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Two Way Radio

A powerful, off-the-grid method for communicating with other drivers and base-stations.

A two-way, citizen-band radio installed on the side of the center console in a sedan

A two way radio system is compact and fits comfortably, even in small cars.

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A thin, black, 18 inch antenna on the trunk of a Nissan Altima

A compact, 2 foot antenna allows for a moderate range of 3 to 5 miles during normal conditions.

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A tall, silver, 62 inch antenna in the center of the trunk of a Nissan Altima

For ultimate performance and range, a high-end 5 foot antenna allows you to communicate with 10-15 miles of range under normal circumstances, and more than 200 miles during 'skip' conditions!

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An image of a Nissan Altima with a barely noticable large antenna, parked in a snowy scene with a backdrop of trees

Despite its size, even a 5 foot antenna is unobtrusive and subtle due to its extremely limited thickness. Unless your car is parked against a perfectly smooth back-drop, it's difficult to even make it out!

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Independent

A two-way CB radio has absolutely zero external dependencies. This makes it an extremely valuable tool during power, phone, and internet outages. As long as your car battery is charged or you have gasoline, you'll be able to communicate in an emergency. In a pinch, a CB radio can even be powered off a small solar panel!

Informative

CB radios are one of the fastest and most effective ways to get information about the road ahead. Other drivers regularly inform those around them of police speed traps, broken down cars, traffic jams, and other useful information, long before the news or phone apps know about it.

Distraction Free

CB radios use big microphones with giant buttons that can easily be used without taking your eyes off the road. Instead of looking down to dial a phone number, a CB radio allows you to instantly communicate with those in your group, distraction free.

High Powered

All V0LT two-way radio installations use the highest power outputs legally allowed in the United States. This ensures the strongest possible transmissions.

Removable

In the majority of passenger vehicles, a CB radio is completely non-destructive to install. In many situations, the antenna and power cables can be routed through existing gaps in the trunk, doors, or firewall.

Efficient

Despite its high powered transmissions capabilities, CB radios don't draw nearly enough power to overload the electrical system in your car. This means CB radios can be safely installed in even the smallest vehicles.

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Radio

This is the radio unit itself, and it's what's at the core of your two-way radio system.

    • The Cobra Ultra III is extremely similar to the Cobra 19 DX IV, but lacks gain control.
    • If you're looking for a more affordable alternative to the newer Cobra 19 DX IV, this is an option worth considering.
    • The Cobra 19 DX IV is a basic, easy to use, powerful radio unit.
    • The President Thomas is the first CB radio to support FM transmission, as well as the normal AM. It also comes with several features that are nice to have, including roger beeps, customizable display colors, and automatic squeltch control!

Antenna

The antenna is how a CB radio system communicates with the outside world. A solid antenna is critical for long range communication.

    • This 18.5 inch antenna is great for a compact, stealthy setup.
    • If you plan to use your CB radio for communicate with people in your group while traveling, and want a compact antenna, this is a good option. Otherwise, a higher end antenna is highly recommended, since it can realistical triple or quadruple your range.
    • This antenna is the compact version of the 5 foot stainless steel antenna option, and uses a lot of the same technologies, but is only 36 inches. This option is a great compromise between range and height. If you want a strong antenna but don't want a 5 foot antenna on your roof, this antenna is a great alternative.
    • Despite its more compact size, this antenna is actually quite a bit harder to remove. Due to it's short size, it should easily fit through garages and drive-throughs, but it will still need to be removed for things like automated car washes. To remove this antenna, you have to disconnect the cable from the radio, and completely remove the wiring from your car. This can be a problem, since routing the cable can be a pretty time consuming process.
    • If range is extremely important to you, the 5 foot antenna will still give significantly better range. However, this 3 foot antenna is drastically stronger than the 2 foot antenna.
    • If you want the ultimate range and performance, this 62.5 inch antenna is the way to go. This particular antenna is one of the most respected high-end antennas on the market, and provides one of the highest ranges of any mobile antenna available today.
    • The antenna mount is sturdy enough to comfortably handle sudden changes in direction, and windspeeds in excess of 100MPH. Even under harsh braking and swerving at track speeds, the antenna mount won't move an inch.
    • The antenna is made out of semi-flexible stainless steel, and is designed to bend under garages and trees while moving at slow speeds. However, in situations where a high speed impact is likely, the antenna can be easily unscrewed and stored away, leaving just the ~1 inch tall base on your car.

Public Address

CB radios often have support for a 'public address' speaker, which is a loud-speaker placed in the engine bay of your car that allows you to speak with people outside the car. These are completely optional, but can be useful to have.

If you're looking for a dedicated public address system, check out V0LT's siren installation services. Dedicated sirens will be more expensive, but will be exponentially louder, so it's worth considering if a public address system is important to you.

    • If you have no need for an external PA loudspeaker, you can skip having one installed. All of the other functions of the CB radio will still be completely functional.
    • Should you change your mind in the future, you can always retroactively choose to have one added to the rest of the system.
    • This is a solid, basic external PA speaker. It's reasonably loud, and can be easily heard from outside the car over the ambient noise in a city or parking lot.
    • Since this speaker is not amplified, it's not nearly as loud as it could be. The speaker is not loud enough to be clearly heard from inside another car, or at a long distance.
    • Although this speaker is technically rated at 10 watts, it will only be able to use as much power as the CB radio provides. In other words, don't expect it to be half as loud as the amplified option, even though it has half the wattage.
    • This is an amplified speaker, which pulls additional power from your car's electrical system to boost it's volume significantly. If you're looking for something that can be clearly heard at a distance, this is a great option.

Power

It goes without saying that a radio system needs power to function. This is where you specify how you want to supply power to your two-way radio system.

    • A cigarette lighter plug allows you to connect your CB radio an accessory plug in your car.
    • Hardwiring frees up the accessory plugs in your car by wiring the radio system directly into the car using the fusebox.
    • If you need the absolute best performance possible, the radio can be hardwired directly into the car battery. However, this makes it extremely easy to accidently drain the battery of your car, so under most circumstances, this is not recommended.
    • Solar power allows your CB radio system to be used completely off the grid even without gasoline.
    • If you primarily want a two-way radio system for emergencies, this option is worth considering. However, for daily use, a solar panel is likely an extremely inconvenient way to power a mobile radio installation.
    • There are several options for how to supply solar power to your radio system, which can be discussed when making an order. It's even possible to install a solar panel in such a way that it powers the entire accessory system of the car.

SWR Gauge

An SWR gauge is the tool used to tune a two-way radio system. However, it can also be used to indicate severe issues with your radio system, and alert you to problems before it's too late.

    • An SWR gauge measures how much of the signal from your radio gets reflected back from the antenna. High SWR can damage your radio, so an SWR gauge is used to ensure everything is in working order.
    • An SWR gauge is often the only way to find faults with your CB radio system. It's highly recommended that you get an SWR gauge with your radio system, since it can be the difference between noticing an issue and solving it, and accidentally blowing out your radio over a minor fault.
    • Unless you fully understand and accept the risks of running a CB radio with no SWR gauge, it is highly recommended that you don't go without one.

Extension Cable

In some cases, an extension cable might be necessary to neatly run the antenna cable from the radio unit to the roof of your car. However, under normal circumstances, the cable built into the antenna should work fine.

    • Even long wheel-base vehicles rarely need extension cables. Therefore, it's recommended that you don't pay for an extension cable unless you're absolutely sure it will be needed for installation.
    • If you're certain your car will need an extension cable, you can add one with your order so the entire radio system can be installed in one sitting.