# CB Radio for home?? Suggestions



## MikeyPrepper (Nov 29, 2012)

Hey All,

Hope all is well. Im looking for a *Cheap* CB radio for my house. Something I can have a antenna outside... I saw something on home depot anyone have suggestions. I just don't have the money to spend crazy on this. This is what I found..

Uniden Compact 40-Channel CB 7 Watt Audio Output LED Display-PRO520XL at The Home Depot


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## GasholeWillie (Jul 4, 2014)

MikeyPrepper said:


> Hey All,
> 
> Hope all is well. Im looking for a *Cheap* CB radio for my house. Something I can have a antenna outside... I saw something on home depot anyone have suggestions. I just don't have the money to spend crazy on this. This is what I found..
> 
> Uniden Compact 40-Channel CB 7 Watt Audio Output LED Display-PRO520XL at The Home Depot


What are you hoping to do with it? Once upon a time I had a portable unit. Radio Shack item.


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## MikeyPrepper (Nov 29, 2012)

I want to ave a home station and have one in the car incase I need to get hold of my wife in car.



GasholeWillie said:


> What are you hoping to do with it? Once upon a time I had a portable unit. Radio Shack item.


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## DerBiermeister (Aug 15, 2014)

MikeyPrepper said:


> I want to ave a home station and have one in the car incase I need to get hold of my wife in car.


While your base station might transmit 15 or so miles (with the right antenna), your car would be lucky to transmit back over 3-4 miles.


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## MikeyPrepper (Nov 29, 2012)

Any suggestions



DerBiermeister said:


> While your base station might transmit 15 or so miles (with the right antenna), your car would be lucky to transmit back over 3-4 miles.


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## thepeartree (Aug 25, 2014)

CB is a decent choice. You can pick up a new one for under $100 each. You need a base antenna. A quarter wave antenna is about 8 feet across and the same high. I recommend this because they're cheap and aren't hard to put up. As with all antennas, don't forget to ground it well. A mobile antenna is even easier: just get a magnetic mount. When parking you just unstick it and toss it in the car. These days you don't need a license for it, which is good. The only sticky bit is that there are some millions of other people using the same small piece of the radio spectrum. Be prepared to deal with what we call 'skip'. That's radio transmissions reflected through the atmosphere to places hundreds or thousands of miles away. I can verify that, having once made contact with a unit in Yugoslavia from my base just north of NYC. There is no real answer or cure. A partial help is called sideband. A CB equipped to use sideband deals with less skip interference, but it's still there. And the radios that can use it are more expensive.

As with any radio, chances of maximum range go up as you get the antenna higher. If you're in among high-rises, your range is toast- maybe 20%. Nominal range on a CB is about 20 miles. You only have 5 watts of output power (legally speaking) to use.


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## MikeyPrepper (Nov 29, 2012)

How do I power the home one ? I don't see ones with a regular plug



thepeartree said:


> CB is a decent choice. You can pick up a new one for under $100 each. You need a base antenna. A quarter wave antenna is about 8 feet across and the same high. I recommend this because they're cheap and aren't hard to put up. As with all antennas, don't forget to ground it well. A mobile antenna is even easier: just get a magnetic mount. When parking you just unstick it and toss it in the car. These days you don't need a license for it, which is good. The only sticky bit is that there are some millions of other people using the same small piece of the radio spectrum. Be prepared to deal with what we call 'skip'. That's radio transmissions reflected through the atmosphere to places hundreds or thousanda of miles away. I can verify that, having once made contact with a unit in Yugoslavia from my base just north of NYC. There is no real answer or cure. A partial help is called sideband. A CB equipped to use sideband deals with less skip interference, but it's still there. And the radios that can use it are more expensive.
> 
> As with any radio, chances of maximum range go up as you get the antenna higher. If you're in among high-rises, your range is toast- maybe 20%. Nominal range on a CB is about 20 miles. You only have 5 watts of output power (legally speaking) to use.


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

Your going to need an adapter of some kind. 120 volt to 12 volt. Ac to dc too.

What I would do is buy a car jump starter. I would keep it plugged in and run it off of the jump starter battery. It would have a little while of power too if the power went out. But im just an amateur.


