The Radio.

CB radio.
This is the main box in a CB set up. Due to technical and legal limitations, most radios will get about the same range if connected to the same antenna.
For this reason, the main consideration when buying the actual radio should be which band you want to use and what features you want from your radio, which will depend upon what you will use CB for and where you will use it.

CB in vehicles
For most mobile use, you will just need a radio with the minimum controls.
Any mobile radio should have the minimum requirements (volume, squelch and channel change). Any more than this may be difficult to use while on the move, and may even distract you while driving.
Another consideration for mobile use may be the size and shape - it should fit into a space somewhere in the vehicle, where it can be seen and reached easily. If the radio will need to be mounted high up or at a distance from the driver, channel change buttons on the microphone may be helpful.

Base station use.
For base station use, although you still only need the minimum controls, you may wish to have a radio with more controls.
You can use either a special base radio, which plugs direct into the mains supply, or a mobile radio with a separate power supply to convert the mains to 12 volts. Power supplies are quite cheap, but will leave more wires lying about.

CB on foot.
There are special CBs for use on foot. These are usually referred to as "Walkie Talkies" or "Hand Held", and are self contained units, with the CB, antenna and batteries for the power supply all in the one unit.
Although some hand-held CB radios are lower power, most will transmit around the same power as any other UK CB (4 Watts) and will have a receiver that is as sensitive. The main factor which will limit the range of one of these radios is likely to be the antenna. You cannot hope to get the same range with built in antenna as you would on a good mobile or base one. The small rubber antennas are even worse than the metal ones, but are useful in small spaces and through trees, etc. When a Hand Held CB is plugged into a mobile or base antenna, it will perform as well as any other UK CB would on that antenna.

Another issue with hand-held radios is that some are designed for less than 40 channels. The hand-held shown on the left, a Sonic 10-4 Envoy, has only two channels and much less power than a standard radio.

Some radios are designed to be adaptable for use in a car, at home, or as a portable radio. Although these will have built in batteries, antenna and microphone, they will also have sockets available to allow external power, antenna and microphones to be used. Such radios are extremely adaptable, allowing you to take the radio from the car and walk around with it or even use it at home with a large antenna.

Home     Privacy     Copyright     Email     Site map
Site content subject to copyright. © 2001 - 2008