Learning to use a CB radio in easy steps

Setting up your radio

How it all works

Talking on the CB

Setting up your CB radio

To make everything work you need a CB radio, a mic, an antenna and a power source.

First assemble the setup by plugging in the mic and and the antenna, the mic will usually go in the front or the side and the connector is molded so that it can only go in the right way. The antenna socket will be at the back of the radio and will be clearly mark, there is no orientation on this connector but make sure it is pushed in properly and screwed up tight.

To power the radio you will need about 12v DC and this can either come from a standard car battery or a power pack that will plug into the mains and give a 13.8v DC output. When connecting the power to the CB make sure that the polarity is correct and if using a car battery fit an inline fuse between CB and power source for extra protection.

Your CB antenna should be placed as high as possible clear of obstructions for the best performance.

How it all works

The CB radio is given the technical name of a transceiver (transmitter + receiver), when the push to talk (PTT) button on the side of the mic is pressed the CB goes into transmit mode and anything you say will be broadcast, releasing this button will let you hear any replies that come back to you.

Standard CB radios come with 40 channels with Ch 19 and to a lesser extent Ch 14 used as calling channels were you first make contact with people then move off to one of the other channels to continue the conversation leaving the calling channels free for others to use.

Talking on the CB radio

Talking to other users on the CB can take a bit of getting used to if you have never operated any two way radio equipment before but by following a few guidelines you will soon have it mastered.....

Give people time to answer you after you have said something, some CBers use sets in their vehicles and may be busy trying to drive.

If you want to join in a conversation wait for a break in the talking and politely introduce yourself to those already on channel, this will go a long way to helping you make some new CB radio friends.

I like to keep my conversation neutral at first (no religious or political views) until I know a bit more about the people I am talking with as offending someone over the CB is exactly the same as doing it in real life.

Hope you have enjoyed this article and you gain something from it.