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## MikeyPrepper (Nov 29, 2012)

I like that idea!!!



james m said:


> your going to need an adapter of some kind. 120 volt to 12 volt. Ac to dc too.
> 
> What i would do is buy a car jump starter. I would keep it plugged in and run it off of the jump starter battery. It would have a little while of power too if the power went out. But im just an amateur.


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## bigdogbuc (Mar 23, 2012)

I would also be careful in what you're transmitting, given the limited range. I know back in the day, people would play "Chase the Rabbit" or something like that. One person would drive around transmitting and the others would try to "chase" them down and find them based on signal strength they were receiving. If someone with ill intent had one and you were coming in "9x9" or whatever that term is, they're going to start looking for an antenna. And things may go from there...


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## MikeyPrepper (Nov 29, 2012)

Check this out:

http://www.amazon.com/Wall-Car-Dual...27758&sr=8-6&keywords=DC+TO+AC+OUTLET+ADAPTER



James m said:


> Your going to need an adapter of some kind. 120 volt to 12 volt. Ac to dc too.
> 
> What I would do is buy a car jump starter. I would keep it plugged in and run it off of the jump starter battery. It would have a little while of power too if the power went out. But im just an amateur.


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

I don't know if cb radios still use the glass automotive fuses? But I would pick up a few, they are cheap. That is if they still use them.


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

The car cb's use bare wires to connect most times. You would need to buy a cigarette lighter adapter and wire it yourself. But its not hard it just takes some electrical tape and need to know which wire is positive and which is negative.

Radio shack. I think they are still in business right?


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## MikeyPrepper (Nov 29, 2012)

I though they just plug right in cigarette ?? I found a adapater



James m said:


> The car cb's use bare wires to connect most times. You would need to buy a cigarette lighter adapter and wire it yourself. But its not hard it just takes some electrical tape and need to know which wire is positive and which is negative.
> 
> Radio shack. I think they are still in business right?


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

I opened a cobra cb radio box in a store recently and it was still bare wires. Just check to be safe.


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## MikeyPrepper (Nov 29, 2012)

hows tis:

BAOFENG Black UV 5R V2 Dual Band 136 174 400 480 MHz FM Ham Two Way Radio 2014 | eBay


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## thepeartree (Aug 25, 2014)

It's not a CB radio. It's ham radio and requires an exam and a ham license. Also, EVERY OPERATOR OF THAT RADIO REQUIRES A SEPERATE LICENSE (with exam).

The CB's you've been looking at don't have wall plugs for a good reason: they're not BASE radios, they are mobile units. Most people hardwire them to the car power system.


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## thepeartree (Aug 25, 2014)

part 2. You can find base units and mobiles on eBay. I recommend that route. If you decide to use a mobile at home, you will indeed need a power supply (at least 2A at 12 volts).


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## thepeartree (Aug 25, 2014)

James m said:


> The car cb's use bare wires to connect most times. You would need to buy a cigarette lighter adapter and wire it yourself. But its not hard it just takes some electrical tape and need to know which wire is positive and which is negative.
> 
> Radio shack. I think they are still in business right?


Yes, Rat Shack is still around. And still selling consumer electronic parts. Just try not to wire the cb to the same circuit as yoour headlights. Find the fuse box and look for an unused or lightly used fuse (trace using your owner's manual). Some circuits are going to produce a lot of interference coming back into the receiver, so your first choice may not work well the first time.


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## GasholeWillie (Jul 4, 2014)

thepeartree said:


> CB is a decent choice. You can pick up a new one for under $100 each. You need a base antenna. A quarter wave antenna is about 8 feet across and the same high. I recommend this because they're cheap and aren't hard to put up. As with all antennas, don't forget to ground it well. A mobile antenna is even easier: just get a magnetic mount. When parking you just unstick it and toss it in the car. These days you don't need a license for it, which is good. The only sticky bit is that there are some millions of other people using the same small piece of the radio spectrum. Be prepared to deal with what we call 'skip'. That's radio transmissions reflected through the atmosphere to places hundreds or thousanda of miles away. I can verify that, having once made contact with a unit in Yugoslavia from my base just north of NYC. There is no real answer or cure. A partial help is called sideband. A CB equipped to use sideband deals with less skip interference, but it's still there. And the radios that can use it are more expensive.
> 
> As with any radio, chances of maximum range go up as you get the antenna higher. If you're in among high-rises, your range is toast- maybe 20%. Nominal range on a CB is about 20 miles. You only have 5 watts of output power (legally speaking) to use.


