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EldraziKlap t1_ja36hfg wrote

Did you have to use it? I hope not. These are the types of things you hope you don't have to use.

55

hermeez t1_ja36o7e wrote

Do you test it out randomly to see if it's still sending and receiving! Looks mint.

483

KDvariety t1_ja389d7 wrote

Nice. What kind of 86 car too? Sounds like that car is bifl too

0

carlivar t1_ja39sjz wrote

Breaker breaker, smokies on highway 6, over

111

Danny_Mc_71 t1_ja3bpax wrote

Is this a CB radio?

They were all the rage some decades ago.

I thought anyone who spoke the language was long dead.

154

enkidomark t1_ja3edg2 wrote

My sister and I used to play with this in the backseat on road-trips.

5

kempnelms t1_ja3fb6d wrote

Nice! I found one of these practically brand new at a thrift store the other day!

6

KdF-wagen t1_ja3gmja wrote

Channel 19 up here in the north to get ahold of the truckers. I like the squelch slider instead of a knob.

16

Occhrome t1_ja3ijye wrote

They make smaller more portable versions now right? Although they probably aren’t made as well as this old beast.

2

agent_flounder t1_ja3n8mv wrote

Replying to Danny_Mc_71 (#2,025,912)

CB was the go to communication for a lot of off-roaders (like 4x4 , jeep, etc) for some years and it is no doubt still used, but "overlanding" folks seem to favor Ham radio. And of course some use FRS/GMRS.

(Overlanding as in, wheeling and camping in a new spot each night, roof top tent, full kitchen in the back of the truck type stuff)

68

dontcrashandburn t1_ja3o444 wrote

It's amazing how long something lasts if it's never used and stored in a protective case.

32

agent_flounder t1_ja3ogzj wrote

Replying to Occhrome (#2,026,511)

Midland 75-822 is the smallest I can think of. Plugs into a cigarette lighter. Never owned one so no idea if it is any good. Quite a few CB handhelds are still big. Lot of big mobile radios too.

For whatever reason a lot of cb radios are stuck in the 70s/80s in terms of design. Maybe because there's no money in redesigning?

The smallest dedicated mobile you can get, as far as I know, is a Uniden 510 or 520. Even those have been around for decades; I got mine in the late 90s (it's still working after years of four wheeling)

7

weird_little_idiot t1_ja3pf78 wrote

Here at my country cb is pretty much dead which is sad because I used it much about 30 years ago :-(

17

Grebnaws t1_ja3qryj wrote

Oh shit, I think I had the exact same thing and tossed it out last year in a raging afternoon of spring cleaning.

1

agent_flounder t1_ja3r2ru wrote

Replying to Captain_Cuntflaps (#2,027,765)

Not sure what qualifies as dungarees. Not a word I hear often in the US.

I have been going on four wheeling trips a few times every summer since 1998 here around Colorado and around Moab. I have seen amazing places on those trips. Places you can't really imagine or understand from looking at a picture. My daughter really enjoys it.

PS: assuming you're not from around here... If you ever want to visit and see how gorgeous it can be up in the Rockies, hit me up and I will take you out on a trail run somewhere and show you what I mean.

24

tyttuutface t1_ja3slzp wrote

I have a handheld CB radio that my grandparents kept in the car they passed down to me. It's neat to have, works fairly well, but I've never had to use it. (yet)

1

agent_flounder t1_ja3tqx1 wrote

Replying to Captain_Cuntflaps (#2,028,342)

Oooh the alps. Someday I would love to visit those areas. Wouldn't be surprised if it was more gorgeous and impressive lol.

Funny, there's a town in southwest co called Ouray (named after a famous chief) that is nestled in San Juan Mountains nicknamed "Switzerland of America".

Several trails can be accessed from there which take you up above 11,000 ft (~3400m) with some of the most beautiful mountain scenes I know of (so far).

Dungarees-- those are called overalls. Ha, wouldn't be caught dead in those but I've seen a few guys wear em off road.

