Yes you can buy a nice new mobile cb radio and use it as a Base Station. You basically need a good power supply, power microphone, swr meter and a good base antenna. Now if you love those big old CB Base Radios, then Ebay is the way to go. In today's world of cb radio, Galaxy was making the last cb base radio I saw. So my advise is go with Ebay in the Used category. Just remember to check out the sellers ratings and reviews. There are many scammers on the internet, so why not protect yourself from losing money or buying a boat anchor.
A Beginners Guide to CB Radio - Don't Sabotage Your Experience Before It Begins
By Dave St James | Submitted On February 09, 2011
Citizens band radio or more commonly called "cb radio" offers many type's of radio experiences for such as small number of legal to use channelized radio frequencies. As an example you man want a c.b. In your car or in your home. Perhaps you might have a business reason, you may be interested in starting a new hobby, whatever it may be.
This article is written for beginners in cb radio or people who may be thinking of getting a radio. I will cover what kind of radios are best to get when starting out and why and if you decide to try out the hobby what happens to most new comers. Don't worry it only hurts your pocketbook.
Almost all CB radios have a channel selector on its face and some kind of lighted indicator showing a number, generally 1-40 or 1 -23. The radios with 23 channels are older and unless you get one for really cheap or free, I would not purchase one of these units. There are a lot of fine older units out there but for reasons Ill explain later, you should get a newer setup. If it doesn't make sense just read on it will all become very clear to you.
Mobile Vs. Base Type Units
CB's, for the most part, come in two flavors, base or mobile types. The mobile units are smaller but can have all the features of a base radio, equal power output, however, there is one draw back to the reduced size and that is the size of the control knobs on the front. Generally speaking, base radios have bigger knobs and in most cases more of them when compared to the mobile unit. What does this all mean? If you have fat pudgy beer drinking fingers, fiddling with small knobs in heavy traffic may prove to be a complete pain in the butt. That choice will be up to you.
Almost every mobile CB radio has an internal speaker, generally on the bottom of the radio. These speakers are garbage. They are overrated, cheap and sound bad. Consider an external speaker when space is available.
Some base cb radios will have a speaker built in, they sound better than the mobile but again a quality external speaker should be considered as well.
Most base station radios also have an internal power supply. It is something to consider when purchasing a setup. Mobiles are designed to run from a car battery so generally have no 110 volt plug. Base units, on the other hand, have built-in power supplies and it's easy to to just plug them in. If you decide to use a mobile as a base station just remember that you will have to get a 12 volt power supply or have a spare car battery handy.
Range distances on mobiles are also much less compared to base station due to the size of the antenna.There are glass mount cellular look- alike antennas to 8 foot ¼ wave antennas. The minimum length for a mobile setup to begin to perform decently is 40 inches. Anything less is a waste so that cellular look-alike might look cool, but it won't have a very good range, maybe a mile or so.
Basically what it boils down to is the larger and higher up your antenna is physically, the further the range of your radio will be assuming everything is working properly.
C.B. Radios as a Road Trip Companion
A cb radio in your car can be a very valuable tool. You can get tons of real time road information from truckers, you don't really even have to talk. Just listening will yield a lot of stuff about road conditions ahead, you will hear about accidents or traffic jams way before any broadcast band gets the info. The best part is almost all the time you can hear where any speed traps may be. The draw back to all this wonderful information is what you have to hear in between the reports.
It's not something you want to you kids to hear generally. If you don't care and its just you and you wife or girlfriend then turn it up and join in. It can make a long drive seem short when your yacking the whole time. You may even be able to make a report if you see something first. The one question I hear the most from truckers is about the status of the roadside scales. You can talk all the mess you want on the radio but do take notice as you pass scales on the other side of the road you are driving on. For example, if you are traveling north on a freeway, look for scales on the southbound side. Check to see if they are open or closed and pass that information on as you drive up the road to the truckers and continue your rhetoric.
C.B. Radios as a Base Station
And still another side to CB radio is the base station. You will find that there is generally a "local channel" in almost any city. There you will find normal people to tweakers and anything in between and like the truckers you most likely don't want you kids to hear what comes peoples mouths.
