AM or FM MODULATION BETTER FOR OFF-ROAD TRAIL COMMS

[nokones]

A lot of it. It also has big mountains and big holes in the ground.

And lots of huge rocks right in your way.

That looks great! That SWR is about as good as you can do, so nice job. What radio are you running? Just curious as I’m contemplating putting a CB back in my Subaru. I’d obviously get one with AM/FM and DNR. It would be great to have SSB but I’m not aware of any small radios that also do SSB. Please post an update when can.

Cobra 25 LTD Classic AM/FM

that really looks fantastic! I can't wait to see how it works..... I "think" that is the best CB antenna you can put on a jeep.... why do you need to put the same antenna C27 on the avalanche? why not put a really good and cheap magnet mount on it just for testing??? ... I hope your CB range test shows what a CB can really do... maybe I'll be surprised and the Firestick will be better.... but I'd love to see the C27 and a really "known" great working magnetic cb antenna,... a magnetic antenna on the roof of the avalanche will be higher and centered... meaning it will recieve and transmit in all directions.... if you do the C27 on both hoods you're going to be more directional
whatever you do it will be great to see the results
Tram 3500 at Target for $55 bucks with free shipping... it's certainly not the best antenna.... but for testing that jeep I think it would work really well..... again beautiful jeep!

The mag-mount on the Avalance will be mounted on the center of the roof as before.

I find antennas mounted on Mojave hoods work better than Rubicon hoods.

Since, I have a tuned suspension, I guess I could just remove the "Rubicon" decals on the hood and stick on the "Mojave" decals and that should help with getting the better Farz.

 

[niceguy71]

I hope I didn't discourage you from the Radioddity CS-47????? putting out 8 watts is HUGE .... and 15 watts on FM that has got to kick some serious ass.
you will never get anything smaller... and for under a $100 bucks... I wouldn't hesitate... I'm sure you will get used to the squelch as a up and down button... ( I only used it for a couple hours.... and really just couldn't get used to it.... but that's just me)
if you buy it on Radioddity it's $75.99 with very cheap shipping... shipping to Massachusetts was only $500!!!!! that is an AWESOME DEAL

Radioddity CS-47 CB Radio | 7-Color LCD Display Mic | AM/FM | RF Gain

Radioddity CS-47 has most of the features common to other CB radios, including an adjustable backlit seven-color handheld microphone, built-in microphone speaker, AM/FM modulation, VOX, and active noise cancellation. It is a very cost-effective one hander CB radio for outdoor and off-road scenarios.

www.radioddity.com

well I went on google and got a $10 off code .... use ...........Radioddity10 .............. and it took $10 bucks off.... so it was $65.99... and I just couldn't pass it up... and my friend needs a small radio for his Jeep so I guess I just bought him a CB .... not sure how 8 watts Am will help.... but that 15 watts on FM is got to work pretty well! and with the NRC... it has got to make a great Jeep radio.
so my next video will be the Radioddity CS-47

 

[K6GBW]

Nokones, a Cobra 25 Classic simply would not fit in a 2021 Subaru Crosstrek.

 

[nokones]

Nokones, a Cobra 25 Classic simply would not fit in a 2021 Subaru Crosstrek.

Try a Cobra 19 DX III. They're a lot smaller but they are only AM modulation.

 

[slowmover]

PRESIDENT HARRISON 2



I see no reason to compromise.

1). PRESIDENT
2). Best NRC AM (non-SSB) radio available.

PRESIDENT design quality and optional accessories.

3). A KL-203P as here’s a case where a pre-amp might matter (distance & terrain from town).

4). 5’ antenna or taller (7’ is where magic takes over).


I’ve a PRESIDENT Lincoln II v3 in the 2500 Cummins Ram. Any antenna on roof I want.

Am presently camped quite a ways from a major metro. 15-miles from a town of any consequence. Slightly down into a river valley (shallow). The 203P is a handy check against radio settings on an outstanding receiver (a Cobra is a bad joke compared to Ham Radio Junior). DSP speaker.

Optional juice is a no-brainer even on the L-2. Dumb not to have the option. Pre-amp is a handy way to check radio settings without a bunch of adjustments made (relations to each other).

— DX and local can sometimes be hard to distinguish from each other during Skip.

