Are the handheld CB's as good as a vehicle mounted one?  What is a decent rig for $100?

oh there are some

have you found anything to look at. I agree that the handhelds are not great, but what options do you have as far as selection?

On the positive side of handheld... I have one in my jeep that is plugged into the lighter socket.  I also have a whip on the Jeep that connects easily to the hanheald and really boosts the range.  If I needed to I could pop it out, put the original antenna back on, connect the battery pack and carry it around easily.  Not the best option, but a pretty flexable one.

Using marine band on land is a surefire way to invite "The Man" and the black helicopters into your life.  Previous CB/Ham/2-Way threads have covered this.  I don't have the links but it is not advisable behavior.

The key to any CB use is a good antenna. A handheld, working through a good antenna will give nearly as good coverage as a permanent mount radio, all other variables being equal. The best radio in the world will perform poorly through a poor antenna. K40 mag mount in the middle of the roof used to work pretty good for me, there are lots of other choices now.

GL, Eric

I asked this a while back and the consensus was that CB's suck and Ham is a better option.

Handheld CB's are a terrible waste of money. The reason you can't find any selection is because they suck. You can't get performance from a CB without at least a vehicle-mounted antenna, and the handhelds are power hogs too –– tons of batteries required, heavy, crappy consumer packaging.

For caravan chatting and possibly some hunting or around-the-camp stuff, you're better off with consumer bubble-pack FRS radios (at least the lesser of 2 evils).

If you want to get serious about comms, head to the Ham Radio forum. We cover more than just ham radio too.

Im so tired of the "cbs suck, ham is better" answer on every CB topic out there.

Versitility of a hand held plugged into a magnetic or permanent mounted antenna in a rig plus the proliferation of CBs makes them cost effective and common place. A person can glean a lot of info and be in contact with a lot of other people over a CB net so if nothing else its a great way to start imo.

I consider CB's as stepping stones to ham radio. It's something to get you in the door. Of course ham is better. There's more quality equipment, much higher power levels, and many more modes of communication then just AM or SSB.

For people that want something to grab and go for point to point communications in a group, FRS is the better option. For ragchewing with the local truckers, cb is a good viable option, but the ham community is more active within vible communication ranges. Besides, any active ham should have at least one cb if nothing else.





EDIT: to answer the question, i would def go with an extrnal antenna. Get a ham friend with an antenna analyzer to tune it for you also. That is, if you're going to use it in a semi permanent or permanent situation like a car or house.

I agree... Two different tools that do two different jobs and they both have their place.

A good built in is best, but the portables are OK as long as you get the best antennae you can find.

For AM only mode in a 4W handheld (like the Midland), you'll get comperable range to a vehicle mounted CB if you remove the whip antenna and plug in a decent roof mounted antenna.   Six miles is doable at night, which is quite a bit farther than you'll get with an FRS radio.  Daytime range in this area is about 3mi (better propagation during the day gets you more background noise).



What you won't get from a handheld is SSB mode - which gets me about 9mi after sunset between two SSB radios with vehicle mounted antennas.  You'll also be missing the other typical vehicle mounted CB bells and whistles (mic & rf gain,  SWR meter, PA output, etc).





 

You misread my post. Handheld CB's suck. I'll stand by that all day long –– it's a terrible platform for that radio service.

CB definitely has its place still, as described by several subsequent posters.

And since the OP didn't detail his actual communication needs, I put a comment in there to say that if he's serious about comms (read: the subject of communications that enhance one's preparedness for disasters or other hard times), to check into ham radio. That, too, I will stand by all day.

My intention was to try to give a simple answer to the OP's question and, since I spoke poorly of the product he asked about, I offered a couple alternatives (FRS and ham, depending on his needs).

Sorry I didn't explain my use but I didn't think it would be a 45 vs 9mm debate.  I want the CB to monitor traffic jams and such on my highway commutes.  I have two different vehicles so that is why I was asking about a handheld.  If it is better to get two separate vehicle mounted rigs then so be it.  Can a quality vehicle mounted CB and antenna be had for $100?

Sure, I've enjoyed the little Midland 1001z I paid $25 for brand new a couple years ago. I have a Wilson 1000 mag mount antenna I've had since high school. It's big (5' whip on the roof of the truck) but I can't justify spending more money on a CB antenna. I feel like K40, Firestick and Wilson products are probably pretty similar and are all better than Radio Shack mag mount (loading coil) junk antennas. Depends on whether you want mag mount (K40, Wilson) or hard-mounted fiberglass whip (Firestick, Shakespeare). Nothing beats the plain 102" steel whip ($20 at RS), but not everyone will go for that look.

If you're only monitoring, pretty much any scanner ever made will monitor CB, and even though the small antenna isn't good for 27MHz, it's still enough to get the trucks closest to you, which is all you really care about in traffic.

Personally I do just fine monitoring ch19 with my Yaesu VX-6 ham portable (cigarette pack sized radio) when I'm not in my vehicle with the real CB.

Here's the Midland I have:

i have the midland 75-822 this one. it can be used as an handheld or mobile pretty sweet i think go here $80+ free S&H http://www.buy.com/prod/midland-75-822-40-channel-hand-held-cb-radio/q/loc/111/90109253.html. can pick up antenna here to pretty cheap. but goodluck with what you choose

forget the CB and get a HAM radio. they have them also portable type. much better range and repeaters everywhere.

I've seen a lot of guys on the Jeep Forums start with this setup, and a decent whip antenna. Amazon has a similar price, and a lot of reviews.