I'm pretty much a jeans or carpenter pants dork.

5

llcdrewtaylor t1_ja3txjb wrote

My grandpa had two of those. We used to hook them up and use them on road trips. Thanks for the memory flashback :)

3

matchtime2 t1_ja3vppl wrote

I was born in 1986 - this thing is as old as me! Wow..

−1

silverwyrm t1_ja3w3ee wrote

Replying to FourFront (#2,027,598)

Most of the "living in a modified vehicle" types I've seen tend to be younger, wealthier, hippy-leaning types. I don't doubt there are tacticool folks who overland, but they strike me more as "compound with basement gun vault" than "exploring new places" types, to me.

10

smokey3801 t1_ja3xmwj wrote

.... does anyone else have one still for you to talk to?

3

Jenos00 t1_ja3xqwf wrote

We've changed to GMRS for range but still have CBs we can drop in the vehicles as needed.

6

m0nkeypox t1_ja3y1q6 wrote

What would you use it for in 2023?

3

bquinlan t1_ja40f8k wrote

Replying to agent_flounder (#2,027,568)

>Midland 75-822

I've had one for a very long time and it's still working. It will plug into a lighter plug and an external antenna for in-car use or you can attach a small battery case and mobile antenna to have something about the size of a traditional walkie-talkie. It's a good design.

2

spcmiller t1_ja40lxe wrote

Always always have your car running! It will kill your battery.

2

agent_flounder t1_ja42rwv wrote

Replying to [deleted] (#2,029,940)

Most of the ones I know of are day trips, anywhere from 4-6 hours on the trail.

String 2 or more together with camping in-between and call it "overlanding" or camping and wheeling.

Some can be loooong. In Moab, the White Rim trail is a fun 2-3 day adventure (you have to book a long long time in advance).

I have never managed to run the Poison Spider, Golden Spike, Gold Bar Rim trifecta in less than 10 hours and in one case it was closer to 20 due to multiple breakdowns with old vehicles. Some can do it faster with more skill and more capable rigs than me.

In Colorado there's the Alpine Loop near Ouray, taking Engineer Pass to Lake City and back via Cinnamon Pass (if I am remembering right...). It can be done in a long day but it's more fun to do it in two.

3

umpfke t1_ja43u2q wrote

Clean that bottom jack please.

1

JacobDziki t1_ja44fnc wrote

My dad has this exact one in his truck. Took it out for the first time a few months back and it still works. Super cool.

1

Locked_door t1_ja45glu wrote

Hopefully you don’t have a dead car battery when you need it the most.

1

isbo t1_ja47fyv wrote

Wow nice. That brings back memories.

1

aldol941 t1_ja47zdn wrote

You know you really should fill out that registration card to make sure your warranty is valid.

2

FlexingCapacitor t1_ja4akig wrote

Replying to Famous_Bit_5119 (#2,025,465)

That's a great question. I don't have an answer, but it reminds me of when I had a CB installed in my little truck like 30 years ago. I thought the way to go was to get a super long whip mounted on the back bumper cuz I thought the popular roof mounted ones were half-measures. That's when the installer dude informed me that the whip is just the visible part. It has to make contact with the vehicle frame, thereby making the entire vehicle AND the whip the operative antenna. I was like 🤯.

83

OcotilloWells t1_ja4atos wrote

Replying to akmjolnir (#2,029,589)

CB will go further than FRS or GMRS radios mostly because it uses AM instead of FM encoding, and use of lower frequencies. But it will be slightly more fuzzy and more prone to interference than FRS/GMRS.

0

imzeigen t1_ja4b1kc wrote

I have a midway CB radio. It is fun to talk with truckers

1

phowntabir t1_ja4bg29 wrote

Replying to agent_flounder (#2,027,220)

What was it used for? My cousin had one put in his parents car in the 90s but I never understood what he used it for. Was it for chatting with randos who were also listening to theirs at that time or something else?