Hear, and Get Heard is the game. How to focus on one or more channels is what’s needed. Before “they” drive farther away. Flip a coin as to the channel (pre-amp might better the odds).

President Electronics – Harrison FM CB

I’ve recently been considering a FM CB radio. I realize the FM hype is probably being generated by the CB manufacturers to drum up business... but anyway, I’d like to dip my toe into the world of FM CB just to play with. Been doing a lot of research in the last month to see what’s on the...

forums.radioreference.com

The weak link will become the extension speaker (argued due to size).

I “get that”. But I know from the experience of dependence on accurate comms not to leave any system or component “deficient”. Vocal fidelity is — in the end — the decisive edge.

.

 

[shores]

PRESIDENT HARRISON 2

View attachment 170544

I see no reason to compromise.

1). PRESIDENT
2). Best NRC AM (non-SSB) radio available.

PRESIDENT design quality and optional accessories.

3). A KL-203P as here’s a case where a pre-amp might matter (distance & terrain from town).

4). 5’ antenna or taller (7’ is where magic takes over).


I’ve a PRESIDENT Lincoln II v3 in the 2500 Cummins Ram. Any antenna on roof I want.

Am presently camped quite a ways from a major metro. 15-miles from a town of any consequence. Slightly down into a river valley (shallow). The 203P is a handy check against radio settings on an outstanding receiver (a Cobra is a bad joke compared to Ham Radio Junior). DSP speaker.

Optional juice is a no-brainer even on the L-2. Dumb not to have the option. Pre-amp is a handy way to check radio settings without a bunch of adjustments made (relations to each other).

— DX and local can sometimes be hard to distinguish from each other during Skip.

Hear, and Get Heard is the game. How to focus on one or more channels is what’s needed. Before “they” drive farther away. Flip a coin as to the channel (pre-amp might better the odds).

President Electronics – Harrison FM CB

I’ve recently been considering a FM CB radio. I realize the FM hype is probably being generated by the CB manufacturers to drum up business... but anyway, I’d like to dip my toe into the world of FM CB just to play with. Been doing a lot of research in the last month to see what’s on the...

forums.radioreference.com

The weak link will become the extension speaker (argued due to size).

I “get that”. But I know from the experience of dependence on accurate comms not to leave any system or component “deficient”. Vocal fidelity is — in the end — the decisive edge.

Which will go further, am/fm with 203p or am fcc mckinley on ssb?

 

[nokones]

After posting my test results on the performance/evaluation of the Firestik II antennae about 2-3 weeks ago, and of course there were forum members that said the Firestik II antennae where one of the worst antennae and the placement of the antenna on my Wrangler Rubi was also one of the worst locations, and that I should be using a NMO Trunk Lip Mount clipped to the rear edge of the Hood at the cowl, and a C27 base load antenna, for better performance results in the Farz.

Well, I decided to bite into that carrot, and I purchased two Antenna Specialist/Antenex/Laird/T E Connectivity C27 Base Load antennae and the NMO Trunk Lip-Mount and I conducted my Farz test today identical to the test as I did with the two Firestiks. I ran the same route and used the test point locations. The transmitting and the receiving vehicles, radios, noise floor level were identical, as the previous test. The C27 antennae were tuned and the VSWRs were in the very low 1's.

Today's results revealed that the Firestik II antenna outperformed the C27 base load antennas. Just to recap the test with the Firestiks, I was able to have readable communication at 2.25 miles in the AM mode and 3.25 miles in the FM mode. With the C27 antennae, the AM mode revealed readable communication up to the 1.25 miles and the FM mode revealed readable communication up to 2.5 miles.

Guess what my Jeep Creep friends, I will be using the following antenna for my CB Radio communications:



because this configuration was not the best in performance:

 

[Davidbt]

I read your original post trying to get an idea of how long the Firestik antenna is that you are using on your jeep. I decided to install a used QT40 in my '05 TJR and bought a 3' fiberglass antenna, coaxial, and mount combo to replace what the PO had installed on my jeep. The antenna isn't working out with swr's very well and someone else on the forum suggested a 4' tunable Firestik would work out better. The 3' antenna is barely 6" above my roof if that.

