I have a Uniden CB radio / hand held unit that is nearly 25 years old now. It looks like a walkie talkie. The extendable antenna unscrews from the top and screws into a magnetic base to put on the roof of your car. The battery pack comes off the bottom and a lighter adapter plugs in for power. It all fits into a small zippered pouch. Convenient to throw under the seat and have available.

The downside is it has an effective range of 2 miles at best. When on the road, any truckers rig will stomp all over your signal. It works great at listening to the truckers and finding out what is causing the trafic up ahead, but forget conversation. I looked into a more powerful non-walkie talkie model but never quite got around to purchasing one.

If your group is planning on traveling interstate, you will have trouble communicating on any CB you will purchase from an electronics store. The truckers have their rigs boosted so much that as soon as they start talking, you will be drowned out and no one will hear you.