Anyone Keep Their FCC License?

[jleverin]

Originally Posted by BNSFrailfan

I wish the FCC would've still enforce a license to operate the CB Radio. The mouthy crap that I hear over the air waves is just horrible.

I know, that's why I gravitated to ham radio rather than CB. When I was growing up in the 70's everyone in my family was a cabbie or trucker so really all I knew was CB. Back then CB'ers were pretty civil to each other on air, I had a neighbor who ran a cab company and I used to visit their house and watch him and his wife talking on the CB.CB'ers were my heroes then.. My ambition was to be able to do that someday with my own radio.. Well, things got so rauchy on air in the next few years, my family forbade me to get a CB radio. So I ended up just listening to scanners. Some of the vitrol that is spewed over CB airwaves today makes you think the microphone is gonna melt! So I learned about ham radio and got my Tech, so far at least around here, the hams are still pretty polite and follow the rules.(of course there's always exceptions). I guess the FCC lost control of the CB industry long ago and just gave up and left......

[KI6ABZ]

Originally Posted by jleverin

I guess the FCC lost control of the CB industry long ago and just gave up and left......

The last time I checked, the FCC does zero enforcement on the Citizen's band. However, if you modify your radio to transmit out of band, especially on the low side, you can find yourself with a government vehicle in your front yard very quickly.

This actually happened to someone I knew (back when I played with CB). His friend was parked in the driveway chattering away. A little bit later, a government vehicle showed up at his house. They searched his house for any modified radio gear or amplifiers.

Turns out, the guy had been talking below channel 1, right on top of a military channel. So as an exercise, they triangulated his signal and then drove through the area looking for CB antennas. My friend got a warning, and the Feds never caught his buddy... who DID stop using the mods on his radio after that.

[VernM]

You guys really know how to make a guy feel old. My first CB license (circa 1961 or so) was 17W6775
The very first ones were made up that way to show 1: FCC district (17 was Kansas City), then W for USA and sequential numbers for when issued.

[tekshogun]

Originally Posted by fmon

Yup, I quite CB when the term "I'm Steppen" (Ebonics for Stepping ) became common prior to releasing the mike button.

That is Ebonics?

Tell me, whom ever may be a linguist in here, what in the world is a mudduck anyway?

Anyway, I've heard the stories from the old-guard about CB licenses. When I jumped on CB as a kid, I learned REAL quick what an unlicensed spectrum can become. I hence migrated to ham radio but I plan on getting a CB again sometime down the road just to have, you never know.

[Inspector_Gadget]

Mud Duck=One who's voice is muddled and breaking up due to weak transmission.

[wlmr]

I'll have to look through some old papers - but I remember it anyway, KBIL7012 issued summer of '79. Looks like so far I'm the highest on the list.

I'll echo what everyone else is saying - why on earth do I still remember that?!?

[tekshogun]

Originally Posted by Inspector_Gadget

Mud Duck=One who's voice is muddled and breaking up due to weak transmission.

Well that's bloody good to know. I stumbled across some rather disturbing definitions of it and quite offensive to me and I dare not share them here but you can do a google search for mudduck and you'll see what I am talking about.

[wesct]

Originally Posted by Inspector_Gadget

Mud Duck=One who's voice is muddled and breaking up due to weak transmission.

No, a "MUDDUCK" is someone who uses a legal cb to talk, compared to the guys on the "superbowl" (ch 6) who run a minimum of 10 kw in their car.

wesct

[tekshogun]

I guess it depends on who you talk to and how you use it.

[k8tmk]

Back in the early 60s, my mom got the call 19Q2366 when she worked for Heathkit. I think they had just started to issue 19QAxxxx in this region when the FCC realized that using number prefixes in the US are against international regulations.

Later, we got the call KHJ0797.

Randy

[AlabamaRS]

Mine was KZO-1098 got mine in 1971-72

[mike_gain]

KOK-8465 here. 1975ish ??

[blinddog50]

KPK-2085, mid sixties.
Strangely enough I have caught myself starting to give out that call sign instead of my ham call at times.
After all these years.

[sfreiman]

I believe I was KZR4417...it was way back in the 70s

[NYRHKY94]

I'm glad I started this thread, but it's kind of like a double-edge sword for me. I'm really bummed out that I don't have my original FCC license from the early-mid 70's and no way to get it back, but it's nice to see that many of you guys did keep yours. Good for you!

P.S. the other thing that really sticks out about this thread is the number of guys that still remember their FCC call sign.....after all this time (even without the original piece of paper). Like many of you have stated here, I don't why/how I still know mine by heart 35 years later :-)

Great replies everyone!

[icom1020]

KES 8333 comes to mind

[swstow]

kalm0298 i think

[gewecke]

I couldn't find mine if my life depended on it! But I still remember my call I had, KBSV 4461
but never really cared much for 11meters anyway.
N9ZAS

[tekshogun]

Originally Posted by NYRHKY94

I'm glad I started this thread, but it's kind of like a double-edge sword for me. I'm really bummed out that I don't have my original FCC license from the early-mid 70's and no way to get it back, but it's nice to see that many of you guys did keep yours. Good for you!

P.S. the other thing that really sticks out about this thread is the number of guys that still remember their FCC call sign.....after all this time (even without the original piece of paper). Like many of you have stated here, I don't why/how I still know mine by heart 35 years later :-)

Great replies everyone!

You would be surprised. We tend to remember well what we take pride pride in (not the bad kind of pride that cometh before the fall, but good pride).

[n9emz]

KNP0089, 1973, and the card's still on my old D60.