 

[nokones]

The longer antenna the better. A lot of people never do get good VSRs with a 3 Ft Firestik. I thought that I may have gotten something like 1.6 to 1.7:1 with a 3 ft tuneable tip. I still have a 3 ft Firestik and just for giggles I' ll check the VSWRs tomorrow. I normally use a 5 Ft on my Jeep and I am getting less than 1.1:1.

 

[niceguy71]

After posting my test results on the performance/evaluation of the Firestik II antennae about 2-3 weeks ago, and of course there were forum members that said the Firestik II antennae where one of the worst antennae and the placement of the antenna on my Wrangler Rubi was also one of the worst locations, and that I should be using a NMO Trunk Lip Mount clipped to the rear edge of the Hood at the cowl, and a C27 base load antenna, for better performance results in the Farz.

Well, I decided to bite into that carrot, and I purchased two Antenna Specialist/Antenex/Laird/T E Connectivity C27 Base Load antennae and the NMO Trunk Lip-Mount and I conducted my Farz test today identical to the test as I did with the two Firestiks. I ran the same route and used the test point locations. The transmitting and the receiving vehicles, radios, noise floor level were identical, as the previous test. The C27 antennae were tuned and the VSWRs were in the very low 1's.

Today's results revealed that the Firestik II antenna outperformed the C27 base load antennas. Just to recap the test with the Firestiks, I was able to have readable communication at 2.25 miles in the AM mode and 3.25 miles in the FM mode. With the C27 antennae, the AM mode revealed readable communication up to the 1.25 miles and the FM mode revealed readable communication up to 2.5 miles.

Guess what my Jeep Creep friends, I will be using the following antenna for my CB Radio communications:

View attachment 171016

because this configuration was not the best in performance:

View attachment 171017

sorry to hear it didn't work out Nocones ...
I'm actually shocked!!!!
I expected much better results with both antenna's...
you certainly spent a lot of money... those Antenex Laird C27 are not cheap! I think their $100 bucks each and the NMO27 - Larsen NMO 52" CB Antenna is $65 plus shipping larsen CB27 ... you also put a lot of time into it, again sorry it didn't work out.... I see a lot of guys get really good range with cars and even pick-ups after some RF bonding of the hoods and bed to the cab.... but I have never seen or even heard of anyone really getting great range with a Jeep... I thought for sure the hood lip would work awesome!!!... I was hoping we could show the world how a Jeep could work with a CB because I always hear Jeeps are only good for a mile or two.
my Friend with the 2005 Jeep is coming over again soon ... ( maybe this weekend ) and I plan to video everything we do and range test it.... I'll share the results... I sure hope I can do better than yours.... but I know you did all you could.
last time we played with his Jeep I talked to him on my Base station as he went home and got him at 9 miles.. but it was terrible for the whole way ... the 9 miles was at the end when he made a turn and got onto a highway that may have been a little elevated.

 

[Davidbt]

The longer antenna the better. A lot of people never do get good VSRs with a 3 Ft Firestik. I thought that I may have gotten something like 1.6 to 1.7:1 with a 3 ft tuneable tip. I still have a 3 ft Firestik and just for giggles I' ll check the VSWRs tomorrow. I normally use a 5 Ft on my Jeep and I am getting less than 1.1:1.

I get the taller the better part, the 4' antenna should put me just over 12" above the roof with out a spring. Down here in South East Arizona my trails have very few over hanging branches. I'm just installing the radio just because, nobody I wheel with have comms, I have to hand out uv5r's to anyone that happens to tag along. I guess I could go taller though. If the 4' antenna gets channel 40 around 1.5, I think I'll be happy. The Walcott fiberglass antenna is a cut to length so the Firestik should be much better.

 

[niceguy71]

I get the taller the better part, the 4' antenna should put me just over 12" above the roof with out a spring. Down here in South East Arizona my trails have very few over hanging branches. I'm just installing the radio just because, nobody I wheel with have comms, I have to hand out uv5r's to anyone that happens to tag along. I guess I could go taller though. If the 4' antenna gets channel 40 around 1.5, I think I'll be happy. The Walcott fiberglass antenna is a cut to length so the Firestik should be much better.

