CB radio VS Ham Radio

[SCPD]

cb to ham

I have a few buddies who believe i should convert over. I mainly did CB because my grandfather was a trucker in Pennsylvania, so I would communicate among the truckers on CB and I have friends who have CB radios here. CB isn't really used much down here in Ga. I don't know about licenses for ham of how to get them.

 

[tonyclark]

Transmit away just don't get caught.

 

[hockeyshrink]

i had a part 95 class d lic. a log time ago how do i get it back now i use not only part D but part A as well

The old "Class A" is now called General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) and as of this writing still requires a license.

 

[N4JKD]

I was recently asked about how ham and CB are policed. I told him that CB...it is called radio freedom or radio revolution. Cursing, crap talking, sound effects, etc....that's why it is not called upon by the public for professional communications, whereas, ham radio is policed by other hams and the FCC. If someone violates, they get reprimanded, if violations continue, your license is revoked.

 

[Raptor05121]

CB as a useful part of the radio spectrum is as dead as VHS tape. But if you still want to buy a CB Radio, you can find them at truck stops right next to the Yosemite Sam Mud Flaps.

Danny Harmon
Tampa
KJ4QWX

Love it.

 

[N1XDS]

I mostly stay away from these CB Radio vs Ham Radio threads from what I've seen on a different website I'm a forum/staff member of..My intake is this people do hate CB Radio and some hate Amateur Radio/Ham Radio due to the fact how some people act over the frequency/bands on which ever mode they are on.

I use to operate on 11 meters along time since I was 17 going 18 years of age and always spoke to the local's on Channel 14 which was the local channel for the area of people living in the area. Most of us did away with CB Radio because some of the locals didn't know how to act on the radio/frequency. I haven't stepped back on to 11 meter scene in a very long while.

Since late of 2006 I'm a Amateur Radio operator I met some nice and some I would never care to speak to at all. In the places I've lived I became a repeater helper which meant listen to the frequency and help out the owner with bad ham operators who didn't follow the rules on a regular basis.

I do enjoy being a Amateur/Ham radio operator even though I'm still a technician class licensee I just never had the chance to upgrade to General class and etc.

Best advice I can give to someone or to people just pick CB Radio or Amateur/Ham Radio and see how they like it best thing to do.

Just my two cents for whats it worth.

- Jamie (N4CYA)

 

[LtDoc]

This 'CB versus ham' thing is mostly nonsense. They are two different 'services', don't have the same goals, and not really the same abilities. Nothing says you have to pick one or the other, you can do both is you want, or neither, it's up to you. CB radio is much easier/cheaper to get into than ham radio, simply because of the equipment used. Ham radio is also a little more difficult because you have to have some knowledge of electrical theory and rules. It is NOT all that difficult though, it does require some effort.
If you want to try either 'kind' of radio, then do so. If you decide you don't like it, quit doing it. That's about as 'normal' as anything, and applies to just about everything.
- 'Doc

 

[kb2crk]

if you dont like one or the other, dont mess with it....
I still use both and it was cb that got me interested in radio and where my elmer got me started towards a ham license...

 

[N4JKD]

I had a fellow ham once tell me this:

"Ham radio is professional radio. You can talk to some next door, across town, across the country or all over the world. Its the best you can get! However, if you just want to take the T-tops off of your Trans Am and let your mullet fly, and want to chat with anyone lookin for a good time, CB radio is where its at."

 

[SFLeader1926]

What do I need

Hey folks,
I'm new to the group; looks like a great place to gather data.
My question is probably simplistic to this talk but here it is.

Should I get a Ham or a CB?
Usage perameters are:
1. Remote mountains of Britsh Columbia and Washington State.
2. Wanting to maintain contact in an extremely mountainous region with a home base station while out in the woods.
3. Also want to put a station in a truck for emergencies.
4. Could be .25 miles out or 40.

Just a couple to kick off the conversation.
Dont mean to hijack a discussion.
SFLeader1926

 

[loumaag]

Hey folks,
I'm new to the group; looks like a great place to gather data.
My question is probably simplistic to this talk but here it is.

Should I get a Ham or a CB?
Usage perameters are:
1. Remote mountains of Britsh Columbia and Washington State.
2. Wanting to maintain contact in an extremely mountainous region with a home base station while out in the woods.
3. Also want to put a station in a truck for emergencies.
4. Could be .25 miles out or 40.

Just a couple to kick off the conversation.
Dont mean to hijack a discussion.
SFLeader1926

Well, nothing is stopping you from getting both. An important thing to consider is that Ham Radio is a licensed radio service. So, although you could have a radio at home and one in the truck, who is going to operate it at home if you are in the hills? It has to be another Ham Radio operator.

 

[Nap]

Should I get a Ham or a CB?
Usage perameters are:
1. Remote mountains of Britsh Columbia and Washington State.
2. Wanting to maintain contact in an extremely mountainous region with a home base station while out in the woods.
3. Also want to put a station in a truck for emergencies.
4. Could be .25 miles out or 40.

