Gary Lewis Posted October 23, 2020 Author Share Posted October 23, 2020 I'm no expert on 2-way radios, but it seems to me that most people are moving away from CBs. Bao Feng is a radio (brand I assume) that I see quite a bit of interest in. From what I gather they are slightly more powerful versions of the hand-held FRS radios. I think that you are supposed to have a license to use them, but it would appear that requirement is not widely followed or enforced. But CBs seem to be considered to be inferior to FRS which are inferior to these radios. Again, I'm no expert and I've probably already said more than I know , and at this point have no personal interest in getting a 2-way radio so I don't plan to look into it any farther. So I'll leave it at that. Bob - I've been reading about that. On the page Offroad Communications 101, published in March, seems to say that CB is currently the go-to communications method. But Family Radio Systems, FRS, seems to be short range. So are you seeing the demise of CB? The rise of FSR? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted October 23, 2020 Author Share Posted October 23, 2020 Bob - I've been reading about that. On the page Offroad Communications 101, published in March, seems to say that CB is currently the go-to communications method. But Family Radio Systems, FRS, seems to be short range. So are you seeing the demise of CB? The rise of FSR? Well, this article, MICROMOBILE®: THE NEW STANDARD IN OFF-ROAD COMMUNICATION, is interesting! In it is the statement: Midland Radio Corporation is the official 2020 communications sponsor of Jeep® Jamboree USA. With the sponsorship comes a transition with CB being replaced by FRS/GMRS two-way radios. This year Jeep® Jamboree participants are still welcome to use their CB radio, but in 2021 all trail communication will be through FRS/GMRS two-way radios. So it does look like there's a shift on! Got to read more about this. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpin Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 Ok, a little bird told me that a highliner will appear some time around Christmas! So now I want to discuss CB's a bit more. Rob - One of the questions that I have is how large the space is in the Highliner for a CB? Do you know? I'm trying to understand which CB's will fit. Dane - Tell me more about the President Bill. What would you change about it? What about the speaker - you said earlier you'd go with an external speaker. But it has a bottom speaker and if I drill the lower piece of the Highliner to let sound through, will that be good enough? Others to recommend? I've found a few review sites: RRD We Are CB RRD Fullsize CB's Lifewire Saferoad Carbibles Techsounded On the President Bill, I really like it. Good question! What would I change? I’ve been driving the Xterra a bit lately, and I was thinking about this on my trip home. The speaker is small, because the radio is small! In my Xterra it’s mounted on the passenger inboard kick panel or tunnel panel. I can hear it from there but my hearing isn’t what it used to be so I prefer the 3.5 cable to my stereo. It comes out my left speaker and I can control the volume with the stereo. I think if it was right over my head in a headliner I would hear it fine. I have a President Andy mounted on the front of the center console in my bullnose. It’s bigger, so a bigger speaker, hear it just fine. I have my sentimental old Cobra 29 NW ST WX in my Bronco under the dash and hear it fine. I like the ASC (Automatic Squelch Control) on the new Presidents. I quiet my old Cobra down and you have to be right on top of me to break the squelch! What I thought the other day is what would I put in the Bronco to replace the Cobra which I’m thinking of doing. I like the looks of the President Johnny III and Johnson II. But then thought why when another Bill would do everything I want. One button to switch between weather and CB. Two memory channels, called emergency channels I believe. I have one on channel 9 and the other on 19, on the west coast channel 17 is the truckers channel. Channel buttons on the mic. So my next radio will probably be another Bill or another quick mount for a Bill and I can put the radio in what I’m driving. But at their price I would probably just buy another radio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted October 23, 2020 Author Share Posted October 23, 2020 On the President Bill, I really like it. Good question! What would I change? I’ve been driving the Xterra a bit lately, and I was thinking about this on my trip home. The speaker is small, because the radio is small! In my Xterra it’s mounted on the passenger inboard kick panel or tunnel panel. I can hear it from there but my hearing isn’t what it used to be so I prefer the 3.5 cable to my stereo. It comes out my left speaker and I can control the volume with the stereo. I think if it