CB radio

[yyc_tbird_sc]

If you do any type of off-roading, CB is still the norm. Most people around here use Ch 4 for offroad communications.

 

[lugoffman]

you can get the questions at www.qrz.com ARRL.com might have some study info

Here is another good one to www.hamtestonline.com

 

[57Bill]

Set the "Wayback Machine" for 1964, Sherman. Tune in 11 meters, and you'd think you were monitoring 2 meters today.

 

[CommJunkie]

Here in Northern De, there is a group on ch 15 that have interesting conversations. They are concentrated around Southeastern PA and Northern DE. All base stations. Most are retired who have been in CB since the beginning. There are also about 4 women on the channel too. Talk about gardening, politics at times, and just personal stuff. Some fella's also have kids. Some of the guys on there are hams themselves! A great bunch of people! It's like a net. CB isnt just a redneck trash-talkin' radio service for truckers.

I've probably talked to you on Channel 15, then, because I'm right here in Aston, PA. I've been on the CB since 94, and some of those guys on 15 have been there longer than me. The "home" channels have changed (from 13 and 14 to 15), but the people are the same. You get some idiots in there, sure, and the occasional A-hole who is driving down I-95 who wants to cause a ruckus, but overall CB is a good time around here. When you get down to channel 6 running 8,000 watts, that's when it gets ridiculous.

73's

"Flash"
Channel 15

 

[RodStrong]

There are literally hundreds of CB'ers here in the county where I live. The natural gas industry is booming, and all the rig trucks and heavy equipment, water trucks, etc., all have and use CB's daily. And plenty of long haul truckers pass through the area as well regularly. We still have the overbearing truckers occasionally, but it's not too bad. CB use is certainly alive and well in my area.

 

[Highlander_821]

We used to have a great group here in IL. We had a net every Thursday and get-togethers every other Sunday. We'd get checkins from 6 counties, as many as 40 stations on a good night. Then we had a SSB roundtable after the net.

But then me and one or two others that held it all together moved away, and it kind of regressed. 10 years later, only a handful remain, but they are all good folks. No more nets or anything organized. But it was fun while it lasted, we had some great operators and personalities!

 

[kb2vxa]

That's right Bill only you forgot the license fee was $5. Fast forward to 2M today and you have what CB was then only with repeaters you can access with a simple 5W HT. BTW I don't recommend one as a "starter set" being it has such limited range you'll be disappointed, discouraged and likely to drop out. A good dual band 2M/70cM mobile FM rig into a good antenna and a minimum of a 20A 12V regulated power supply is the best way to get your feet wet.

There are three cardinal rules for noobs you will not find in FCC Part 97;

1) You WILL FORGET everything you know about CB or any other type of radio and start fresh with an empty head ready to be filled with what the FCC rules define as "good operating practice".

2) You WILL STUDY the radio operating manual before switching on.

3) You will LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN before transmitting for the first time and LEARN how things are done!

3a) Patience is a virtue so don't be in a hurry to become a lid* when you have your sights set on becoming an Amateur Radio operator.

That brings a ham around to ham bands; 10M behaves the same way 11M HF CB does and 70cM the same as GMRS (UHF CB) only you can "shoot skip" with up to 1500W legally with a Technician Class license but don't stop there, it's a gateway to the higher classes and more privileges. Learn Morse code and you have even more spectrum available to you and one of the best operating modes. It's no longer required for licensing but it sure expands your horizons.

Oh one little word to the wise, QRZ isn't the only on line practice testing ground and for reasons of it being like the internet version of the dark side of CB is best avoided. OK so you're curious but don't come crying to me when you get hurt, you were warned.

* Lid; a poor operator or what is known as an "alpha hotel" in ham parlance. If you're too dumb to figure out what those phonetics mean you're too dumb to become a ham. (;->)

While I'm on the subject feel free to visit us on The Island Of Misfit Hams <www.hamisland.net> where you can stay at the luxurious Alpha Hotel with our courteous staph looking good in their spiffy foxtrot uniforms. While you're there you can Ask The Elmers and we'll be happy to teach you a thing or three about Amateur Radio, how to get your license, set up a station, whatever you need feel free to ask.

Then maybe you'll get a little more than you asked for without even asking if you sign up and gain access to the "back room" of the hotel. What am I on about? Well like Bob Barker said "Come on down!" and find out.... if you dare.

 

[monitorman]

...They forbid foul language , and they are very friendly...

Thats kinda funny, FCC regs prohibit foul language on CB as well, and hams are friendly as long as you own the correct radio, have the right class license and know everything about electronics, it is run by a very elite class of people.

 

[OpSec]

Thats kinda funny, FCC regs prohibit foul language on CB as well, and hams are friendly as long as you own the correct radio, have the right class license and know everything about electronics, it is run by a very elite class of people.

In some regards you are correct, but dare I say there needs to be a tad of eliteness. There are a$$holes in every hobby and amateur radio is no exception. However, by and large the majority of people are not that way. I do find this current undercurrent of hate and discontent about code vs. no-code to be childish and it is further serving to diminish the hobby (anyone who has spent any time on 75m can attest to that).

That said, the hobby is not a cheap one and there will be some eliteism to go along with the pricetags of "doing business" whether you buy it or build it. If the technical knowledge wasnt there, what's the point of the license in the first place? May as well use a CB for everything then.

 

[zz0468]

...and hams are friendly as long as you own the correct radio, have the right class license and know everything about electronics, it is run by a very elite class of people.

And if you have a brain, are not afraid to use it, and are willing to learn, we'll be more than happy to let you play with us.

 

[Shortwavewave]

Heres my 2cents

CB Radio yeah it can be the arm pit of the radio spectrum, BUT there are people out there who use it for what it was made for.

