CB Radio On The Water
- Thread starter Evgeni
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mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
Used to be that we used CB a lot on the lakes. It was pretty handy, worked OK and was inexpensive. Back then, there wasn't a big selection of VHF marine radios, and what did exist was very expensive. Since the USCG didn't operate on the lakes, and there wasn't really any formal responders, VHF wasn't adopted much.
Then, in the mid 1990's, VHF radios started to drop in price. While still more expensive than CB's, they worked better, less noise, and generally more reliable.
CB's worked fine, but don't expect to hear a lot of other boaters. You need specific antennas designed to work on fiberglass boats, as they usually don't provide the necessary ground plane that the mobile type antennas required. Back in the 1990's, Radio Shack sold 1/2 wave CB antennas specifically designed for boats. Worked pretty well, but not great. Not sure I've seen one of those in many years.
Considering VHF is pretty widely used now, the radios are cheaper and the appropriate antennas more easily available, CB use isn't as popular as it once was.
Then, in the mid 1990's, VHF radios started to drop in price. While still more expensive than CB's, they worked better, less noise, and generally more reliable.
CB's worked fine, but don't expect to hear a lot of other boaters. You need specific antennas designed to work on fiberglass boats, as they usually don't provide the necessary ground plane that the mobile type antennas required. Back in the 1990's, Radio Shack sold 1/2 wave CB antennas specifically designed for boats. Worked pretty well, but not great. Not sure I've seen one of those in many years.
Considering VHF is pretty widely used now, the radios are cheaper and the appropriate antennas more easily available, CB use isn't as popular as it once was.
Hence why I said:
"For whatever reason, differerent charecteristics than marine VHF, or just to not clog up the marine VHF traffic, etc."
kc4jgc
Member
Back in the day (1970's), ch 13 was used for boat to boat comms. It may have been a local thing for southeast VA; I believe it was a national agreement. Of course CG auxiliary also monitored ch 13. Wouldn't count on that any more.
I still know some people around Puget Sound area rivers and lakes that use CB. Usually it is the old Cobra unit they took out of their pickup truck.
My neighbor being one of them. He put a Cobra radio and Firestick antenna on his 18 foot Bayliner. I then gave him and older Icom IC-M59 and a Marine VHF antenna to be legal and actually heard.
My neighbor being one of them. He put a Cobra radio and Firestick antenna on his 18 foot Bayliner. I then gave him and older Icom IC-M59 and a Marine VHF antenna to be legal and actually heard.
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I've seen alot of fishing boats with them (Milwaukee area). My dad always insisted on keeping one on the boat, but never heard other boat traffic on it.
Hello Evgeni: Yes the CB Radios Will quit well over water, with a good antenna.
Back in the Late 1960’s and early 1970’s I worked on my Dads (CB Handle Commodore) Commercial Fishing Boat, a converted WWII Army (104 Ft) Crash Boat that was made for long range patrols. It was converted to a Albacore Tuna Fishing Boat. It had three 671 GM Diesel Engines and two 371 50 KW DC Generators, and an old complement of WWII Electronics such as APN-9 Loran, ADF (Automatic Direction Finder), and a old 1938 type Manual operated antenna type Radio Direction Finder.
As newer electronics was installed, replacing the WWII electronics, we used the manual radio direction finder unit, and modified it with a two element CB Quad antenna. This old radio was housed in a big metal box mounted to the boats wheel house ceiling, with a wheel on the bottom to turn the antenna with a 360 degree compass indicator. Now with a CB Quad Antenna mounted on it, we could Direction Find CB Signals using a General Radiotelephone Super MC11A Radio.
This paided off many times as the two element quad antenna and radio could detect CB signals 30 miles on a good night, and we could direction find them, and with experience we could give a good guess as to their distance. This allows us to travel at night to get to a better fishing location.
Some Boats in the fishing fleet though the CB Radio was a “Mickey Mouse” Radio, not travelling too far. In Fact they called the CB Radio the Mickey Mouse Radio. But we DF’ed them many times, as they would talk about their amount of Albacore Tuna Fish caught, thinking the Mickey Mouse radio didn’t travel too far, and they didn’t talk about their Albacore Tuna catch numbers on the Marine AM HF Band (2 to 8 MHz) Radios that would reach all over the world.