Having a base station usually means a larger antenna, which equates to considerably longer communications in terms of distance. Even with a 4 watt radio (the F.C.C. Legal limit) it's not uncommon to 10 or 20 miles. If you live in or close to a larger city, there will be lots of people at what would seem to be all hours. The CB never closes.
CB Begins to Overtake your Life
So you get your base running and get out there. It becomes instantly addicting. Friday nights will be spend more in the garage drinking beer and talking on the radio. You will hear lots of things about radio and receive advice from many people. One of the first things almost every CB'er wants are modifications to the radio. Generally to be louder and have big signals at the receiving stations are the 2 most common modifications with being louder quite possibly being number one.
Being Louder? What Does that Mean?
Here is where the line is drawn between what is technically correct and what people want. It is true that a "stock" radio will be able to be heard at a receiving end, but the real question with regards to the human psyche is how it is heard.
You can equate modifications on a CB radio to having a car and by changing certain parts or modifying the engine, wheels, tires and so on, will enhance it's performance and make your experience driving the car more pleasurable. It becomes validated even further when a friendly street race is won. This is absolutely no different than the modifications to a CB radio where fellow CB'ers take notice that your voice in their speaker is louder than others. Often referred to as "Tree Top Tall or Walkin the Dog and Kickin' the Cat." You get the idea.
It is here where your first questions will need to be answered. I am of the opinion that having a great microphone is important first. It won't take long for you to hear of the infamous Astatic D104 base microphone. (be aware that there is a mobile version which is loud but it's tonality sucks) The base version is an impressive looking piece and has a reputation of being a "loud" microphone meaning that all you have to do it plug it in and instantly your loudness will change, and it will from the stock microphone for sure.
I think that the D104 is a good microphone and it is loud, however, it's tonality is not acceptable due to its pre-amp (the electronics contained in the base of the unit). When I use the word tonality I'm referring to how well it's amplifying in terms of sound quality not necessarily loudness. Of course there are many more variables than just the microphone's pre-amp but if the microphone doesn't have the capability to capture and reproduce a natural, tonally pleasing sound or your shot at better than average audio is gone right there. At this point you may as well hammer a screw into a wall with a wrench. It won't make much difference what mods you make to the radio if the microphone can't keep up.
Radios that I Think are Great Starter Units
I have to say that there are many great radios out there. I have created this list based on
Uniden PC 66/76 Uniden XL
1. Cost vs. Performance 2. Availability of parts 3. Popularity 4. Ease of finding shops that work on the models 5. Abundant information available and easily accessible 6. Good resale value
Cobra 25/29 Classic, LTD 148 GTL Cobra 2000 GTL - Base Unit Cobra 142 GTL - Base Unit
President Washington - Base Unit (There are two versions) one with one meter or dual meters. The unit with one meter is almost a cobra 148/2000 - There are some slight differences technically but the version with dual meters is nothing like any of the radios listed here despite it's same name. If you end up with an obscure radio, the time a tech will need to review the schematic and come with some mods either may or may not be possible or just too costly to justify.
Example One: You buy an obscure radio for 40 dollars in a working, stock condition. Next you get a D104 and I ll just say it's 60 dollars. You take the radio to the techs place, he/she has little experience with this model. If the tech doesn't have the schematic, you will have to provide one or wait and it will cost more money, say 15 dollars. Now wait more till the tech figures out a modification. Or perhaps he/she just gives it a "tune up" (that is left to be interpreted by anyone as to what it really is) and charges you 40. So after 155 dollars you have a D104 and a radio that really has nothing done to it. When people ask you about your radio setup (and they will) you will find yourself making excuses why you have that radio as in "I got it cheap".
Example Two: You buy a Cobra 25 or 29 for 40 dollars + D104 for 60. The tech has done many of these radios, probably has all parts on hand and can do some good mods in just a few hours. It may cost 75 dollars but look at the math. It adds up to 175 total but you have your radio back in a very short time, the modifications will have made a tremendous difference and your loving life. When people ask you about your setup, your proud of it and Instead of making excuses you talking about taking it to the next level, moving up in the CB world. It can make or break your CB radio experience. Trust me on that one.