David... let me do some range testing before you spend money..... I'm hoping to play with my friends Jeep soon.... right now I have a 75 inch antenna on the tail light.... but I adjusted the antenna many times and the SWR of 1.5 just would not change.. better or worse.... so I started cutting a 1/4 inch at a time and finally after cutting 4 inches off of it the SWR barely changed.... it went up to 1.9 ( I hate Jeeps) later I learned that if you don't have a good ground on the tail light mount it will ground plane through the coax and that must have been what was happening... so step one I'm going to RF bond the hell out of that tail light mount and see how the antenna works....
but even before and after cutting the 4 inches off we were doing ok for range.... I think 6 miles clearly to my Base..... but then we did some more stuff and it got worse... finally on his way home he would only be a couple miles from me and could not hear me... so I would turn my base up to 60 watts and he still couldn't hear me??????? then he would take a 90 degree turn and I was blowing his speaker out..... I know the tail light mount is directional so depending on the way he was facing, changed everything.... when he got on the highway we could talk 9 miles apart.... I still like the look of this antenna. the UK guys have great luck with it... it has been around forever ... used to be called the modulator then the Starlett warrior and the Red Devil ... now they call it Taurus Red Warrior Mobile CB Antenna... it is 18 inches of fiberglass and 57 inches of a very whippy steel whip.. I think it looks good on the Jeep and is way above the top and is so flexible that it will make a great 4X4 Jeep antenna.... ( if I can get it to work ) I just bought a 2nd one as I cut the first one too short....
lot of youtube videos on it.. the Brits love it... they did a test of the Taurus Red Warrior Mobile CB Antenna and the Sirio performer 4000 and they were equal in range. so that had me sold
so my plan is to RF bond the tail light mount... then put bonding straps on the back tub left and right side to the frame... and put two bonding straps on the hood to the tub and to the frame...... then I want to stick a magnetic mount antenna on the hood and have him go for a ride and see how that location works, and what kind of range we get.... then I will also try the Taurus Red Warrior again and see if it's as good or better than the mag antenna on the hood
if I get it working and video it ... you may want to try this antenna... I really thought for sure the hood lip mount would have been fantastic!
here is a picture of it on my friends jeep.... so hold off and let me see what I can do with a jeep.... I may get the same results as Nocones. and if that's the case you're on your own.
Taurus Red Warrior it's only $29.00 bucks

 

[Davidbt]

David... let me do some range testing before you spend money..... I'm hoping to play with my friends Jeep soon.... right now I have a 75 inch antenna on the tail light.... but I adjusted the antenna many times and the SWR of 1.5 just would not change.. better or worse.... so I started cutting a 1/4 inch at a time and finally after cutting 4 inches off of it the SWR barely changed.... it went up to 1.9 ( I hate Jeeps) later I learned that if you don't have a good ground on the tail light mount it will ground plane through the coax and that must have been what was happening... so step one I'm going to RF bond the hell out of that tail light mount and see how the antenna works....
but even before and after cutting the 4 inches off we were doing ok for range.... I think 6 miles clearly to my Base..... but then we did some more stuff and it got worse... finally on his way home he would only be a couple miles from me and could not hear me... so I would turn my base up to 60 watts and he still couldn't hear me??????? then he would take a 90 degree turn and I was blowing his speaker out..... I know the tail light mount is directional so depending on the way he was facing, changed everything.... when he got on the highway we could talk 9 miles apart.... I still like the look of this antenna. the UK guys have great luck with it... it has been around forever ... used to be called the modulator then the Starlett warrior and the Red Devil ... now they call it Taurus Red Warrior Mobile CB Antenna... it is 18 inches of fiberglass and 57 inches of a very whippy steel whip.. I think it looks good on the Jeep and is way above the top and is so flexible that it will make a great 4X4 Jeep antenna.... ( if I can get it to work ) I just bought a 2nd one as I cut the first one too short....
lot of youtube videos on it.. the Brits love it... they did a test of the Taurus Red Warrior Mobile CB Antenna and the Sirio performer 4000 and they were equal in range. so that had me sold
so my plan is to RF bond the tail light mount... then put bonding straps on the back tub left and right side to the frame... and put two bonding straps on the hood to the tub and to the frame...... then I want to stick a magnetic mount antenna on the hood and have him go for a ride and see how that location works, and what kind of range we get.... then I will also try the Taurus Red Warrior again and see if it's as good or better than the mag antenna on the hood
if I get it working and video it ... you may want to try this antenna... I really thought for sure the hood lip mount would have been fantastic!
here is a picture of it on my friends jeep.... so hold off and let me see what I can do with a jeep.... I may get the same results as Nocones. and if that's the case you're on your own.
Taurus Red Warrior it's only $29.00 bucks

I've been watching your posts of you working on your friends jeep since mine is a 2005 also. When my Firestik arrives, I will play with it and see what if I can get the swr's better. I will watch to see what you accomplish with your friends jeep also.