He's in NJ, he's going to need a permit for anything especially an exterior antenna that is taller than his roof line.


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## thepeartree (Aug 25, 2014)

bigdogbuc said:


> I would also be careful in what you're transmitting, given the limited range. I know back in the day, people would play "Chase the Rabbit" or something like that. One person would drive around transmitting and the others would try to "chase" them down and find them based on signal strength they were receiving. If someone with ill intent had one and you were coming in "9x9" or whatever that term is, they're going to start looking for an antenna. And things may go from there...


Well, yes, but we were doing it for fun. Ham's at least still do. They sometimes call it a game of fox and hounds. And no, you don't broadcast personal info any more than you do here on the bbs. Less, in fact, because here there are ways to tell exactly where a post comes from.


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## thepeartree (Aug 25, 2014)

GasholeWillie said:


> He's in NJ, he's going to need a permit for anything especially an exterior antenna that is taller than his roof line.


Doesn't HAVE to be taller than the house, but every foot increases range.


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## Sockpuppet (Sep 6, 2014)

thepeartree said:


> Well, yes, but we were doing it for fun. Ham's at least still do. They sometimes call it a game of fox and hounds. And no, you don't broadcast personal info any more than you do here on the bbs. Less, in fact, because here there are ways to tell exactly where a post comes from.


Fox hunts are fun. Hams with handheld Yagi antennas, running around, looking to find a guy somewhere in town.

The last time I got to be the Fox, I climbed 30 feet up into a tree. :lol:


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## Sockpuppet (Sep 6, 2014)

thepeartree said:


> Doesn't HAVE to be taller than the house, but every foot increases range.


One can utilize a Half-Wave Base Station Dipole Antenna, specifically constructed for 11 meter.

View attachment 7184


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## alterego (Jan 27, 2013)

How far do you need to communicate? Question number one. Try to consider that each watt of output power will transmit one mile. This is incredibly dependent on weather and chatter. Do not buy a cb from home depot. Go to a truck stop and find a greasy old cb freak. Get a cobra with upper and lower side bands. Or a galaxy if you have the money. Pay the guy to juice it watts and modulation so you can squash.


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## alterego (Jan 27, 2013)

P'S I once knew a guy who could talk to people fifty miles out on Cobra 29. But his whip is bigger than yours. Out. "ROGER BEEP"


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

I agree with bigdogbuc. While radio comm is useful, it is too easy to track any radio signal to its source. Ham radios are a little harder to track, only because there are so many more frequencies to choose from. Range of CBs can be enhanced at night due to skip same as Ham.


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## GasholeWillie (Jul 4, 2014)

thepeartree said:


> Doesn't HAVE to be taller than the house, but every foot increases range.


and actually I was half heartedly kidding but it is most likely the truth!


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## pakrat (Nov 18, 2012)

Mikey,

I’ve used CB’s for years… a home-base and one in each vehicle (half a dozen working repaired spares on the shelf). The 520PRO is an excellent choice and $49.00 is a good price. Where you buy it doesn't matter much. I’ve had one in my truck for five years (bought it on Amazon). It sits out in the cold, winter after winter and has never given any trouble. I’m using a Wilson’s little Wil antenna and get great performance. 

I have several good working CB’s that I picked up at yard sales and on ebay… some for free. You don’t necessarily have to buy a new one to get started. A new mobile antenna and SWR meter though are really recommended. Replacement mic's are pretty affordable.

The fact that someone could locate me by tracking my transmissions doesn’t instill fear in me for some reason. My base antenna tops out at fifty feet. People can find my base by looking out their car window. If I had a reason to be secretive about my location, I’d talk strictly mobile… car or hand-held and use a different handle than from my base. 

My focus is establishing an inexpensive neighborhood network (6 – 8 blocks in each direction)… families, elderly, etc… who needs help, who needs water or medical assistance… CB’s are great for that. Not everything needs to be viewed through a strategic/tactical/OPSEC lens. Some things need to be a beacon on the hill. If our antenna garden attracts some pests, we’ll apply pest control as needed.


