CB versus HAM, which is preferred ?

[Noel Willhite]

I have fallen into the rabbit hole..
Help me get out
Looking at a few options
Love the bearcat 980 SSB as a CB option
The TH-9000 for ham
Also like the uniden CB/police scanner duo
Between the three i still have so many questions
If going ham, which frequency is used most? UHF/ VHF/ dual band/ quad band? Is ham used more for “prepping” and CB more for run of the mill trucker and fleet communication? Don’t need to get into the FCC debate, I’ll get licensed as needed , i want the best starter rig For hobby and for safety/usage (primarily)

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[Msfitoy]

Why not do both

 

[Noel Willhite]

Why not do both

Honestly i thought about it
I have the a pillar dual Z brackets
I saw your CB one and i love it
Is that grounded to something? Is there a stud mount between the ring coax and the antenna on the pod bracket?
Was thinking of doing that and using the other side for ham

 

[Noel Willhite]

Also i love the fender entry and i can see easily how that works , just unsure of how you got inside the door frame to get into truck do you mind explaining that process?

gonna use the 30 amp trigger port to run main power through firewall or rear passenger grommet, I’m assuming the wire you ran through fender was the coax?

 

[Msfitoy]

Honestly i thought about it
I have the a pillar dual Z brackets
I saw your CB one and i love it
Is that grounded to something? Is there a stud mount between the ring coax and the antenna on the pod bracket?
Was thinking of doing that and using the other side for ham

Yes it is...there's a nylon spacer keeping the pole separated from the ditch bracket which is wired to ground to be sure...the ham antenna is clamped to the hood underneath with grounding screws...neither of these antennas are meant to reach out 10 miles but for cruising with friends, they'll serve the purpose...

 

[Msfitoy]

Also i love the fender entry and i can see easily how that works , just unsure of how you got inside the door frame to get into truck do you mind explaining that process?

gonna use the 30 amp trigger port to run main power through firewall or rear passenger grommet, I’m assuming the wire you ran through fender was the coax?

The cables were fed under the door seal high above any water I'm planning on crossing LOL...

 

[Chappy]

I have fallen into the rabbit hole..
Help me get out
Looking at a few options
Love the bearcat 980 SSB as a CB option
The TH-9000 for ham
Also like the uniden CB/police scanner duo
Between the three i still have so many questions
If going ham, which frequency is used most? UHF/ VHF/ dual band/ quad band? Is ham used more for “prepping” and CB more for run of the mill trucker and fleet communication? Don’t need to get into the FCC debate, I’ll get licensed as needed , i want the best starter rig For hobby and for safety/usage (primarily)

HAHAHAHA I jumped into this thread ready to fight because I read it as:

C(anadian) B(acon) versus HAM, which is preferred ?

The ACTUAL post makes much more sense, in retrospect.

Carry on... Carry on.

 

[rooster]

I've done both and activity on any given band/mode differs by region. Try both!

I'd say that 90% of people on CB are goofing around and vice versa on the ham bands. CB got really weird (people preaching and playing music) and then died off up this way so I'm only cruising with a hand held (Yaesu VX6R), where things are more formal on the local 2m repeaters. HAM is not without on-the-air clowns though, just rare and can be formally dealt with.

I've heard truckers use 10m rigs unlicensed but I've never tuned in to that type of traffic and I assume it's entertaining as typical CB traffic.

Preppers have been gravitating to HAM radios (Baofengs in particular lol) but your local repeater is likely to be older radio enthusiasts chatting about their day to day activities, current antenna experiments and regularly scheduled activities like ARES nets.

Next project for me is installing a Kenwood TM-V71A and antenna, The local 2 meter repeaters are fairly active around here, 440s in second place and never bother with 220.

For licensing purposes check out https://hamstudy.org/

I think you are in Florida, if so check out Eric KJ4YZI videos:

 

[Fjsteven]

On the trail, more people have CB. There are usually a couple with HAM. Cb is fine if you just want to talk around the group on a trail run. If you need to get out long distance, you need a HAM. CB is more prevalent as its less expensive and less work. But if all you have is a HAM in your truck, you may not be able to talk to many people with you on the trail run.

Just personal experience so far.

 

[Msfitoy]

The Baufeng radio I have wired up next to my CB has HAM and GMRS frequencies so com with other walkie talkies is another option...

 

[JonB]

It comes down to this -- who do you want to talk to? CB is open to the public and anyone can use it. Which of course is good and bad......sometimes very bad. But it's still mostly used for communicating on the highway. If you're on the road a lot and want to know about road and traffic conditions ahead, get a CB.

Ham is limited to licensed operators. Most mobile operations take place on VHF/UHF frequencies and usually through repeaters. Many are now linked together, giving a much larger coverage area. I've found ham radio is great for chatting, local information, etc, but not much good for highway traffic info, unless you're in an area with a repeater. Out on the highway, not so much.

Jon
KC9OO

 

[kc7zie]

Honestly, It may depends on the area you live in....I know here in Vegas, it seems most 4x4 guys have ham radios...I have a CB in my shack and I could go days without hearing anything...I also live right by the I-15 so I have the traffic to/from California and still do hear things on CB but I will hear folks on 146.520.

I will hear once in a while when I am driving on the Ham side who are 4x4ing close to where I am at.

CB radio I believe put out only 4 watts (someone correct me if I am wrong)
Ham Radio HTs put out only 5
Mobile Radio put 5/15/50 watts depending on the power setting

Also, if you have a dual band mobile, you can cross-band repeat if you have a HT and are going to go on a hike...basiclly turning your can into a repeater.

GMRS is another way to go also.

 

[jss81258]

A somewhat different option is Ham/DMR. So, you might buy a fairly inexpensive HT with dual band analog (2m & 70cm) and DMR capabilily. You might use the analog side for local repeaters or simplex, or switch to DMR. With DMR, you might use local DMR repeaters, or you can build or buy a DMR hotspot that connects to the internet using either your truck hotspot or your cell phone hotspot. At that point, you can talk to anyone in the world (well, anyone who is also on DMR).

 

[Secousse]

Hi folks, I just wanted to let you know that I'm trying to "crowdsource" radio-related information in this new thread, and your contributions would be more than welcome! ?

? CB, FRS, GMRS, MURS & HAM recommended frequencies and channels ?

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