Company equipment

[Coondog27]

I was thinking about Cb radios too, but was unsure of the power. We have basically flat Terrain with woods surrounding us. Cell phones would be fine, but having to keep them charged would perhaps be the biggest downfall. Partial problem with out help is that the cell phone goes in the pocket, and it is muffled enough that they don't hear the phone go off. I thought with a Cb or radio, the thing is mounted up and the speaker is loud enough to hear, usually. As for long antennas, that is kind of a no go, sadly. The trees would end up ripping them off the cabs. Anyone have a shorter style antenna they could recommend?

 

[Hurricane145]

I was thinking about Cb radios too, but was unsure of the power. We have basically flat Terrain with woods surrounding us. Cell phones would be fine, but having to keep them charged would perhaps be the biggest downfall. Partial problem with out help is that the cell phone goes in the pocket, and it is muffled enough that they don't hear the phone go off. I thought with a Cb or radio, the thing is mounted up and the speaker is loud enough to hear, usually. As for long antennas, that is kind of a no go, sadly. The trees would end up ripping them off the cabs. Anyone have a shorter style antenna they could recommend?

Probably CB radio is a good place to start.
The shorter the antenna, the less efficiency you will have and that will further limit your range.
It sounds like you are in a logging business. Maybe talking to other logging or otherwise similar companies to yours to see what has worked for them will give you some answers.

There are no easy answers for many radio applications and limiting your budget doesn't help. For us as amateur radio operators (or even CB operators) we spend a lot of money to overcome limitations! It gets more technically involved as things get better but we like that sort of thing anyway.
Until you decide on a system to use, I don't know why you would apply to the FCC for anything.

 

[Coondog27]

I agree, maybe I will contact and see if I can cancel it. I was half way through filling out the forms. I got a hold of a radio company near me, and they can set me up with units that use their frequency. They have a repeater near me and I can rent their equipment for $18/month per radio. Comes with mag antennas, radios, etc etc. Otherwise they want around $450/unit if I buy the equipment.

 

[RatsoW8]

Wise choice.

 

[Coondog27]

The Cb radio or the rentals?

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

The Cb radio or the rentals?

I wouldn't use CB over that distance. Too prone to interference from locals or skip conditions. When skip is running you won't be able to make it 5 miles much less the distance you want. Going with the rentals you will be using VHF FM with constant range and clarity thru a repeater and your coverage will not be an issue. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[Coondog27]

I wouldn't use CB over that distance. Too prone to interference from locals or skip conditions. When skip is running you won't be able to make it 5 miles much less the distance you want. Going with the rentals you will be using VHF FM with constant range and clarity thru a repeater and your coverage will not be an issue. Just my 2 cents worth.

I was curious of that, only thing is that we don't use the tractors much in the winter, just spring through fall.

 

[Hurricane145]

The F

I was curious of that, only thing is that we don't use the tractors much in the winter, just spring through fall.

The FM radios probably will be pretty foolproof to use too.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

I was curious of that, only thing is that we don't use the tractors much in the winter, just spring through fall.

Although we are in a down-turn in the skip cycle it happens 12 months of the year and not just in the winter months.

 

[RatsoW8]

The Cb radio or the rentals?

The commercial radios. CB is not a commercial radio service and pretty unreliable.

 

[Tallman]

The Cb radio or the rentals?

I would go with the rentals as long as they repair defective radios and equipment.
I would also let them install the equipment to stay clear of the blame for a bad install.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

I would go with the rentals as long as they repair defective radios and equipment.
I would also let them install the equipment to stay clear of the blame for a bad install.

That is what happens with rentals. The owner installs and maintains them as they are HIS equipment.

 

[BBB]

The commercial radios. CB is not a commercial radio service and pretty unreliable.

Incorrect:

"The Citizens Band Radio Service (CB) is a private, two-way, short-distance voice communications service for personal or business activities. The CB Radio Service may also be used for voice paging."

Any given day, we communicate over a 15-20 mile radius on CB with a reasonable amount of power utilized. Terrain is hilly (300-500' peaks) and wooded. 70-100 watts PEP AM is required to get over the typical noise during the day. This can be obtained with a radio using the amplifier section already mounted within certain radios. The FCC does not enforce these CB power levels anymore. 20 amps of 13.8 VDC power connected and fused at the battery will be required.

 

[RatsoW8]

Incorrect:

"The Citizens Band Radio Service (CB) is a private, two-way, short-distance voice communications service for personal or business activities. The CB Radio Service may also be used for voice paging."

Any given day, we communicate over a 15-20 mile radius on CB with a reasonable amount of power utilized. Terrain is hilly (300-500' peaks) and wooded. 70-100 watts PEP AM is required to get over the typical noise during the day. This can be obtained with a radio using the amplifier section already mounted within certain radios. The FCC does not enforce these CB power levels anymore. 20 amps of 13.8 VDC power connected and fused at the battery will be required.

I already know the FCC definition of CB radio. I suppose if the OP wanted to avoid an FCC fine to his "business" by running illegal power levels to obtain that 15-20 mile radius he should stick to the licensed reliable commercial offering then?

You said 15-20 mile radius so are you getting that range from a base station?

The current legal limit is still 4 watts or has that changed? The statement below is also from the same place you found your opening statement. I'm not being a prude about amps, just not going to recommend it to someone trying to find reliable comms for his business.

• You may not raise the power output of a CB transmitter.
• You may not attach a "linear," "linear amplifier" or any other type of power amplifier to your CB transmitter.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Incorrect:

"The Citizens Band Radio Service (CB) is a private, two-way, short-distance voice communications service for personal or business activities. The CB Radio Service may also be used for voice paging."

Any given day, we communicate over a 15-20 mile radius on CB with a reasonable amount of power utilized. Terrain is hilly (300-500' peaks) and wooded. 70-100 watts PEP AM is required to get over the typical noise during the day. This can be obtained with a radio using the amplifier section already mounted within certain radios. The FCC does not enforce these CB power levels anymore. 20 amps of 13.8 VDC power connected and fused at the battery will be required.

Wait until skip starts rolling at S-9+ and you won't be able to cover that 15-20 miles from a mobile even with a few hundred watts.