But they did use “Pirate Frequencies” illegal frequencies on the Marine HF Band, and out of the Marine HF Bands. Special Channel Crystals would be installed in the radios and time coordinated schedules between boats contact would be made, you could hear the Diesel Engine in the background, and they used handles and such. This practice of pirate frequencies isn’t used as much with the new Marine HF Radios having a small portion of the HF Band, on several bands to allow a much better use of the HF Band for Marine use.
Many Pilots flying commercial flights all over the world, would complain that Eagle 1 was talking to Betty Ann on their HF Frequencies with a Diesel Engine in the background audio, giving catch counts and locations in Lat and Long Numbers, or Compass Rose on the Marine Maps locations.
So yes these bare foot CB Radios did work quit well, using a dipole vertical, made from wire and a Bamboo pole holding them up. During this time we didn’t have the VHF radios yet, but being on a sail boat with different antennas at different heights we were able to talk 40 to 50 miles with a good received signal.
Jay in the Mojave
Back in the Late 1960’s and early 1970’s I worked on my Dads (CB Handle Commodore) Commercial Fishing Boat, a converted WWII Army (104 Ft) Crash Boat that was made for long range patrols. It was converted to a Albacore Tuna Fishing Boat. It had three 671 GM Diesel Engines and two 371 50 KW DC Generators, and an old complement of WWII Electronics such as APN-9 Loran, ADF (Automatic Direction Finder), and a old 1938 type Manual operated antenna type Radio Direction Finder.
As newer electronics was installed, replacing the WWII electronics, we used the manual radio direction finder unit, and modified it with a two element CB Quad antenna. This old radio was housed in a big metal box mounted to the boats wheel house ceiling, with a wheel on the bottom to turn the antenna with a 360 degree compass indicator. Now with a CB Quad Antenna mounted on it, we could Direction Find CB Signals using a General Radiotelephone Super MC11A Radio.
This paided off many times as the two element quad antenna and radio could detect CB signals 30 miles on a good night, and we could direction find them, and with experience we could give a good guess as to their distance. This allows us to travel at night to get to a better fishing location.
Some Boats in the fishing fleet though the CB Radio was a “Mickey Mouse” Radio, not travelling too far. In Fact they called the CB Radio the Mickey Mouse Radio. But we DF’ed them many times, as they would talk about their amount of Albacore Tuna Fish caught, thinking the Mickey Mouse radio didn’t travel too far, and they didn’t talk about their Albacore Tuna catch numbers on the Marine AM HF Band (2 to 8 MHz) Radios that would reach all over the world.
But they did use “Pirate Frequencies” illegal frequencies on the Marine HF Band, and out of the Marine HF Bands. Special Channel Crystals would be installed in the radios and time coordinated schedules between boats contact would be made, you could hear the Diesel Engine in the background, and they used handles and such. This practice of pirate frequencies isn’t used as much with the new Marine HF Radios having a small portion of the HF Band, on several bands to allow a much better use of the HF Band for Marine use.
Many Pilots flying commercial flights all over the world, would complain that Eagle 1 was talking to Betty Ann on their HF Frequencies with a Diesel Engine in the background audio, giving catch counts and locations in Lat and Long Numbers, or Compass Rose on the Marine Maps locations.
So yes these bare foot CB Radios did work quit well, using a dipole vertical, made from wire and a Bamboo pole holding them up. During this time we didn’t have the VHF radios yet, but being on a sail boat with different antennas at different heights we were able to talk 40 to 50 miles with a good received signal.
Jay in the Mojave
p1879
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cb radio on the water
While boating I once used cb to get assistance when I needed a tow. Not being a cellphone user, I used a Cobra 148 and contacted a gentlemanly trucker who called my friends who came to tow me in. I used the Shakespeare CB marine antenna that has some counterpoise built in to the antenna cable.
Later on, and using ssb with other radios and an antenna matcher I was easily able to communicate with some very distant stations. I am not a propagation expert, by any means, but it would seem to me that on the water a rather low angle of radiation is attainable.
p1879
While boating I once used cb to get assistance when I needed a tow. Not being a cellphone user, I used a Cobra 148 and contacted a gentlemanly trucker who called my friends who came to tow me in. I used the Shakespeare CB marine antenna that has some counterpoise built in to the antenna cable.
