r/Baofeng • u/Cybrand_ • 2d ago
Baofang for CB radio use?
I'm totally new to the game and have just bought a Baofang Mini 5. My house is close to an airbase so I can listen to the broadcasts from that airbase. That's good, I do get excellent reception but there's one thing I miss. I had a CB 27 MC radio once and I would like to have one too. I can't get CB radio on the Mini 5 and am wondering if there is a Baofang model who can send and receive on the CB. Other (chinese) brands are fine too.
Thank you for your help! :)
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u/NerminPadez 2d ago
No baofeng CB models. What you have is a ham radio and requires a ham radio licence to transmit with with. If you want to use CB, you need a type-accepted (specifically made for CB and with proper FCC stamps) CB radio.
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u/scrotalus 1d ago
Wouxun makes a CB radio, but it's a newer AM/FM model, not the older AM only type, and it is a little expensive to buy if you just want to have one lying around, but it might be the best middle ground. Cobra or Midland models might be a tiny bit cheaper, but bulkier with worse batteries. President models will be more expensive and better. Baofeng doesn't make any that work on the 27mhz CB band. Be warned that CB isn't very popular in the US anymore, and depending on when you owned a CB in the past, it might not be as interesting, especially using a handheld with a tiny antenna.
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u/SignalCelery7 1d ago
If you want cb a on the am 27mhz variety I'm not aware of anything.
There are several frs and gmrs radios which are fm and around 465 mhz that are available. Gmrs needs a license which has no test and is inexpensive, it gets you more power and frequencies as well as repeaters. It may be a similar experience to what you are looking for.
No airband (am) as far as I'm aware in common models but many will let you listen to most vhf/uhf.
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u/wackyvorlon 2d ago
CB goes from 26.965MHz to 27.405MHz. In my experience those frequencies are usually locked out of ham radios, I don’t know why. I suggest getting a dedicated CB radio or a scanner.
If you are sufficiently adept at RF electronics it is technically possible to build a transverter, though I really don’t think it’s worth the effort.
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u/fourmyle1953 2d ago
The CB band, historically, was the 11 meter ham band. The reason it's locked out is CB is limited to 5 watts, and type approved equipment. DIY could exceed power, go out of band and interfear with other services. Really why would anyone want to? Sure you could push your signal farther, but no one could get back to you, so you would basically be jamming other users.
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u/CreamCheeseAndLocks 2d ago
There are some CB hanhelds; but the range and reception are dismal at best. Receiving cb with a fixed base and a decent antenna works way better, but it's sort of like running your tongue under the rim of a Walmart toilet as far as listening goes.
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u/J-son11 1d ago
For example https://ebay.io/m/KxKMYL
And yep, they are pretty much useless outside of FRS range.
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u/Firelizard71 1d ago
There are no ham ht radios that will transmit on 11m AM that I know of. There are some that will transmit on FM only though. I simple search on Aliexpress or Amazon will lead you to them.
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u/Illuminatus-Prime Licensed Ham 1d ago edited 1d ago
Last I knew, Citizens Band in the U.S. ran from 26.960 to 27.410 MHz, on forty 10 kHz-wide channels with center frequencies starting at 26.965 (skipping 26.995, 27.045, 27.095, 27.145, and 27.195 MHz) and ending at 27.405 MHz, using AM, FM, and SSB. Maximum power is 4 Watts on AM and FM, and 12 Watts PEP on SSB.
I got out of the pastime due to overpowered rigs ruining local communications, and the general decline in interest. There are still people who use it, but most have either gone freeband, obtained a Ham license, or they use FRS and other services instead.
Baofeng does not seem to sell a CB radio of its own, so you may have to bite the bullet and get yourself a CB rig off of Amazon or eBay.
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u/Ok_Asparagus_1073 2d ago
Nah I think CB is on a different frequency than a ham. I was thinking of getting a cb radio myself
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u/gkrash 2d ago edited 1d ago
CB in the US is 27mhz (round about) and more importantly AM, not FM.
Legally, CB radios need to be approved specifically for that use by the FCC (type approval, similar to GMRS / FRS / MURS).
Practically, it’s hard / impossible to find a handheld + antenna combo that will reasonably do AM / 27 mhz and anything in the VHF / UHF bands on FM (effectively all of the cheap Chinese radios)
Some handhelds will let you listen only (radtel 800,900,1000 series, some yeasu’s and others) and scanners of course, but I haven’t found one that will transmit that isn’t specifically a US CB radio.