This is the CHEAPEST set up for CB RADIO / HAM listening station 

How to save money is to build your own antenna, not difficult at all. It's called the T2LT made from coax (RG58). here is the simple breakdown to make it. Get a length of coax, nip the end to expose the inner core about 10mm, from the end of that coax where the braid is, measure 2.47m and put tape around that to show the length, from that end (where the tape is) wrap a coil that is ( i used a wd40 can to wrap the coil) 68mm, wrap 16 turns around the can and secure the wrapped coil with tape and tie wraps and the rest of the coax you attach a plug. At the other end, solder 2.5m of wire (allow for tuning if you are transmitting) remember the higher the frequency the shorter the antenna should be, so if i wanted to bring the swr down from a high reading I can fold the top wire over or lengthen it. hage it on a fibre glass pole or hang from a tree. Hope that helps, Will G1YYU

Hi Fred, Another option for those without or unwilling to use computers is a handheld Scanner. Something like a Uniden UBC92XLT will cover FM/AM or a Yupiteru MVT-7100 for SSB. Second hand can be bought around £50. A bottom of the range Discone or Scanking vertical in the loft will also pick up a lot on 11m. The scanner gives people the mobile option too 👍🏼

Completely agree with everything you say Fred. I started back about 5 years ago with a legal AM/FM Multi norm. Then I got the Alinco DR135DX SSB. Now my main radio is a Yaesu FT920 and a Kenwood TS 450S. The Original magmount has evolved into a fibreglass 1/2 wave.

Im in NEW YORK CITY. If I was in Brittan I would go to KNIGHTS CB and buy a President Mc Kinley and a Antron 99 antenna and use RG-213 coax. You get what you pay for in life. Im a amp user so I would also use a 2x6 amplifier class B for SSB with the set up I mentioned

😊 I don't usually comment on RU-vid videos but I must say.... Your excellent videos make a lot of sense❗😃 Thank you❗😀

Great video Fred. This will be most helpful to newbies and people re-entering the CB hobby once again.

Great video Fred , the basic of all radio is listening , sdr is good for beginners and maybe they get a real radio someday !

Hey dude, great channel. At about 13, early 90s. I started up with a 2nd hand set up, cant remeber much about it. For my 13 birthday i was given, the midland portapak. Was pretty sick. Im definitely getting back on. Thanks

Well done Fred your videos are always useful and your very good at explaining keep them rolling

I bought the TTi handheld CB-H100 for 114.99. The charging is brilliant. Pop in the charger dock and it lasts for ages unlike the bigger types with battery add on packs. The only thing is from my house I only managed to reach one person who is my village. And hes got all sorts of Silver rods and antennas!. Went down the M1 as passenger and up a big hill called Breedon on the Hill between Leicestershire and Derbyshire. Couldn't get anyone. But there is a church left on the Hill that was once part of a Priory.

Glad you got the dongles running ...it's a big learning curve at first......but can be fun...

Great video Fred.

the midland 42 multi handheld is easy to modify to 400channels :) and ofcourse you have the albrecht 2990 afs also a handheld but you can do ssb on it it cost 384,87uk dollars :)

Hi Fred, thanks for the video I'm an IT tech through the day and ran in to an article describing how buying this little dongle would allow me to listen to massive amount of frequencies .. so this was kinda my first venture in to anything radio I like the versatility of it and also the ability to run it on Pi and have a remote antenna anywhere really aslong as you can connect to it remotely via WiFi, Also love there are many additional apps you can use to decode digital modes which opens a whole new world. Also you can use it to track weather balloons with the right plugins in SDR++ and receive live weather images from NOAA satalites Computers open open a lot of functionality. Great video on CB. I need to find a good antenna solution as I can't really have one where I live. No point in listening if your receiver can't hear anything Great video Thanks

These 70 quid cb setup is OK for cars in convoy 20meter apart. I have got a 5/8 gainmaster and if I plug in a small radio it still works.

Hey Fred. I got back into the hobby and got an anytone 6666 back in 2018 and found that there was about four of us on FM around the area! SSB was great and after some great contacts into Italy went and got my amateur licence, never looked back. The SDR dongles are great fun and if you have the patience to set them up you can listen to all sorts of stuff. Also 11 metres has been open for DX this last couple of weeks so contacts abroad are pretty easy at the moment Keep the videos coming.

Also for someone coming back to radio may be disappointed if they find they have S9 noise at home , not like the old days, thinking setup not working. So could advise to try setup in a car, if they have that option, and drive away from housing estates to a country place to get less noise and be able to hear more stations.

Brilliant Fred I've not listoned to one of your RU-vid films for ages please keep at it Fred love your shoe's I had a 147gtl dx a bit of a norty rig back in the 80s and a skip master antenna on a scaffold pole strapped to my chimney so what's the aqwivlent to that rig set up these days that I would love to see so all you big cumpanys out there send Fred some hi end siytems so he can say wich one's best 👍👍👍

Frid in the shed your utube videos are awesome my best friend 🎉🎉🎉😊😊

Perfect 18:32

Good morning Fred.

My opinion SDR is a big NO, I have a Uniden UBC125XLT and home made dipole antenna from one length of coax RG58, each of the two legs of the dipole is 450mm of 15mm copper pipe with a 30mm gap in the center, total length is 930mm, center core soldered (or screwed) to the lower leg and coax outer soldered (or screwed) to the top leg, from the center joint its important to have your mounting piece coming off at 90 degrees and 7 turns of the coax tightly wound round ( I use a 20mm broom handle for this). This setup you can listen to anything and I mean anything, aircraft civil or military, PMR, the Space Station, 2s and 70s ham radio from repeater or simplex and much much more. There are NO critical measurements here but you must have both legs of the dipole equal and its best to use one piece of coax with no joints and mount the dipole vertical although I have mine at 45 degrees which works for me best.

Frid in the shed I learn lot from you about cbs radios my best friend 🎉🎉😊😊

Fred you do a great service for the radio community. That sdr noelec is now on my list. Could you do a setup to create an online sdr, so we can replicate? This would greatly enhance monitoring stations possibly around the UK and possibly world

Hi Fred l have a question for you . I am thinking about putting up a antenna outside l was thinking about camouflaging it with some spray pain to blend in with the trees. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated would it affect it in any way ? Thanks.

Isn’t the Superstar 3900 a type approved? That’s cheaper than the Mc Kinley.

What antenna have you got on that Uv5r? 😂

can,t use a 10 meter radios on 11 meter band 27mhz

The joderall bank SdR has a not so good RX..Weston super mare better ...lol

G0(zero)XBU is a web SDR I sometimes use that allows Cb listening.