BajaNomad

cb radio

absinvestor - 1-18-2010 at 10:34 PM

We don't currently have a cb radio. Our cell phone is with ATT. We'll be in Baja for about 3 months with much of the time spent boondocking in non- populated areas. (We lived in Baja for a couple of years and speak reasonably good Spanish.) Are cb's still widely used in Baja Sur and does anybody have any recommendations for specific brands/models? Thanks Ron

Bob and Susan - 1-19-2010 at 06:30 AM

cb's are not used anymore...

handheld VHF is what you really need:spingrin:

Russ - 1-19-2010 at 07:01 AM

And DC charger

David K - 1-19-2010 at 07:10 AM

Sunspot activity* causes the ionosphere to reflect AM/ CB radio waves back to earth (known as 'skip')... All the 'noise' from CBers around the US makes local communication difficult when skip condition exists.

VHF and FM (Family Band) 2 way radios don't have 'skip' to contend with... However, their signals are restricted to 'line of sight' and don't go over hills or beyond the curve of the earth.

*also affects planet temperatures

woody with a view - 1-19-2010 at 07:20 AM

vhf vs. fm walkie talkie?

how much farther will a vhf go while driving. the fm's are crap unless you can see the other vehicle. will vhf travel farther?

David K - 1-19-2010 at 07:26 AM

Line of Sight... VHF Marine Radios (used on the ocean). People use them to talk to each other who live along the coast betwen San Felipe and Puertecitos. Bahia Santa Maria can talk to Puertecitos (35 miles) for example.

ham?

BFS - 1-19-2010 at 07:46 AM

Is VHF the same as ham radio?

Aq

Mexicorn - 1-19-2010 at 07:49 AM

10-4 Rubber duck we got us a convoy!

BooJumMan - 1-19-2010 at 08:32 AM

Well, maybe I'm old school being 27 and all but I still use CB radio's!! I dont like the hand helds but I only gave them one chance. ;)

A properly setup CB works really good. If you've got specific questions, let me know. There is a science to it.

Best to get a Cobra CB, or Uniden. The mid to cheap grade ones will work fine for convoys. If you are looking for communication with neighboring towns, get something more than $100. :) The Firestik tunable antennas work great. They also have a good amount of info on their website:
http://www.firestik.com/Tech_Docs.htm

You can buy a bundle kit on walcottcb.com. (Mount, Coax, antenna, radio). Buy a cheap SWR meter to tune your antenna. If you've got a radio shop nearby you can get them to peak and tune your radio as well.

When I am down there, I get a lot of traffic on the CB, so it seems to me many of the Mexicans are still using it. Your AT&T phone should work a lot of the areas though.

Check these guys out

DERN - 1-19-2010 at 09:11 AM

www.hamradio.com/


We have an Icom (IC V8000) 75 watts, any frequency you desire to talk on, Ham capability, etc. It doubles as a VHF and a race radio. It has tons of features that I still haven't, nor will ever use. Kinda depends on what level of radio nut you are. Antennas can be hard mounted like ours or a magnet version. I want ot say that it ran us about $250-300. Well worth it in my opinion.

As far as power goes, it blows doors on your typical VHF. I believe 25watts for a VHF and 75watts for this type.

DERN

ICOM-IC-V8000

bajaguy - 1-19-2010 at 09:23 AM

E-Bay

http://cgi.ebay.com/ICOM-IC-V8000-ICOM-V8000-ICOM-IC-V8000_W...

tripledigitken - 1-19-2010 at 09:40 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by DERN
www.hamradio.com/


We have an Icom (IC V8000) 75 watts, any frequency you desire to talk on, Ham capability, etc. It doubles as a VHF and a race radio. It has tons of features that I still haven't, nor will ever use. Kinda depends on what level of radio nut you are. Antennas can be hard mounted like ours or a magnet version. I want ot say that it ran us about $250-300. Well worth it in my opinion.

As far as power goes, it blows doors on your typical VHF. I believe 25watts for a VHF and 75watts for this type.

DERN


Dern,

I have a handheld Icom VHF that I take to Baja. Right or wrong I haven't worried about getting a license for it. Do you have a license for yours? Are you a Ham?

That's a hell of a radio!

Ken

meme - 1-19-2010 at 09:44 AM

Most all of the Scorpion Off Road/Search & Rescue are now using IcomV8000 radios. They also receive Marine channels which are used in many homes & vehicles here in San Felipe
They have made communications very good here.

