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need to buy a good CB radio


harleyjohn45

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is J & M about the only show in town. they appear to be the smallest and also have the option for 2 headsets. any comments please.

thanks

john

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I’ll go out on a limb here, you not being ignored, there just isn’t a really good answer to that. Very few riders I know us this type of communication anymore, since the advent of FRS/GMRS. Portable/handheld CB’s often leave a lot to be desired, and comparably the FRS/GMRS radios are more efficient.

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I have the J&M 2003 on my GT2. I've moved it from the previous RT's.

 

I have committed to CB's because;

 

a) I ride solo on interstates, so I like being able to get road conditions from the truckers.

 

b) I ride alot with a Gold Wing guy and his bike has the CB

 

c) wife's bike has the Airrider system set up to use either CB or FRS but uses CB more.

 

YMMV.

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The J&M is a good unit and works quite well. You will have to contend, IMHO, with poor company support and with pricey/difficult interfaces for other audio connections (cell, etc.)

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is J & M about the only show in town. they appear to be the smallest and also have the option for 2 headsets. any comments please.

thanks

john

 

If you plan on getting or have an Autocom, the Cobra handheld is your best chance of getting it to cooperate. I like the form factor of the Midland but could never get it to work with the Autocom (common problem).

 

I have the Cobra mounted on top of my RCU shelf. It's not a clean looking as the J&M setup but it works out great... When riding alone I have it hooked up to the Autocomm PTT button and when I'm riding with the FRS crowd, I use a different plug and use it as a scanner.

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John, I used a Cobra HH38WXST hand held CB and a Motocomm MC-551 headset this year (solo riding). Worked good until the PTT switch failed (too much talking I guess). The Cobra seems to be a high quality unit and it can be directly powered from 12 volts (but on low power, it seems to last forever on batteries). I am now looking at how to add rider intercom and GPS. It seems that the RF issues with CB are a problem for many intercom units. I may just run the CB on internal batteries to help avoid the RF/ground loop problem. I am looking at the Starcom1 since it seems to interface the best with a simple PTT.

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I selected the J&M CB because it had the right form factor and was eaisly mounted. I only wanted the CB part but it does come with built in weather radio.

 

I have interfaced it with an Autocom system. It works well. Just takes three wires. A fourth wire could be used to add PTT for the CB from the Autocom VOX but since the J&M has the handy lever for PTT, I am not using it.

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John, I have an 02RT equipped with the mid level Autocomm. I, like most others, use primarily the FRS. HOWEVER, I do a significant amount of riding with my brother and his Kawi Voyager is CB only. For riding with him, I bought a Radio Shack hand held CB. It runs all day with the battery pack, but includes another battery pack that you can fill with AA batteries if needed. The Radio Shack CB uses the Motorola plug with the Autocomm. My outfit is mounted in a tank bag using a PTT. I found a Radio Shack going out of business and got the radio for $60. I think they run around $90 normally, but appears to be a pretty durable unit. The biggest problem with this set up is that the Motorola plug that fits the CB is not compatible with most FRS radios. I had to spring for a Cobra FRS. To make it work, I had to make a plastic shim to put under the FRS plug so it would make proper contact.

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i would like to thank everyone for their input. we ride with a group that all use cb's. i hate them, but they do come in handy. i have a factory setup on a harley ultra and its just horrible. i'm sure any hend held would be better. i will need a unit with intercom and well as the ability for 2 headsets. i have not found much out there. maybe J & M is the best. many people here like them ok.

 

john

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I selected the J&M CB because it had the right form factor and was eaisly mounted. I only wanted the CB part but it does come with built in weather radio.

 

I have interfaced it with an Autocom system. It works well. Just takes three wires. A fourth wire could be used to add PTT for the CB from the Autocom VOX but since the J&M has the handy lever for PTT, I am not using it.

 

 

well J&M it is. i just ordered one. i always have a passenger so i need a unit for 2 headsets. i believe the push to talk button is actually meant for the passenger. i have bought J&M equipment before and it seems to be quality, however as one poster said. "its a bit pricy" lol

we do not listen to a radio or need a cell phone connection. i think the voice operated intercom is a plus. i really only needed the cb radio tho.

thanks again

john

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I don't remember who it was but someone on this board had a really nice hand held CB that he showed me during the ride down Skaggs road last spring. He modified it to also use FRS by soldering in a resistor or removing a resistor or something along those lines. I thing Steve (Don't remember his last name but he was at Torrey in September) has one of the best setups I've seen. He was telling us hoons that we had been reported to the UT Highway Patrol just after we finished H72 Sweeper Madness and merging on to H70. He has CB and FRS in one unit and monitors the local Police while he is talking in FRS. At least I think that is what he has setup. Very cool none the less.

 

Cheers!

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Not to offend you my friend, but the modification you speak of is a common handheld HAM Radio trick. There is usually just a jumper wire that allows transmission on “illegal” or out of bad frequencies, small solder job. However they don’t make them at CB Frequencies, so he may have had something like a Yaesu handheld that can transmit on FRS/GMRS which are very close to HAM Frequency, and Police Frequency.

It is unlikely you’d ever find a handheld that transmits in Citizen Band as well as FRS/GMRS, there freqs are miles apart...

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