was right over my head in a headliner I would hear it fine. I have a President Andy mounted on the front of the center console in my bullnose. It’s bigger, so a bigger speaker, hear it just fine. I have my sentimental old Cobra 29 NW ST WX in my Bronco under the dash and hear it fine. I like the ASC (Automatic Squelch Control) on the new Presidents. I quiet my old Cobra down and you have to be right on top of me to break the squelch! What I thought the other day is what would I put in the Bronco to replace the Cobra which I’m thinking of doing. I like the looks of the President Johnny III and Johnson II. But then thought why when another Bill would do everything I want. One button to switch between weather and CB. Two memory channels, called emergency channels I believe. I have one on channel 9 and the other on 19, on the west coast channel 17 is the truckers channel. Channel buttons on the mic. So my next radio will probably be another Bill or another quick mount for a Bill and I can put the radio in what I’m driving. But at their price I would probably just buy another radio. Thanks, Dane. But the more I read the more I think Bob is right - the shift is on from CB to GMRS/FRS. I've told Google to limit the responses to my searches to things written in the last year, and that has made a big difference in what I've found. Here are a couple: Gladiator Forum: Dated January 2020, this guy says "CB radio is dead. Stop installing them and get a VHF/UHF instead!!!" Yes, it is a forum quite like ours, but there is a lot of good discussion. OCD Offroad: Dated Feb 2020, this guy says "My own personal opinion, if you are not a Ham Radio operator or no one you are wheeling with is a Ham, CB is really the way to go." But then later he says "While a CB radio setup will get you the best distance and has trended as the most popular solution for many decades, many people are moving to GMRS for their offroad vehicles." There are more, but it seems to come down to the group you wheel with. In other words, if you go with a crew that currently has CB radios then that's what you need. But if you go with people who have either GMRS or FRS radios then that's the way to go. And I'm pretty sure my brother has GMRS handhelds. (We tried CB handhelds decades ago and they were very poor.) I'm planning to call him today to discuss this, and other things, and will find out. But there does appear to be a shift on away from CB to GMRS/FRS. Jeep Jamboree has driven a stake in the ground, and maybe through the heart of CB, by saying in 2021 it'll be GMRS/FRS. That may be the first tangible sign of the shift, but all I've read says it is on. So, I'm not ready to buy a CB. I'll do more research and investigation, and I welcome everyone's input as well. But from what I can see there are several significant advantages to GMRS/FRS. First, with the higher frequency of GMRS/FRS (462 Mhz vs 27 Mhz for CB), the antennas are much shorter. Second, the handhelds are ubiquitous, and are available in many big box stores, outdoor stores, etc. And, it appears the manufacturers are placing their R&D $'s on the new systems, so that's where the innovations will be. Thoughts? Comments? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nothing Special Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 Bob - I've been reading about that. On the page Offroad Communications 101, published in March, seems to say that CB is currently the go-to communications method. But Family Radio Systems, FRS, seems to be short range. So are you seeing the demise of CB? The rise of FSR? From what you've posted since this I think you've seen as much, if not more, than I have. So go with whatever you think based on the info you are gathering. I just wanted to make sure you looked into the question a bit. And I'm not saying a CB and another wouldn't be an option either, especially if you do have a group that uses CB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted October 23, 2020 Author Share Posted October 23, 2020 Bob - I've been reading about that. On the page Offroad Communications 101, published in March, seems to say that CB is currently the go-to communications method. But Family Radio Systems, FRS, seems to be short range. So are you seeing the demise of CB? The rise of FSR? From what you've posted since this I think you've seen as much, if not more, than I have. So go with whatever you think based on the info you are gathering. I just wanted to make sure you looked into the question a bit. And I'm not saying a CB and another wouldn't be an option either, especially if you do have a group that uses CB. Bob - I'm glad you said something as I'd really not considered GMRS/FRS. But just talked to my brother and he's in agreement - that's probably the way to go. And he wants to put one on/in his FJ before our trip. And yes, he's "in". He and his wife would like to meet Janey and I in Ouray next summer and we'll do some of the easy trails. And then we'll probably do the Lake City loop. After that, if the gals aren't ready for the next level we'll go by ourselves. Now if I can arrange to get our son out there...