 

[nokones]

sorry to hear it didn't work out Nocones ...
I'm actually shocked!!!!
I expected much better results with both antenna's...
you certainly spent a lot of money... those Antenex Laird C27 are not cheap! I think their $100 bucks each and the NMO27 - Larsen NMO 52" CB Antenna is $65 plus shipping larsen CB27 ... you also put a lot of time into it, again sorry it didn't work out.... I see a lot of guys get really good range with cars and even pick-ups after some RF bonding of the hoods and bed to the cab.... but I have never seen or even heard of anyone really getting great range with a Jeep... I thought for sure the hood lip would work awesome!!!... I was hoping we could show the world how a Jeep could work with a CB because I always hear Jeeps are only good for a mile or two.
my Friend with the 2005 Jeep is coming over again soon ... ( maybe this weekend ) and I plan to video everything we do and range test it.... I'll share the results... I sure hope I can do better than yours.... but I know you did all you could.
last time we played with his Jeep I talked to him on my Base station as he went home and got him at 9 miles.. but it was terrible for the whole way ... the 9 miles was at the end when he made a turn and got onto a highway that may have been a little elevated.

With tax and shipping the antennae were $109 each. No big deal it was educational. You guys brought up the possibility of improving the performance and it had to be tested to know for sure and in my application, it is not the solution.

I don't mind doing these types of projects. It gives me something to do in my spare time and I learn stuff from them.

Anyways, I was kinda liking the look of the two antennae up by the cowl with one on each side, it was cool looking.

I am a member in the Emergency Services Group of my GMRS Radio Club and the Lip-Mount can be used as a spare antenna mount if I need to add a temporary radio we need to activate/deploy to an event, so its not a complete waste, it might come in handy.

Onto the next project, whatever it may be.

 

[nokones]

I get the taller the better part, the 4' antenna should put me just over 12" above the roof with out a spring. Down here in South East Arizona my trails have very few over hanging branches. I'm just installing the radio just because, nobody I wheel with have comms, I have to hand out uv5r's to anyone that happens to tag along. I guess I could go taller though. If the 4' antenna gets channel 40 around 1.5, I think I'll be happy. The Walcott fiberglass antenna is a cut to length so the Firestik should be much better.

Actually, my short Firestik II Antenna is only 24 inches and I just checked the VSWRs and it is just shy of 1.3:1 across the board. For giggles, I retuned my 4 Ft Firestik II because it was tuned for a mag-mount and a long coax cable and it was used on my friend's Avalanche for the tests, and the readings are 1.15:1 almost a .2 across the board. My 5 Ft Firestick II checks out about 1.05:1. All of my Firestik IIs are equipped with a quick disconnect and a spring.

 

[slowmover]

PRESIDENT HARRISON 2

View attachment 170544

I see no reason to compromise.

1). PRESIDENT
2). Best NRC AM (non-SSB) radio available.

PRESIDENT design quality and optional accessories.

3). A KL-203P as here’s a case where a pre-amp might matter (distance & terrain from town).

4). 5’ antenna or taller (7’ is where magic takes over).


I’ve a PRESIDENT Lincoln II v3 in the 2500 Cummins Ram. Any antenna on roof I want.

Am presently camped quite a ways from a major metro. 15-miles from a town of any consequence. Slightly down into a river valley (shallow). The 203P is a handy check against radio settings on an outstanding receiver (a Cobra is a bad joke compared to Ham Radio Junior). DSP speaker.

Optional juice is a no-brainer even on the L-2. Dumb not to have the option. Pre-amp is a handy way to check radio settings without a bunch of adjustments made (relations to each other).

