The main issue with CB is, it is not exactly a reliable service. It never has been. It operates on a frequency that is susceptible to skywave propagation. In other words, when skip is rolling, you might not be able to talk to Billy Bob 2 miles up the road, but you might be able to talk to Joe Schmoe in the next state over. Or maybe your signal will get lost in the mix with everyone else's.
But in 1958 so they say, the technology wasn't "good enough" to make CB a reliable service anywhere but 27 MHz. Otherwise to this day, I cannot begin to understand why the FCC would use an HF band for a local citizens channel, yet stipulate no talking past 155 miles.
The first CB's were based at 465 MHz. They claim the issue was the radios couldn't talk much past 3/10's of a mile. Funny thing is the FRS radios of today seem to have similar characteristics. I read somewhere that they took one of the 465 MHz CB radios (a Vocaline JRC-400 if I recall correctly) and went on top of a tall building and saw a good increase in range. Well, that's no surprise. When it comes to local chat, height is might. Those lunchbox Vocalines had little antennas on the radio itself. I don't think you could add an external antenna. Now think how good one is going to "get out" when it's sitting on your kitchen counter top at maybe 5 feet up. Even an FRS radio of today I highly doubt could do any better.
Another reason CB is not exactly reliable is because of the mode it is on. It's on AM. (In the U.S. anyways) That means it's very susceptible to noise, particularly lighting storms, electric fuel pump interference, fan motors, fluorescent lamps, ignition noise, you name it. Compared to FM, AM downright sucks in terms of clarity.
So there you have it....an AM radio service on the HF band. Not exactly a clear winner here. Oh but there's been petitions to "move" CB to the VHF band of 220 MHz. IMO this should have been allowed to happen, and give 11 meters back to the hams or use it only for RC cars and diathermy machines. But unfortunately for whatever reason, the hams of 1973 shot down this idea. I have no idea why, especially when you consider today, the 220 MHz band is seldom used. Heck I think a portion was sold to UPS some years back and from what I have gathered, lies mostly dormant. Plus on VHF truck drivers for once could run a full size antenna and NOT those fiberglass whips with 9 feet of wire coiled around them. Think about that for a second...they would probably have a little bit better range over a comparable CB antenna, not have nearly as much of skip issues, maybe wouldn't need to run an amp. Plus make it FM and NOT AM. I see a win win here.
At best, the FCC has authorized the use of MURS which is like VHF CB, too bad it's not caught on yet. Plus most MURS radios are HT's. Radioshack did sell a business band radio that ran on MURS before the FCC reallocated it for MURS use. Maybe if someone wanted to pick up the ball and start making mobile MURS rigs with an antenna and sell them at truck stops....who knows.
