UHF CB Radios

[mbjunior99]

I'm sure cro will be along shortly to explain it all to you but basically I think you would probably looking for more like a 2kW unit. I suppose it will all depend on what you wanting to use it for.

[AzMahoony]

me and my mate got a 1kw hand held for our cars and they work really well, but struggle when we got about 3k's from eachother even though the max distance said 5

[Felix]

Unit uses would be between cars on long trips, cruises etc, and at work when working in ceilings.

Felix

[silver ghost]

ive got the uniden 1 watt hand held they work very well not as good in the hilly country but have talked to people nearly 10klm out in the open doing a radio check its only supposed to go 5klm but they could have had a good airiel on there car.

[FastR1Red]

Think you meant 2w, not 2kW cos that'd be 2000 watts...

The 1w units are good for 5km but line-of-site out in the open only, so in the car that drops your range dramatically due to the metallic objects all around you and the antenna, plus the proximity of the antenna to your body. ( Down to around 1/2 to 1km or so.)

Hence all the external antennas on my car if you've seen it.

If you get a 2w radio (at least) you'll get a good 1-2km coverage from within your car, don't expect any more. I've got a few 5w handhelds we use on the track and they cover the whole track, so on the road car to car they'll get you maybe 3km or so.

I know the 2w and higher radios are more expensive but you'll be happier in the long run and a lot less noise.

[EvilDaifu]

Hi Felix,

I reckon $59 for one (1) 0.5W CB handheld is a bit steep in price (tshows 2 CBs, talks about the base being able to charge 2 CBs but you have to read carefully that is it is only 1 CB at that price - so you're up for $120 for 2 x 0.5W CBs!!!)

I picked up 2 Dick Smith 0.5W CBs for $40 (they were $20 each). I'd be expecting to pay somewhere between $20 and $30 for a brand new 0.5W CB from a retail store.

I don't recognise the brand name of the CBs in the pic. Looks like Digitor or something. I'd stick to the well-known brands like Uniden, Motorola or GME. For example, if you really want a 0.5W CB, here's a set from Dick Smiths that looks reasonable.

Goto http://www.dse.com.au and search for D1804

Not rechargeable, but you can buy a charger for $25 and 6 AAA NiMH batteries for $33. I personally find the disposables just as okay for 0.5W CBs since they don't draw that much power anyway.

However, if you want to use a CB for cruises, that's a different story. Like others have said, I'd invest in at least a 2W CB and optimally a 5W CB. Here's another one from Dick Smiths that looks reasonable - also has VOX portable handsfree, especially useful in a roof space cavity where you might need both hands free to hold onto roof struts / tools / building materials etc.

Goto http://www.dse.com.au and search for D1895

I personally have the Uniden UHF075 5W handheld and it works great on cruises. Being a 5W unit, battery does tend to drain faster if your talking alot (like I tend to do ) so a cigarette charger helps.

All the best with your quest for a CB

Edited 26/05/07 11:33 AM by EvilDaifu

[Felix]

Well thank guys, given me a few ideas....

But until tax time, I think I might just buy the cheap uniden twin pack, It will get my out of trouble under 1000m which should be enough. And also in the roof, plus if it gets trashed... no tears. Might invest in a 5w next fin year. At least I can buy the cheapy tomorrow so I can have some sort of CB for the cruise on saturday.

Felix

[mbjunior99]

Think you meant 2w, not 2kW cos that'd be 2000 watts...

Yes your right, my mistake

[Cro]

Follow EvilDaifu's advice, he is spoton.

One thing to add though, that CB at JayCar is only a 38 Channel CB.

That is because it is missing Channel 21 & 22 which is reserved for data. The majority of UHF CB's are 40 channel units, and the frequency ranges the UHF40 and UHF38 CB's are different for certain channels.

You may have problems using this radio on cruises.

Ensure you get a 40ch CB.

[Cagey]

ok so I got to ariels

one is 600mm tall the other is 300mm tall

trying to decide which 1 to use

my question is.

if they were mounted so the top of the ariel is at the same hieght then would there b any disadvantage using the 300mm ariel?

hope that makes sense.....thanks