Handheld CB radios for Bike to Bike comms

[Ted]

I'm talking very specifically about CB radios, NOT the usual 2-way radios / walkie talkies.


Who here uses hand-held CB radios for bike to bike communication?

What are the cheapest new ones out there that still work effectively, and what are the second hand brands to look out for?

It's got to be able to have a cabled PTT, as I never did get on with the VOX stuff on the walkie talkies, and I'm assuming these are no better.
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'07 Honda CBF500 / '93 Vauxhall Astra (www.fb.com/2wdOffRoader) / '04 Vauxhall Movano
Projects: '81 Honda CX500 x2 / '85 Land Rover One-Ten / ...plus many horticultural things.
||| Bike Test: DAS: PASSED 13/02/2009 ||| Car Test: PASSED 22/05/2005 |||

[TaffyTDM]

I favour 446, 449 or a discreet frequency in the 70cm band for this kind of thing, but if it must be cb...

Intek currently have a handheld on the market, iirc the h520. The speaker mic Jack is easy enough to find a compatible version of the hm100 helmet speaker/mic and handlebar ptt set up which can be had for around a tenner. I can't stand vox either in motorcycle applications and found the hm100 good quality, the ptt is rubberized and watertight, for the price.

Alternatives if you want an easy power splice into the bike for long trips is the midland 95, second hand easy to find and you can slide a cigar type plug into the bottom

[Ted]

As I'm presently searching the web for second hand CBs, getting a smaller vehicle one and fitting a lighter socket is tempting!

But I'd still need a hand-held for the other bike(s) anyway.
____________________
'07 Honda CBF500 / '93 Vauxhall Astra (www.fb.com/2wdOffRoader) / '04 Vauxhall Movano
Projects: '81 Honda CX500 x2 / '85 Land Rover One-Ten / ...plus many horticultural things.
||| Bike Test: DAS: PASSED 13/02/2009 ||| Car Test: PASSED 22/05/2005 |||

[NutsyUk]

why not use one of those common motorola walkie talkies? The range on them is fantastic... Unless you want a range of miles...
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Yamaha FZ8/Fazer800 (split headlight one) 2014, gingerly getting used to the massive increase in HP and not killing myself in the process! That was easy to get used to.
Kawasaki ER6F 2007 650 Gonna sell as a project bike!
Lexmoto XTR S 125 Sold!

[TaffyTDM]

I won't Labour too much as you were quite specific ted, but why cb? It's impracticable to have an efficent antenna for 27mhz due to the length, you will chew batteries if no power connection and I anticipate a world of pain with spark plugs/ht whine etc. You also have to compromise so much it can easily work out cheaper to fit yourself out with uhf, even if that means splurging a set for the guy that won't put his own hand in pocket. Ideal in a closed group or convoy.

[Courier265]

CB radio came and went, I would be surprised if anyone is on channel these days..

[bamt]

Don't the 4x4 crowd still use them?

[Teflon-Mike]

See Bike 2 Bike Communication.... where to start
I use Midland 42's.They were/are about the only hand-held CB still commonly available. They are pretty small, & pocketable; can be run off alkalines or nicad's, or fag-lighter adapter, & I have yet to have battery go flat on one, other than when daughter has left hers turned on in her hat, in the top-box over night!

At last check, they are about £120 new, with accessory pack; add around £30 for a decent PTT helmet head-set to suit. There are a couple of 'copies' on the market and latest seems to be the 'moonraker, priced about £80, typical 2nd had e-bay price of a genuine Midland. They do ted to hold value better than car-mount rigs. The old Eurosonic 'Brick' and similar offerings is practically as useful give that you really only set channel on start up, and leave the thing alone from then on! But IS bulky!

Key, though IS the headset, whether you go CB or PMR, and once wired, the difference in bulk tween a PMR & a hand-held CB is't so significant, more so is probably getting the PTT set up 'sorted'. But even a not-so great PTT down your sleeve, I find less irksome than suffering VOX with the auto transmit, clipping the first part of any transmission or dropping out when speech is quiet or squarking you when something loud passes the 'other' mic!
You can also talk to yourself or not get told off for swearing to much when a Sunday-Driver cant make up their mind which way to not indicate or the like!

