my shed, with SSB some evenings I can talk to Hawaii :thumbsup:

Sure brings back some memories.

 

[Brake Weight]

The Galaxy DX979(AM/SSB) and the Mirage MX36(export) are both 7.25" wide, 9" deep(not counting knobs and wires), and the taller is 2.325"(IIRC on the height). Both are around the $200 mark +/- and have tuning potential to run barefoot if need be. If I take out my cig lighter plug, either will fit in my Tacoma with a 90* antennae connector and have open air below. Mount an external speaker elsewhere and remove the internal speaker to increase cooling. It should all tuck out of the way fairly good.

I was just gonna get a simple Uniden 520 until I read how many truckers and others have been actually rescued from snowbanks by SSB skipping to the other side of the country. Someone on the other end calls the local rescue 5-10 states over and saves the day.