Driving with a CB (citizen band radio) in the US

score:6

Accepted answer

I would recommend getting a CB. Quite often I got good information from truckers about traffic conditions. You don't need to actually install one though. I use a mobile CB that looks like a Walkee talkee. I use one like the one here: http://travelhintsandtips.com/road_trip.php and would recommend one like it if you aren't going to be using it on a daily basis.

So my answers are: 1) Yes, I got good info from truckers before and the above website shares some times he found it useful as well.

2) In my limited experience wherever I am, truckers seem to hang out on 19 a lot but don't necessarily limit themselves to that channel.

I know you didn't mention this but another use of the CB is it is potentially useful if you have an emergency. Channel 9 is reserved for that.

Upvote:5

I used to have a portable CB that plugged into the cigarette lighter and had a magnetic antenna to put on the roof of the car. It was my grandmother's, for use in case of emergency, and when she gave me her car, I got the CB, too. During the time that I had this CB, I was driving around 30,000 miles a year.

It was definitely useful for long trips, for

  • information about traffic road conditions
  • warnings about speed enforcement, accidents, and other police activity
  • entertainment
  • emergencies

I only spoke on the radio once, when my car was stuck in the snow during a blizzard. But listening to the truckers definitely helped pass the time during long drives. It was very entertaining -- there are lots of interesting characters. In fact, it was not unlike the internet in that regard.

I particularly remember one young-sounding trucker who was gleefully warning everyone about a speed trap that he had passed 200 miles back. Everyone else was pointing out to him that by the time anyone hearing his announcement got to that point, it would be 6 hours after he had been there, and the cops would likely have moved on.

More post

Search Posts

Related post