Everyone Should Have a CB Radio - I got a Radioddity CB-900 Pro

Everyone should have a CB in their vehicle. I installed the affordable Radioddity CB-900 Pro in mine. #CBradio #CB #hamradio

My affiliate link to Radioddity:

[MrTommy]

30 years of trucking had netted me bunches of CBs. After retiring 12 years ago I flushed a bunch of my old radios but kept three Cobra 148 GTL's. Two have "funny channels" and one has an "echo box". I used to mount both my CB and a Yaesu 2600m 2 meter set in a floor mount in my p/u. Bought a new p/u and there is no access to the floor now (center console). So now I have a cheapo Uniden Pro 520xl that I slip into a slot on the side of the 'doghouse' and run the antenna wire to a mag mount on the roof. When we take off on our RV trips I ALWAYS take the CB. On our last trip (from Reno to La Grande, OR), I left the CB at home and took the old 2600m 2m radio and left it on 146.52. In a week I got two (count 'em, two) contacts, and that's with me announcing my callsign every 20 or so minutes. For traveling, I still think the CB is king. Yeah, there are some goofballs out there but few and far between, at least in my experience. Be careful Salty, most ham operators poo-poo CBs and think they are worthless, and bad mouth hams that use them Nice video, as usual.

[mcdonald]

I gave my older brother an anytone 6666 10meter/11 meter radio a Couple weeks ago. He put it in his truck. He talked to Australia from California Friday. He called me and was super excited. It was his first dx contact.

[stellarpod]

I'm old enough to remember when we only had 23 channels and a license WAS required. My old CB license callsign back in the mid-70s was KNV3333, and my "handle" was T-Square. I played with mobile and a base station (a Teaberry Stalker 20) and "shot skip" with great success - and I did it with 4 watts. No one had heard of QRP back then. In the late 80's I stepped up to ham and put my old CB equipment in mothballs (or sold it). I've never regretted those old days in the 70s, the high water mark for CB radio. Yeah, CB gets trashed among the ham community. But frankly, it was a ball! And yes, I've still got a couple of CB mobiles hanging around.

As always, thanks so much for sharing.

KI5FOE - Steve

[rossbassette]

Your nickname is a perfect CB handle!!!!

[TexasScout]

Hi, like you, grew up in the 70s with CB radio. I had plenty of, I still have one. I can still remember my original callsign, KAJB0961. It was a lot of fun back then. I used to do a lot of work offshore on barges. We load our truck on the barge I take the ground cable attached one to the barge and throw one in the water I talked all over the world night Japan, Italy, England, Australia, you name it I hit it. This was approximately 1978. I really enjoy your videos, 73, de AD5TD. By the way, you probably know this, but CB band, 11 m used to be a (HAM) band back in the day.

[edtruthseeker]

Great video. We must be about the same age. I remember the CB craze from the 1970's. I was born in 1967. My grandfather even put a CB in his 1970 Buick LeSabre. I had a CB in 1982 that my father gave me. I still enjoy it to. You are right, Amateur Radio gets crazy to, unfortunately. CB is fun and should be enjoyed by us Hams as well. It's not good to get too stuffy. Great video brother. de KM4MMD

[Andrew-yxsf]

Big 10-4 Salty Walt. This is the Screamin Eagle.

[hemipower]

Many years ago when I had a CB radio. Cell phones did not exist. It was fun.

[acestudioscouk-Ace-GACE]

So many of us started in CB but as hams are embarrassed to admit it. So, it's good to see you flying the flag for CB and unashamed of your roots. I too, started in CB and in the UK, CB gave amateur radio a whole new lease of life. 73 and "keep the shiny side up and the greasy side down"!

[Buzzygirl]

I too was a kid when the CB craze took off in the 1970s and I sure recall when the song “Convoy” was all over the radio. Some of my friends had a CB base station, but for whatever reason I wasn’t interested in them. Maybe because it was so overhyped at the time or because I thought primitive computer tech was more interesting. Much later, I became an amateur radio operator, and most of my ham friends started out in CB.