As to range, its not so much the range, as the reliability. 446 is legally restricted to just 1/4w transmitter power, and on such a high frequency needs pretty much clear line of sight between radio's..
Ranges of perhaps 4 miles, at the limit of their capability are often claimed, and I will say (that, and possibly a lot more) are achievable, but only under ideal conditions..
I have had PMR 'drop-out' of range in under 1/4 mile in less than ideal conditions; eg, filtering through a set of traffic lights, & been stuck out of range, in seconds.. a niggle I have also suffered with 1w transmitter 'commercial' radio on 446Mhz, as well.

Licence-Free CB gives you 4W of transmitter power, which is rather more helpful, though still more line of site sensitive on still rather high VFH frequencies legally allocated, but not so much as 446 UHF; you can still get similar line-of-sight restrictions, but they don't come up 'quite' as quick or as often, at the lower frequency, & the higher transmitter power, stretches that 'margin' a far bit n compensation.

Practical difference is that instead of getting stumped at a set of traffic lights, and loosing comms almost before you cant hear the noise of their un-baffled end-can, you can, usually, still yell at them that your stuck at a red, maybe five junctions back!!!

'Good' PMR these days my come close to the same sort of practical reliability; but to get it you are looking at the most expensive PMR sets, probably as or more expensive than Hand-Held CB; you still need the headsets, and the PMR more likely to offer it are also more likely illegal modified or other-market sets, with 1w or even 4w transmitter powers, and even shorter dedicated battery life.

CB, still has some advantages, and certainly as far as cost, where a 'cheap' PMR is probably false economy, especially if you try ad use it with in-built VOX and mobile phone type ear-piece & mic,likely to be physically painful under a crash-hat if not more elsewhere!

[TaffyTDM]

[Ted]

I've got a CB in my car, I'm an Off-Roader, we use them heavily while greenlaning / off-roading.

The reason for wanting handheld CBs was so they could have more use. I want something for the bike anyway, but thought CBs would be good as when we're off-roading we might have a couple of people in the group without CBs fitted, so I could pass them a handheld.
Also useful for spotting (guiding vehicles through obsticals).

BUT, I was hoping that either some new cheapies had popped up on the market, or there was an abundance of second hand units. Unfortunately neither is true.

So I may scrap the idea and go back to the original plan of cheap walkie talkies.
____________________
'07 Honda CBF500 / '93 Vauxhall Astra (www.fb.com/2wdOffRoader) / '04 Vauxhall Movano
Projects: '81 Honda CX500 x2 / '85 Land Rover One-Ten / ...plus many horticultural things.
||| Bike Test: DAS: PASSED 13/02/2009 ||| Car Test: PASSED 22/05/2005 |||

[TaffyTDM]

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F132403714554

These are about a tenner overpriced but the seller has already programmed them for the standard 446 frequencies (at a much higher power level of 4w) but if you aren't teccie minded this is still cheaper than ordering the programming cable, faffing etc. They are a little naughty as out of spec but will be compatible with the off the shelf stuff and be assured zero fucks will be given if you are discreet.
They are simple to use and tough as nails. Set to low power to stretch the battery life further. If you drop it too hard, buy a new one.

Pair with this...

[url]https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F401445650641
[/url]

And you will have a decent system fit for purpose on a bike for half the price. with the change order another pair for spares whilst green laning, external magmount antennas can be found for the handsets fairly cheap.[/url]

[Ted]

I'm not very clued up on these, but didn't think they were compatable with CB radios?
____________________
'07 Honda CBF500 / '93 Vauxhall Astra (www.fb.com/2wdOffRoader) / '04 Vauxhall Movano
Projects: '81 Honda CX500 x2 / '85 Land Rover One-Ten / ...plus many horticultural things.
||| Bike Test: DAS: PASSED 13/02/2009 ||| Car Test: PASSED 22/05/2005 |||

[bugeye_bob]

[TaffyTDM]

[Ted]

It's either got to be something compatable with the CBs fitted to 4x4s, or just cheap 2-way radios. Anything else isn't a great benefit to me.
____________________
'07 Honda CBF500 / '93 Vauxhall Astra (www.fb.com/2wdOffRoader) / '04 Vauxhall Movano
Projects: '81 Honda CX500 x2 / '85 Land Rover One-Ten / ...plus many horticultural things.
||| Bike Test: DAS: PASSED 13/02/2009 ||| Car Test: PASSED 22/05/2005 |||

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

What about theses for twenty quid - they're the same as the ones my old riding school used (iirc). They're fragile and crap but they do work, and for that price it might be worth a gamble.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x-Baofeng-Walkie-Talkie-Long-Range-2-way-Radio-UHF-400-470MHZ-16CH-Earpiece-UK/152068694557?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649
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