Ken

DERN - 1-19-2010 at 09:58 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by tripledigitken
Quote:
Originally posted by DERN
www.hamradio.com/


We have an Icom (IC V8000) 75 watts, any frequency you desire to talk on, Ham capability, etc. It doubles as a VHF and a race radio. It has tons of features that I still haven't, nor will ever use. Kinda depends on what level of radio nut you are. Antennas can be hard mounted like ours or a magnet version. I want ot say that it ran us about $250-300. Well worth it in my opinion.

As far as power goes, it blows doors on your typical VHF. I believe 25watts for a VHF and 75watts for this type.

DERN


Dern,

I have a handheld Icom VHF that I take to Baja. Right or wrong I haven't worried about getting a license for it. Do you have a license for yours? Are you a Ham?

That's a hell of a radio!

Ken


We/I are not Hamsters. We do not have a liscense for ours. Only one time did we get questioned in Baja. That was by a very young milatary guy at the Santo Tomas checkpoint. He said in spanish that our radio was not allowed, we replied that it didn't function. Off we went on our merry way. Some day I would like to get my Ham License. Just one more thing to add to my Bucket List.

DERN

One more thing to add

DERN - 1-19-2010 at 10:16 AM

If you're an ex-pat living in an area that has no phone lines, a VHF radio is you're only form of communication. When you get on the horn, every Tom, Dick and Harry is hearing your conversation. No privacy whatsoever. With a radio like the Icom V-8000, you can have dedicated freqs with your friends with a similar radio without the typical VHF folks listening in. Not to mention the fact that the power of these radios far exceeds a VHF.

DERN

Bob and Susan - 1-19-2010 at 10:54 AM

"No privacy whatsoever"

...that's unless you use the "secret channel"

Jack Swords - 1-19-2010 at 12:17 PM

Marine VHF is FM (frequency modulation). That it is FM has no bearing on the distance you can communicate. Marine VHF is limited by type acceptance to 25 watts. Many of the marine channels are used by aduana, Pemex, the navy, and other coastal government agencies in Mexico. One channel (16) is a calling channel for ship traffic and is monitored by the navy and port captains for emergency communications. These channels are dedicated for those uses.

Converted ham radios are capable of much higher power and can operate on the marine bands, ham bands, business bands, and others. These are FM also, as related to this thread. (Other ham radios for long distance can be SSB. HF ssb is used by mariners also. These can be much higher power again).

Policing of unlicensed radios by SCT here in Baja is spotty at best. Using a marine FM radio on land in the US (as here) is illegal, but with much better enforcement in the US. Therefore land and sea marine VHF FM is relatively common here. There are lots of channels that won't interfere with the gov't agencies or emergency marine traffic and these are the channels used. The converted ham VHF radios are used on obscure frequencies not ham nor marine.

FYI, to legally use your ham radio in Mexico requires a permit from SCT(reciprocal license) that is good for 6 months and costs around $100 usd.

Jack, N1IY

Paulina - 1-19-2010 at 07:29 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bob and Susan
"No privacy whatsoever"

...that's unless you use the "secret channel"


That's what Dern was talking about...

"Woodchuck to Grey Squirrel, Woodchuck to Grey Squirrel, come in Grey Squirrel...."

P<*)))>{

absinvestor - 1-19-2010 at 09:39 PM

thanks for all the great information. Ron

Mexicorn - 1-19-2010 at 11:03 PM

Man O Man alive you guys know your stuff when it comes to those radios!
I had a CB in my 1978 Trans Am- come back rubber duck You got yer ears on? Wheres the smokies?

Bajajorge - 1-20-2010 at 09:49 AM

CBs are a thing of the past on both sides of the border. You say you have an ATT cell phone. Switch your plan over to ATT Vive Mexico Plan,(I think that's what it's called). $50 a month, you get 450 roaming anytime minutes, and they roll over. It doesn't cost anything to call back to the US.
The last time down there, my wife made several hours worth of calls back to the US and when we got the next months bill, it was $50.:tumble:
Finally, no more $600 phone bills when I'm in the Baja.

DeMinimis - 3-8-2010 at 06:15 PM

I've used a CB quite a bit down there. Helps when meeting up with your buddies in the middle of nowhere. They are cheap too ($100 gets you a Cobra LTD29 Classic at you local truck stop and a few more bucks gets you a decent antenna (Firestik, Wilson or whatever)). Like David said, lots of folks use marine radios too. Wouldn't mind one of those as well, but no room for more stuff. State-side, if you do much off-roading, they come in handy then as well. $.02.