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## MikeyPrepper (Nov 29, 2012)

Great thanks for the info, ill def look into it



pakrat said:


> Mickey,
> 
> I've used CB's for years&#8230; a home-base and one in each vehicle (half a dozen working repaired spares on the shelf). The 520PRO is an excellent choice and $49.00 is a good price. Where you buy it doesn't matter much. I've had one in my truck for five years (bought it on Amazon). It sits out in the cold, winter after winter and has never given any trouble. I'm using a Wilson's little Wil antenna and get great performance.
> 
> ...


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## pharmer14 (Oct 27, 2012)

MikeyPrepper said:


> Hey All,
> 
> Hope all is well. Im looking for a *Cheap* CB radio for my house. Something I can have a antenna outside... I saw something on home depot anyone have suggestions. I just don't have the money to spend crazy on this. This is what I found..
> 
> Uniden Compact 40-Channel CB 7 Watt Audio Output LED Display-PRO520XL at The Home Depot


I got an old base unit for helping my uncle move about 10 years ago... I'd honestly check into craigslist. You might have some luck. They all connect to the same frequencies. It doesn't have to look good. It just has to get the job done.


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## MikeyPrepper (Nov 29, 2012)

Yea I was thinking the same thing.... thanks



pharmer14 said:


> I got an old base unit for helping my uncle move about 10 years ago... I'd honestly check into craigslist. You might have some luck. They all connect to the same frequencies. It doesn't have to look good. It just has to get the job done.


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## GTGallop (Nov 11, 2012)

If you are on a budget that Uniden is a great starter. I always recommend the Cobra 18WXSTII. It is the best value for the dollar that you are going to find out there. You can buy better radio's but you will pay 4x as much and you won't be getting 4x more radio.

Just running that Uniden and a little mobile antenna off the side of your house will get you going. I say start easy and learn - you can always upgrade from there!

When it comes to radio transmissions of any sort (especially analog), the antenna makes up about 75% of your performance. You can buy or build your own because essentially an antenna is a piece of metal - it just needs to be the right size to resonate the frequency you want. I would recommend a J-Pole or Super J made out of wire and suspended from a tree. The tree will help camouflage the giant base antenna. There are TONS of videos about how to make these and there are antenna calculators online that help you know the right size to get yours to.

J POLE ANTENNA DESIGN CALCULATOR by K4ABT

Your CB will be broadcasting between 26.965 MHz and 27.405 MHz - Channel 19 (the middle where most people tune their antennas to) is 27.185 MHz. So use Channel 19 for your calculations. And I would avoid any horizontal dipole antennas. They are great for some applications but I think you might struggle with them. A vertical, center fed dipole would be better but it would have to be HUGE! So if you have a water tower to hang this off of, or a windmill - then go for it. Otherwise, look for something more compact.

A CB is limited to 4 watts of power at the antenna but many (most) of the trucks running radio on the road have been "tweaked and peaked" to run more - sometimes much more. Many of the commercially available radios can safely be tuned to run upwards of 20 to 30 watts. *BUT I CAUTION YOU THAT THIS IS HIGHLY ILLEGAL.*

All things being optimal, 4 watts on the CB should get you a 20 to 30 mile broadcast range with out a skip (bouncing the signal off of the ionosphere). I've even established contact (different frequencies than CB) over 115 miles away with just 5 watts. So you can do a lot with that wattage. The reason people ILLEGALLY tune them to a higher wattage is to blast through a lot of the ground clutter and background noise - and a lot of that noise is caused by people who have boosted to higher wattage. So you are solving the problem by creating it for other people.

Since you are operating as a base station, you will have the luxury of solving a lot of the problems that plague mobile users, like antenna height, shape, size, and engine electrical noise. But you will need a 12v DC power supply. Virtually no CB's come with a 120v AC plug on them.

The real trick is going to be getting a matching level of performance out of the other rig - your mobile rig.That unit may only get 5 to 10 miles out of a BEST CASE scenario. Unless they are willing to pull over and erect some much larger antenna and establish an more substantial antenna to talk with you.

If you get into the hobby, consider studying for your Ham License. Almost ALL of the concepts learned there will apply to the CB. I got into Ham Radio for less than $100. That is the books, the test, the license fee, the radio, an upgraded antenna and a programming cable.


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