A citizens band radio or a CB radio is essentially a communication device that can be used as a radio service for personal use. When choosing a CB radio, you may think, "I should simply consult a CB radio shop near me" - while it is recommended to consult a shop sales executive, you should do some research on your own as well. You should have a budget, radio size, and working range decided before you visit a CB radio shop. Your available options may change depending on whether the vehicle you are going to mount the radio on is a small car or a truck as you'd need a small CB radio unit for a car and a large unit for a truck. Listed below are some of the features of a CB radio that you should keep in mind before purchasing it:
1. CB radio's backlit display
If you are planning to use your CB radio at night, you should purchase one that has a backlit display as opposed to one that doesn't. A backlit display illuminates the screen during nighttime or in the dark which allows the user to use the radio without any vision related problems.
2. CB radio's channel scanning capabilities
This is a very basic capability available in almost all CB radios which allows the user to scan all CB channels within its range for any sort of activity.
3. CB radio's weather capabilities
This is another feature in a CB radio that gives users updates about the weather. Certain models can also project weather updates about harsh weathers or national alerts even when the user is not using the CB radio.
4. CB radio's Address system
Some models of CB radios also feature an external public address system that is especially important while working in teams. Users can communicate over the radio in order to address their team members, to disseminate information, give alerts, or provide updates.
5. CB radio's metre display
The metre display is another feature found usually in expensive or high end CB radios and it allows the CB radio to display transmission and reception strength. It can be used to identify any problems in the device's antenna and it also features antenna readings.
6. CB radio's single side band
The single side band or the SSB is usually found in expensive or higher end CB radios and is a feature that allows the user to access about 80 channels. This feature also allows users to transmit at 12 watts without requiring a license to do so. However, only users with SSB in their CB radio can receive any SSB singles from other users. Certain models feature an AM mode which allows users without SSB to receive signals from SSB users too.
7. CB radio's radio frequency
This is the feature that allows the operator to filter any transmissions depending on their signal strength. With the help of this feature, users can block out weak signals and be able to communicate only with strong signals hence reducing background noise.