— DX and local can sometimes be hard to distinguish from each other during Skip.

Hear, and Get Heard is the game. How to focus on one or more channels is what’s needed. Before “they” drive farther away. Flip a coin as to the channel (pre-amp might better the odds).

President Electronics – Harrison FM CB

I’ve recently been considering a FM CB radio. I realize the FM hype is probably being generated by the CB manufacturers to drum up business... but anyway, I’d like to dip my toe into the world of FM CB just to play with. Been doing a lot of research in the last month to see what’s on the...

forums.radioreference.com

The weak link will become the extension speaker (argued due to size).

I “get that”. But I know from the experience of dependence on accurate comms not to leave any system or component “deficient”. Vocal fidelity is — in the end — the decisive edge.

.

A nice in-use review of this radio by a HAM:

 

[niceguy71]

I'm doing some range testing tonight with the Radioddity CS-47 and doing fantastic.... I can;t believe your jeep could only get 2 and half miles ....... here is a guy that gets 6.6 miles on a lawn mower~... I'm really looking forward to playing with the jeep

 

[nokones]

I'm doing some range testing tonight with the Radioddity CS-47 and doing fantastic.... I can;t believe your jeep could only get 2 and half miles ....... here is a guy that gets 6.6 miles on a lawn mower~... I'm really looking forward to playing with the jeep

That is an old ASP antenna on the mower. 6 miles is definitely impressive. Maybe the cacti and pucker bushes were a factor.

I thought about installing a Kenwood TK880-1 in my Golf Car, but a portable does just fine hitting my repeater.

 

[MrSpock11A2B]

nokones I have seen MANY of these tests done on YouTube and they go out of their way to make the CB look TERRIBLE. in many of the tests, the guy shows how to install the CB.... he puts it on the taillight or on the spare tire carrier and doesn't ground it the mount to the tub... then they use a Firestick that, half of it, is up against the cap of the jeep! with maybe a foot above the top.. then they wire it to the cigarette lighter.... they normally just barely get a mile and laugh at the CB...... most times they use the cheapest CB you can get from Amazon like a Cobra mini or a Uniden 505 / 510.... you at least did use good cb radios.​

the 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche is probably not the worst vehicle to use for testing, if it had a better antenna than the Firestick.​

Believe me I know a jeep is extremely difficult to get a CB working correctly on.
I am helping a friend get one on a jeep now... $10 yard sale Cobra 25... we started with his 4 foot firestick... it only got a mile range ( I've never had any luck with Firesticks) but I have yet to get a good ground on the taillight mount..... I then tried a Red Scarlet Scarlett Warrior about 6 feet tall.... I see a lot of guys in the UK range test them and they do unbelievably good!
we could not get the Scarlett Warrior to work the way I wanted .... ( again no real RF ground on the tail light ) it got raining and we called it a night..... I talked to my friend on my base station as he drove home and got a scratchy 9 miles! ( this was at night great conditions) the directional pattern of the antenna on the back tail light made it impossible to keep a steady conversation... every time he made a turn we would either lose signal or get the signal back.
he is coming over again this weekend and if I can get a ground on that taillight mount I am going to make a video.... I am also going to put some RF Bonding straps on his hood... then put a good Magnet mount Antenna on his hood and range test that.
but I bet the CB will look pretty good compared to your test ( maybe I'll be surprised and it will be terrible as this is my opinion and don't really know how to make CBs in jeeps work.

your test... and thanks for doing it and sharing it with us. it is definitely interesting... I wished you had done a youtube video... I've got lots of popcorn and love watching that stuff.

two non Jeep vehicles with two decent magnet mount antennas should do 5 miles to each other... so testing CB's with one a Jeep just isn't a true test of a CB's ability.... in my opinion...... ... but the world judges the CB on these tests... I just don't think it's a fair test...... even two cars equipped with two piece of junk, LIL WILL Antenna's will do 4 miles to each other.....
I see cars with Wilson 1000... Sirio.... President Antenna's..... Stryker SAR10.... K-40 .....tram 3500.. even the hustler.....that will generally get over 5 miles range..... 4 miles CLEARLY

