cb distance

[Ranger#1]

i know thiss is a verry open subject but what is a very even number in distance than i can expect from an avrage cb system im talking chepo $30 radio and a 6 foot firestick somewhat tuned i live in the dezert so trees arent a big issue just foot hills

 

[countryboy]

on the highway with a good tune a good 10-20 miles with the right weather high on a mountain anywhere in the world you know you opened a can of worms with this one as some have differnt thoughts on the matter than others lol and good luck with the radio

 

[Ranger#1]

yea i kno im just trying to get an idia on what 20 miles looks like on the trails

 

[4x4junkie]

Yeah, 20 miles is a good maximum on average with good antennas, although even 50 miles is not unheard of. However things like interference from power lines, as well as from your truck's electrical system (ignition, fuel pump motor, etc.) can greatly reduce it.

 

[orfordguy@yahoo.com]

distance

heres what i know, not to say yours will be the same,all my antennas and radios are tuned/matched to each other...my 78 250 runs a old ge 40 and a 4' wilson off the top the roll bar- 15 miles off road 20 on road.. the 79 bronco runs a SS 4' whip with a signal booster in the middle of it. hooked to a cobra 40xl (cheap $40 radio) it does 10-12 miles off road and 15-18 on road the 79 250 supercab has a cobra 25 classic and a pair of dual wilson 5000 whips. the radio has been tuned and peaked to put out 25 watts it pulls 25 miles off road and 35 on highway. the ranger runs a uniden 40 (another cheap radio) and a 104" whip it'll reach 15 miles offroad and 22 on a good day on road... the freightliner i drive everyday for work, has a custom tuned and built 50 watt output Galaxy with a 200 watt linear amplifier it'll get out 28-35 miles on highway on the radio alone and 55-60 miles on the highside of the linear booster... all on road of course..... let me put it this way, if its something you'll use regularly or for emegancys invest some money and buy decent equiptment then have the swr matched between and the radio and antenna it'll optimize whatever radio you boughts signal....good luck either way

 

[drifterawh]

10 to 50 feet on a good day.lol may be 15 mi. On a perfect day or night . cheep dont go far w/out big$$ help. Then your no longer cheep ??

 

[TwoTrackMind]

My TwoBits

...you opened a can of worms with this one...

yeah... Ive been messin with CBs since the 60's and Ive been able to talk to Nova Scotia from Michigan with just a stock radio (on skip of course). Ive also been unable to talk to a car less than a mile away because of all the people trying to talk at once (called high backgound noise). But on a quiet night with nothing in the way like hills or trees you should get 10 or 20 miles. My recommendation is to NOT count on it - especially for emergency response!

 

[Ranger#1]

i dont think i would be going 15 20 miles into the hills alone maby like 10 and then i would be pretty high up well atleast id have a pretty stright shot

 

[strvger]

used to live where you are. you should be fine in the desert as those are just hills around there and not mountains.

 

[Ranger#1]

sweet

 

[85rx7_93ranger]

ya never count on a CB for emergency situations lol but i used a cobra 25 and a cheap "little wil" antenna in my jeep for talking to my buddies when were all on the same trail so we dont have to yell at each other or honk horns lol worked great

 

[Prodigous Ranger]

I was just wondering if I have a fairly inexpensive radio, its a cobra 19 DX IV around 70 bucks. with a 4ft firestik with a spring for flex. What range should I expect in oregon that is usually cloudy. I tested it with my brother who has a similar setup without the spring and I'm not sure what radio. We were able to get about 2 miles I think on a low cloudy day after snow and it was around 4:30 so almost night time.

 

[strvger]

well, there are more important variables than price of the radio (yours is of fairly good quality really), clouds, and weather. proximity of tall buildings, power lines, mountains or steep hills nearby, if the antenna has been tuned to your radio, where the antenna is mounted and grounded, etc. you can read other posts in this forum and probably find most of your answers. good luck.

 

[merc2dogs]

When I lived up north a ways, I could talk to my wife in the parking lot when she got out of work, from my house without a problem. (I worked 1st, she worked 2nd) total distance was just over 26 miles straight line (nearly 40 by road)
Could talk to her most of the way, but lost her for a few minutes when she entered a small valley about 15 miles from home.

Both radios were stock, the car had a mag-mount whip on it, and I had a home built 1/2 wave at home.

Often the problem with a CB is the other radio, I have a friend that lived 3 miles away, and I came in loud and clear to him, but he just barely cleared the background noise at my end.

Current set up is an old Uniden grant xl SSB, and a 102 inch stainless whip on the back bumper of my explorer. It gives good range, and is sensitive enough that I can pick up weak signals that people with more expensive antennas miss. And is both tough, and cheap enough that I don't worry about it when out beating on my truck.

Ken.