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handheld CB radio

Kluk Ztopolovky

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Hi, here in Canada the sale of CB radios is regulated and so I hope to pick up some type of small size radio device in the US and honestly I am not sure where to start and what to get. I may be traveling along some routes where there is poor cell signal coverage and I think a little handheld radio could be somehow useful to carry along for the trip. I certainly am not interested in the bulky truck driver style CB radio but just a little one with a scanner, AM / FM and an option for emergency calls. And yes I do not wish to spend too many $$$ , after I bought the Jeep the few $$ are at the bottom of my boots.
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Slowpoke

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I'm hear to listen as I am interested too.
 

Mikeoso

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The range on the little CBs is about 2-5 miles. If there's no cell service you'd be unlikely to get much on a handheld CB.
 
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Kluk Ztopolovky

Kluk Ztopolovky

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The range on the little CBs is about 2-5 miles. If there's no cell service you'd be unlikely to get much on a handheld CB.
I understand the range is really effected by the antenna repeaters out in the surrounding area and if you get closer to a hill top where one of those repeaters may be reached then you can broadcast way further then just 5 miles.
 

Kurlon

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US CBs don't do FM, AFAIK neither do Canadian ones?
 

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Mikeoso

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CB is limited to 4 watts AM. Max range with a base station and a big antenna on the roof of a house is about 10 miles.

Repeaters for CB? Not something I've ever heard of.
 

Medictrode

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The range is gonna suck with a handheld CB.. If you are making this an emergency kinda thing you could setup a portable antenna setup in a bag, possibly with a small amplifier. Dipole antennas are perfect for this and can be setup in no time, can fold up to a small size and can be made cheap.. Tons of info around about how to calculate wire lengths and such..

If you really want to get into it try getting into HAM radio as you can do some cool stuff on lower HF bands and talk around the world with minimal investment and minimal wattage.
 

thecritter

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Hi, here in Canada the sale of CB radios is regulated and so I hope to pick up some type of small size radio device in the US and honestly I am not sure where to start and what to get. I may be traveling along some routes where there is poor cell signal coverage and I think a little handheld radio could be somehow useful to carry along for the trip. I certainly am not interested in the bulky truck driver style CB radio but just a little one with a scanner, AM / FM and an option for emergency calls. And yes I do not wish to spend too many $$$ , after I bought the Jeep the few $$ are at the bottom of my boots.
https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-BF-F...aofeng+bff8hp&qid=1563939959&s=gateway&sr=8-3

This is not CB radio but a great little radio to learn and use in an emergency. I have one in the Jeep and one in a bug out bag. There are tons of YouTube videos on how to setup and use.
 

Maverick909

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Baofeng hand held is wonderful. Use them off-roading quite often and it’s rather cheap. And you can get kit
 

Adventure.AS

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Hi, here in Canada the sale of CB radios is regulated and so I hope to pick up some type of small size radio device in the US and honestly I am not sure where to start and what to get. I may be traveling along some routes where there is poor cell signal coverage and I think a little handheld radio could be somehow useful to carry along for the trip. I certainly am not interested in the bulky truck driver style CB radio but just a little one with a scanner, AM / FM and an option for emergency calls. And yes I do not wish to spend too many $$$ , after I bought the Jeep the few $$ are at the bottom of my boots.
CB radios are not regulated in Canada. Anyone can purchase one. I would recommend a Cobra 75 a small CB. The main unit is small and can be hidden under the dash and the microphone is also the channel selector and speaker.

If you are concerned about communications when out of cell reception you could try carrying a Garmin inReach Satellite Communicator. It is also a handheld GPSr. You can use it for two-way text communication in remote areas. It also has an SOS button in case of emergency. It does require a subscription.

The Rubicon that I have on order includes communication through the "Guardian" service on Sirius XM satellite radio. It may also be available on other trim levels.
 

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paffemt

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CB radios are not regulated in Canada. Anyone can purchase one. I would recommend a Cobra 75 a small CB. The main unit is small and can be hidden under the dash and the microphone is also the channel selector and speaker.

If you are concerned about communications when out of cell reception you could try carrying a Garmin inReach Satellite Communicator. It is also a handheld GPSr. You can use it for two-way text communication in remote areas. It also has an SOS button in case of emergency. It does require a subscription.

The Rubicon that I have on order includes communication through the "Guardian" service on Sirius XM satellite radio. It may also be available on other trim levels.
You do realize that the Guardian Service uses LTE (I believe over AT&T). XM Satellite is a one-way service.
 
 







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