A $40 Cobra CB will do you just fine to start on the comms and CB is a priority because it make communication so much easier on the trail in a group.
Essential gear/mods for a newbie
- Thread starter Danny Outlaw
- Start date
What about an antenna for the CB? I heard thats the important part of/for a CB.
I assumed that was a given. Proper instillation is vital because that is easy to screw up. I had to get help after a great deal of frustration of poor radio performance.
lol. Yeah, I assume I need an antenna to make the CB work, but I also assume that doesn't come with the $40 cobra?
Nope. You’ll also need an antenna cable and antenna. You can forego a permanent mount to start by running a magnetic mount antenna.
I sold my boat about a year ago to get back into camping ( overlanding ) I had the cash in hand but wanted to do the research to see what I needed vs wanted. My extra vehicle is an 07 pathfinder. After reading on forums I did some pre-mantance to make sure I was safe.
- replaced stock radiator
- 100k tune up
- first aid kit
- fire extinguisher
- roof rack
- shovel
- axe
- lugaloo
- traction pads ( Maxsa)
- 2 tow straps
4/5 trips later decided I need more
- skid plates
- rock sliders
- 2 1/2 inch lift
- back up gps
- off road lights ( pulled in at night last trip and these made a huge difference )
Done mostly moderate trails most solo. 25 miles off grid or so. I always carry extra water and food.
Lager tires soon and maybe a fridge/solar this year . A lot of great help on from o.l.b.
Sent from my SM-G930T using OB Talk mobile app
- replaced stock radiator
- 100k tune up
- first aid kit
- fire extinguisher
- roof rack
- shovel
- axe
- lugaloo
- traction pads ( Maxsa)
- 2 tow straps
4/5 trips later decided I need more
- skid plates
- rock sliders
- 2 1/2 inch lift
- back up gps
- off road lights ( pulled in at night last trip and these made a huge difference )
Done mostly moderate trails most solo. 25 miles off grid or so. I always carry extra water and food.
Lager tires soon and maybe a fridge/solar this year . A lot of great help on from o.l.b.
Sent from my SM-G930T using OB Talk mobile app
Member III
Most people are going FRS/GMRS. With FRS, the little hand helds are cheap and don't require an external antenna. The audio is better and they share frequencies with GMRS so when you want a little more power and a vehicle mounted radio, you can still talk to the FRS guys. The next step up from there is ham radio to get access to longer range comms and develop your communication skills even farther.
That’s a bold statement. Among everyone I know a CB is the standard. In fact I know of no one that uses FRS/GMRS. We all have CBs mounted in vehicles, never forget them when we head out and they are all compatible with each other. CH4 is the standard off-road channel used on a typical trail run. The purpose of the CB isn’t to communicate with the guy on the other side of the valley, but the guy three vehicles ahead.
Member III
I see more and more posts on here with people talking about local clubs going to FRS or even requiring people to get their amateur license. I've also not been to but one ride or gathering in the last year where CB was used and the only reason it was used then was because the lead truck lent his FRS to another in the group and there was a guy (me BTW) to relay from CB to FRS as needed, with the majority of the group being on FRS.
FRS is short range as well as CB. The audio is far superior using FM vs CB's AM. If you do GMRS vehicle mounted, the antennas are only 8-19" tall in most cases and much easier to deal with than ANY CB antenna that's worth a darn. With the interoperability of FRS and GMRS, plus GMRS's increased power limits is a much more useful setup no matter if you are talking 3 trucks forward or 3 miles away. Then there's the fact that for $25 you can get two FRS radios where even a cheap CB install will run around $100.
Member III
Well, quite a bit of what I've seen on here are the clubs out west requiring ham where the distances to civilization is much greater and the need to get through could be that much greater. Being a ham, I kind of push for that but I realize most don't want to put the effort of the license into it. It's an entire secondary hobby for me, so I'm a bit biased.
With FRS, you can also keep a spare for a spotter to use or to hand out if someone shows up without a radio.
These are just be my opinions based on threads I've encountered here and groups I've been around locally, so go with what you think you'll need or what your group runs.
Member III
Member III
Off-Road Ranger I
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- Phillip
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- McIntosh
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I’ve noticed that fewer and fewer people around here are using cb. The handheld dual band, frs and gmrs are just cheaper and better. I still have my cb but it’s getting to be pretty rare to someone to talk to on it.
Learning the mechanical side of things is a long and arguably non-ending process, but you can get started with small steps that will have a lot of value on the trail.
1) Practice swapping a tire for your spare using the factory jack. You might want to pick up a cheap 1/2" Torque Wrench from Harbor Freight ($10) so you can put the lug nuts back on to the proper torque (check the owner's manual). You might also want to carry a scrap of wood in your truck to put under the jack on loose surfaces like dirt.
2) Start to learn the critical suspension and driveline components of your truck, this way you can inspect them after the end of a trail run to make sure nothing is broken or leaking. It's not critical to know how to remove or repair them, I'm just suggesting getting familiar with how they normally look. Some items to look up online are: upper and lower ball joints, tie rod ends, steering rack boots, inner and outer CV boots, front shocks, rear shocks, rear leaf springs, and front and rear driveshafts.
The CB vs FRS debate is a tricky one, and I think it comes down to who you wheel with. Personally I have a CB in both trucks and I never use them, every group I've gone with uses FRS/GMRS radios. I'm currently getting my HAM license to allow for more transmitting range.
I’m also new to “overlanding” but I’ve been car camping since college. I started my build with some SSO rock sliders to give my 4Runner some protection. I just picked up a second hand Gobi rack because I’m going out west for 14 days next month and figured I will need the space. I don’t plan on doing anything else until I get back. Your just north of me, do you know of a good 4x4 shop near Atlanta?
The most important thing before you hit the track is getting to know your vehicle. A little bit of training with a seasoned off-road driver goes a long way.
I also have a stock 17 TRD OR. Just took it wheeling with some friends and it did great. Only gear I had was some locally made traction boards (Action Trax out of Wichita, KS if anyone is curious), a receiver hitch shackle, tire deflator, a jack, and a recovery strap. Only used the tire deflator.
Did have a little meet up between my rocker panel and a rock, so needless to say sliders were purchased about a week ago. Went with BudBuilt sliders out of NC. Comms should be here today. Tires here soon, looking at the Falken Wildpeak A/T3W in a 265/75 16.
I’m sure a lift is in my future but for now I’m just going to enjoy the truck and it’s capapbilities and build as needed.
Did have a little meet up between my rocker panel and a rock, so needless to say sliders were purchased about a week ago. Went with BudBuilt sliders out of NC. Comms should be here today. Tires here soon, looking at the Falken Wildpeak A/T3W in a 265/75 16.
I’m sure a lift is in my future but for now I’m just going to enjoy the truck and it’s capapbilities and build as needed.