The number one reason these idiots, and Aholes get on there is....well

#1 did you know there are actully people who never heard the term "CB Radio", "Ham Radio", or the word "Frequeny" even up into there 60s!! They dont have a freggin clue what it is, then when someone who is 30yrs old finds out what it is, they abuse it and become Aholes, im not say this happens to everyone,

#2 Truckdrivers!!! this should be self explanitory, if you were stuck on the road 24/7 and had no means of entertainment you would go crazy, let them have the darn ch19, beside all the profanity on there is just on the radio, when they go home to there family or what ever you would never know they talked like that, now there are people who take it outside of cb radio, and those are the people who are true born aholes.

and sort of a #3 if you happen to be talking on the radio and someone calls your mom fat or insults you some how..... LET IT GO!!!!!! you will NOT drive 300miles to kick that persons A** the radio world would be alot better if you would just LET IT GO!

 

[af5rn]

In some regards you are correct, but dare I say there needs to be a tad of eliteness.

I agree! In fact, I dare say we could we could use a little elitism right here! And just to set the proper example, I volunteer to be the leader of the elite.

 

[lugoffman]

Thats kinda funny, FCC regs prohibit foul language on CB as well, and hams are friendly as long as you own the correct radio, have the right class license and know everything about electronics, it is run by a very elite class of people.

Well you may be right about that , but if you want to do away from alot of the foul language then I recommend HAM. Part of the reason they dont crack down on the criminal band (CB) is because they don't have very strong transmission and of course no ID on who it is . Now you get a HAM operator out there on the CB and he makes his call sign and starts using alot of foul language then someone reports him or her then they are subject to a fine or lost of license . Now grante I dont have my license for HAM yet , but the majority of HAM users I have spoke with are friendly and respective. Now I have been on channel 19 on CB (criminal band ) and the original poster is right they are very foul mouth on the radio. So you are right about somethings !! And I would not put it past some HAM operators not being radio friendly but everyone has the choice on who they talk to and who not to talk to .

 

[APTN]

Cb

I use CB from time to time. It has been helpful in negotiating traffic I've encountered in TN, AL, and GA. Also, it has helped as a backup communications system when driving in a convoy with friends and family. I guess simplex is good for something. Although, I do suppose FRS/GMRS is the new trend. Anyways, I hear traffic on Channels 6 and 19 in my area.

 

[red8]

Ya know, I can't recall for sure, but I think my CB licence cost almost twice that back in the late 60s. Talk about a rip-off!

Mine cost me about $5.00 in the mid 70, then after I had my chicken banc license, the FCC in their finite wisdom said they were doing away with the licensing.
red8

I had to leave DEI for the big bucks

 

[Highlander_821]

I will say this---since getting my general class ham license, I haven't turned on a CB in here since then. There is just so much activity on so many bands, you can always find someone to talk to. It makes things like freebanding and illegal power just not worth the risk when you have the world at your fingertips with little more than a few pieces of wire and 100 watt HF radio.

But I'm glad I started out on CB, I made enduring friendships there and learned alot about how radio works and had a blast in the process. I also helped a few buds get their tickets, too.

 

[57Bill]

CB Radio

What about SSB on CB? I remember about 20 years ago, it sounded more like radio hobbiests (and much more refined) than the nonsense that could be heard on the other 40 channels.

 

[af5rn]

What about SSB on CB? I remember about 20 years ago, it sounded more like radio hobbiests (and much more refined) than the nonsense that could be heard on the other 40 channels.

Talk about elitists! I remember the sidebanders in the 70s. They all thought they were better than everybody else, as if they were pseudo-hams or something. Pretty funny, actually.

 

[Astrogoth13]

And if you have a brain, are not afraid to use it, and are willing to learn, we'll be more than happy to let you play with us.

If you like to talk to short tempered elderly white men who go on about their medical issues every night, night after night than Ham Radio is for you! If you like to be lectured to about worthless trivia, Ham Radio is for you. If you like to spend hundreds of Dollars just to talk to the same four old farts you talk to on other bands, well, Ham Radio is for you.

Ham Radio is dead. The internet, and cell phones killed it. Hams have a near fit when you say it like that but it's true. They're not making classical music like they used to. Muscle cars are gone along with cheap gas. Mini skirts are not even a memory. Elvira's Grand Canyon gets you a location on MapQuest and Ham Radio's dead. I should know. I was a novice, then a Tech Plus Ham. Now I play on the net.

 

[RodStrong]

If you like to talk to short tempered elderly white men who go on about their medical issues every night, night after night than Ham Radio is for you! If you like to be lectured to about worthless trivia, Ham Radio is for you. If you like to spend hundreds of Dollars just to talk to the same four old farts you talk to on other bands, well, Ham Radio is for you.

Ham Radio is dead. The internet, and cell phones killed it. Hams have a near fit when you say it like that but it's true. They're not making classical music like they used to. Muscle cars are gone along with cheap gas. Mini skirts are not even a memory. Elvira's Grand Canyon gets you a location on MapQuest and Ham Radio's dead. I should know. I was a novice, then a Tech Plus Ham. Now I play on the net.

Lol. Oh come on, they're not all like that. Lots of mindless ragchewing, that's for sure. And lots of people like you've described. But there's one or two normal people out there on ham, right?.....Definitely plenty out there with Asperger's Syndrome though.

And hams just pretend there aren't cell phones. If you just pretend like there's no cell phones out there, you might like it. Cell phones are no fun. You've got to pull out all your gear, cross band everything back and forth, jump up on IRLP, cross band back etc., tell everyone how much they overmodulate, how hot their mics are, etc. That's so much more entertaining than talking on a cell phone. Just pretend like they don't exist.