Reddit mentions of Uniden PRO505XL 40-Channel CB Radio. Pro-Series, Compact Design. Public Address (PA) Function. Instant Emergency Channel 9, External Speaker Jack, Large Easy to Read Display. - Black

Getting into the hobby for cheap can certainly be done. Asking for 20 miles out of a cheap set up is going to be where it gets tough...

Long story short, your communication abilities can range from <1mile to hundreds of miles, even thousands of miles depending on a ton of variables. It doesn't really matter what radio you use (yes, some are better than others) but in the end, it's environment, conditions and ANTENNA, ANTENNA, ANTENNA! Power (linear amplifiers) certainly helps too, but it mainly comes down to those 3 topics.

Where are you transmitting/receiving? In a city with buildings and lots of RF background noise? On top of mountain with wide open land for miles around? Obviously, you'll perform much better the higher you are and the less obstructions you have.

Now we are on top of mountain, what kind of antenna do we have? Do we have a 6" rubber duck antenna on a handheld? Or are we running a 102" whip or big base antenna? I can assure you that no matter how high this mountain is, that rubber duck ain't getting out of a paper bag. Whereas I've talked barefoot (no amp) on a 4ft Firestik about 50miles as the crow flies when I was on a local mountaintop. With more antenna and/or more power, I could extend that range exponentially.

For an entry level set up, I'd recommend a few things. A good mobile set up could include;

Radio - Uniden PRO505XL 40-Channel CB Radio. Pro-Series, Compact Design. Public Address (PA) Function. Instant Emergency Channel 9, External Speaker Jack, Large Easy to Read Display. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005ZLB0E4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_h7bmDbXMZGZ2J

Antenna - K40 K-30 Automotive Accessories https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H2W270/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_N8bmDbSDJ2RW1

This radio and antenna is a cheap, effective mobile combo that you can expect decent performance from. In poor to good conditions, you'll get 1-5 miles of transmit/receive. In optimal "top of the mountain" conditions, you could easily get 10-20+ miles. There's also this phenomenon called "skip". I'll let you research what that's all about, but basically it's using specific atmospheric conditions to bounce or "skip" your communication over vast distances. Plenty of YouTube vids explaining skip, so I won't get into that here.

For a more dedicated, base type set-up, I'd recommend a better radio and more substantial antenna. You can still use mobile radios in base setups, but there are also "base" specific rigs too. Same wattage, just in a desktop version and are generally 110, not 12V. My current base set-up is cheapish, and has proven to be very effective, as I have made contacts to several out of state stations. Again, these are just recommendations from equipment I've personally owned. There is tons of kick ass gear out there, and finding what works for you is all part of the fun.

Base radio - Uniden BEARCAT 980SSB 40- Channel SSB CB Radio with Sideband NOAA WeatherBand,7- Color Digital Display PA/CB Switch and Noise Cancelling Mic, Wireless Mic Compatible https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007B5ZAES/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_alcmDbH8DQMGD

Base antenna - Solarcon A-99 CB Base Station Antenna https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0017J7NQ2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_RlcmDbFSJ9T95

Hope all this info helps. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. This is a great sub with tons of knowledge! Have fun on the waves!

Certainly can get out the door for under $100. Here are two examples from Cobra alone. Here's one for $30, even. Factoring in installation by a pro, I'm not sure. I don't know what that would cost. It's incredibly easy to just do yourself, though, particularly if you're going with a cig lighter as your power source and a mag mount antenna.

If you're cross country road-tripping, do it old-school and get CB Radios

That inreach explorer you have should pretty well cover you on the emergency comms side of things. In that case I'd get a simple CB setup like this Uniden and a mag mount like a K30 or a little wil. That will cover vehicle to vehicle comms out to several miles and help keep you informed on road conditions.

If you're looking for an affordable setup, I have a [Uniden 505] (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B005ZLB0E4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and a [Little Wil] (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I5NQA8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). The magnetic mount is quick and easy if you don't mind scratching your paint a little. I've gotten about 10 miles range on a good clear night with a good tune. You guys can get one [meter] (https://smile.amazon.com/METER-Radio-Antennas-Jumper-cable/dp/B002KRME3C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493344815&sr=8-1&keywords=cb+radio+tuner) amongst yourselves to tune the antennas.

I literally just put this one on the jeep as there's only like 1 other place you put it without having to make a custom bracket.

The bracket actually works pretty well for the placement of the antenna. I really didn't want to drill into the cab, which you don't necessarily have to, but it does provide for much more stability. Just align the bracket up a few times and use a sharpie to mark the hole and you should be fine.

Keep in mind that you should have an antenna at least 1/3 of its length past the jeep roof to get a good reception. With this bracket a 4' tall antenna works great.

Get the spring as I have known multiple people that have ripped their antenna off, offroading.

Also the bracket does not have a stud to connect the antenna cable so you will need that as well.

This is everything I purchased that works great:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002HRBSU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QB917Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00042LC9M/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001JT0CGI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Uniden-40-Channel-CB-Radio-PRO505XL/dp/B005ZLB0E4/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1487660806&sr=1-2&keywords=Cb+radio

https://www.amazon.ca/Uniden-BEARCAT-Bearcat-Display-Backlighting/dp/B006TA2F1M/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
What do you think of that?

https://www.amazon.ca/Uniden-40-Channel-CB-Radio-PRO505XL/dp/B005ZLB0E4/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=cb+radio&qid=1551053985&s=gateway&sr=8-2

We used to travel about that far every Christmas break to visit relatives when I was a kid. Here is my advice.

• Make a wall of luggage between you and your brother so he can't poke you the whole trip.
  
• Ask to stop at every Stuckey's
  
• Bring loads of batteries for your walkman.
  
• Travel Bingo!
  
• CB Radio for talking to truckers.
  
• Go pee every time your dad stops the car.
  

>When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, and he looks you crooked in the eye and he asks you if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you remember what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like that: "Have ya paid your dues, Jack?" "Yessir, the check is in the mail."

AFAIK, this slang isn't quite as common as it used to be. But if you wanted to listen in, CBs go for as cheap as ~$30. There are smaller hand-held units out there, and more sophisticated units as well, but they'll cost more.

I don't want to install anything permanent, just buy a portable radio and have it on a mount, wire it through to an antenna on the back/top.

Will I have to do any adjustments to the cars own radio or electronics? Interference?

I have no experience with wiring stereos.

Thats a lot of gear. May i suggest a cb radio, dont know about yours but by baofengs dont pick up on the cb radio freqs.
Something like this https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B005ZLB0E4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_iUnUDbNWAGT9A

https://www.amazon.com/Uniden-40-Channel-CB-Radio-PRO505XL/dp/B005ZLB0E4/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1524520672&sr=1-4&keywords=CB+Radios