CB radio

by Tim"Nomad"Piper
(Louisville,KY& THE ROAD)

Emergency Preparedness # 7 COMMUNICATION

Cell phones are great but if the power is out or the towers are down they aren't much good. I have a CB radio in my truck and another one on my ATV. You can purchase a 10 meter radio and have the CB channels added to it. The 10 meter is a ham radio and gives you a lot of channels and emergency and weather info during times of crisis. You can also add a linear amplifier to increase the ransmission and receiving range.

A CB shop will need to help you with these items as the radio will need to be peaked and tuned to the linear and the SWR(standing wave) will need to be set on your antenna.

The antenna is 90% of your set up so chose a good one. I use a WILSON 500 and the K-40 is said to be good too. I would advise using a magnet mount on your vehicle. It allows you to remove it during electrical storms so it doesn't act as a lightning rod. You may also need to remove it if you are off road or if looting is prevalent and you don't want to advertise that you have valuables in your vehicle.

The other more portable but battery dependant option is the hand held two way walkie talkies. They work well and you can scramble the transmission to prevent unwanted listeners.

A hand held police scanner is nice also. I heard that due to national security measures they are going digital in the near future. Some agencies have already switched.


"SAFE JOURNEY'S"



Emergency Preparednes Article # 1 TARPS

Emergency Prepardness # 2 TENTS/SHELTER

Emergency Preparedness #3 WATER

Emergency Preparedness # 4 LATRINE/ HOT SHOWER

Emergency Preparedness #5 PORTABLE KITCHEN

Emergency Preparedness # 6 BEDROOM

Emergency Preparedness # 7 COMMUNICATION

Emergency Preparedness #8 TRAVEL/NAVIGATION

Emergency Preparedness #9 DEFENSE/HUNTING