When I drove for an 11 year span, the 6 most hated/feared words were
brake check and
Bear at mile X. The first radio was a Cobra 29 NW WX that eventually was paired to a Texas Star DX250, next up were some Exports including a Mirage 48T, some others I forgot, one that had the Nitro knobs installed at White's truck stop in Raphine, VA along I-81 while I was on a DOT break, then a Stryker (I think it was the SR-497HPC) with an add-on frequency counter, and a Galaxy 98VHP. The Galaxy was a waste due to where I bought it. All that just to keep up with other drivers and to check in at the warehouse. When I got out of the truck for good in August 2009, CB in my region was a little helpful info and a lot of garbage and trash talk. Then this July, I decided to pick up the radio hobby again by getting my Tech license and make a new list of radio equipment and making a new set of challenges including doing more with less watts.
YMMV
Needs a
WEST MOUNTAIN RADIO CLEARSPEECH DSP SPEAKER for the genuine performance gain desired.
Hear
around the noise one thought unavoidable. IOW, with whatever radio it’s better than you think, but needs DSP in the received signal at/before the speaker to clean up the mess.
See website catalog page.
Eleven-Meter is no slouch. Sideband and Freeband have plenty of action. Across North America as well as the Caribbean and South America. (Africa and Europe when you get serious).
The installation — Mobile or Base — isn’t any different for best results.
Look at it this way: SSB CB Radio is inexpensive compared to Amateur. That money
this year goes to ironing out the bugs of location or mobile-related.
Do It Right, and next year start plugging in the more expensive gear.
CB is what you and your neighbors are likeliest to share. Gives it precedence. Greatest utility.
“Garbage and Trash Talk” are up to you.
Do something about it. Offer some intelligence and you’ll get results.
Everyone else is tired of it also.
Ran thru Tulsa last month with that problem. Kept asking the degenerate for his name and address. Third time he responded directly. I reminded him that NO base station is hard to find. I’d happily do a 34-reset there and I’d find him.
I immediately had offers of help. Point I then made to him is that he has an excellent rig. Change his ways — be helpful —and
one night he’d hear a friend calling for him.
Ignore. Then be persistent about acting as a man while on-air.
(I’ll be stopping at Raphine tonight if my load is ready early enough. Whites is a great old truck stop).
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That's a cool way to gather info from Truckers.. It would NEVER happen in California, the idea that CB still exists would upset the smartphone crowd
I recently rolled SoCal from an IH-8 San Diego entrance, stopped overnight, then up thru LA to exit via IH-40.
There are busier places for CB. And Kalifornia Konfusion about what CB channels to be on adds to the impression of low participation. (15, 17, 19).
Doesn’t mean radios are off, just means monitored without much comment.
If I wanted an air-check or directions, I had only to ask.
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The West Mountain DSP Speaker is considered to be HAM gear, not CB.
Most reviews or threads online will be by users of Amateur equipment.
DSP (as a subject) is also (should be) of interest. CB Radios lack it entirely, and there are
forms of it in modern Amateur Radios.
The WM Speaker is used
often in addition to built-in DSP.
It’s a game-changer (DSP).
The speaker I’ve used now six years and far past 300k miles including off-road oilfield (300+ days/year at 10-12/hrs per).
Don’t leave home without it!
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The transport case appears to be the same as the
Harbor Freight Apache series (range of colors).
Let me extend the use and experience:
For CB Radio, that 2800-size, (and the next size up
3800; the 4800 will
just hold a Yaesu ft450d) are an inexpensive alternative to better known expensive brands (which I’d more likely use for airline travel).
A). The 3800 holds a Uniden 980
and its gear as received at purchase, plus an RM Italy KL203 & and an extra microphone.
B). Zippered
Bucket Boss automobile jump-start cable bag for Coax + Power Cables (and associated).
C) Rigid vertical mobile antenna into PVC tubing.
D). Is a laptop used for operation? Then
integrate it with the whole of the above.
Field Expedition.
E). Go-Kit or EmComms portable power (battery)? Same.
1). Gear gets damaged being moved.
2). Accidents happen otherwise.
3). Ground-ship compatible (with an over-carton).
It’s important to lay out
everything which will
ever be used with the rig. There’s more than we sometimes realize.
Move the whole of the rig.
See the whole even if only parts of assembled kit are used daily. The foam-lined transport cases aren’t the end.
— How will you transport safely by vehicle (and minimize temptation by thieves)? I use mil-spec
Flyers Kit Bag by the dozen to keep my assigned Peterbilt personal items easily moved in/out.
One of these purposed for Radio goes on the backseat under some loose clothing to look like a laundry bag.
“
But”, says someone, “
my gear is at home for for a fixed installation”. Again, IMO, I don’t think that changes things. Look back in time and
see that quality gear was sold with a way to ship & store it when not in use.
— Will the room in which it’s located ever be painted or re-carpeted? Will you ever change addresses?
While
portability ranks high, I find that foam separation of smaller gear (than receiver or transceiver) is necessary. Zippered pouches, snap-cases, etc. Full assortment. Everything thus packaged. No gear breaking other gear.
IMO, if it means moving up a size to keep gear sorted & separated
and restrained from movement by foam divisions, then all is good.
What’s the full retail replacement value of the gear in the transport case? Is how to look at it.
A similar approach is to use
the smallest hard-case inside a shoulder bag/ backpack where associated gear is distributed across the bag. The receiver/transceiver thus
highly cushioned against shock. Etc
— IMO, every radio of any type needs this dedicated storage. A transport case which holds all and related. Permanent assignment.
No sharing among other receivers/transceivers.
Ex: I may buy an aftermarket microphone.
It goes with but one radio.
Have a few collector cars? Share tires among them and your daily driver so that you can get to work?
The same applies here
that an attached checklist pertains to every receiver/transceiver.
My way of seeing this (the goal) is that pretty much I can hand a case to someone
and maybe they’ll need a different antenna is about the extent of additions. (And — should I kick off tomorrow — Gear, Tools & Supply is obviously organized for relatives to dispose as desired).
I’ve a half-dozen CB/Exports easily. Plus Big Iron.
Just starting with Scanners. Limited space. Several vehicles (Mobile) plus home (Base) plus RV (Portable).
Swapping stuff around is a dead-end game
plus the potential of damage.
One nice receiver/transceiver & gear = $600.
Eight (8) inexpensive transport cases
plus inner bags/casing
plus overbag/chest & asociated = same amount +/-
For but
one receiver it’s $100 +/- to get
everything portable.
Worth your time to consider.
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Issued under an NSN number since 1963.
Cordura Nylon.
23”x13”x19”
“Flyers Kit Bag”
(Also: Engineer, or Rigging)
Avoid knockoffs
I usually pay $30-40/ea.
It will carry more in weight than you can effectively move.
Aboard the Peterbilt I have (4) of the transport cases of different sizes all of which fit into one of these with sleeping bag (or other) to limit movement.
Then a half-dozen plus more of which tote the other 480-lbs of personal belongings.
This is one of those, “
can’t have too many”, items in life.
I keep buying more as they get “re-purposed”.
And I really do use one for laundry (I travel 3-5/weeks at a time).
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