5

pleasant_temp t1_ja4fdbt wrote

Replying to phowntabir (#2,031,745)

It’s a mockery of the word tactical. Often used to describe gear that is intended to be “tactical” but is more-so for show that actual function. It looks cool but the person probably doesn’t know how to use it or it’s just plain cheap plastic junk that would break under any actual use. That’s tacticool.

4

agent_flounder t1_ja4fm6j wrote

Replying to phowntabir (#2,031,794)

Ostensibly to call for help if the car broke down or ran out of gas.

Back in the 70s I think the cops used to monitor CB CH 9 as the emergency channel. Even radios today mark it that way.

In reality, we never needed it and it was fun to listen to the truckers and occasionally talk to them.

Oh also the CB, bought new in 1977, came with a CB Lingo booklet lol

For four wheeling we go in groups of 2+ so just use it to keep in touch and make sure nobody gets left behind in back and make sure we all know which turns to make in the maze of dirt roads / trails.

4

IronSlanginRed t1_ja4k0tz wrote

Replying to Danny_Mc_71 (#2,025,912)

Most people still use cbs as well if they move up to ham. I've got them in most of my rigs.

Around me we use them a lot. You do not want to be headed up the mountain and run into a logging truck headed down. So at the beginning of the road there's always a cb# and the log truck drivers will call out what mile marker they're passing.

We also use them offroading. And in the ocean, and really just to talk shit to each other when we're in a camping convoy. They're cheap and work well.

They also do still work for emergencies. We've unfortunately tested that one with a quad accident.

5

dzlux t1_ja4kszz wrote

Replying to Famous_Bit_5119 (#2,025,465)

Radio label says 4 watt transmit, so with a reasonable antenna and terrain, 10-15 miles would be normal.

Antennas are generally full wave, or a precise fraction of a wave for the frequency. With CB radio full wave requiring a ~40 antenna, a 1/4 wave (10ft) or 1/8 wave (5ft) antenna will be most practical with high performance.

39

samfishx t1_ja4kzju wrote

Replying to agent_flounder (#2,027,711)

What exactly is the appeal of talking to strangers about on a radio? Not crapping on the hobby, I just don’t understand the appeal.

I also think I’d lock myself in a vault for the rest of my life if I could though.

17

numanoid t1_ja4lhrw wrote

Replying to phowntabir (#2,031,794)

A family in my neighborhood had one in the '70s. They didn't even own a truck. The dad just liked to talk on it for some reason. I still remember that his handle was "Robin Hood".

1

dzlux t1_ja4lp0w wrote

Replying to FlexingCapacitor (#2,031,643)

Bigger antenna helps the most on improving the signal, where larger signal to noise ratio (snr) is the goal. The only real question for your antenna is in choosing which fraction of a wave (1/4, 18, etc) you can live with for antenna length to get the best performance without vehicle operation problems.

21

iheartrms t1_ja4ohtv wrote

Replying to Jenos00 (#2,029,317)

Does GMRS have better range? How/why? With CBs lower freq I would think you would be more likely to occasionally at least be able to take advantage of skip , sporadic-e, atmospheric ducting or something.

2

MichaelCringealo t1_ja4s2dj wrote

Replying to Thebluefairie (#2,032,899)

If you don't hear anything on any channel, there is probably something wrong with your setup. I don't CB much but whenever I turn on my CB radio I can either find traffic or even shout out can anyone hear me. It's probably pretty easy to blow the finals on most CB radios I think, do you have any kind of test equipment to see if you're actually transmitting?

1

Ok-Hovercraft8193 t1_ja4uaka wrote

Replying to dzlux (#2,033,410)

ב''ה,

The regulations haven't changed much, although I guess SSB (as can somewhat improve range per watt at the expense of compatibility) is allowed slightly more output power legally.

So, in working order, this is probably about as good as any CB set ever, and for contacting the widest range of them.

