CB radios - anyone still use them?

[Doing it for the kids]

Reviewing communications options here for a group of us who all live close by.

Currently using a what’s app group which has its pros and cons, are cb’s still used much these days?

 

[redsloe]

Quite popular here but don't work very good in the newer tractors. Shame really, almost need to be able to see someone to talk to them. Fine when everyone's in the same field come havest and tilling, rubbish apart from that.

 

[Matt77]

Same as above, only any good if in sight but good at harvest and silaging

 

[Sonoftheheir]

Why would CB’s not work at distance anymore? In the early 80’s they were all the rage and we had them in Cars,tractors, lorries and in the house. People could be several miles away?

 

[RAF]

All communications via snap chat here, run umbilical like that

 

[Hilly]

Why would CB’s not work at distance anymore? In the early 80’s they were all the rage and we had them in Cars,tractors, lorries and in the house. People could be several miles away?

Could be plastic v metal ?

 

[farenheit]

Why would CB’s not work at distance anymore? In the early 80’s they were all the rage and we had them in Cars,tractors, lorries and in the house. People could be several miles away?

Are people talking about two way radios? I thought cb went through a central radio box (usually back at t’ yard)?

 

[Mr Mackay]

Why would CB’s not work at distance anymore? In the early 80’s they were all the rage and we had them in Cars,tractors, lorries and in the house. People could be several miles away?

The electrics in new tractors interferes with your available reception (ie ,you cant hear the ones further away because of all the crap from your own tractor that causes hiss etc
So if you have an old bog standard thing , you can hear folk from farther away

 

[Mr Mackay]

CB 's are still great for on one farm stuff , and up to 2 or 3 miles away ,and nowadays there is no license to be purchased either !
Beware of the cheap Chinease rigs that sound like you have a clothes peg on your nose !!

 

[Farmer Roy]

haven't seen any of the old 27 MHz CB radios since about the 80's . . .

UHF ( 477 MHz ) is still very popular & common in road transport & agriculture, amongst other industries
but very much used as a work communication tool
but - its pretty sh!t if you have a lot of people sharing the one channel
thank god all that bull sh!t "CB" language doesn't exist or get used at all anymore either

 

[Farmer Roy]

and yes, as stated above, the electrics in modern tractors can play havoc

but two way radio communication is fitted in far more complex equipment theses days than your average farm tractor, so no issue for your average installer / auto electrician

 

[nick...]

I don’t know people woukd use them with mega cheap phone deals with unlimited minutes and txts.currently paying £12month here but coukd probably get it cheaper.
Nick...

 

[PSQ]

It’s a shame that ‘Push To Talk’ over the mobile network didn’t take off, it was the best of both worlds for work communication.
I had a Nokia phone with it 20 years ago (soft key on the side, like a mike button) but I don’t think the service was enabled in the UK.
Some top end Motorola radios have it now, but they’re well into 4 figures each.

 

[Farmer Roy]

The beauty of them in a “team” environment, such as grain harvest, for example, is voice communication that the entire team can hear & be part of - rather than individual calls. There are also situations where you just need acknowledgement of something & its much easier to just key the mike, than it is to use your phone
Also - depending on area, phones can be unreliable at times

 

[Matt77]

The beauty of them in a “team” environment, such as grain harvest, for example, is voice communication that the entire team can hear & be part of - rather than individual calls. There are also situations where you just need acknowledgement of something & its much easier to just key the mike, than it is to use your phone
Also - depending on area, phones can be unreliable at times

That’s the main reason I fitted them, other than finding a cheap job lot at a sale, one lad here isn’t a keen mobile user, by the time he’s stopped his tractor, unzipped pocket, got phone out, unzipped protective cover and answered phone the moments passed Quick key of mike and he doesn’t disappear to the wrong end of field. Works for us.

 

[yellowbelly]

thank god all that bull sh!t "CB" language doesn't exist or get used at all anymore either

That's a big 10-4 good buddy

 

[chaffcutter]

We use PMR in tractors and combine at harvest, also have them in pickups. No licence fee now , there was when we first had them and when we were harvesting or planting spuds with multiple tractors running about they were invaluable.
Don't really use them much except at harvest, most use seems to be when we are moving the combine/escort/header/trailers on the road, stops us dropping off to sleep!
There is a group of farmers locally who still use cb's, and some truckers still do I think.

 

[deleted user 837354]

2 way radios still used a lot in other industries. CB I had years ago would reach miles from the tractor cab and nearly every machine had one in. I presume they were digital and on a private subscribed frequency as there was never much static or interference and never any users but ourselves on them?

 

[Hesston4860s]

Used CB 20 year ago but we a all 2 way radios here now.

 

[Stewart Setter]

thank god all that bull sh!t "CB" language doesn't exist or get used at all anymore either

You say that, have you seen some of the crap that goes in a whatsapp or text message these days ??