Communication question; what CBs (or other) do people recommend?

[Mountainunicycler]

I'm very new to expedition vehicles, but was wondering what people used for communication; if CB radios were popular or something else.

I've got room in my dash from pulling out a siren I can't legally have, and was wondering if anyone could recommend something useful to put in its place?

It would be helpful if it was roughly this size:

Thanks in advance!

 

[Wainiha]

I'm looking at the Uniden 880 and 980. I think those are the numbers. Both recommended by CBradio Forum. They don't look like the same size as that though. They are single DIN. A little trimming required to fit in the slot...

 

[Mountainunicycler]

My dashboard is so hacked up already I have no qualms about modifying it. I think the siren was aftermarket and installed with a reciprocating saw...

So CB is definitely the way to go? I've seen Uniden recommended before, and thanks for the forum name, I'll look it up.

 

[Inyo_man]

I've been happy with the Uniden pro538w.
This model worked out well for mounting it in my dash because it has a front firing speaker.
Many units have the speaker on the bottom. This will force you to purchase a speaker to mount remotely if you are planning on installing the unit in your dash.
HTH

 

[sargeek]

I know a non-profit in Denver who would be interested in the siren, and would be willing to send you a reciept for the tax deductable donation. Will be using it in a mobile command trailer.

If interested please send me a PM- Thanks sargeek!

 

[Mountainunicycler]

PM sent, not sure I'm looking to get rid of the siren but I might have other parts I could give away.

 

[kojackJKU]

We use CB radios for communication while driving. You could step up to "HAM" but then you need to go get licenced and what not, I am bringing this up with our little group...the benifits of HAM is you can get on repeaters to get help if need be as well as LOTS of extra power. But for most work, CB is the way to go. I am looking at getting the delorme sat communitcation unit for emergency and keeping in touch with home base when out of mobile phone range.

 

[Wainiha]

I'm getting certified for HAM on the 17th. I don't know if it will be better than CB. Line of sight is minimal here.

When a tsunami hits Kauai we will be deep in the valleys. The repeater is 5 valleys away.

 

[4x4junkie]

If you're looking for a no-frills radio for vehicle-to-vehicle communications, pick up a Uniden PRO-510XL or a 520XL. It's hard to beat these for value. Nice & compact, and have good quality circuits (both for receive and transmit) making for good clear audio unlike pretty much every other radio I've seen that sells for <$80 (including other Uniden models). The PRO-510/520 units do have downward-firing speakers though. For a front-speaker unit, the Cobra 18 series radios are fairly decent, though I don't think they sound quite as clear as the 510/520 while transmitting (I think the PRO-538W is discontinued, though used units seem pretty available).

The one thing of absolute biggest importance with CB though is to mount the antenna up high and in the clear so that it's not mostly blocked by the vehicle body. This (along with use of short antennas) is by far & wide the most common reason I see for people complaining about range issues. Those who are afraid of branches, etc. damaging the antenna can put most worries to rest by installing a spring at the base of the antenna. This allows the antenna to flex out of the way should it encounter something.

I'm getting certified for HAM on the 17th. I don't know if it will be better than CB. Line of sight is minimal here.

When a tsunami hits Kauai we will be deep in the valleys. The repeater is 5 valleys away.

For emergencies, HF ham is the way to go (technically this can include CB also, but to make good use of it requires gear that may not be fully legal). VHF/UHF on the other hand might be tough to use if there's a lot of hills/mountains in the way.

 

[Mountainunicycler]

Those Uniden pro units seem to come up a lot, the only issue I see is the speaker would be inside my dashboard. No frills is kind of the entire theme of my build.

But how would I go about mounting the antenna on an ambulance? If I put it on top, I'm worried about it being too tall (ambulance top is over 10' already). I imagine semi trucks have a similar issue, so how does that work? Thanks for your response!

 

[peneumbra]

You might consider mounting your antennae on the mirror brackets - most large trucks do this - or attach them to the side of your ambulance body. As mentioned, the higher they are, the better your range...

