Recommendations...easiest and best CB for when shtf

[harmonysun]

Hello...I am searching for a cb as alternate means of communication/receiving info in case of power/phone outage. Also for travel. Is vintage best?...please help as I'm not sure which models I should be looking for. Thank you!☺

 

[slowmover]

PRESIDENT McKinley AM/SSB

“More” (performance) doesn’t really exist. Not until you are buying a $1,000 Amateur Radio. This is about $180.

— Less than AM + SSB is a waste of money & effort.

— Antenna system outweighs what radio connected. By 5X.

— “Height is Might”. Mobile or Base, embrace your inner dork when it comes to antennas. Have to get high as is reasonable.

- Mobile: Antenna needs to be 5’ tall, ideally. Vehicle-center roof.

- Base: A wavelength away from house and antenna feedpoint a wavelength (36’) high. Trees, roof, pole/tower.

You’ll do whatever you do. But (believe me) there’s ZERO point in compromise past money or (possibly, not probably) technical difficulty. (Ask).

Welcome!

.

 

[Duckford]

If you want an AM radio only, Cobra 29 LTD is tried and true. Want SSB, which would be best for more emergency purposes, I'd recommend the Galaxy 959.

 

[FLA727]

I'll second the Mckinley. I am so satisfied with the one I picked up last year that I bought a second one and set it up so that I could easily use it in either my other truck or rental vehicles when traveling.

 

[K4EET]

If using this at home as a base unit during a power outage, don't forget that you will need a source of +13.8 VDC (up to +24VDC). The capacity of the battery(ies) will depend on how long you need to supply secondary power. You will also need a way to recharge the battery(ies) once the power comes back on or perhaps they could be charged by solar panels. A little design work will be required. You'll want a power supply to run the base unit inside the house as long as the commercial grid is present.

 

[slowmover]

Is the “emergency” hours in length . . or months?

CB Radio (any radio) is an upgrade to a vehicle and guaranteed to make a house into a home.

Approached in this way (indeterminate period of use + high-quality vehicle/home addition) context about Radio is clearer. Mobile in car and Base at home to communicate a radius in distance.

— Can you communicate via TV (despite how bad actors use it to monitor you)?

— No one “owns” the means of communicating via cell phone or laptop.

Yet, between TV & Cell $1,000 or more is spent annually. And worthless when it matters. Planned obsolescence means they’re maybe good five years or so (after in excess of $5,000 has been spent).

A CB Radio System (basis for more sophisticated Amateur possibilities) might run $1,000 before one is finished. Pay-as-you-go versus monthly fee. Salient point is that it’ll last the life of your car OR ten years at your home. (I’m one of many with gear considerably older than that).

CB Radio greatest value: it’s the radio system most likely to be owned and used by your neighbors.

As a truck driver I meet new neighbors all the time. It’s a small number who take this seriously in any fashion. But when the chips are down, those of us who do find each other and make decisions jointly which affect our lives and livelihood.

CB Radio doesn’t replace other services so much as it’s local. Again, those of us who take it seriously understand that a range of from 3-15/miles (condition & gear dependent) sure beats being entirely deaf.

Most problems are local . . is key to understanding.

Radios with Sideband (SSB) open the door to talking several states away. Even across the Caribbean or Atlantic.

Amateur Radio is more impressive. Don’t close the door to it by later having to duplicate work a quality CB Radio installation deserves on the first go-through.

Thus, read & research. Make some lists. Amortize the effort over a ten year period versus the one much shorter for the others above.

Bad radio choice, bad antenna choice plus its’ mount, and a bad installation of it all lead to what many (maybe most) “experience” CB Radio to be, and ending in false beliefs.

.

 

[WB9YBM]

Hello...I am searching for a cb as alternate means of communication/receiving info in case of power/phone outage. Also for travel.

I'd suggest a bit of diversity: there's no guarantee that your neighbors are going to have a CB, or GMRS, or MURS, or ham radio, or whatever, just because you've got one. I realize not everyone can afford or want all options available--but two sounds like the minimum. Either that, or ask what your neighbors (or whoever else you want to talk to) wants to use--hopefully you'll all be able to agree on something.

