Hey folks,

I drive a lot. Home is 7 hours away, other family is 6 hours away, my brother is 3 hours away...anytime I'm driving, I'm normally driving a lot.

So, what's the deal with these CB radios? I've read a little bit about them, but nothing too extensive. Are they still used? Do people in regular cars use 'em?

And, Element-specific, what're the radios you use? What's your setup? How long of an antenna do you use? What do you use the radio for, exactly?

Pictures, rants, raves, reviews, all are welcome.

Anyone can use them, but its not the seventies anymore, and you'll find that there's not a whole lot of chatter out there.

In the year or so I had one in my car, I had no discussions but picked up more than a few useful tips about traffic issues and police.

In my last car, I used a no ground plane antenna mounted to the roof rack, and then snaked the wire down through the rain gutter and into the passenger compartment through the front door hinge area so I didn't crimp the cable. I bought my antenna at a truck stop which is a good resource for cheap, quality goods. If I would spend the money anew, I'd probably mail order a decent Wilson or Firestik NGP antenna, instead.

For the radio, I bought a real simple job who's maker and model I don't remember. Its like the Cobra 75Wx, and all-in-hand unit because my old car was a little subcompact and a giant radio would've taken up valuble room and looked ungainly. The radio I bought also lets you connect some batteries and a rubberduck to it for full portability.

The antenna is the important part, don't skimp here.
You need to either mount it to the metal for a ground (drill or magnet) or use an NGP antenna and have it touch no metal.
Long term magnent mounting will ruin the paint.
A CB isn't as useful as it used to be, but it can still be fun.

When on our long road trips we always take the CB.
It has proved useful in avoiding routes with heavier traffic.
It really helps when traffic builds up, to know if it's just a temporary backup, or if it's an accident. The truckers can always tell you the best exit, to avoid sitting.
You always know where the po po's are (even though I stay close to the speed limit:)).
I enjoy the interesting chatter from some truckers, some I don't:x.

We just use a magnet antenna, easy on & off.

A CB Radio?????

I have an eight track player I could sell you.

I was looking at a Cobra as mentioned below -all hand held, remove battery and plug into lighter for a smaller unit - maybe mount that on the dash and just go 'rubber duck' for emergency comms.

To really listen and communicate - I don't know, CB is getting old....

CB is an anachronism which is marginally useful at best. Primarily the domain of truckers. Sometimes you can get useful intel on the open road, but chatter and noise is intolerable in town.

Be prepared for very salty language - and confirmation of the open contempt that many truckers have for non-truckers on the highways. That in itself is an education.

Personally I found too much chatter from immature people playing
around on the radio at least in larger metro area, should be better
on open roads.:mad:
If I had the money, I would get a ham licence and get one of those setups.
At least I would be talking to adults.

I love my cb radio & have used them since I have been driving....they are very entertaining on long drives, I find they work better then radar detectors on roads with truckers, but you will encounter the occasional annoying person who either wont shut up or is rude.......kinda like this forum.

If I had the money, I would get a ham licence and get one of those setups.
At least I would be talking to adults.
Been there. No traffic information to be had, and no guarantee of your last stated perception.

I have a Midland handheld CB that I take on trips in the E in case of traffic, construction, etc. As mentioned, mostly truckers use them but you can get some good information.

I also have a small Radio Shack CB that I use in my Miata when we do club runs. Almost everyone in both of Miata clubs that I belong to has them and we use them for car-to-car communications. They are great for that use and lots of fun.

I have a Midland handheld CB that I take on trips in the E in case of traffic, construction, etc. As mentioned, mostly truckers use them but you can get some good information.


That's the model I was trying to think of. The Midland 75-822 is small, simple, and can be easily moved in and out of cars, or with batteries act as a handheld walkabout. You can also easily mount another 40 channels in each direction, if you're so motivated.

My only complaint is that its not very loud.

I use a little cobra and magnetic antenna I bought from radio shack. I only used a few times a year for long road trips. I just wish I could find a speaker for it.

I like the overhead console install but can't find pics of someone here who did it. Here some other threads about cb's.

Door Mount (http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=42454&highlight=uniden)

Floor Mount (http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24526&highlight=uniden)

Various Dashes (http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24642&highlight=uniden)

Hertzy, I did the install in the roof console....unfortunately my photo server is down.....