Handheld CB

[daniel3507]

Are there really that many downsides to just using a handheld CB instead of a truck mount? Just maybe something like this
http://www.google.com/products/cata...=e5v4TsbaM-r9sQKWtti_AQ&sqi=2&ved=0CGUQ8wIwAQ
Seems like it would be good enough to keep in contact with people on the trail

 

[02RangerXLT]

The range is quite a bit less than a CB with a vehicle mounted antenna... You'd be lucky to get a couple miles flat ground transmit range out of that, if you're in a large hilly area, you may be better off with a compact CB such as the Cobra 75, that can be mounted in the vehicle but it is very compact and that with a small fiberglass antenna would be better than a handheld.

http://www.rightchannelradios.com/cobra-cb-radios-66/cobra-75-wx-st-compact-cb-radio-204.html

Be sure to look at all the pictures.

 

[daniel3507]

What if you use an antenna with a handheld cb? I kinda like that one in the link above though.

 

[5spd Ranger]

In my teen years I got a hand held CB for my birthday and I used it a lot but it did not have the distance like ones with a mounted antenna, so I went out and bought a little magnet mount one and it did get better signal but not as good as truck mounted CB. If you already have the hand held CB get a good magnet mount antenna for you should be good to go.

 

[BRUTUS_T_HOG]

What if you use an antenna with a handheld cb? I kinda like that one in the link above though.

i have a handheld and it won't communicate clearly enough to be heard while in the truck. i have to attach the magnetic antenna to the roof to be able to transmit and receive.... even then the range is only good when you have a line of sight on the other person.

should work fine for trail runs.

another thing is that it picks up A LOT of interference from the trucks fuel pump and any kind of motors so i've found i have to turn the squelch up so high i can't even use it

 

[4x4junkie]

My experience out on the trail says you'll be lucky to get 1000 feet range between a handheld CB used inside the truck and someone with a truck-mounted radio (the range will be far shorter if between two handhelds inside two vehicles).

Standard handheld CBs suck because of the fairly low frequency band they're on (27MHz). It's tough to take an antenna that would otherwise have an ideal resonant length of almost nine feet and condense it into a little 10" radio-mounted rubber duck (trying to put it in layman's terms anyway).

The little FRS CB walkie talkies that come two to a pack at Walmart might yield better results from within a vehicle even in spite of their lower power (they operate on the much shorter wavelength 462MHz band, which allows a shorter antenna to work more effectively). They still won't go as far as a standard CB with an exterior antenna however.

 

[badmts]

we went with FRS as we had so many issues with cb we hated it.hand held and veh mount . we troll craigs list and buy all we can that go 3 for 15 bucks ,so when we have friends and guests in the woods EVERYBODY has COMMO . we got 1 for a buck one time,if one of the kids loses it or drops in water oh well