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Grumpy Texan idea....

Posted: January 12, 2018, 8:11 pm
by slick4x4
Uncle Skip was talking about how a lot of these trucks had CB radios
He was going to install one for a "period correct" look ...

Then it dawned on me ...might be very handy at Slick Stock...

If some (or all) Slicks had CBs ... might make some of the cruises easier
Cell phones are wonderful......
But with CBs , lot of people can hear one guy talk ....
Group decisions on the road...
Giving directions & times ...

I think I'll try to have one......
Channel 6 .....
Catch ya on the flip flop good buddy

Re: Grumpy Texan idea....

Posted: January 13, 2018, 11:54 am
by foodstick
I still recall sitting at my Grandmas as a kid.. watching the tv.. hearing static, and then Breaka break 17 .... or some other channel powering thru the tv reception...

Re: Grumpy Texan idea....

Posted: January 13, 2018, 12:06 pm
by mercuryv8
foodstick wrote:I still recall sitting at my Grandmas as a kid.. watching the tv.. hearing static, and then Breaka break 17 .... or some other channel powering thru the tv reception...

Everyone already has a Handel. You guys would have a lot of fun.

When I was a kid I setup a CB radio in my bedroom... It was awesome.

Nic

Re: Grumpy Texan idea....

Posted: January 13, 2018, 8:55 pm
by Kid
Sounds like a great plan.

Re: Grumpy Texan idea....

Posted: January 13, 2018, 9:43 pm
by Kid
You can find them that are handheld. You would not have to permanently mount it. I went and dug out mine from when I ran OTR and will be putting it in this spring. Looking forward to SS this year.
Pat maybe you can put up a post in the SS forum so members who are planning on attending can be up to speed on this.
You can buy them online for a decent price or stop by a local truck stop or CB shop and get yourself all set up.

Re: Grumpy Texan idea....

Posted: January 14, 2018, 12:34 am
by Alan Mclennan
I hope the car rental place doesn't mind me cutting a garage door in their dashboard ! 8)

Re: Grumpy Texan idea....

Posted: February 12, 2018, 8:01 pm
by FarmMotorSports
Oh my how time have changed, I remember the CB use of the 70's and 80's. Everyone had a cb even if they didn't talk on it much. Sometimes it was hard to squelch some channels, some one was always chattering.


I dug out one of the old units that came in the Uni, nothing but white noise almost silent, break for a radio check, same very hush static. Darn, crystals must be blown.
Buy a much newer, used one, the same results, nothing but great weather band reception.
Was ready to head to a TA or Flying J truck stop and buy new, and the wife stepped out of the house and asked if she was supposed to respond to my radio check! The old Cristal radio from the slick, I set up in the house to play with was working fine...and so was the newer unit. :roll:

If you perform a radio check, and no one is there to hear it, is the radio broken or the operator?!!

Re: Grumpy Texan idea....

Posted: February 18, 2018, 8:45 am
by slixtyfive
Can someone educate me a bit on new CBs available today. I haven't looked much yet but my brief search revealed a fairly wide price range for new CBs - anywhere from $40 to ~$300. For the sake of this discussion let's limit it to the low end - there seemed to be a few in the $40-50 range and then the next group was $100-$150 range.

Is there any reason to NOT go the cheap route($50 version) on this since it will get such limited use?

Oh - and the only hand held version i saw was over $300 - are there less expensive versions of hand held CBs available?

Thanks

Re: Grumpy Texan idea....

Posted: February 18, 2018, 10:48 am
by FarmMotorSports
Cheap is fine. Used units are a gamble.
In stock form "4Watts output" a mile to several miles range is normal.
Depends on weather and terrain sun spots, etc.
So $15 to $150 is going to work about the same.
Base cab or Camper special Ranger it's a truck, what bells and whistles do you require?

Doing the install, probaly is the most important.
Google can turn up lists of do's and Do not's for "How to Install a CB raido"
Good grounds, a quality antenna, with a clear view above the vehicle, 8" away from the side of the vehicles body.
I'll suggest a SWR meter to test your work, but it's not mandatory, and you'll use it once.
Poor grounds, antennas close to the metal body, tend to cause a high swr possibly harming the radio.

I picked up a 1972 Royce 23 channel for $15 at a near buy antique/flea market. I looked for 3 weeks before finding a single unit. Bought a cable and antenna base at a truck stop, and the 102" whip came in the bed of the Uni.

PS, I have newer units with weather band and SideBand bla bla... their nice. But don't look right under the dash of a slick.