It's fun, as is proper ham stuff. Since trucking exists and some emergency services might still even monitor channel 9 somewhere (maybe there was a rare amount of local variation with that?), could still be useful if needed.

13

Gianni_Crow t1_ja4ysym wrote

Lost Sheep to Shepherd, you got yer ears on?

3

Nukemann64 t1_ja4zoop wrote

We had them in mom's van and in my dad's truck growing up in the 90s lol. Dad had a 102" whip antenna, and that old Cobra would get some range on it! We easily got 20-25 miles reception. I had the same Cobra CB in my car back in college, and it helped me SO much. If hit the interstate and ask a bear report. And if it was clear we'd be smooth sailing.

1

AMC4L t1_ja50dly wrote

Thought it was an ignition interlock breathalyzer for a second. Would have been a weird flex.

1

rilloroc t1_ja51qvd wrote

I just watched a YouTube video on these yesterday. Didn't know they existed before then

1

Teilchen t1_ja52d0v wrote

Looks like current technology has eclipsed this certain piece of for-life-ownership-item.

Can barely imagine it's actually gonna be useful in a scenario where you need help within 24h. At least in Europe you'd solely have to rely on hobbyists.

3

Thebluefairie t1_ja53hos wrote

Replying to MichaelCringealo (#2,034,719)

I have a cobra that has all the displays. I think now that you mentioned that I probably have a problem with my antenna. My Cobra is from the early 1980s so I don't think it's blown at all it was working fine the last time I used it

1

Zugzub t1_ja549cv wrote

Replying to dzlux (#2,033,410)

There's no way that thing has a 10 mile range.

With a good external antenna it might on a good day hit 5 miles.

With the supplied antenna more like 2 miles.

Antenna quality and proper tuning of the antenna is everything when it comes to range.

As far as wattage goes that's 4 ways pep. Cb radios are AM, amplitude modulation. When you speak into the mic and observe power out put it will vary as you speak. Initially it will swing to 4 watts. But then the modulation limiter will kick in and you will see around 2 maybe 3 watts.

You can remove the modulation limiter. Usually by clipping a diode or removing a transistor. At that point depending on the final output power rating of the final transistor you might see 6 to 8 watts.

A Cobra 149 or Uniden President grant radio could hit 29 to 25 watts once modified.

And a full wavelength in the 11 meter band is 32.125 feet not 40.

As for antennas, you can get a half wave antenna that's only 3 foot long, that's accomplished by winding 16 feet of wire around a fiberglass rod.

4

TreesNThingsKY t1_ja56zkq wrote

Replying to AthenianWaters (#2,032,593)

It’s a very common theme for hikers across all skill levels.

I watch a lot of solo wilderness YouTube stuff and the amount of times I’ve seen people unprepared for a single mechanical error in a crucial piece of tech is absurd.

I never understood it tbh, I guess there’s a scenario in which you could have mechanical failure from your house to the bush, but the chances of that are astronomically low. You’re preparing for likely weeks for this trip already, spend the extra hour to make sure everything works WELL, is full of fluid, etc.

Edit: all skill levels may be too general, I’d argue that regular checks before heading into the bush are a requirement to get to the highest level.

75

dzlux t1_ja5bhia wrote

Replying to Zugzub (#2,037,035)

You are welcome to have opinions, but arguing about range shortcomings without very specific parameters is pointless. I am traveling down the Texas coastal region today and regularly have 5-10 mile unobstructed line of sight - even a modest monopole antenna will outperform your claims in this area.

> And a full wavelength in the 11 meter band is 32.125 feet not 40.

If you want to be more exact about full wave length in an effort correct someone, then you moght consider explaining how you arrived at “32.125 ft”

CB is 26.965 Mhz - 27.405 Mhz. Which ranges from 36.465 ft to 35.879 ft for a full wave.

Your 32.125 ft would be appropriate for ~30.6m Mhz.

Not that the correcting for exact length adds anything to my comment above, or the one above it……. but whatever. Enjoy yourself.

