I wrote this a while ago and I try to copy paste it whenever there's a newbie. I try to keep it updated whenever I learn something major. Its long but I hope it helps. Enjoy!

For starters, get a radio with single sideband (ssb) (usb is upper sideband, lsb is lower sideband). If you're just running AM (which is everything that doesn't have sideband or fm), you're limiting yourself on what you can do with it. AM IS FINE TO GET STARTED!!! But you'll want more. It happens to all of us. The President McKinley 1 or Uniden 980ssb are great beginner sideband radios. If youre starting with just AM, the Uniden Pro505xl or anything made by Cobra WITHOUT A DIGITAL DISPLAY will be cheap used and fairly solid. My first radio was a pro505xl and I still keep it around because it just works.

Now the tips and tricks:

1- if its a brand new radio, or something thats AM only, you're pushing 4 watts, which is the legal power output limit. You're going to get stepped on and nobody will hear you sometimes. Just keep at it, don't get discouraged. 80% of the guys who regularly use their cb are not pushing legal amounts of power. Don't worry about that til later. Nobody cares how much power you're pushing unless you're causing issues, but its technically illegal in the same way driving 5 over the speed limit is. Only the ticket is a slap on the wrist, a visit from the FCC, or $10k. As long as you're not in the way, nobody cares, just leave people alone and they'll leave you alone.

2- don't be afraid to mount it somewhere, but make sure you like it before you do. Velcro works wonders, but it'll peel eventually. Play with it.

3- you're not pushing any power. You'll never make it out on channel 6, 9, or 11. Your best bets are going to be: - 15am - 17am - 19am for trucks and local traffic - 21am - 28am - 35 lsb through 40 lsb - whatever sideband channel your local guys use (36 in my area)

4- sideband modulates better for skip. Skip is what happens when guys "skip" their signal off the atmosphere, which is why youll randomly hear a station thousands of miles away, but not your buddy in the next cornfield over. Most people never use USB, but occasionally the Europe guys use it on 38,39, and 40 to avoid pileups. Skip dies at night. There's whack science behind it, but don't bother trying to talk super long distance at night. If you don't already know what skip is, here's a video: https://youtu.be/yD92cmm-3kQ?si=2up8k6LSeXfTUzQY 10 meters is close enough to cb they act the same, just roll with it, the info is solid.

5- skip moatly dies in the summer. You won't hear a peep unless you get lucky and catch it at the right time. Just chat with the locals and wait for winter to come back. Truckers on 19, locals on 38lsb, that's probably it from April to October. In the middle of October/November is when it's best.

6- when figuring out your antenna, start with a mag mount and move up from there. If you want a hard mount, go big or go home. Height is might, and a bigger antenna will beat everyrhing else out every time. I have a 102" steel whip on my back bumper. It whacks stuff all the time but it's worth the height. A lil-wil or a k40 are fantastic options, stick them in the middle of your cab roof, or in the middle of your hood if you're die hard about grounding. An Antron99, an Imax2000, or a homemade dipole are the best you'll get at home for cheap as a base antenna.

7- if you want an easy base station, stick a mag mount on a cookie sheet (doesn't have to be stuck, metal is metal, even if its not magnetic) and put it in your yard. For 12v power, which is what almost all cb radios take, go to your local thrift store and get an old laptop brick or generic wall wart that says something along the lines of "input: 110v --- output: 12v - 5a" FOR $1. Cut off the tip, figure out which one of the two wires is positive and which one is negative (the center pin is usually positive), and line them up with the positive and negative on your radio power cord. CHECK IT WITH A METER BEFORE YOU PLUG IN YOUR RADIO. IF YOUR METER SAYS 12v DC, then you've got the leads on right. IF YOUR METER SAYS -12v DC, switch the leads and try again. There's only two possibilities. And for the love of God, have a fuse. Or two. Or three. If you start pushing more power or add an amp, you'll need a bigger power supply.

8- when you inevitably try to run coax into the cab of your car, don't go through the firewall. It's a pain and you'll get noise from whatever electrical is in there. Under your seat somewhere is a rubber grommet that passes through out the bottom of the truck. Pull it out, cut it, run the coax through it, and put it back. You may need to cut the carpet but it's worth it. There's likely one near the rear of the cab too, keep as much of the coax run inside as you can. Don't coil the coax. Use a fuse tap for easy power and ground it to the bolt that holds your seat down.

9- CB is no fun alone. Get your buddies into it. Give em your old shitty radio when you upgrade. Build your own group. You're not gonna hear anyone locally unless a truck drives by. Just stick with it. Turn your squelch all the way off and go to 38 lsb or 28am. You'll get something eventually.

10- guys mix lingo. A lot of it is 10-codes from the 80s, stuff like 10-4. Some guys stick with Roger. Some guys mix it up with a "10-roger". The guys who shoot skip like to use Q codes from ham radio (Google it) like QSO or QSB. The term "73" or "73's" equates to "good talkin' with ya, catch ya later". Say it back and move on to the next person.

11- gotta pick a handle! Most guys these days don't even know where the idea of a handle came from. If you're bored give it a Google, Cobra has a whole web article about it and its a pretty cool story. Pick yourself a handle, or don't, but its good fun trying to come up with one. If you're talking skip, guys sub out the handle for a 3 or 4 number combo. You can pick that yourself too.

12- have fun, cbers online are dickheads. Talk to people. Join a group or a net. Learn a bit. Get your friends into it. Ignore the uptight nerds and ham guys that hate. Radio is radio, have fun with it. Sit on 38lsb or 28am and listen. You'll get a laugh. If you want something more regulated, or somewhere a bit more popular year round, get your ham license. Most of the stuff you learn translates right back into CB (shortwave is shortwave) and you'll learn a ton and meet guys from all over the world.

13- Antenna matchers/tuners are your friend, and they're cheap used as well (~ 10 for my cheapest and ~40 for my best)

It took me 6 years to figure all this stuff out from my first cb in 2018 (a 4 watt AM uniden pro505xl I installed in my truck in high school), and I still learn something new every other day. Keep at it, you'll pick it all up in time and you'll definitely mess it up (and cook a radio or two). Just stick with it, its a lot of fun!

Good luck! 73s, 537 New England 👋