I think the way PRCGUY mounted his antenna on his jeep would work incredibly well and make the CB ( AM or FM ) work really good. and blow away most of the other radio systems..... but admittingly the new systems are easy to install and don't have a crazy long antenna, and are crystal clear.... so they will take over eventually.

maybe it's me.... maybe I need to forget thinking that CB's can do 4-5 miles and start to learn they can only do 2 miles on AM and 3 miles on FM.

just my opinion

I enjoy watching guys range testing good antenna's ( 5 feet tall magnetic mount) and they typically do good.... like the Far Point Farms guy getting the 18 mile range the 18 miles range test ( at night time with a 4 watt radio and a Tram 3500 ) but he did the 18 miles to a base... not mobile to mobile.... and I know that's a whole different story!!!

I also watch this guy and shake my head.... he doesn't know a lot about CB's and doesn't install things too good... but he is learning and he is trying and he is having fun!,,,,,, he always raves about how wonderful the LIL WILL antenna is..... ( it's really not great but it works) anyway he did a lil will antenna to lil will antenna mobile test and got 3.8 miles clearly if you go to the 12:00 minute mark you will see the 3.8 miles and it's VERY clear in a built up neighborhood with trees houses and power lines...

NiceGuy. I agree with about the majority of CB range Test Videos. They do indeed go out of their way to bias the test and make CB look bad. I also follow the youtube Channel of Eric and FarPoint Farms. He's a nice guy, knowledgeable and does a lot to promote CB Radio and give it it's do. The biggest criticisms of CB seem to come from the GMRS crowd. Well, I found the post on the MyGMRS forum which is only open to GMRS users ( you have to provide your license number to sign up ) he made a post that he said from the outset would piss people off on the forum, but asserted that a properly installed CB and antenna will outperform GMRS in P2P communications ( no repeater ) which is the only comparison since CB doesn't rely on repeaters. I have copied and pasted the post in its entirety so people can take it for what it's worth. And remember, this is from a GMRS guy.

marcspaz​

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Posted January 8

I'm going to close my post out with something that will piss some people off, and others will say I don't know what I am talking about... so if you don't want to read all of the post, you may want to skip to the END.

The reason CB went to the wayside isn't known for sure, but I have a few ideas. Modulation type isn't one of them. I think there is zero chance of CB replacing FRS. I don't think it could even take a significant part of the market, and I will explain why.
First, people get extremely frustrated because their mobile CB radio performs so poorly, with regard to range. As mentioned above, that is almost always due to the antenna. The primary problem is, the average DIY person doesn't poses the tools or skills to properly install a CB and antenna, nor verify if it is working correctly. This wasn't always the case, but somewhere in time, this common knowledge kind of vanished, leading people to think they can just bolt on the antenna and life is good.
Then, there is the size of the antenna. The shortest proper length for a CB antenna is 104 inches. That's not a type-o... that is over eight and a half feet. Not everyone is willing to put an antenna that big on their vehicle. So, you see everyone using a compromised antenna... like the 4' and even 3' firestik antennas. I own a 4 footer and a 1 footer, but I know they are only going to work for a mile or less.
FRS is at a frequency that only requires a 6" antenna, and the installation is way, way more forgiving. Just by it's nature, its not common to incorrectly install an FRS antenna. And when manufacturers put even shorter antennas on them, say a 3", it's no where near the compromise made in CB with a 3' antenna.
So, you take a radio and antenna that doesn't install correctly easily and complicate that install with an antenna that more resembles a dummy load than an antenna, and yeah, the performance is gonna suck. Creating an even smaller, overpriced version in a handheld doesn't sound like a good time, either.
Now, there is also another issue to deal with. While there are FM CB radios available, FM quality on CB is no where near the audio quality of FRS. FRS radio uses a lot more bandwidth, which means the signal can carry more data, aka higher fidelity audio. Many people will prefer FRS just because it sounds better.

END
Now to upset some people... I believe that a properly installed mobile CB and antenna or a quality CB handheld will outperform an FRS radio 100% of the time. I also believe that a properly installed mobile CB and antenna AND a quality CB handheld will outperform their counterpart in GMRS radio a vast majority of the time, when it comes to P2P comms. The two top reasons why GMRS has made it to the top of the pile is due to repeaters and the frequency used is ideal for heavily wooded and dense urban areas. While generally, I believe CB is superior in many cases, it seems that US radio use in dense woods and cities are the most common use cases... hence GMRS (and FRS) win over mobile and handheld CB.