It all depends to whom you want to listen/talk to.

If you want to talk to other truckers, you may need CB if that's what they have.

If you want to talk to your home base station, amateur radio offers more options regarding frequency and power.

The good news is that basic equipment is not expensive so you can get both without breaking the bank,

 

[Arizona_Scanner]

I know a trucker who bought a super powerful cb radio at a truck stop in Northern Arizona. He said it has more power than any Ham radio you can buy and you don't need a license. He claimed some ridiculous power figure. I haven't seen it yet but want to check it out. Anyone else heard of radios like this?

 

[Nap]

I know a trucker who bought a super powerful cb radio at a truck stop in Northern Arizona. He said it has more power than any Ham radio you can buy and you don't need a license. He claimed some ridiculous power figure. I haven't seen it yet but want to check it out. Anyone else heard of radios like this?

A standard CB radio would have the legal 4 Watts AM / 12 Watts PEP for SSB. To this you can add an (illegal) linear amp.

Note though that in US the legal limit for amateur radio is 1500 Watts. Assuming that he got something to beat this figure, and with the antenna mounted just outside the truck's cabin, he would be frying his brains.

 

[Arizona_Scanner]

A standard CB radio would have the legal 4 Watts AM / 12 Watts PEP for SSB. To this you can add an (illegal) linear amp.

Note though that in US the legal limit for amateur radio is 1500 Watts. Assuming that he got something to beat this figure, and with the antenna mounted just outside the truck's cabin, he would be frying his brains.

That makes a lot of sense. Must be pulling my leg. He said a lot of the long haul truckers in Arizona use the things though, that they are sold at some of the truck stops and that they are basically ham radios turned into CBs I believe. I'm sure he can't be putting out that kind of power though...1500 watts....that probably would cause brain damage.

 

[elk2370bruce]

Where did he install all of those extra batteries and alternator/generator to operate this mystical cb rig? Perhaps he is also using the rf output to thaw his TV dinners as well as not understanding the amplifier that he has installed. Hope is grounded while operating it or his future children will be more mentally disabled than he is.

 

[SCPD]

I know a trucker who bought a super powerful cb radio at a truck stop in Northern Arizona. He said it has more power than any Ham radio you can buy and you don't need a license. He claimed some ridiculous power figure. I haven't seen it yet but want to check it out. Anyone else heard of radios like this?

Yes we know of this type of radio and they are illegal to transmit on,most of the time they are a so called 10 meter radio that some chop shop of a CB shop has modified .

A FCC Part 95 radio on the CB band that has more than 4 watts output power on AM 12 watts SSB is considered illegal to transmit on and violates type acceptance,as far as not needing a license CB is licensed by rule which means you still must abide by the rules and he could still be caught and fined for illegal power and a non type certified radio system.

This truck driver is pushing his luck and may get caught,some of the weigh stations across the US are enforcing the CB rules and will confiscate radios and amplifiers if they are installed in a commercial vehicle.

 

[SmitHans]

That makes a lot of sense. Must be pulling my leg. He said a lot of the long haul truckers in Arizona use the things though, that they are sold at some of the truck stops and that they are basically ham radios turned into CBs I believe. I'm sure he can't be putting out that kind of power though...1500 watts....that probably would cause brain damage.

He's feeding you BS, but he may not know it. Alot of truckers think that because they can talk over a legal 4 watt CB that they have awesome power.

As for not needing a license, sure you don't need to show one to purchase such radios, but they are illegal, as no license I'm aware of authorizes high power on the CB.

 

[steve94560]

I have been a HAM since 1974. I was introduced into the world of radio through my Dad and CB radio when it was a licensed service. Just recently I picked up a SSB CB radio a Cobra 148GTL and have been having a blast with it. Lots of short hop DX most every day here in Calif. on Channel 38 LSB. Sometimes in the afternoons the CB's in Mexico take over the entire 40 channels and CB is pretty much un usable. It sounds like Taxi Cab services in Mexico City and the Senorita's endlessly repeating numbers in espanol.
When the band is quiet local communication is great out to 30 Miles here with my Wilson 5000 antenna mobile. I find that most of the SSB CB operators here are pretty courteous. There are some old geezers with Kenwood TS-440's that harass the younger people with CB equipment. I try to ignore them and look for the good people I meet on CB and at times on AM CB. They are there. I don't run power. Just the stock wattage for SSB. I don't get out as far as those with higher power but that's ok. I picked up another stainless steel whip for the Wilson 5000 for 10 meters so I can use one antenna for 2 bands. Many many times DX is wide open on 11 meters and no one is on 10. What's up with that? We HAMS need to use 10 meters more.

Steve in Bay Area, Ca. World Radio 423 Fremont.