newbie education and advise please.

[kornfanjoe]

ok so I was given some antennas and mounting hardware by my stepdad who is a trucker, i have heard that truckers and logging roads ( my intended purpose for a radio) use vhf as opposed to cb. i also heard vhf has the advantage over cb in range, having a "call to normal phones function" as i was told and other things i cant remember.

first off what is the difference between cb and vhf and is it true that truckers use only vhf?
i am assuming that the hardware i was given works for both?

that said i dont know what features i would need, or even what most do to be brutally honest, but i want to use it to contact logging road truckers mostly, and if there is a way to contact an operator to get through to normal numbers this would be useful in remote areas with no cell service which i can get to easily.

i want something smaller and simpler to be reliable and out of the way in my truck. and just to be picky if i can get the lights in blue (or convert them like i have most of my interior lights) would be awesome, but nothing fancy is needed

i know im probably :bdh: a bit

 

[Robb]

Nah, CB radio has a greater distance. VHF frequencies tend to more 'line of sight' and LF CB doesn't have that restriction. Well, to a degree anyway. If you are going to do the logging runs, then you should ask others what they are using. I would.

 

[New cb user]

Truckers actually use CB more than VHF.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Truckers actually use CB more than VHF.

Not necessarily. If this is a case of a company running the roads they may very well use VHF company radios instead of CB for normal operations and just monitor CB for other truck traffic. Check out Ice Road Truckers. They use VHF on the ice roads but also have a CB for talking to other trucks not within the same company. As for range, if the company is operating thru a repeater than the VHF radio will have much better range than a CB especially if skip in heavy.

 

[Lil'Yeshua]

My company has been using business radios that use a repeater. My company in order to save a buck be will phasing out this system. We use Verizon cheapie company supplied cellphones with PTT to Comunicate each other and with dispatch. My company also uses the Trackit app to track of our trucks for scheduling the day's jobs. We also clock in and out on these phones.

This might be the right one.
http://www.trackit.co.nz/
http://www.trackit.co.nz/product/Fleet_Management.aspx

http://concretesupplyco.com/

 

[kd-5-bgt]

Some companies use VHF radios for comms between their trucks and the mill or if they have a breakdown in route.

The drivers will use Cb for talking with trucks that are not within their company,road conditions,weigh cops and so forth...and alot of trucks will have both radios as mentioned above.

Cb will usually have a better range around the local area,it isnt effected as much by hills and trees like VHF can be.

In my area there isnt many truckers that have a VHF radio that I am aware of,I do however talk to drivers that have VHF or HF ham radios in their trucks,have talked to drivers all over the country on the HF ham bands,and several that use VHF that are passing through the local area on their way to the drop point

 

[Lil'Yeshua]

We have a business owner that hauls our materials my company needs for us. He owns the dump trailers and the drivers supply their own trucks. They have cb radios in their trucks.

 

[KD4UPL]

We don't know what hardware you were given but more than likely it won't "work for both". CB operates in the 27 Mhz range on AM. VHF spectrum encompasses all of the spectrum from 30 Mhz to 300 Mhz. Likely what the truckers use is around 150 Mhz. I'm quite certain it is FM.
So, any antenna or radio you have will work for one or the other. If you were given 2 radios and 2 antennas then you may be all set.
What type of VHF service is this? I'm certainly hope it's not amateur radio since it sounds like they're using it for business. I assume it is a business band frequency. Can you use it just because you have the equipment? Maybe. More information is needed about the frequency and the regulations surrounding it.
Until we know exactly what service, frequency, and regulations you want to be operating under not much helpful advice can be given.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Just a few points to clarify.

We don't know what hardware you were given but more than likely it won't "work for both".

100% guarantee it won't work for both services. No such radio exists as it is illegal according to FCC regulations to have a radio certified for the CB service as well as for another service.

CB operates in the 27 Mhz range on AM. VHF spectrum encompasses all of the spectrum from 30 Mhz to 300 Mhz. Likely what the truckers use is around 150 Mhz. I'm quite certain it is FM.
So, any antenna or radio you have will work for one or the other. If you were given 2 radios and 2 antennas then you may be all set.
What type of VHF service is this? I'm certainly hope it's not amateur radio since it sounds like they're using it for business. I assume it is a business band frequency.

VHF is definitely FM so again not comparable with CB.

Can you use it just because you have the equipment? Maybe. More information is needed about the frequency and the regulations surrounding it.
Until we know exactly what service, frequency, and regulations you want to be operating under not much helpful advice can be given.

Agreed. Unless it is a license free radio VHF service (extremely unlikely) then it is not permitted to operate even if the licensee says it is OK to him unless a proper station license is obtained.

 

[kornfanjoe]

i was given 3 antennas, and wiring kits for single and dual setup. they said cb i believe so i will try to get a cheaper one to test with or borrow. i will also start asking around as to what logging roads use and if any others commonly use cb near me.
are the wires used different too? if so that could confirm for me.