 

[niceguy71]

NiceGuy. I agree with about the majority of CB range Test Videos. They do indeed go out of their way to bias the test and make CB look bad. I also follow the youtube Channel of Eric and FarPoint Farms. He's a nice guy, knowledgeable and does a lot to promote CB Radio and give it it's do. The biggest criticisms of CB seem to come from the GMRS crowd. Well, I found the post on the MyGMRS forum which is only open to GMRS users ( you have to provide your license number to sign up ) he made a post that he said from the outset would piss people off on the forum, but asserted that a properly installed CB and antenna will outperform GMRS in P2P communications ( no repeater ) which is the only comparison since CB doesn't rely on repeaters. I have copied and pasted the post in its entirety so people can take it for what it's worth. And remember, this is from a GMRS guy.

marcspaz​

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Posted January 8

I'm going to close my post out with something that will piss some people off, and others will say I don't know what I am talking about... so if you don't want to read all of the post, you may want to skip to the END.

The reason CB went to the wayside isn't known for sure, but I have a few ideas. Modulation type isn't one of them. I think there is zero chance of CB replacing FRS. I don't think it could even take a significant part of the market, and I will explain why.
First, people get extremely frustrated because their mobile CB radio performs so poorly, with regard to range. As mentioned above, that is almost always due to the antenna. The primary problem is, the average DIY person doesn't poses the tools or skills to properly install a CB and antenna, nor verify if it is working correctly. This wasn't always the case, but somewhere in time, this common knowledge kind of vanished, leading people to think they can just bolt on the antenna and life is good.
Then, there is the size of the antenna. The shortest proper length for a CB antenna is 104 inches. That's not a type-o... that is over eight and a half feet. Not everyone is willing to put an antenna that big on their vehicle. So, you see everyone using a compromised antenna... like the 4' and even 3' firestik antennas. I own a 4 footer and a 1 footer, but I know they are only going to work for a mile or less.
FRS is at a frequency that only requires a 6" antenna, and the installation is way, way more forgiving. Just by it's nature, its not common to incorrectly install an FRS antenna. And when manufacturers put even shorter antennas on them, say a 3", it's no where near the compromise made in CB with a 3' antenna.
So, you take a radio and antenna that doesn't install correctly easily and complicate that install with an antenna that more resembles a dummy load than an antenna, and yeah, the performance is gonna suck. Creating an even smaller, overpriced version in a handheld doesn't sound like a good time, either.
Now, there is also another issue to deal with. While there are FM CB radios available, FM quality on CB is no where near the audio quality of FRS. FRS radio uses a lot more bandwidth, which means the signal can carry more data, aka higher fidelity audio. Many people will prefer FRS just because it sounds better.

END
Now to upset some people... I believe that a properly installed mobile CB and antenna or a quality CB handheld will outperform an FRS radio 100% of the time. I also believe that a properly installed mobile CB and antenna AND a quality CB handheld will outperform their counterpart in GMRS radio a vast majority of the time, when it comes to P2P comms. The two top reasons why GMRS has made it to the top of the pile is due to repeaters and the frequency used is ideal for heavily wooded and dense urban areas. While generally, I believe CB is superior in many cases, it seems that US radio use in dense woods and cities are the most common use cases... hence GMRS (and FRS) win over mobile and handheld CB.

he said it well.
my friends Jeep is very close to being done... we have done 14.90 miles from his Jeep to my base, several times and close to 17 miles on FM!
he lives 18.50 miles away from me..... we have tried everything... but so far we can't talk my house to his driveway.
next week we are going to film the range tests.... the antenna on the tail light... I have several of them including a 5 foot firestik and nothing has done a very good job on the tail light.... but we have not given it a real range test in good conditions yet..... the Stryker SAR-10 on the hood corner is a proven winner!!! so I'm just waiting for the NMO mount and antenna to arrive, and we will range test that too...
very difficult to get my sick friend to drive 40 minutes to my house, ( I have a shop and tools) work on the Jeep for hours and make him drive it back home... I think he lost interest months ago.... but we are determined to finish it.