Are these CBs worth resurrecting?

[ShadowsPapa]

Worked when last in my cars. Damn, they got dusty in that cupboard in the garage. Wow, never expected that.....

Are they even still used?
Is it worth getting them cleaned up and going and maybe install one in my JT (like sure, there's plenty of room HAHAHAHA)

The Royce 608 was given me by my parents in about 78/79 when I was doing a lot of commuting and driving all over creation and I had it in 2 cars and a pickup until the late 1980s.

This one, the smaller one - I got in a car I eventually parted out.

Not sure if I still have my antennas or not......... I had one on a pickup and another on my AMX

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[kb5zcr]

They are worth $5-$10 each. They may or may not work.
The capacitors in 40 year old electronics often begin to dry out or leak so even if they turn on they may not receive well.
You can try them if you like but don't be surprised if they don't work like they used to.

If you are sentimental about them, there are people who can re-cap (replace all the capacitors) in them for a fee. You can youtube "re-cap" a radio.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

They are worth $5-$10 each. They may or may not work.
The capacitors in 40 year old electronics often begin to dry out or leak so even if they turn on they may not receive well.
You can try them if you like but don't be surprised if they don't work like they used to.

If you are sentimental about them, there are people who can re-cap (replace all the capacitors) in them for a fee. You can youtube "re-cap" a radio.

Yeah, not concerned about monetary value, the small one can be bought on eBay for a few bucks (don't know if they work at that price, but I've seen them there)

I figured if either work, especially the Royce, might be worth having one installed say, in my SX4 or even Jeep. (you can't hear a radio while my Javelin is running so don't bother with that one)

I'll see if I have either of my old antennas although with no ground plane, probably wouldn't work on a bench test.

 

[Badunit]

30 years ago a friend of mine installed a CB in his CJ. Turns out there wasn't much of anyone to talk to or listen to back then, at least not where he lived. Was a waste, and the antenna was annoying off road.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

30 years ago a friend of mine installed a CB in his CJ. Turns out there wasn't much of anyone to talk to or listen to back then, at least not where he lived. Was a waste, and the antenna was annoying off road.

On my Chevy truck, I had a mount that you could swing down - open the hood, swing the antenna down into the engine bay, close the hood.

 

[White Eagle]

Most without elaborate antennas and amps work about as well as a car horn and many times not as good as a car horn.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Most without elaborate antennas and amps work about as well as a car horn and many times not as good as a car horn.

Never had amps or elaborate antennas in the 80s and they worked fine - but today, there's not as many out there.

Then - there was always CB traffic, it was monitored by law enforcement and there was usually someone to chat with - but mine was only good for about 15 miles tops.

 

[Rusty PW]

I tossed out 2 power mikes and a 200 amp and a 500 amp linear amplifiers last summer. They were sitting in the attic. They had to be 40+ years old.

One lesson I learned with using linears is that you have to be careful on how you route the coax cable in a vehicle that has a ecu. Run the cable too close to the ecu, and everytime you key the mike. The vehicle would shut down. RFI, radio frequency interference.

 

[IamPro2A]

Good luck finding a way to mount those, and then good luck finding anyone else to talk to.
I have yet to figure out a way to mount my mobile ham rig in the JT as cleanly as in my Ram, and that has a detachable faceplate. If you did more offroad or trail riding, I would say go with GMRS which is what most people here seem to use. Truthfully, the best everyday mobile backup comms I have now is a modern smartphone with T-mobile/Starlink coverage. It just works, almost anywhere on the planet, and doesn't require the party on the other end to have any special equipment or conditions.
https://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/satellite-phone-service

There are a lot of areas around here with little or no cell coverage. I have none at my house, and I can drive 20-30 minutes in almost any direction with virtually no coverage except for a few quick bursts (just look for a pull-off on the side of the road that doesn't seem to have a reason for existing, it's probably got 1 bar right there). I programmed an older handheld ham radio with all the local repeaters and replaced the rechargeable batteries with 20yr shelf life lithium cells and vacuum sealed it with some Silica desiccant packs and a little printout on how to use it and kept it under the seat in the wife's old Wrangler. She doesn't have her Amateur Radio license, but I told her in an emergency just try to reach someone. We'll worry about the legal crap later. But now with the sat phone capability, I know if something happens on those 2hr drives to her office a few times a month she can reach 911 and me without hoping someone else will hear her and relay the messages.

 

[DanW]

Never had amps or elaborate antennas in the 80s and they worked fine - but today, there's not as many out there.

Then - there was always CB traffic, it was monitored by law enforcement and there was usually someone to chat with - but mine was only good for about 15 miles tops.

If you can get channel 19 with those, that's as useful as any newer CB, really.

I've got CBs in both of my Jeeps. I mainly use them to talk to truckers when there is a traffic back up. It helps to get into the best lane. Beyond that, there isn't much talk out there these days. But I like having it. I'll also sometimes talk to truckers just to fight boredom on long trips.

While we primarily use GMRS, it's also a good backup for my Jeeps. Occasionally I will come across another Jeep on trails that uses CB, but that's getting more rare.

I was going to upgrade to CB's with FM but I hear there's even less talk on those, so I am holding off.

I'm running a President Bill in my Gladiator and a Uniden Bearcat CMX 760 in my Wrangler. The President Bill is far better, with a louder speaker, but the Uniden is all in the hand and just mounts under the seat with the mic on the dash, as the controls are in the mic.

The President Bill has a wireless Bluetooth mic that has its button on the steering wheel Works amazingly well.

You can see the CB on the dash in the first pic and the antenna on the left front with a fender mount. It's really unobtrusive, handles bumping vegetation, and it reaches well above the cab for good reception.

 

[Pismo61]

Yep,CB on the road with traffic back ups.Other than that,I get no talk back here in So.Cal.I like the satellite idea.

 

[IamPro2A]

Yep,CB on the road with traffic back ups.Other than that,I get no talk back here in So.Cal.I like the satellite idea.

I run Waze pretty much whenever I am driving, and that will alert me to traffic backups and reroute around them far easier than having to constantly listen to noise on the CB.
Pretty much almost any place likely to have traffic will also have cell coverage for Waze notifications, but Google maps has pretty much the same function since they bought Waze, and that is one of the currently satellite-enabled apps if you happen to run into traffic in the middle of nowhere.

 

[Pismo61]

Yep,I use Waze also and may not install the cb(Ive had for years) in my 2026.Im using the smart phone more and more.

 

[daveb]

I drive a semi for a living, cb's are very rare. So are actual professional truck drivers. I use my cb on the trail, it comes in handy at times.

 

[IamPro2A]

I drive a semi for a living, cb's are very rare. So are actual professional truck drivers. I use my cb on the trail, it comes in handy at times.

I have a few friends that drive for a living. One still has a CB, and might even use it on occasion. The others use phones and headsets. My one buddy I also offroad with says he has some sort of conference call thing with a few other guys also driving overnights and they just jump in and shoot the sh*t all night.

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