Would appreciate recommendations on the best radio for our C5. Looking for something that doesn't take up too much room and performs well.

Thanks
Doug

 

Breaker, breaker, one-nine. They still make those things?

 

Doug

I have had a CB in my 93 and also in my 02 Convertible! The CB works fine for basically line of sight while driving, cruising in the mountains and going around curvy roads you will lose contact with whom your talking to. It also has poor reception and you at times get a ton of static and you will have to always tune the squelch . I just added a Ham radio from ICOM a IC-208H , I took the class given by a club member and passed my radio license , currently we have about 35 members with hams and so far you anywhere from 20 to 70 miles with pure clean reception because its all FM. Its a 2mm/70CM band radio, don't let that scare you its just as easy to use as a CB. The Antenna is only 17 inches long and looks a lot nicer then a CB antenna. Plus with the CB you can only put out 4 watts of power while with the Ham you can put out 5 watts to 50 watts if needed. Thats what I would do, but check it out for yourself.

Good luck

Bob Lapine
Corvette Club of Utahhttps://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/images/smilies/patriot.gif

 

Where is Boss Hogg when you need him? And I envision the General Lee trying to tempt me into being his bait...

 

Most of the members in our club have CB radios that we use while on club cruzes. It allows us to keep track of everybody such as when some cars get caught at stoplights. When you have 15 to 25 cars trying to keep in line, the radio is quite handy!!! The setup we use has an antenna that mounts on a bracket that sabdwiches with rear license plate. That way no holes need to be drilled for antennas. The radio itself is tiny box that mounts loose under a seat, hooked up to DC power that I intercepted from behind the spare cigarette lighter power socket. All the controls to run the radio are in the mic, including a small speaker. The mic head can unplug and be removed from the car or stowed in the rear compartments, for security. The CB antenna has a socket at the base, so it can also be unpluged and stowed in the rear compartment or away from the car. The whole setup can be hooked up or removed in minute or two. The radio is by Midland, the antenna and stainless steel bracket are of unknown manufacture. I purchased the whole setup used from a former C5 owner. It took me a few hours to run all the wires because I had to pull up some carpet and part of the center console, and run power wires to the radio box, which is located under my passenger seat.

As for Boss Hog, Jessie, Daisy and the boys, well, I see them on reruns now and then, but have never heard a 'breaker' on the radio. Some of the truckers are nice guys and I'll chat with them if I have the CB on while I'm doing some intercity freeway driving.....but not all of them are cool. There are some real azzes out there too.

Hope this helps,
Jennifer

 

without any intent to divert this thread, don't those small handheld radios which are typically sold in pairs w/ advertised range of 8 to 14 miles use cb channels? bub

 

No they are not CB channels, they are VHF or UHF in the 150 to 400 mag range. They can work just as well and the price is right.

 

I've got a small Radio Shack hand held unit that I use from time to time. However, it works best w/ a external antenna. It's good for 3-4 miles on a country expressway. Good luck on your search...

 

I am a 15+ year Ham veteran, KR4UD, advance class operator. I personally own tons of gear including 6 repeaters in the Bham area from 10 meters to 1.2 gigs. Contacts made all over the world including the Space Shuttle.

I use a $15 Uniden hand held radio to hook up with other Vettes. Put a UHF/VHF rig with antenna on the car......Absolutley NOT!

You can also get a handheld unit that operates on the CB band, i.e. 11 meters

Of course this is a personal preference.

I would invite you to http://www.arrl.org/
For futher info about being a Ham.

Best!

The sad thing is, I know people like this

 

Congrats, Bob, on getting your ticket. My call is N2HX. MAMotorworks shows a CB whip in their catalog. However with a VHF or UHF ham rig, you can operate a handheld right inside the car without an external antenna. Getting a ham license would be a better solution.

73...

 

Ham rig is fine if all your cruise members have them. CB allows you to listen in on the truckers. Best for road reports ect. I have a small unit with a weather band. 2-3 miles in med/heavy traffic is fine. I take it from car to car if travling. Works well with others hand helds.