The term CB radio tends to invoke images of professional truckers, chatting away on the airwaves as they drive through the night. While truckers are probably one of the largest groups to make use of CB radios, they are by no means the only ones! Despite many people thinking CB radios have died off as cell phones have become commonplace, nothing is further from the truth. There are still millions of people (truckers and non-truckers) using CB radios every day. CB radios are popular with individuals driving Jeeps, RVs and pick-up trucks for communications on the road and the trail.

Benefits of CB Radio Use

People continue to use CB radios as they offer a number of benefits:

• Easily communicate with traveling partners on the highways with a CB radio


• Stay up-to-date on local traffic conditions and avoid accidents and delays


• Able to contact emergency services via a CB radio


• No FCC licensing for CB radio use is required


• Allows for communications when cell phones have no coverage


• Receive local information when traveling regarding sights, accommodations and restaurants
  

When to Pick a CB Radio

There are a lot of options that allow us to get out on the airwaves these days; Cell phones, two-way radios, CB radios, Business Band Radios, GMRS radios, HAM radios and many others. CB radios tend to be the best choice when you need a quality communication device that will be permanently mounted in a single location. While handheld CB radios are available, they often suffer from poor performance due to the small antennas they use. As all CB radios are limited to 4 watts or transmission power by the FCC, the largest determinant of CB performance (i.e. transmission and reception strength) is a system's antenna. Permanently installed CB systems, whether they be in a vehicle or in a home, can make use of substantially larger antennas and tend to perform much better.

Due to these limitations, CB radios often aren't the best choice when a handheld device is required, especially in mountainous terrain. In these cases, a GMRS or two-way radio would most likely be a more efficient and cost-effective solution.

If you think you'd like to further explore CB radios, I've created a few additional lenses that dive further into the CB world. These lenses cover common CB radio features and applications, CB antenna installation and CB system troubleshooting. They should contain all the information necessary for you to make an informed decision about purchasing and installing a CB radio of your own.