CB radio or 10 meter radio. Which one is right for me?
Citizens band radio, or CB, is a relatively simple way onto the air. Many people opt to use mobile CB radio equipment as well as handheld units because they are affordable. All you need to get set up is a transceiver set and an antenna.
You can quickly and easily install a base station for the CB radios in your house and a mobile CB radio in your car or truck. If you plan to use your car or truck as a "base" you can add handheld CB units to communicate for a short distance, while the larger antenna on your car or truck will allow the signal to travel further distances.
One of the most attractive things about CB radio is it's free! There are no additional costs once you have bought your equipment, and no expensive licenses to acquire.
CB radios operate on the 11 meter waveband. The range has been limited due to government restrictions which limit the power of the CB radio to a mere 4 watts. Because of this, some CB radios are incredibly short ranged, and can transmit only for about a mile. If you tweak the antenna a bit you could increase that distance to 5, 10 or even 20 miles depending on the layout of the land, other radio interference and the weather conditions.
The most frustrating thing is that the 11 meter band is extremely efficient for long range communications, as the radio signals can travel a long way by bouncing off the ionosphere. But the government is quite strict in that you cannot converse for more than 150 miles by using a CB radio.
On the other hand, ten meter radios are only intended to be used by amateur licensed radio operators. They operate using more power but, like the CB radio which functions in the 11 meter band, signals can bounce around the ionosphere making the ten meter radio ideal for communicating over long distances. This feature has made the ten meter radio extremely popular and owners even have their own club; 10-10 international.
Not only do they have daily calls for members, 10-10 offers certificates for members who contact every, country, state and as many members as possible, giving a competitive side to the club.
As the CB radio and ten meter radio frequencies are very similar, ten meter radios can be tweaked to also work on the CB frequencies. Many manufacturers make this tweaking process a prominent feature of their ham radio transceivers.
In theory it should also be possible to tweak the CB radio to operate on the 10 meter radio frequency. However, this is not the case as the CB has much lower power than the 10 meter.
In the past, the CB has always won out due its being more affordable, but ham radio transceivers have really come down in price and the license needed to operate one is now free, but you will still need to pay a small fee to take the exam to get one.
If you think that you will only need short range communication, and that won't be changing anytime soon, then CB radio is your perfect choice. However, if you think that at some point down the road you will want to communicate over longer distances, then you will want to go with the 10 meter radio. Either way, you will be able to reach out to others, and not worry about a monthly fee.
You can quickly and easily install a base station for the CB radios in your house and a mobile CB radio in your car or truck. If you plan to use your car or truck as a "base" you can add handheld CB units to communicate for a short distance, while the larger antenna on your car or truck will allow the signal to travel further distances.
One of the most attractive things about CB radio is it's free! There are no additional costs once you have bought your equipment, and no expensive licenses to acquire.
CB radios operate on the 11 meter waveband. The range has been limited due to government restrictions which limit the power of the CB radio to a mere 4 watts. Because of this, some CB radios are incredibly short ranged, and can transmit only for about a mile. If you tweak the antenna a bit you could increase that distance to 5, 10 or even 20 miles depending on the layout of the land, other radio interference and the weather conditions.
The most frustrating thing is that the 11 meter band is extremely efficient for long range communications, as the radio signals can travel a long way by bouncing off the ionosphere. But the government is quite strict in that you cannot converse for more than 150 miles by using a CB radio.
On the other hand, ten meter radios are only intended to be used by amateur licensed radio operators. They operate using more power but, like the CB radio which functions in the 11 meter band, signals can bounce around the ionosphere making the ten meter radio ideal for communicating over long distances. This feature has made the ten meter radio extremely popular and owners even have their own club; 10-10 international.
Not only do they have daily calls for members, 10-10 offers certificates for members who contact every, country, state and as many members as possible, giving a competitive side to the club.
As the CB radio and ten meter radio frequencies are very similar, ten meter radios can be tweaked to also work on the CB frequencies. Many manufacturers make this tweaking process a prominent feature of their ham radio transceivers.
In theory it should also be possible to tweak the CB radio to operate on the 10 meter radio frequency. However, this is not the case as the CB has much lower power than the 10 meter.
In the past, the CB has always won out due its being more affordable, but ham radio transceivers have really come down in price and the license needed to operate one is now free, but you will still need to pay a small fee to take the exam to get one.
If you think that you will only need short range communication, and that won't be changing anytime soon, then CB radio is your perfect choice. However, if you think that at some point down the road you will want to communicate over longer distances, then you will want to go with the 10 meter radio. Either way, you will be able to reach out to others, and not worry about a monthly fee.
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