LanceK

I've been thinking of getting a CB radio to help pass the time away while driving to various events.

Since I haven't had a CB since I was in high school I was wondering if anyone can comment

1. Is this is a good use for my application?

2. What is a decent setup with good reception and ease of installation?

3. I would prefer a mobile unit if they work well to avoid any extra installation and be able to use in different vehicles.

TIA

Z-man

With the popularity of the FRS/GMRS 'talkabout' radios, I think CB radios are becoming less and less popular. Most of the 'track junkies' I know have talkabouts. Earlier this year, there was a caravan of 12 vehicles that went from NJ to Mid-Ohio for a DE event. I think we all had talkabouts, and it certainly made the trip more organized and it did help pass the time. Oh, and we all made it although the lead and the tail cars got a little separated from us...

-Z-man.

PS: This is your second post about needing something to find to pass the time at the track. I don't understand this. I am busy from tech through the last run of the day - HOW DO YOU FIND FREE TIME?!? (Catching rides with upper run group folks is a great way to pass the time, btw)

Mark in Baltimore

I just picked up the Cobra 75WXST from Amazon for around $90, I believe. It has all of the controls in the handheld mike and some cool features such as Soundtracker, channel memory, weather stations, etc.

I had bought a cheap, $35 handheld unit from WalMart but I was having trouble hearing cars that were at the back of the caravan if I was in front.

I like the FRS radios, too, but it seems as if the other people I caravan with have CB's.

mitch236

Forget the CB and get XM

Manny Alban

The only problem I encountered with FRS radios were when the batteries started to die, reception dropped dramatically. Combine that with the fact that the old guys that I caravan with would forget their radios...made for some ugly trips. Plus, with the CB you get that cool whip antenna that makes you feel like a big time trucker

Brian P

There's plenty of free time and I usually use it to do projects on the car. The wife doesn't seem to mind as much if I use track time to also do car project time. Examples: removed the center console in my car and replaced with the center console delete option. I ran the wiring for my radar detector. Installed aluminum pedals on the car...

Where do I find the free time? Easy. Let's say that you get 25 minutes per run on the track. If you start getting ready 5 minutes before that, and you use 5 minutes after that for checking the car over, you use a total of 35 minutes per run. At 4 runs per day, that's 140 minutes of time needed for driving.

A normal track day will go from about 8AM to 6PM, which is ten hours, or 600 minutes. So, when you exclude the time used for driving, you get roughly 460 minutes of "free time". Let's figure you want a full hour for lunch, and you are down to 400 minutes of free time.

Now, let's say that you want to run 4 sessions with instructors. At about 30 minutes apiece (you probably don't need to inspect their car after the run is over), that's another 120 minutes used up. So, now we are at about 280 minutes of free time, which is a little over 4.5 hours.

So, if you do all of your runs, inspect your car carefully, and catch as many runs as you can with instructors, you still have 4.5 hours of free time.

Of course many of us use this "free time" to socialize, and perhaps that creates the illusion that we don't have any free time for other things..

mitch236

I guess I socialized waaaaay too much!!!! I never seem to have enough time!

Z-man

Brian: you missed my point! Let me clarify: there never really is a time when I'm at the track and think to myself, "I'm bored. I need to find something to do." There's always socializing, working on my car, helping someone else on their car, catching a ride with an instructor, bench racing, picture taking, watching others bench race and take pictures....etc....

Not that there's anything wrong with taking a little down time for yourself.... I guess I'm an extroverted person!
-Z-man.

Brian P

Agreed.

Although to be fair to Lance, he was asking about how to pass time while driving to the track. I'll assume he didn't mean driving from the paddock to the track.

LanceK

Thanks Brian!

My original post clearly states this is for driving to and from the track.

Not while there.

Z-man

OOPS! I mis-read. My apologies....
-Z.

Dbltime

I installed a CB in my truck. My first tow on the interstate with my CB, listening to all my new trucker friends I get called by a trucker. "hey Porsche racer guy"... He informs me that when I put the trucks right turn signal on the left flashes on the trailer. Good info. Another time a trucker informed me that one of my safety chains was dragging. Probably a good thing to have all those eyes on the rig and able to contact you.

LanceK

Sounds like the CB is still a good thing to have.

Anybody have any advice on specific head units, antenna installation, or anything in general to have a good performing unit?

DrJupeman

Zman, you mean "bench driver educating", don't you?

Manny Alban

Good point Bill. I always switch mine to CH19 when I start to hit a traffic jam. Truckers always know which lane the accident is in and what detours to take. I've saved quite a bit of time listening to their directions.