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted October 23, 2020 Author Share Posted October 23, 2020 Bob - I'm glad you said something as I'd really not considered GMRS/FRS. But just talked to my brother and he's in agreement - that's probably the way to go. And he wants to put one on/in his FJ before our trip. And yes, he's "in". He and his wife would like to meet Janey and I in Ouray next summer and we'll do some of the easy trails. And then we'll probably do the Lake City loop. After that, if the gals aren't ready for the next level we'll go by ourselves. Now if I can arrange to get our son out there...... But before BB goes to CO there are a BUNCH of things to do, inc replacing the radiator. So I started draining the old radiator. BOY DO I HATE THAT DRAIN PLUG! It has no "spout" and it appears to just have a tiny hole in it. So once the gasket clears the body of the radiator you get a very weak stream that goes wherever the hole is pointed. I'd tied a funnel under there to capture the coolant as I want to reuse it since it only has ~500 miles on it. But at first the stream was going off towards the driver's front wheel. I rotated the plug and it is now SLOWLY going into the funnel. But this is going to take a LONG time to drain. Sure am looking forward to getting the new radiator. Look at the lower right of this pic. I suggest that if you are installing a new radiator that you get a proper petcock before you fill it. That will make draining it much easier/cleaner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sac79 Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 Ok, a little bird told me that a highliner will appear some time around Christmas! So now I want to discuss CB's a bit more. Rob - One of the questions that I have is how large the space is in the Highliner for a CB? Do you know? I'm trying to understand which CB's will fit. Dane - Tell me more about the President Bill. What would you change about it? What about the speaker - you said earlier you'd go with an external speaker. But it has a bottom speaker and if I drill the lower piece of the Highliner to let sound through, will that be good enough? Others to recommend? I've found a few review sites: RRD We Are CB RRD Fullsize CB's Lifewire Saferoad Carbibles Techsounded It seems you're no longer interested in a CB Gary. FYI though, the 'tray' in the Highliner has dimensions of roughly 7"x7"x2.5". Most pictures I've seen of CBs have been mounted directly to the Highliner though and not in the tray. I suppose you could put a vehicle mounted GMRS radio in that location... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted October 23, 2020 Author Share Posted October 23, 2020 It seems you're no longer interested in a CB Gary. FYI though, the 'tray' in the Highliner has dimensions of roughly 7"x7"x2.5". Most pictures I've seen of CBs have been mounted directly to the Highliner though and not in the tray. I suppose you could put a vehicle mounted GMRS radio in that location... Rob - Thanks! Yes, I've probably moved on from a CB. But I'm kinda thinking I'd put the GMRS radio up there. The big daddy of Midland GMRS radios, the MXT400, is only 1.6" x 5.5" x 7.3", so it looks like it would fit. However, it has a top-firing speaker so that doesn't really work very well. What I'd like to find is a radio with a bottom-firing speaker. Then I'd attach it to the roof of the truck through the Highliner and drill the tray to allow the sound to come through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpin Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 Rob - Thanks! Yes, I've probably moved on from a CB. But I'm kinda thinking I'd put the GMRS radio up there. The big daddy of Midland GMRS radios, the MXT400, is only 1.6" x 5.5" x 7.3", so it looks like it would fit. However, it has a top-firing speaker so that doesn't really work very well. What I'd like to find is a radio with a bottom-firing speaker. Then I'd attach it to the roof of the truck through the Highliner and drill the tray to allow the sound to come through. If there is a shift that’s great. I have read where some clubs and even trails require a CB. Clubs shouldn’t be a problem if your not in one. And I really can’t see a “trail” requiring it unless it’s privately owned. Probably rumor or internet lore on the trails. Good points, smaller antennas, handhelds are great, I can’t believe how well my 2 meter hand held works! And a lot less noise or static! Edit: found this, you may have seen it or know. https://midlandusa.com/gmrs-or-frs-radio-how-to-choose/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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