Newbie... HELP !

[founder1]

I am interested in a CB radio in my 2014 Ford F150 XLT SuperCrew, and possibly a HAM radio as well in my F150. Please give me some advice on what to buy, the type of antenna to get and of course where it should be installed. I am unfortunately not a DIY type of guy so I will need to find a shop that could do all of this and am having a hard time finding anything in this small town.

I hope someone will be understanding about my total newbie status here and in radios and give me some info and advice.
Thanks everyone !

[Watchman63]

There is a shop in Carnesville GA. They are not too far from you; about 25 miles South of Anderson, SC. Christian folks who don't try to take advantage of you. Shoot me a PM and I'll drop the information on you, if you're interested.

[1 ADAM 12]

Hello founder1. Choosing a radio and antenna setup is mostly personal preference. As far as the radio goes, they mostly do the same job...just depends if you want bells and whistles or not and how much you want to spend. The antenna is a little different. The antenna is the most important choice in the equation of CB installations. Do you prefer a magnet mount, hard mount (drilling a hole in the roof of your cab), or a metal mount (like a fiberglass whip) bolted to the bed of your truck (or a mirror). In my opinion, a CB installation does not take much of a DIY kinda guy to complete. To me the installation is half the fun...and you get to learn, which is also fun (to me). Call a friend and give it a shot before you pay someone. Use the sponsors from this forum to look at all the different radios. You will learn a lot by just looking a reading about all the options. The HAM radio is basically the same, personal preference. Hope this helps.

[231]

I am interested in a CB radio in my 2014 Ford F150 XLT SuperCrew, and possibly a HAM radio as well in my F150. Please give me some advice on what to buy, the type of antenna to get and of course where it should be installed. I am unfortunately not a DIY type of guy so I will need to find a shop that could do all of this and am having a hard time finding anything in this small town.

I hope someone will be understanding about my total newbie status here and in radios and give me some info and advice.
Thanks everyone !

Welcome to the forum.

Sounds like you should start with a CB radio first. If you plan on getting your ham license down the road it's pretty likely you'll be wanting separate radios for the bands you want to cover anyway. So get your feet wet with a simple CB radio that isn't too complicated, easy to use and install, and nobody cares if you mess things up on the air. Maybe a Cobra 29, or Uniden or something. The small CB's work well too (i.e. Uniden Pro520xl, etc.)...every bit as good as the big ones. But as mentioned, the antenna is truly 90% of the overall performance. That's why you see big antennas on cars/trucks. With antennas, size matters significantly. It's a matter of physics really. No amount of technology will make up for it.

As a ham myself, I've been playing radio since I was 11 years old...so pretty much 40 some years now. It's a great hobby but having an understanding about the necessary components is a must. CB radios don't cost much compared to ham radio...so if you lose interest you aren't out much. Besides, most hams always consider emergency services and communications. In a real world emergency CB radio will probably be used by the general public more than any other service. Why? Because most big rigs have CB's in them. And they'll need to be guided in to where to deliver their supplies. So having both ham radio gear and CB is never a bad thing.

Good luck
231

[Nikesens]

Well I will give my 2 cents I have a 2003 ford f150 as my work truck I have the Wilson 1000 magmount and a stock barefoot bearcat 980 ssb. I'm in southern alberta and I have talked all over the USA and was even heard in Australia but didnt hear the gent call me back. Only reason I knew that is because hes on another site I frequent. I know its all conditions but thats what skip on ssb is all about every day. So that too me would be a good start for someone just getting into the hobby. But like someone else mentioned the antenna is 90% of your setup. Antenna is about 100$ and the cb was about 150$ Those are my thoughts welcome to the hobby and be sure to let us know what you get.