15

cornedbeefonrye t1_ja5en8r wrote

We had the same one growing up. Every family road trip we'd have that thing plugged in.

1

apathy-sofa t1_ja5hj1e wrote

Replying to FourFront (#2,027,598)

Wait what? I'm not in to "overland" stuff, and agree that they're generally LARPing. But as a HAM radio enthusiast - one of the dorkiest hobbies - I have to say, I've literally never heard of HAM described as tacticool before.

1

apathy-sofa t1_ja5hver wrote

Replying to samfishx (#2,033,434)

When my wife and I go to the backcountry, we often don't have cell service. So, if I go for a trail run away from camp, or she takes the kids out on a raft, we use radios. They're also helpful on super long climbing routes where the parties have to separate.

5

CypherFTW t1_ja5l3ei wrote

Replying to Kevinsound27 (#2,033,695)

CB radios don't ground to the earth to work, only to the chassis of the vehicle. Those straps were "Anti Static Straps" designed to dispel the static build up from your car. I don't think they were ever proven to work and people pretty much stopped buying them by the end of the 90s. I think one of their claims may have been "improved radio quality" but they had a lot of weird claimed benefits that were largely marketing.

27

zap_p25 t1_ja5l87k wrote

Replying to iheartrms (#2,034,059)

GMRS is UHF (some countries have a similar service called UHF CB).

In the US you can run up to 50W legally and use repeaters. CB is limited to 4W AM/FM and 12W SSB. While 11m does offer performance beyond line of sight, CB generally suffers from poor antenna installations and excessive noise.

2

AxxJaxx t1_ja5x38k wrote

Aww man, the memories! I used to have this exact CB. My friends and I used CBs to communicate when we were out driving around town in the early 90s before cell phones.

1

BuddyJaded t1_ja63zt8 wrote

Replying to samfishx (#2,033,434)

When you are off-roading, usually you are in a group telling your friends what’s up ahead and what to look out for. You are also on a set channel so the people you would be talking to would already know you. Also, in some scenarios you need someone spotting you and a radio is the best way to do this. Another case is if you are winching out of a tough spot and someone is on your winch line, you can communicate with each other safely.

3

jhra t1_ja64k5q wrote

Replying to TreesNThingsKY (#2,037,593)

People travelling for many months, overlanding, motorcycle cruising, ATW, vancamping etc. that don't spend a good month locally field testing their setup kills me. You need to KNOW if your rig and setup will get you through a mid March snowstorm you weren't prepared for. Your water filter systems need to be tested with every kind of ditch water you can find. Does your propane tank have compatibility in Guatemala or any other country you'll go to?

34

ssl-3 t1_ja69n4n wrote

Replying to th3comeup (#2,043,171)

It's typically located down under. The name is kind of misleading: It can be so thick and bushy that you lose your way, or almost completely barren, or anywhere in between. Preferences vary.

But that's not important. The important part is to check your gear before heading in. Mechanical failures there can be life-altering.

29

luingar2 t1_ja6a6oo wrote

Replying to agent_flounder (#2,027,568)

Many of the realities behind radio transmission strongly resist miniaturization. A wire has to be so thick to carry a certain amperage. A transformer requires so many turns of that wire to convert to higher voltage. The more power you use in transmission, the better the range, which causes design conflicts with the above

1

Loapinator t1_ja6dmoc wrote

I have the exact same radio and I rigged up a lawn mower battery to use it

1

takeoff_power_set t1_ja6e6f9 wrote

Replying to [deleted] (#2,041,241)

I've personally had better results than that transmitting on a handheld set to 5w. There are a lot of variables to range on low power, small antenna units like this. Frequency, obstacles, characteristics of the terrain, condition of the antenna and connector, height above ground, background interference etc.

The best thing you can do to help yourself if you need to use one of these in the wilderness is to get as high as safely possible above potential receivers with it before transmitting. I.e. climb a hill or mountain with it if you want to be heard.