Please check back for my next write up on Export Version radios. I'll cover what they are and how they differ from straight CB radios, what kind of performance can you expect, are they really worth it and the one thing I truly can't stand about them from an audio performance stand point. If you already have one you need to read this next article.
Check out this web site for a really great D104 modification. The site is still under construction but there is great info there. You can't go wrong with a great sounding microphone.
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Dave_St_James/931370
ABOUT US
I created this affiliate website for those that love CB Radio and want a base cb radio. The problem is that Base CB Radios are just not made any longer. Everything today are mobile cb radios. If you want a Base CB Radio, then you have to go into the used category. My advise is to always check out the seller of the item. Check their ratings and reviews on whatever the item is. There are way too many scammers out there to steal your money. The only other choice is a good new mobile cb radio, power sully and desk microphone.
How to Choose The Right CB Radio
By Jack O'Neill | Submitted On October 28, 2011
If you are in the market for a CB radio, you have many to choose from. Whether for emergencies or daily use, the CB is still a powerful force in the communications industry. Of course, all CB radio manufacturer's are bound by the FCC to give their radios 4 watts of output power. So what's the difference you ask? There are 4 main manufacturer's of Citizen's Band radios currently. For each manufacturer, they have different additional features they add onto each radio. So, when you are searching for a new radio, think about what you want on it and go from there.
Cobra Electronics has been producing radios for 50 years and they are by far the most well known manufacturer. Cobra's products are available in 40,000 storefronts in North America and many on-line retailers. One of the most famous radios of all time is the 29LTD. Recently, Cobra came out with a 29LTD with Bluetooth capability. This gave truck driver's a chance to use both the CB and cell phone within the same device. This also kept driver's safe by not holding a cell phone while driving.
To celebrate their 50th anniversary, Cobra released the 29LXLE which was a drastic change in how CB radios look and function. This was also a limited edition radio. An almost completely digital screen has replaced traditional knobs and switches. Many features to this radio are new to the industry including a radio check diagnostic program. This can help diagnose problems in your CB setup. With the success of the 29LXLE, Cobra released the 29LX which has the same features as the 29LXLE, but it is now a standard model on their product line. Cobra continues to be the innovator in the CB industry.
Uniden also produces a full line of CB radios along with a host of other products. Since it's incorporation in 1979, Uniden has branched out to meet the needs of the growing electronics industry. Their CB radio line of products have been popular for many years. The PRO510XL is a compact CB radio with simplicity as it's main feature. A selection knob for squelch, volume and channel is all you need for communcation. From there, you go to their top of the line CB which is the PC78 ELITE.
This radio has such features as a backlit display, instant channel 9 and 7 NOAA weather channels among other features. Uniden recently announced 3 new CB radios ready for production. The PRO505XL, Bearcat 680 and the Bearcat 880. Each of these radios is uniquely styled and has many new features. The Bearcat 680 and 880 both have digital screens which replace the traditional knobs and switches. Uniden is an innovator in CB radio and consumer electronics.
Midland radio is best known for their line of weather radios. They are the oldest CB manufacturer in the US. They currently product 7 models for the CB market. Midland produces 2 handheld radios and 5 mobile. Most of their radios are RoHs compliant which means they have been certified lead-free. Some radio manufacturer's do still use lead in the production of their radios. With it's concern and innovation with weather technology, it's no wonder that 4 of the 7 have some weather technology built-in.
All Midland radios have a 3 year manufacturer warranty, so you know they are producing quality products.
Galaxy is most well-known in the 10 meter industry. They also have a good lineup of CB radios. Galaxy produces 6 CB radio models. Typically, each model is a step up from the previous as evident in their model numbers, DX919, DX929, DX939, DX949, etc. Some Galaxy CB's are equipped with a frequency counter to fine tune your channel. The DX939 is the newest model to be released. It is equipped with such features as backlit display, blue channel and meter lights and variable talkback which allows you to hear your transmissions over your own speaker.
FTL Distributing [http://www.ftldist.com] carries all of these manufacturers and we know it can be quite a challenge to decide on one, but when you do, you will be satisfied with the results. We guarantee it.
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Jack_O'Neill/1038286