CB Vs Walkie Talkie

[Tallyman]

You're unlikely to get anything that would use CB & PMR frequencies in the same handset. CB uses 27Mh, PMR uses 446Mh.

CB is allowed greater power, so has greater range. A good set up, car mounted, could be heard over 25 miles away or more if the conditions are right. In the old days, stuck on top of a hill in Wales, I got an 80 mile contact with a guy in Swansea using a small handheld CB (height is everything!!).

I've got a couple of sets of PMR radios which we use for team comms playing Airsoft. The Binatones (similar but not the same as those shown above) look and feel better made but seem to have poor range, being only any good for about 1/2 mile in built up areas. My Cobra 600's are not quite as easy to use but the sound quality and range are better, but they were about twice the price.

The more you pay, the better the quality, but you still only get 8 basic channels with PMR. All the "additional" channels are just tone settings of the basic channels, where if you use the sub channel codes you can only hear someone using the same code. However, anyone with a basic set (no codes) can still hear you on the base channel , you just can't hear them.

[Apache]

Not really, just CB is the 'old' thing

A lot of people use PMR now as they're more available than CB, for better prices, and you dont need comms over 10 miles or so on an offroading trip do you?

If you do (for expeditions etc), there's always VHF around 170MHz, which combined with a decent antenna will p1ss all over CB for reliability of communication.

[dieselboy]

Is this the new thing to have instead of CB's now?

[Apache]

Yep, they look fine. If you're just looking for short range 'truck to truck' comms, or local (same village) sort of comms, PMR is ideal.

[Maverick]

Thanks for the tip Andy, I was actually looking at PMR radios on Ebay last night. These don't look to bad for the money and I've read some good reviews on them.

[EDIT] Even better price at Argos

That's the ones I've got. I haven't had any problems with them yet. They have even taken the bashing of being clipped on one of our dogs' collars for a while.

[Scorpion]

Thanks for the tip Andy, I was actually looking at PMR radios on Ebay last night. These don't look to bad for the money and I've read some good reviews on them.

[EDIT] Even better price at Argos

[tintin]

Thats because you were only 13 or 14.

Surely by that logic the box would have been smaller as the feet wouldn't be fully grownD

Alan

[BUSHWHACKER]

The hand held one I was given was huge. IT was like holding a shoe box up to your head.

Thats because you were only 13 or 14.

[Apache]

CB handhelds are big because they're old. Dunno if anyone builds them now. Go PMR. Much better - and you dont wanna talk to the cranks who use CB now anyway!

[dieselboy]

Someone gave me a hand held CB once. I managed to rig a power supply up to it stolen / borrowed from the printer down stairs. Turned out it was AC current but it worked strangely although people couldn't hear me very well.
I was about 13 or 14 so excuse the "oh it's AC but the right voltage I'll try it any way".

Interested in hand helds also if they are relatively compact and can be powered easily.. The hand held one I was given was huge. IT was like holding a shoe box up to your head.

[Apache]

Just look for 'PMR' radios. Hand held and vehicle mounted are available, with ranges suited to offroading. Cheap, easily portable and generally the band isn't populated by ar5eholes as CB is now.

[Scorpion]

Sorry to hear that John, I hope things take a turn for the better for you.

[John h]

Hanging on being the operative word ! We are working on a month by month basis at moment, however the Surf goes in for cosmetic works next week, will most likely sell if all comes to an end in April

[Scorpion]

Cheers John, I'm in no rush, just filling time in really!

Still hanging onto you Surf mate?

[John h]

Try Motorola ? they have multi-channel stuff, we got the old Icom stuff from a dealer in Leeds city centre, big heavy things, clip on your belt have about 40 channels etc poor battery life, but enough to get us through a shoot day