CB operators can expect a fairly consistent operational range of three to five miles in an area of limited obstructions. Prolonged periods of relatively consistent performance between two or more sites in the five to twenty-mile range is a very common occurrence. Consistent operation between locations beyond twenty miles will most often be sporadic. During the course of any given day, for a period that will vary in duration, could occur at any given hour and be in any possible direction, communicating over hundreds, thousands or even tens of thousands of miles with no more than 4 watts is a very probable possibility. There are many things that a CB operator can do to maximize performance under any set of conditions.
Cost is minimal and airtime is free.
If you are aware of the limitations that go along with the frequency, you can expect your CB to perform exactly as it was intended, so long as you do the most that you can do with the pieces you can control.