Recent email to the Webmaster regarding CB capabilities

**AX05**

Hi there

I'm amazed to see that CB radios are still out there and that there are people around that still support this. My grandad use to love his old radio and I would sit for hours just listening to him talk.

I'm currently living in Australia (Perth) and have difficulty communicating with my family back in South Africa (Johannesburg)..... Is it possible for these radios to communicate that far and what will I need or more where will I start? With the current situations in South Africa it's becoming more and more difficult to have contact with our families as there phone lines get stolen almost every week and therefore we end up calling each other on cellphones.... now that is getting expensive....

With all the frustration I started thinking about CB radios and as it's really almost free (apart from buying the radio and stuff) it might be the best way forward.

Please help me with some information if possible. With the amount of South Africans living in Perth it might just be the next best oldie to come back and out smart modern technology.

Thank you in advance
Mathys

**AX05**

Hi Mathys,
I am sure you would be able to communicate from Perth to SA if the conditions are right.
AND you have a decent antenna setup such as a horizontal 3 element beam or similar.

A standard CB with 40 Ch SSB will do the job if the band is open and we are past the low of the sunspot cycle so it can only improve over the next few years!

Get yourself a CB and get on CH 35 with a verticle car antenna (easy) and start to talk to the local CB DXers on ch 35 to get more info on what to do, and maybe some local help with your setup.

CB can do it, you just have to know what your doing with it and wait for the right conditions.

Anyone else please feel free to expand on the subject.....