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

CB is so yesterday - poor reception, lots of noise, and full of my radio can bleed on every channel operators

A $50 set of hand held FRS/GMRS radios will blow away just about any CB set up with zero static. No license required

HAM is becoming the future for off road travel. Yes you will need a ($35) license but with the knowledge of repeaters you are not without communication just about anywhere you go. You can get started with a good 65 watt radio and antenna for ~$150 or start with a HAM hand held for under ~$40

 

[4x4junkie]

Well, to keep the thread on track with accurate info...

I would agree, something like a ball-mount on the upper-rear quarter of the body is a good way to go on a tall vehicle (a hood-lip or fender mount could be another option as well). Just be sure whatever antenna you use is long enough so that a good portion of it's length is still above the vehicle (60% or more, ideally). Doing so I find this doesn't impact the radio's performance too greatly, especially when you already have a bit of a height advantage (though it usually does exhibit a slight directional response, your signal will be greatest in the direction opposite of where the antenna is mounted, say off to your front-right if your antenna is mounted at your left-rear).

Range should be about 10 miles or so under normal conditions with another unit who also has a good antenna setup.
Static does occur sometimes on CB (from power lines, cheap-china-junk HID/LED lights, etc.)... If it's a problem, another option might be MURS which is static-free for the most part (and unlike ham, is also license-free). Like ham though, it's not often an entire group will be equipped with it (which makes it more a compliment to a CB, rather than a replacement for it). CB remains pretty universal, and works quite decent if your antenna is set up well and has a good SWR.

For the speaker issue, I'd suggest just getting an extension speaker. Good speakers are about $15-20 or so.
I have one like this for mine. Nice clear sound, and yet EXTREMELY LOUD too (much louder than any built-in front-facing speaker in a radio would ever be).

 

[AFBronco235]

One way to get around the directional affect of mounting the antenna to the side of the body of your ambulance is to get dual antenna. Firestik sells a dual antenna setup that has all the complicated wiring done for you. All you need to do is mount the antenna, run the cable and plug it in. The dual cables are connected at the plug already, so no complicated soldering. It's what I run on my Bronco and I couldn't be happier. Excellent range and power, plus it looks cool! I would definitely recommend springs as well. I originally had my setup mounted on the gutters above my doors and I kept hitting all kinds of things, and my roof is only about 6 ft high. But if you go with duals, you can set the antenna significantly lower than a single and, IMO, you should mount the catty-corner, one on a front corner, probably on the front bumper and one on the opposite rear corner, probably on the body. You'll get better reception and less whacking on overhead objects.

As for the radio, I went with a little Cobra 19DXIV. Not the best model, I'll admit, but it works just fine for me when I use it. It is a bottom speaker type, but the mounting bracket it came with seems to let the speaker work just fine. Just make sure that the speaker isn't mounted flush to your mounting surface and it works fine. Besides, the advice I was given when planning my setup was spend money on the antenna and not the radio itself.

 

[4x4junkie]

One way to get around the directional affect of mounting the antenna to the side of the body of your ambulance is to get dual antenna. Firestik sells a dual antenna setup that has all the complicated wiring done for you. All you need to do is mount the antenna, run the cable and plug it in. The dual cables are connected at the plug already, so no complicated soldering. It's what I run on my Bronco and I couldn't be happier. Excellent range and power, plus it looks cool! I would definitely recommend springs as well. I originally had my setup mounted on the gutters above my doors and I kept hitting all kinds of things, and my roof is only about 6 ft high. But if you go with duals, you can set the antenna significantly lower than a single and, IMO, you should mount the catty-corner, one on a front corner, probably on the front bumper and one on the opposite rear corner, probably on the body. You'll get better reception and less whacking on overhead objects.

I also mentioned it in your other thread, dual antennas are still directional, however they even it out so that it's directional straight ahead & behind you, rather than skewed off at an angle. For someone who spends a lot of time on the highway, dual antennas are for sure the way to go (is what many truckers use on their rigs primarily for this reason). The farther apart the antennas are, the better they work also (8½ feet is where their directional effect becomes very noticeable).
For someone who uses their radio to communicate back to, say, a base station or to base-camp while in a town or city, IMO a single antenna is generally a better choice since it exhibits more of an omnidirectional pattern (even if it is mounted asymmetrically) and is one less antenna to mount & maintain.