Question:
The question of needing a CB radio has cropped up a few time in other locations and since we have been having a new group here in the Newbie Section I thought it would be a good time to bring this subject up again.
Do you really NEED a CB radio in your truck?
The answer to this is No. You do not need a CB radio.
Is it a good idea to have one?
The answer here IMHO is Yes.
The reasons I feel it is a good idea to have a working CB in your truck is that some warehouses prefer to issue dock assingments and other info via the CB radio. If you do not have a radio you will end up sitting in some small cramped office or on some dock waiting. Also some truck stops use a CB instead of an intercom for the scales.
For the purposes I mentioned above you do not need a big expensive radio. There are many CB radios available for under $50 new or you may be able to find a used one in a pawn shop, CB shop, etc for $15-$20. A basic working 40 channel radio will more than suffice.
Now then just because you have a CB in your truck does not mean in any way, shape, or form, that you have to have it on or use it while running down the road. That choice is yours. All I am saying here is that IMHO it is better to have one and not need it than the other way around.
I will always be a mutter trucker at heart.
Answer:
http://www.cobra.com/index.php?page=shop/flypage&product_id=11&id=1&ps_session=182418c28510ad456b855865ba9d07d33fc13a3d
A basic CB like this is fine for OTR trucking??

Answer:
It's more than what you need. Go to Wal-Mart and you can probably find one for about $20. It'll probably work, and sound, better than those used by the idiots with their "peaked & tweaked" super radios and dumbass antennae tilted at a 45 degree angle.

Answer:
Originally posted by John C.:
It'll probably work, and sound, better than those used by the idiots with their "peaked & tweaked" super radios and dumbass antennae tilted at a 45 degree angle.
Jealousy will get ya nowhere John. LOL.
Just a basic cb radio will be more than sufficient. But I would at least get it "tuned".
When I bought my new radio a couple years ago, the guy told me that cb's are usually not tuned completely to the channels. Sometimes being up to 25% off frequency.
I had my radio "peaked & tuned", but did NOT have any other adjustments made. He did set it up so it puts out the maximum power it can without a kicker, about 22 watts.
For about $175 you can get a new Cobra 29 LTD, the coax and a Wilson 2000 antenna. The cost for tuning a radio should be around $40-45.
I put the exact same set up in my pickup (stock radio out of the box). Now, if needed, the wife and I can talk to each other about 6 miles apart, without burning cell phone minutes. This works great for when I drop my truck off at the shop and she is coming to meet me.
*******************************
"Got the bird dog on...
Dodgin' the scales...
80 miles an hour and a step outta jail..." From "Rollin' Home, Pirates of the Mississippi)
*******************************
"I've always been different with one foot over the line.
Winding up somewhere, one step ahead or behind.
It ain't been so easy, but I guess I shouldn't complain.
I've always been crazy, but it's kept me from going insane." (from Waylon Jennings)
**************************
Member: Happy Dweller Society
Owner Operator Division


Answer:
YES !!!!!
A CB, when working properly can get you out of a few jams.
Traveling eb on I40 in TN a bad accident ahead of me gave me enough warning to pull off the highway and put it to bed for the night.
Hoplessly lost in Podunk USA, grabbed the mic and got directions from a local FedEx driver. Had I gone the way I was going I would have driven right into town where a 12 foot bridge awaited me just a little way ahead.
Backing into a tight space at a truck stop another driver guided me back using the radio, preventing me from getting drenched.
But get it peaked and tuned, and I believe a good mic and antenna are a must...

Answer:
Ultimately, it becomes a personal decision. I use a Cobra 29 that I bought "peaked & tweaked" from K-40 Electronics in Warren, MI (they're the local experts with the experience and reputation) with the stock Cobra microphone and the antenna that came on the truck (Wilson; it's a new Columbia). I don't think that it sounds any better, or worse, than the old Wal-Mart special I used to have or, for that matter, the hand-held I used to carry (before it was stolen) as a back up.
There's no doubt that a decent antenna is important but probably not as important as the antenna connection. The real reason that your radio works better when you take it to the CB "expert" isn't because of the new "super" antenna he installs or the "18'" coax (that one always cracks me up) but because your truck sits out in the weather and the antenna connectors corrode. New antennas and/or cables and you've got good connections again and the "expert" is a genius.
Use a "good", as in powered, mike with a radio that's been "tweaked" by a butcher and you overdrive the radio and get trash out. Use a powered mike with a stock radio and you don't accomplish much, if anything.
But again, as with chicken lights or the color of your mudflaps, it's a personal thing. I used to listen to the CB for entertainment but now that I've got XM, the only thing I use it for is to talk with gate guards/receivers and to find out which lane is open in a traffic jam.

