CB Radio

I still don't have a CB and don't plan on getting one. I don't want to hear the trash truckers talk about all day, and I also don't want to hear anyone poking jokes at me when backing up.

All I hear in return is "just turn it off." well if it's off most of the time then what's the point of spending 100$ for it?

I think CB's are truck, but the dirty mouth of a trucker ruins it.

As far as shippers and receivers, they ask me if I have a CB and I tell them I don't so they take my phone number and when they need to contact me they call me. It's not a burden at all.

Like I said, I never drove with a CB and don't plan on it, I wouldn't say they are a requirement at all. It's a convenience that you'll have to shut off every 15 minutes when you get sick of hearing people talk about Obama. I think that money could be used better, perhaps on a cooler or satellite radio.

One day Daniel B. will be a real trucker with a real C.B. in his truck.

Seriously though, I use mine very little. It is handy at shippers and receivers, but not necessary. What Daniel said is absolutely correct though. Now days so many new drivers don't use them that they are quite accustomed to getting your cell number and calling you when they have a door available for you.

Having a CB doesn't mean it needs to be on all the time. It is invaluable at times when it comes to knowing what is going on ahead. Drivers will let you know if there's stopped traffic at the bottom of the next hill, which lane to be in ahead (even though the signs may say differently), and the best alternate route when things happen suddenly and you don't have the option of pulling over and looking at an atlas or making a phone call, or the time to get your gps to come up with an alternative before you are forced to choose to exit or get stuck in the thick of it. Drivers also let each other know what their intentions are sometimes. I usually listen to talk radio or something, but the CB has been a great asset to have in bad weather and tricky traffic situations. I drove over a year without one, and I won't go back to that. Turn it off at the truck stop, or even most of the time, but when it's time to find out what's going on ahead it's nice to have.

Does a 23channel Cobra walkie talkie w/32 mile range serve the same purpose or is the CB radio still used for general comms by enough truckers (e.g. accident, construction, weather warnings) to justify the added cost and installation?

Thanks!

Does a 23channel Cobra walkie talkie w/32 mile range serve the same purpose or is the CB radio still used for general comms by enough truckers (e.g. accident, construction, weather warnings) to justify the added cost and installation?

Thanks!

Ummm...

A 23 channel Cobra CB walkie talkie? I doubt that thing is going to have a 32 mile range, especially if you are transmitting from inside the cab. A CB walkie talkie can work but I would connect it to an external antenna.

Max legal power is 5 watts input, 3 watts out if I remember right. 32 mile range... you're gonna cook yourself with the wattage transmitting AM... at that's if the solar activity allowing that kind of propagation hasn't already killed everyone on Earth, lol.

A good legal CB will get you 5 miles or so in optimal conditions. A few miles is more accurate.

Bottom line, a hand held portable CB will work fine if you hook it to an external antenna, or stick the portable antenna out the window, but I wouldn't recommend that.

Thanks ButtonUp. Was in Walmart looking for the Cobra. My WM didn't have it, but they had those. I won't waste the money on that. Thanks again!

Thanks ButtonUp. Was in Walmart looking for the Cobra. My WM didn't have it, but they had those. I won't waste the money on that. Thanks again!

Well, I was a little overboard with my comments about getting cooked, but it would take more than legal power to get 30 miles.

I have a Cobra 19 I got cheap and use in the truck. If someone steals it I got a drawer full of replacements at home. That being said, the 29 sounds like a good deal. I highly recommend something that has auto noise level/filter, and a mic gain adjustment.

If the oil fields didn't make us have one.. I probably wouldn't use it. Lucky for me I'm never on channel 19. Oil fields do different channels. We just have to have them because a lot of our back roads are barely wide enough for one truck.. got to know when the road is open. Hahahah

If the oil fields didn't make us have one.. I probably wouldn't use it. Lucky for me I'm never on channel 19. Oil fields do different channels. We just have to have them because a lot of our back roads are barely wide enough for one truck.. got to know when the road is open. Hahahah

That's some real truckin' lol! And sounds like you're going to be doing the winter road version as well. Good luck man! Doubt you need more hair on your chest but sounds like you're gettin' it!

I dont get involved in the useless chatter but I always have mine on while Im driving and listen for anything useful to be gleaned from the nonsense.

Today it kept me out of a pile up on I75 in north Florida. Nasty weather all morning on I10 going east, sign boards had tornado warnings up all through the pan handle and down to Tampa. As I got on 75 heading south the weather was getting a little worse, rain got heavier and the wind was picking up so traffic was moving around 45-50 mph. I was already trying to maintain a big gap between me and the truck in front of me because of the conditions and really trying to watch traffic around me as it was getting harder to see because of all the spray.

I hear someone say something on the CB about a tree in the road at mile marker 429 or close to it in the right hand lane. Im at mile marker 431 so I start backing off a little more and drag the brakes a little to dry them out just in case. Next thing I know, traffic is stopping, all three lanes and cars are moving all over the road. A tornado had crossed the road in front of us and there was debris everywhere and part of a large pine tree in the right hand lane. Other than the CB, there was no warning at all it happened so fast.

Thanks to the CB, I had given myself plenty of room to maneuver, was in the center lane and was looking for a tree in the road. The cars behind me were not so lucky as they bounced off each other and the guard rail in the median because they were following way to close.

I was already on high alert and giving myself a big cushion to stop all morning because of the conditions. I dont know if that alone would have kept me out of all the bumper cars going on all around me with cars darting from the right lane to avoid the tree that I already maneuvered to avoid a mile earlier. With the CB, and a little luck, I didnt hit anything or get hit by anyone else.

Here is the irony, I got a weather alert on my latest technology Samsung smart phone that a tornado warning had been issued in my area and I should seek shelter NOW and tune to local media. That alert message came about a minute after I got passed the area and the tree in the road. The old technology beat the latest technology by about 3 minutes.