[vinniec]

Same here, Walt. I'm a ham now but grew up in the 70s with a CB. Had one in the car in the 90s as a field tech road warrior in Jersey. Still keep one in the car when traveling the interstate. Moved to Virginia a few months ago and our adult children convoyed with us. I bought 3 of the small form factor Radioddity CBs. They worked great and the kids loved it. I find them invaluable when traveling.

[MyHamRadioJourney]

Man I was hoping for an unboxing video. Just kidding buddy seeing you toss the box in the back seat still has me laughing. You know I do unboxing videos. I was first on CB radio about 100 years ago. Darn Im getting old. Nice video Walt! 73s

[DarkShadowCustoms]

There are many many many hams who got their start in radio on CB radio. My brother had A CB radio in his pickup truck during the late 1990's and early to mid 2000's. I had one in my car during the mid 2000's when I was driving to an Army Reserve center an hour away from my home. Last year I dug out my late brother's old Uniden PC76XL CB radio to see if it still worked when a friend of mine gave me a CB that wasn't working to look at. Now I am trying to figure out where to mount my brother's old CB radio in my 2016 ran 1500 truck. The radio is huge and modern vehicles don't exactly have the room for aftermarket two-way radios. I thought about mounting it on the side of the center console. There is not enough room on the driver side, so I might have to have my girlfriend sit in the passenger side for a test fit on her side of the truck. If it is going to be in the way on the passenger side I will more than likely try to find a compact CB radio for $5 or $10 at a hamfest that I can mount either on the dash or on the side of the center console. I have a compact GMRS radio that I plan to install in the truck as well.

[KQJGS]

Love it man. I was a big time CB'er in the 90s, so I was always at the cb shop either buying or looking at stuff. The shop was ran by an old ham.. Every time I would go in he would tell me stories about being a radio operator on a tiny atoll in the pacific during ww2. And he eventually talked me into getting my tech back in the 90s.. sadly I let it that call lapse. CB is a great starting point to get into ham radio. I still remember my first contact into australia on 38LSB with a 12 watt president washington and a pdl2 which was a 2 element cubical quad!

73!!

[FLDT-Alain]

Hey Walt, thank you for bringing back great memories! I started CB at 15 yo with a 6-channel 3-watt Bevox transceiver. My all-time favorite still is today the Sommerkamp TS-340DX I had. Such a fine piece of radio and a DX machine. CB was so bustling in the late 70s and 80s here in France.
Nice gear you have here. The simulated old-fashioned S-meter with the frequency display impresses me! Nice design.
Best 73s to Salty Walt from Altlantic69 aka. 14E185 aka. ECA1647 in those times...

[norrinradd]

That's funny, the same guy does our weather forecast.

[piplawrence]

Still busy in the UK on the UKFM band. I stay clear of Chinese radios, they run hotter than the surface of the sun, controls are wobbly, they drop a channel by themselves. Old school radios are best Cobra 148 gtl-DX etc. 10.4.

[markh]

End of June wife and I were at yard sale, woman had Motorola speaker and a brand new Cobra 19 mini for sale, I said how much for the speakers, she said how about 10 bucks for speaker and radio, I’ll take it. She said husband was off with his new girlfriend, he has new toy so you can have his old toy. Took a trip to NC a few weeks ago was fun having a CB in the car for the ride down.

[slateman]

Thanks Walt, I am a ham but I got into 11 meter a little while ago. Its been fun, lots of contacts. Im in NY and i got Australia last night...Thanks.

[thequarantinecatholic]

Ha just got my whip in today for my CB and have some dipoles as well. I love this channel!!! My friend is making home brew endfeds and random wires and keep sending him to your YT. Can't wait to watch the show! I got the CB-27 hope it works. That sale was great.