Later on, and using ssb with other radios and an antenna matcher I was easily able to communicate with some very distant stations. I am not a propagation expert, by any means, but it would seem to me that on the water a rather low angle of radiation is attainable.
p1879
Steveradio
Member
When was younger we used to have a place Indian River, Delaware when out on the water we had a CB in the boat and at the house and normally everyone would chat on Ch.12 for some reason sticks in my head.
know we had a Marine radio as well, they always told me if we got into trouble what to do and grab the white mic not he black one..
know we had a Marine radio as well, they always told me if we got into trouble what to do and grab the white mic not he black one..
Australia, Evgeni.
"27MHz has a very limited range, so you should check that a limited coast station is in your immediate vicinity before relying on this equipment for your safety. Most marine rescue groups monitor channel 27.88MHz, but larger vessels at sea do not listen to this radio"
From the Queensland government web site Marine radios (Maritime Safety Queensland)
In the US? There's no standard marine use for CB today.
"27MHz has a very limited range, so you should check that a limited coast station is in your immediate vicinity before relying on this equipment for your safety. Most marine rescue groups monitor channel 27.88MHz, but larger vessels at sea do not listen to this radio"
From the Queensland government web site Marine radios (Maritime Safety Queensland)
In the US? There's no standard marine use for CB today.
KB7MIB
Member
Australia has an 11-meter maritime radio allocation, from 27.680 to 27.980, known as channels 68-98. The USA doesn't have this allocation.
The ITU allocation is 25.070-25.097 (ship) and 26.145-26.172 (shore), channels 2501-2510.
As for the OP, basically, if there are other local boaters who have a "gentleman's agreement" to use a certain CB channel out on the navigable waters in your area, by all means, go ahead and install a CB radio and monitor. If your home is close enough to the water(s), and you want to install a CB at home and on your boat to keep in touch between them, go ahead and do that. Of course, if there isn't a group of boaters using a locally agreed upon channel, or if your home is too far from where you'll be boating, it probably wouldn't be worth it. But, without asking around locally and/or listening locally, you may not be able to determine whether or not it's a viable option for you.
John
Peoria, AZ
The ITU allocation is 25.070-25.097 (ship) and 26.145-26.172 (shore), channels 2501-2510.
As for the OP, basically, if there are other local boaters who have a "gentleman's agreement" to use a certain CB channel out on the navigable waters in your area, by all means, go ahead and install a CB radio and monitor. If your home is close enough to the water(s), and you want to install a CB at home and on your boat to keep in touch between them, go ahead and do that. Of course, if there isn't a group of boaters using a locally agreed upon channel, or if your home is too far from where you'll be boating, it probably wouldn't be worth it. But, without asking around locally and/or listening locally, you may not be able to determine whether or not it's a viable option for you.
John
Peoria, AZ
jsikora
Member
I know a few bass fisherman that have them on there boats. Normally its to call shore and have someone back the trailer up. Other than that really dont see much around any longer. VHF marine is more prevelant and once in a while the CG will answer
Project25_MASTR
Millennial Graying OBT Guy
Back in the 70s my grandfather tells me they had not so heavy use around Corpus Christi so when him and his buddies would go fishing in the bay, they would all coordinate and such with CBs. If they ever got out into open water they'd go to Marine radios though.
I know a few people wandering around Lake Travis with CBs on their boats but the canyon really limits its use for practical purposes.
Someone mentioned a vertical dipole. Would that work on a fiberglass boat? I had used a dipole once on CB and it blew away everyone in my area. I was using a 2 watt HT! :lol:
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
Yeah, it would work great, however it would be H-U-G-E.
K4PIH
Member
Back in Pensacola Florida in the 70's when the CB was all the rage, we used to talk to the shrimp fishing fleets out in the Gulf of Mexico. They would be sometime 60 miles out and we could work them easily. They would tell us when they were coming back and how much per pound they would charge is we met them at the dock. The Cuban fishing fleet also used them and on good nights we could talk to them as well. That's several hundred miles. I once had a 40ft Chris Craft that had CD, VHF (channel 16) and loran.
A quarter wave on CB (11 meters) would still be two eight foot sticks, for a 16-foot antenna, done conventionally.
If that works on your boat, great. Otherwise you might look at using a quarter wave wound as a helical to cut down the 8' length, and running a counterpoise or Dynaplate under the hull for the "ground" side. Trade off a little performance for a much more practical (physically compact & robust) setup.
If that works on your boat, great. Otherwise you might look at using a quarter wave wound as a helical to cut down the 8' length, and running a counterpoise or Dynaplate under the hull for the "ground" side. Trade off a little performance for a much more practical (physically compact & robust) setup.
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