 

[FPR1981]

Cobra 29 LTD Classic = Chevrolet Caprice Classic of CB radios


Basic, kinda ugly but it works as intended. With work, it easily becomes an Impala SS. If an AM only CB is what you desire, this is tried and true. I don't much care for them, but they are a decent choice with tons of available parts and repair instructions everywhere.

The McKinley was mentioned, and if the "best" in consumer-grade CBs is your desire, this is hard to go wrong with.

The Uniden 980 SSB works well too.

 

[stingray327]

PRESIDENT McKinley AM/SSB

“More” (performance) doesn’t really exist. Not until you are buying a $1,000 Amateur Radio. This is about $180.

— Less than AM + SSB is a waste of money & effort.

— Antenna system outweighs what radio connected. By 5X.

— “Height is Might”. Mobile or Base, embrace your inner dork when it comes to antennas. Have to get high as is reasonable.

- Mobile: Antenna needs to be 5’ tall, ideally. Vehicle-center roof.

- Base: A wavelength away from house and antenna feedpoint a wavelength (36’) high. Trees, roof, pole/tower.

You’ll do whatever you do. But (believe me) there’s ZERO point in compromise past money or (possibly, not probably) technical difficulty. (Ask).

Welcome!

.

When did this President McKinley AM/SSB radio come out? Is it a base station or mobile? Is Cobra still the top brand for a CB radio?
Amateur radio costs too much as far as the equipment goes as well as the radio and you must have a license to transmit. The equipment to operate is more difficult on Amateur radio compared to CB radio. I have seen what the costs of those ham antennas and radios are and they just cost too much $$$$.

 

[FLA727]

When did this President McKinley AM/SSB radio come out? Is it a base station or mobile? Is Cobra still the top brand for a CB radio?
Amateur radio costs too much as far as the equipment goes as well as the radio and you must have a license to transmit. The equipment to operate is more difficult on Amateur radio compared to CB radio. I have seen what the costs of those ham antennas and radios are and they just cost too much $$$$.

McKinley is a mobile radio. I have 2 of them; one in my truck and another in the house/mobile use. In comparison to the Cobra I can't say if Cobra is the "top Brand" still but for a shtf situation I would absolutely want something with SSB and a scan feature. You may find yourself wanting to monitoring all traffic to see what may be going on and flipping manually through the channels won't be very efficient.

 

[iMONITOR]

The Uniden 980 SSB works well too.

I've read a few reviews claiming the Uniden 980 doesn't hold up very long in some enviorments, IE: off-road vehicles, motorcycles, construction equipment, ETC, due to vibrations.

 

[stingray327]

McKinley is a mobile radio. I have 2 of them; one in my truck and another in the house/mobile use. In comparison to the Cobra I can't say if Cobra is the "top Brand" still but for a shtf situation I would absolutely want something with SSB and a scan feature. You may find yourself wanting to monitoring all traffic to see what may be going on and flipping manually through the channels won't be very efficient.

I notice most of these radios are all mobile units. Not much in the base station units. I saw one a Galaxy unit. No President or Cobra base station units. For a base station would it be better to get one of these base stations (Galaxy only?) or more cost effective to get a mobile unit and purchase an AC/adapter?

 

[WB9YBM]

I notice most of these radios are all mobile units. Not much in the base station units. I saw one a Galaxy unit. No President or Cobra base station units. For a base station would it be better to get one of these base stations (Galaxy only?) or more cost effective to get a mobile unit and purchase an AC/adapter?

The main benefit I see to the mobile & power supply combination is the relatively smaller size of the radio and if the op's got a power supply on the table anyway (to power other accessories on the operating position), it's probably a practical solution.

 

[n7lrg]

Same as what FLA727 said. One in the house, one in the truck!

 

[riverradio68]

McKinley or Lincoln II+ ... Lincoln II+ has an easy mod that opens up frequencies that may likely be used by those who don't want to be marked or die a horrible death coughing up blood while their eyes pop. Stryker also has some nice affordable stuff for that dreaded day.