A neat trick if you have two decent handhelds and some rope: set one radio up to retransmit what it receives, tie a rope to its lanyard and throw it up into a tree branch as high as you can. With the other unit you can now transmit with your impromptu repeater being (hopefully) significantly higher up and giving you waaay better range. A decade or so ago I set up a very crude pair of solar powered repeaters like this in the mountains, it worked well and I was able to talk to people dozens of miles away on the other side of the mountains so long as I had LOS with the first repeater. The repeaters in trees at mountain peaks had massive transmit range even at low wattage. Not bad for some cheap Quansheng radios

2

optomas t1_ja6me8f wrote

Replying to Fat_Head_Carl (#2,027,371)

2am in the Nevada desert. Full moon. Have not seen anyone in what seemed like hours. A long time.

Over the radio, there's these weird clicks and pops. Like music an alien insect race would listen to. Then a squelch-break. Silence. Then:

"OH NO.

What's that?

It's the ....

SOOOOOOOO PUUUUUUUR CHEEEEEEeeeeeef!"

Silence.

Insect music.

7

rarebit13 t1_ja6oilr wrote

Replying to dzlux (#2,033,565)

As I understand it:

Short antenna is shorter range but works best in hilly terrain (signal is 'rounder ')

Long antenna is long range but works better over flat terrain (signal is horizontally 'oblong').

I realise this is actually a function of the dbi but I believe length is inversely related to dbi.

8

jcm37 t1_ja6qwhn wrote

I have the same radio tucked away in my Jeep. I bought it some time around 1987.

1

Fortuna16 t1_ja6rdrp wrote

I thought this was a court-ordered breathalyzer 😂

1

herseyhawkins33 t1_ja6sulp wrote

WOW! That logo just gave me a flashback to being like 7 years old on a road trip

1

kruegefn t1_ja6vygn wrote

OP will record the serial number any day now.

2

mkosmo t1_ja7eyk5 wrote

Replying to dzlux (#2,033,410)

> Antennas are generally full wave

Full wave whips don't work, though... so you wouldn't see one here. You'd have to go dipole or loop, neither of which makes sense in a mobile application.

0

TreesNThingsKY t1_ja7oebn wrote

Replying to Avadeus (#2,052,030)

Not strictly solo I suppose, more just lack of help from outside sources. First few like what I was talking about above that jump to mind are these 2. video from Deadmen, video from Jon Conti

Some terrific examples that are hardly ever accidentally unprepared. The most obvious, Les Stroud. He’s got the full Survivorman Seasons 1-5, as well as most of the spin-offs they did with it (Survivorman for Kids, Survivorman & Son, etc) Alone Across the Arctic. Dude paddles (spoiler alert: it’s mostly pushing, rather than paddling) across Canada’s Arctic in one season. Really puts into perspective how much extra weight being properly prepared adds, and he gets resupplied a few times over the few months.

2

Vincenzo74 t1_ja7quq4 wrote

My mother had the older version of this. She probably still has it somewhere

1

dzlux t1_ja999k0 wrote

Replying to mkosmo (#2,052,816)

“Antennas are generally full wave, or a precise fraction of a wave for the frequency.”

Wild. That sentence describes the concept behind any antenna length… and somehow you tried to correct it by picking one length and describing why it won’t work for a specific design?

This is a really negative approach to introduce concepts of antenna design limitations to the conversation.

0

mkosmo t1_ja99opx wrote

Replying to dzlux (#2,069,839)

We’re talking CB, where whips are almost exclusively used. It’s important to note context. When it comes to whips, 5/8λ works, but 1 λ does not.

If we were talking a service where dipoles were relevant, I wouldn’t have mentioned it.

0

livingmybestlife2782 t1_jac37j3 wrote

I still have one, and a cobra 29, and a galaxy DX 88 10/11 meter… good stuff for sure

1

shefuboiaredeez t1_jae8bpy wrote

Wait I have one of those from my mom cause she thought it was junk. I gotta go play with it

1