CB radios

[Mordred]

I have the GME XRS series UHF in mine and as well as great quality sound and clear transmission, it has a really useful feature (I am sure it is available in other models and from other makers).  It records the last 30 or so incoming transmissions and a button press will play them back.  Perfect if you don't quite hear something without having to ask for them to repeat.  That model has the transceiver unit remote mounted with no controls on it so you can hide it under the dash etc and you only have the microphone (with its own speaker and all the controls in the handpiece) that you have to find a place on the dash for. The price isn't for the faint hearted at around $500 for the unit without an antenna, but the features do make life a lot easier if you are using it a lot on the road.

One brand that doesn't get a mention often but is also a very reliable option is ICOM.  Used a lot in industrial vehicles and is very ruggedly built.  I would put it equal first to the GME (with the GME smaller and lighter but less rugged) followed by Uniden. 

At the end of the day though even the best radio and antenna can be let down by a poor install of the coax and location of the antenna.  Try to mount the antenna on the roof or roof rack, or if a ground independent antenna, on a bull bar (bearing in mind on a bus you will have some shielding of the signal to the rear). Make the antenna cable as short as practical, don't kink or severely bend the cable, and if using fastens or cable ties, don't overtighten them (they shouldn't leave marks in the cable sheath).

Adrian