Posted: 6/3/2009 11:21:55 AM EDT
| Would a CB radio be better suited to a post SHTF or a HAM radio? Or would both be a viable option? I am planning on putting this in my suburban and being for the most part mobile. Is it possible(practical) to have both in the same vehicle?. What say you? |
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If you plan on having a Ham Radio in your vehicle, you need to be licensed by the FCC first. you need to be licensed by the FCC to TX on them. It's good to have both anyway, if you're willing to spend the money. ETA; Correction For the SHTF situations, it is always good to have ears everywhere. The more you hear, the more you know. |
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I was trying to post this last night but the page kept blowing up, so I saved the text and it seems to be working now... If you're asking this in terms of having to choose between everything CB has to offer vs. everything ham radio has to offer, there really is no comparison. The citizens band service offers about a microfraction of the capability / flexibility of amateur radio. Before I get too off track, sure, grab a CB. One of the highest rated (by user comments) CB's is the Midland 1001Z, only $25 at Amazon and ships free. Read the reviews (many done by hams). Won't hurt and it's cheaper than dinner for two. If you glance through the tacked "101" thread, it will quickly be obvious that the amateur service has expansive offerings. Drilling down to what to put in your truck, probably the most bang for the buck would be a dual-band mobile ham radio with crossband repeat capability. (See Yaesu FT-8800 or Kenwood TM-D710 or TM-V71A). About $350 for the 8800. Next down would be a dual band mobile like the FT-7800 and then down to the FT-1802 or 2800 monoband rigs. These ham rigs offer between 50-65 watts output power, they can operate simplex (radio to radio on the same frequency) or via one of the thousands of repeaters or repeater networks freely available across the nation. Take advantage of the fact that Yaesu has just released "updated" radios that are virtually identical to the ones they replaced, leaving the "old" ones on a pretty nice sale! Gigaparts is my favorite ham retailer website for browsing. |