Answer:
I think is is a good thing if there is an accident up/down the road.......That way, you know whether to sit in traffic or sit it out.
Run west, no one talks..........run I-70 and everyone is talking.........

Answer:
Many shippers and receivers call you to your door on the CB.
Its quite abit of help with traffic and getting "unlost"
Its also nice to collect local knowledge when in warehouse districts.
Late night conversations with other drivers traveling with you melt the time away.
So yea, I found them necessary, TC
Road King Mikes are soo clear and worth the $$ I always ran just one antenna on the drivers side.(away from trees and whatnot)

Answer:
A Hoss where did u get your CB turned, i live up in the twin citys and i dont have a clue who does that kind of think

Answer:
I don't know who uturn picks up or delivers to , but if you haul boxed meat from IBP to Walmart (just 1 example ) and you want to know when your load is ready or your trailer is empty you can either have a CB or go check every 1/2 hour. Kinda hard to get any good sleep that way.
ROLL TIDE !!!!

Answer:
I agree about getting it in proper working order.
I spent 200 bucks to get it working properly. New antenna, coax, mic..........
Now I am doing about 4-6 miles range, and it has gotten me out of a few jams.

Answer:
Originally posted by Kenworth007:
A Hoss where did u get your CB turned, i live up in the twin citys and i dont have a clue who does that kind of think
Had the guy that runs the CB shop out in Casper WY (truckstop at I-25 & Hat Six Rd.), do it right away when I bought the radio.
I think there's a CB shop down at Stockman's truckstop in S. St. Paul. (across from Allstate Peterbilt). Take the "Hardman Ave." exit off I-494.
*******************************
"Got the bird dog on...
Dodgin' the scales...
80 miles an hour and a step outta jail..." From "Rollin' Home, Pirates of the Mississippi)
*******************************
"I've always been different with one foot over the line.
Winding up somewhere, one step ahead or behind.
It ain't been so easy, but I guess I shouldn't complain.
I've always been crazy, but it's kept me from going insane." (from Waylon Jennings)
**************************
Member: Happy Dweller Society
Owner Operator Division


Answer:
Thanks for the info HOSS

Answer:
Originally posted by Hoss:
Just a basic cb radio will be more than sufficient. But I would at least get it "tuned".
When I bought my new radio a couple years ago, the guy told me that cb's are usually not tuned completely to the channels. Sometimes being up to 25% off frequency.
I had my radio "peaked & tuned", but did NOT have any other adjustments made. He did set it up so it puts out the maximum power it can without a kicker, about 22 watts.
For about $175 you can get a new Cobra 29 LTD, the coax and a Wilson 2000 antenna. The cost for tuning a radio should be around $40-45.
I put the exact same set up in my pickup (stock radio out of the box). Now, if needed, the wife and I can talk to each other about 6 miles apart, without burning cell phone minutes. This works great for when I drop my truck off at the shop and she is coming to meet me.
All I use is a Uniden PC78LTW. It is your basic 'no side band 5000 watt idiot box.' The only extra in it is the weather radio. That is the reason I bought it. Stock mic. But as Hoss says, get it tuned. Not only the radio but the antennas too.
Who needs to have someone 50 miles down the road to hear your converstaion. Who needs to have 10 billion channels and talk to the moon. But then again, there are those out there that have to prove to the world that they exist even though I dont give a damn.
BUMP!
Westline264 - What was that?
Hoss - A Vneck.
From the conversation in Hoss's truck as we cruise the 'Roundtable' Highway.
Happy Dweller Society - Canadian Division
Answer:
Do you need a CB. Yes, absolutely, I wouldn't want to drive without one. I did that for a while and it is a complete pain in the rear. You actually feel out of touch and add additional work to your loading and unloading.
Dont buy the cheapest or the most exspensive. Look for something in the middle that is reliable and can be tuned to perform correctly.
"There is just something about fresh winter snow and a river. The day is bright even if it is cloudy, the water is friendly even if it is cold and the fish are there even if they are not biting."
Member: Happy Dweller Society
Team Driver Division