I am looking to purchase a CB Radio for a couple of upcoming road trips in 2022 and 2023. I own a 2016 Honda CRV so there is not much room so it would have to be compact. If possible I would like one that is capable of scanning through the 40 channels. Does anyone have suggestions on a radio and installation ideas ? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
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CB Radio help needed
- Thread starter Don57
- Start date
- Status
As far as scanning goes I would highly recommend the President line of CB radios that have the ASC feature. It does an exceptional job of bypassing both natural and manmade noise and only stopping on actual CB transmissions. The only downside I have found in this is that the scanning is carrier operated only, there is no provision for a timed scan control. Always busy channels will always tie up the scanning feature. Maybe someday President will add timed scan control to the menu. I have the President McKinley radio, it is DIN sized. That may help in your situation.
cralt
Member
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2005
- Messages
- 88
Can't get much more compact then the President BILL.
It does scan and an ASC that works really well. I own one and have been happy with it.
Just get the president Randy hand held. I drove to Colorado with this on my dash. Worked just fine.
president-electronics.us
RANDY FCC- AM-transceivers - CB-Radios - Group President Electronics USA
RANDY FCC - AM-transceivers - CB-Radios
president-electronics.us
Thanks for the info. I will start reading up on it.
slowmover
Active Member
Antenna system matters most. The specific radio is almost an afterthought, by comparison.
SIRIO 5000 (lay over style) on PL-145 mag mount can’t really be beat for the type.
How to get coax out of vehicle is the problem to solve.
As a temp solution I’ve used memory foam with a “drilled” hole and a hard piece of tubing. Close window on the whole. Have to compress fairly far, so cut to spec.
An NMO-mount antenna would be a far better solution.
Agreed on PRESIDENT brand.
McKinley model isn’t big and offers “more”.
An external speaker brings up RX not apparent with most built-in speakers. KES-5 (used) is bomb-proof and time-tested. Could be mounted firing-forward into drivers footwell from under seat.
The earlier you start the more time you’ll have to become acquainted with use. It’s not plug n’play as to what’s to be heard.
Some radio traffic follows patterns, some does not. Accent, dialect and “bad” or poor radios in use by others only complicates matters. Many users thus just give up early on. Choose to be offended or can’t correlate what’s heard with what’s seen.
Some US regions don’t have much chatter. Mainly population-densityTime of day plays a role = late start driving at 0930 thru 1900 may not hear as much. In metro areas it’s from 0530 to 0900; afterwards it’s wrecks & lane closures.
AM-19 carries most truck traffic, 15, 17, 21 are GTG to keep tabs on.
Truck drivers tend to keep a radio on low and are monitoring for key words. “Mile Marker” is the big one, direction of travel is another.
See recent thread on Interstate travel.
SIRIO 5000 (lay over style) on PL-145 mag mount can’t really be beat for the type.
How to get coax out of vehicle is the problem to solve.
As a temp solution I’ve used memory foam with a “drilled” hole and a hard piece of tubing. Close window on the whole. Have to compress fairly far, so cut to spec.
An NMO-mount antenna would be a far better solution.
Agreed on PRESIDENT brand.
McKinley model isn’t big and offers “more”.
An external speaker brings up RX not apparent with most built-in speakers. KES-5 (used) is bomb-proof and time-tested. Could be mounted firing-forward into drivers footwell from under seat.
The earlier you start the more time you’ll have to become acquainted with use. It’s not plug n’play as to what’s to be heard.
Some radio traffic follows patterns, some does not. Accent, dialect and “bad” or poor radios in use by others only complicates matters. Many users thus just give up early on. Choose to be offended or can’t correlate what’s heard with what’s seen.
Some US regions don’t have much chatter. Mainly population-densityTime of day plays a role = late start driving at 0930 thru 1900 may not hear as much. In metro areas it’s from 0530 to 0900; afterwards it’s wrecks & lane closures.
AM-19 carries most truck traffic, 15, 17, 21 are GTG to keep tabs on.
Truck drivers tend to keep a radio on low and are monitoring for key words. “Mile Marker” is the big one, direction of travel is another.
See recent thread on Interstate travel.
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CMX760 Bearcat Off-Road Compact CB Radio with Mic Display
CMX760 Bearcat Off-Road Compact CB Radio with Mic Display
CMX760 Bearcat Off-Road Compact CB Radio with Mic Display
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
I had the CMX560, the little brother of that radio.
Not a high tier radio, but fit the need I had very well. I rarely use CB any more, did heavily at one time. I needed a small radio that wouldn't take up space on the dashboard. I mounted the RF deck for that behind the rear seat in my truck. The cable to the mic is a standard 4 pair RJ45. I ran an extension cable and just put an RJ-45 jack under the dash. When I needed the radio, I could just pull the mic out and plug it in. When I didn't. it just got rolled up and put away.
If you are just looking for something to monitor local traffic and make a few local contacts, that radio properly installed might be a good option for you.
-Power the CB directly off the battery to get clean DC power. Avoid the urge to just use the 'cheap and easy' cigarette lighter plugs. Those are a good source of noise.
-As said above, your radio is -only- as good as your antenna. Don't spend $100 on a CB and then hook it up to a $20 antenna and expect it to work like a $100 radio. It's not, it's going to work like a $20 antenna.
-External speakers can really help with intelligibility. If you have room for one, it's a good upgrade. The small speaker in those hand held mics will give you poor audio.
K6EEN
Member
I have this radio --- the form factor and features are interesting. It went bad (will lock up in TX mode until you unplug the power cord) after a few months of use. Had to go to a more bullet proof radio - Uniden BC-880 and BC-980SSB series. See some of the CMX-760 negative reviews on Amazon, it definately has issues with production quality, though as a concept, it is a great idea.
Maybe I've been lucky re production issues / reliability. But so far have gotten no gripes from customers. They don't transmit all that much, but I'd hear about it if there was ever a problem. Some folks might go (and have gone) weeks without realizing that the company VHF radio isn't getting out because they tore the antenna off - again - but the less-used CB radio, they're right on it.
Ravenkeeper
Member
I was going to run with the CMX760 in our '16 CR-V, until my wife went and traded it in on a MB GLC300. PLUS, she watched "Joy Ride" with me and no longer wants to have a CB in her car.
I see your pants zip up the side....lol
slowmover
Active Member
Bump
- Status
