How far can you HEAR/Respond to a CB?

It depends on 3 thing's condition, equipment, location.

1.) Condition- this is a big factor in talking any distances, yea I know go to walmart buy a 50.00 radio put it in and talk. Well that is ok if you only need to talk a couple of miles or less.
If the conditions are not right to talk, then I don't care if you are running alot of power you will not talk very far.
kc0rey will need to chime in on this alittle, he can provide alot of technical theory's in here.
Now if the condition is right, then you can take 5 watts and talk across the country. I have done it before, I was in CA a few years ago and I talked to my buddy's back in Kentucky for a couple of hours one day on a 4 watt cobra 29 with dual Mack Factory antenna's.

2.) Your equipment is another factor, your radio and antenna. Now listen to me you get what you pay for when it comes to CB equipment.
I have bought several CB's and antenna's and the best I have found for a AM setup is. A Galaxy 44 tuned to a Texas Star 400 HDV and a Wilson 5000 Trucker antenna with a flat swr or 0.0
I used to have a saying "you can buy a 5.00 radio and a wilson 5000 and almost talk anywhere add a 400 HDV and you can talk anywhere"
My radio setup I had cost me around $1000.00+ but when I wanted to talk I did when condition's allowed.

3.) Location is another factor that will make you talk or not talk. If you are up on a big hill then yea you will be able to get out for long distances. The same goes if you are under a big hill you will not talk very far.

On a avg I would say spend no more than $100.00 on a radio and get a good antenna you can pick up a wilson 2000/5000 for around $50.00 to $100.00
Have a professional set the SWR on the antenna.....
Should be no reason why you wouldn't be able to talk around 15 to 20 miles avg sometimes further sometimes less.

Now where are you kc0rey tear this apart...........

 

What is a Texas Star 400 Hdv? If you don't mind me asking.

 

It is a CB amp, kicker, 400 watts HD= High Drive means you can put more watts out of your radio into this kicker.
V= variable power...

 

All depends if you have a linear or not. Linear you can talk a couple states over ..... do I have one ... nope. I have a friend who does...talk about reach.

 

Not completely true...but it does help some sometimes.

 

since we're on the linear amplifier topic and talking to a new CB'er i think we should also clarify that linears are Illegal, but the only person who can give you a ticket for a linear amp (as i understand) is the FCC, and they're too busy making sure Conan oBrian isn't swearing on the air or something...

-Drifter

 

So is any radio that has been tuned and peaked, anything over 4 watts on AM and 12 watts on SSB....

 

My radio talks clear across Long island and I'm in the middle , I talked all the way into Brooklyn and as far out as East Hampton , like 65 miles East of where I am ' For the Hamptons , As far as how far I have talked , I was sitting here on my base radio talking , and a buddy of mine was on the Palisades parkway about 100 miles North of me, so he called me up on the phone and said , You're not going to believe this man , I can hear you talking to someone called Bubba 1 about SWR's over here . . .
I was like WOW !!
Couldn't believe it !
And everyone who hears my radio always gives it great compliments
It's got really really loud audio , but the signal is also crystal clear and not distorted , I mean , what sense would it make to be really loud , but no one able to understand what you're saying .
I realy think I got some kinda freak radio or something , everyone swears I'm running heat , I tell em , come on over and see for yourself, I don't have a box, Just my little Connex 4600.
I have heard/seen a lot of people knock this radio and that's fine , to each his/her own I always say . . . But in my opinion, I don't think there is a finer AM radio out there to date . . . Not even the Galaxy 95 T with all it's power .
There is just something about the audio of this radio that is just mind blowing .
I really really love this radio !
To me , it's the best around .
Just ask anyone on CH 19 on Long Island who the Rubber man is . .
They're gonna tell ya , OHHHH that's that guy with that insanely loud radio around Bayshore somewhere .

 

Your antenna 85 feet up in the air is why you do so well. Your limited to the horizon (about 25 miles). Your contacts made beyond that are skip. Ground wave for the short less then 500 mile hops.

Redneck, I see this is an old post and I missed it.............by now I know you've learned more.

400 Watts is about a 6db gain. I can easily get the same performance with my antenna. 6db is around 2 S-Units on the meter.

Texas Star Amps as you know, are one of the dirtiest Amps sold. Yes the meter will show close to 400 Watts on SSB. What the meter wont tell you is that half of that is on 50Mhz, 1/4 on 100MHz, and on and on. Probably around a 125 on frequency. and that is SSB. Less on AM. Only a scope or analyzer can show where your power is at. That is why they are not legal for 10 meter Ham use.


We won't get into RF absorbtion problems because everybody thinks I am lying. The do know that their microwave will harm them but most folks thing these are atomic devices with "radiation". They are not aware that they are just high powered Microwave transmitters, that transmit RF Power, at safer levels then a poorly designed CB Amp will.