CB Radio advice

[MarkBanks555]

Dear breaker breaker, 1-4 for a copy.

Can anyone please give any advice on CB Radio use, legality and recommendations for a unit and aerial that I can buy for an installation in my Series 2a.

10-10 Cheers

Regards Mark.

[Genocache]

What Country? In the US Midland or Cobra make good ones. I am loathe to put new holes in my 109 so I mounted my antenna on the windscreen hinge. In my blog; https://poppageno.blogspot.com/2013/12/109-update.html

[Ian F]

That's a blast from the past!!  I thought use of CB radio ended years ago?

Ian F

[Wittsend]

I think this Midland hand-held is a good compromise - no holes to drill or aerials and back planes to bother about and you can take it with you from car-2-car 

Midland Hand-held

[MarkBanks555]

Sorry, should have said I'm in the UK.

Some local classic car friends and I have been using walkie talkies for car runs but they are not that great. Looking to upgrade to something more stable.

Cheers.

[whitehillbilly64]

CB very Popular still here in Aus, especially by the 4x4 comunity.
Been using one of these for Years with no Issues. We had 12 of them when I worked In Outdoor Education.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/314514266570?chn=ps&_ul=AU&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3A13CBjOtqtQ52Tvp8c553bfQ0&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=705-139619-5960-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=314514266570&targetid=&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=1000286&poi=&campaignid=19657035965&mkgroupid=&rlsatarget=&abcId=9305370&merchantid=7364522&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqLbbptCWgAMVMswWBR16HAhzEAQYASABEgIgNPD_BwE
You have to load frequencies individually, but Utube clips on how to do It.
We are limited to 5W here. As mentioned, the best place to add an Antenna is on the windscreen bolt with a bracket.
Radio Details originally sent buy UK Ham Enthusiast Uncle.

whitehillbilly

[biloxi]

This is my hand held one. At the bottom is an extra. longer antenna for better reception under certain conditions.
I can also connect it to a car mounted antenna. Unfortunately, because the truck cab is too noisy, I cannot use it on the move.
.W.

[Bloke]

I used to use CB radios when I was part of a Midlands-based Subaru owners club some years ago. We'd regularly convoy to shows together. Sometimes there'd be 30+ of us in the convoy, so many of us had CB radios fitted to make communication easy in case of breakdowns etc or just general route enquiries - this was just around the time satnavs were becoming common.

I don't have it anymore but I bought my CB radio from a company called Thunderpole. The aerial itself had a magnetic base which sat on the steel boot lid of my Subaru, and I ran the wire under the carpet to the radio box which neatly wedged in the centre tunnel. This was then powered by the cigarette lighter socket. It was a nice little setup and could be easily and quickly removed.

I'm sure Thunderpole and similar companies make much sleeker versions now that will make fitting one into a Series easy peasy with little-to-no drilling required.

Tom

PS. Forgot to mention that the radio was pretty fun to use also! Especially with a few friends on the same channel. Good times indeed. Makes me wonder how useful and fun they could be when greenlaning etc?

[Wittsend]

As I understand things - it is not illegal to use a CB radio whilst driving, unlike using a mobile phone.
However, you could still be done if plod thought you were driving without due care & attention.
[The same could have been applied to using mobile phones, but for some reason someone thought they needed a special law of their own.]

[Betsy1969]

Thunderpole advertise some nice stuff including starter kits with a choice of Ariel mounts including gutter mounts which require no drilling. Not too expensive either

thunderpole.co.uk

Hope this helps

Regards Andy

[jonhutchings]

As I understand things - it is not illegal to use a CB radio whilst driving, unlike using a mobile phone.
However, you could still be done if plod thought you were driving without due care & attention.
[The same could have been applied to using mobile phones, but for some reason someone thought they needed a special law of their own.]

I remember going on an awareness course, to avoid getting points, after being caught using  my mobile phone in a traffic jam in the centre of Oxford (don't ask). On the course the instructor said that despite the "new" law, almost all prosecutions were done using the old "driving without due care and attention" law because there was much more case precedence that the judges could use for guidance on sentencing, so the CPS would choose that route as they could be confident of a conviction and appropriate scentance. How true this is now, I don't know, since there's no doubt plenty of cases for the "new law" built up since then.
 

[Betsy1969]

I didn't get the option of a course when I got spotted in Glasgow about 10 years back just reaching for the phone which was on the dashboard. I reckon it was a sting and I was going to be guilty whatever. I was coming down a slip road , nearly at the bottom when a wooden top popped out from his hiding place , pointed at me and directed me around the corner where two of his accomplices where already issuing the ticket on a credit card machine thingy. I tried to appeal unsuccessfully although I did get a phone call from a very nice lady inspector explaining that basically I was stuffed 😀

Andy

[g6anz]

If using a radio CB or PMR was made illegal then the police or other emergency services couldn't use them while driving. It comes to using a handheld microphone or a phone.

[Wittsend]

Easy enough to draft a law that exempts the emergency services.

The fact is the "driving without due care and attention" covers all driving misdemeanors - it were properly applied.
Using phones, applying make-up, eating mars bars, drinking water, etc. etc.

[w3526602]

Hi,

Our nuclear convoys had CB, frequently used to alert the Leyland Hippo drivers that a car with "interesting" occupants was overtaking the convoy, so the for-runners could check them out, as they passed. Naughty!

Ref our convoys, a Google for NUCLEAR ACCIDENTS IN UK, X-FLIGHT should produce the incident where one of our Leyland Hippos had its 10,000cc engine "run away", due to it drinking its own sump oil, which had been diluted with diesel fuel, from a split leak-back pipe. The evacuating driver managed to kick off the hand-brake, letting the truck run away, crashing into an old couple's cottage. There is no mention of an RAF Snowdrop sticking his .38 up a newspaper photographer's nose, with the suggestion that he should "Go fourth and multiply".

Us "Erks" had the job of modifying the rest of the fleet, to ensure it couldn't happen again.