Been Looking at CB Radios

This springtime I plan to install a CB Radio on my truck, partially for emergencies but mostly so I can hear what the Big Rigs are talking about on the highway and chat with others who have CBs. I often see trucks on the back roads with CB antennas, and it would be fun to be in communication with them.

Citizen Band radios have somewhat fallen out of popularity, for common use, due to cellphones and their need for long antennas, but a lot of off-road groups and truckers still use them, and it would be fun to hear what people are talking about on the open road, especially on long road trips.

IMG_13637It turns out CB radios aren’t that expensive, but I want to get something that is a good quality, offer years of reliable service, and will last. I am looking at the ever popular Cobra 29 LTD Classic, or actually probably the same model with the WX option, so I can get weather stations on it.

I could get a cheaper, high-tech digital one (like the Cobra 29 LX or a Uniden Digital Radio), but I’d rather have something that is more likely to be reliable in a dusty, dirty truck I take up to the woods. I don’t like dinky switches that appear on the high-tech radios.

Cobra_29WXNWST_025Unless I can find a better solution, I will probably be stuck mounting the antenna on the hood rail. Which sucks, but with the cap and the kayak on the roof, other mounting points are difficult. I want to be able to remove the antenna with ease, so I will get a quick release, so I can still go through relatively low-clearance locations.

The top of the antenna will probably be around 9 feet from the ground (with a 4 ft antenna on the hood plus height for quick release and spring), once my truck is lifted later this spring (the hood will be about 4′ 8″ from the ground when lifted — it’s 4′ now). Been busy measuring things.

The DEC says forest preserve roads have a clearance of 9-10 feet on average, so I shouldn’t hit too many things. I also checked and saw that a clearance of 9 feet is good for most roads — except maybe the Southern State Parkway, where one bridge has an actual clearance of 8’6″ on the outer lanes. Worst comes to worst, the spring on the antenna will save it, or the $25 antenna will have to be replaced.

Thinking of installing a CB Radio on my truck in the next couple of weeks, should the weather get nice.

When It Snows It Kind of Is Nice Living in City

People talked about how awful the roads were this past week. I guess that was true, although it didn’t seem that slippery walking out to the bus stop. Despite the weather, the bus was on time this morning.

Snowy Delaware Avenue

As much as I don’t like tromping through the snow in the winter to the bus stop or occasional delays in the bus service, winter really isn’t a big deal. I have off-street parking, so when it snows, I don’t have to clean-off my truck much less move it until I feel like going out somewheres.

My experience is that snow doesn’t often effect the bus schedule, as car traffic on the roads drops dramatically in Albany, especially when there is advanced notice of an impending snowstorm. People don’t like driving in the snow, so who can blame them for staying home? The reduced traffic often speeds up the bus – indeed in recent snowstorms, I have actually gotten home early because rush hour traffic on the bus is a breeze.

Winter is such a non-issue when you live in the city and can take the bus downtown.

The Case for Shorter Blog Posts

Recently, I’ve gotten into writing shorter more topical blog posts, rather than the longer more detailed blog posts of the past. I then schedule them throughout the day, to keep the blog fresh, and to better organize content based on when I think it likely to be most interesting for readers.

On many issues my thoughts and ideas about them are brief, and it doesn’t make sense to make things overly complicated or wordy. Often a picture is a better illustrator of an idea, and nowadays pictures are commonplace throughout the web.

 Friday\'s Snow Squall

I will try doing some more meaty and interesting posts, but sometimes one just needs to keep things short and thoughtful.

Shorter is often better when it comes to blogging.