No more CB Radios at Radio Shack
September 12, 2005 by Mike Wendland
As I get ready to head down to the Gulf Coast as part of a church relief project to help survivors of Hurricane Katrina (see my blog on this), I went to a local Radio Shack store today to buy a couple CB Radios and Magnetic antennas that our convoy of vehicles could use to stay in touch as we drive. But Radio Shack doesn’t sell them anymore. In fact, the young woman behind the counter told me she thought “they are illegal.” Good grief, how Radio Shack has changed. Guess I have to find a truck stop.
FRS radios are readily available and work better than the CB radios I used. That’s what I would buy.
I bought one at the Lake Orion store several weeks ago, and, as a trucker, I’m pretty sure they’re not illegal. Maybe Radio Shack doesn’t sell many of them, and that’s why they decided to stop. Pilot and TA truck stops still sell them. I have to take mine back, because it only works intermittently.
You’re lucky. during the 80’s when I was high school lad, I had a radio shack CB for a short amount of time. Then I discovered that although radio shack sold what they said were CB radios, they actually were really bad. People either could not hear what was being transmitted, or what was being transmitted wasn’t “getting out” because of poor signal strength.
You’re better off going to that truck stop anyway and pick up a good radio.
Or for better pricing and choice, go here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/104-8149184-5207951.
Whatever CB you get, spring for a good antenna. K40 used to be the best, but now they apparently don’t make one. Of course the truck driving folks out there will know what the best value is anyway.
FRS is the “CB Radio” of today.
Signal is a lot clearer and a lot better range.
I use these for paintball games myself.
You can get these with 5 watt output, 10 mile range. Walmart always has some of these on the mark down shelf, especially at the end of summer.
Check it out!
you cant just slap in a CB radio and go… the antenna needs to be adjusted properly. its worth getting it professionally installed. I think most of the posters here are seeing the results of a poorly or untuned antenna.
You should use a device called an SWR meter to tune the atenna.
SWR stands for Standing Wave Ratio , it is like this- an antenna being used to transmit a signal out on has a natural resistance or reflectivity to the signal. To get around this effect, the antennas will have a coil in the base. The metal portion of the antenna is usually held in place with a small set screw.
You start by keying the mike and then toggle a switch on the SWR meter. Recored the readings.
Then you loosen the setscrew on the antenna, adjust the length of the wire portion of the anteanna, re-tighten the setscrew.
Then key the mike and re-check the SWR readings.
Keep going back and forth ….
A theoretical idea result is Swr 1:1, usually I could get it to 1.5 :1 ratio.
Some of the fancy high end antennas could give you a “perfect” 1:1 ratio.
Where you put the antenna on a car or truck also could effect the SWR. A high SWR 3:1, 4:1 or more was bad- it put more wear and tear on the finals ( thats an amplifier right at the output , just before the signal goes into the antenna) and can also result in diminished range and signal clarity.
Now the thing about FRS, is that you pretty much dont have to worry about any of this stuff anymore unless you’re setting up a base station and an amplifier of some sort. Yeah- 150 watts FRS, now that’s the stuff. Or something in the kilowatt range! Heck, why not an FRS amplifier that will melt the snow on the ground in winter?
Nah, too much of a good thing is not always good….