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Why is there NOT a VHF or UHF CB in America , and Why is CB not Digital ?

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jaspence

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I'm guessing because when CB was introduced, there WERE no digital modes.

Good guess. For voice digital in ham use, D-Star was the first that really got any attention due to the push by Icom.
 

mmckenna

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Hello to All. I know CB is near HF, and I know of FRS/GMRS but those are VHF Analog only, what About CB in the VHF/UHF Spectrum that is Digital.

The Personal Radio Services that the FCC has includes VHF, UHF, and HF.
For HF, you have the CB band.
For VHF, you have MURS
For UHF, you have GMRS and FRS.

If you are asking why the USA doesn't have a system like Australia, well, that's sort of what GMRS is.
VHF, you have MURS, but that's fairly new, and those channels were previously licensed business channels.


As for why no digital...
As others said, when CB was created, digital was not an option. There's also a lot of digital modes, and picking one would be difficult and result in a lot of arguments about which one we should be using.
But, it would be nice if the USA/FCC got their act in gear and joined many other countries that allow FM to be used. That would give us the option of PL/DPL squelch.

Certainly is an interesting discussion about what could be done if the FCC was to create a new service. Big challenge is that most of the spectrum above 150MHz is in very high demand, and no one wants to waste that on consumers.
 

spongella

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Guess it's a matter of semantics. While 11 meters has been termed CB (Citizen's Band) you can look at FRS (Family Radio Service) as a modern version of CB. Due to the difference in frequencies though, the propagation characteristics are quite different.
 

Chronic

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If there was a Digital CB , chances are it would not work very well after all of the golden screwdrivers Peeked and tweaked the radios . Digital is a much more narrow bandwidth than AM and they probably would just not work after being "Adjusted"
 

mmckenna

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If there was a Digital CB , chances are it would not work very well after all of the golden screwdrivers Peeked and tweaked the radios . Digital is a much more narrow bandwidth than AM and they probably would just not work after being "Adjusted"

Ah yes, the golden screwdrivers cranking up the deviation for "more swing!". "3 pill" amplifiers!.
 

nbdyspclk

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If CBS goes digital,then it goes down with everything else,whereas CBS generally will be able to be used,similar to a ham station,which grabs available airwaves regardless. I could off on my theory,please correct if wrong.

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nbdyspclk

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If CBS goes digital,then it goes down with everything else,whereas CBS generally will be able to be used,similar to a ham station,which grabs available airwaves regardless. I could off on my theory,please correct if wrong.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
CB's

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KK4JUG

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Virtually all the previous responses are correct. In addition, the FCC really doesn't care about CB. I think they washed their hands of it many years ago. Only in very rare cases do they get involved.
 

vagrant

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Hello to All. I know CB is near HF, and I know of FRS/GMRS but those are VHF Analog only, what About CB in the VHF/UHF Spectrum that is Digital.
Those radios have been available up in 900 MHz UHF (ISM Band) and they are digital. The latest Motorola model I believe is the DTR700. Motorola Solutions DTR700 - Motorola Solutions

I have performed limited testing and it worked well considering its specifications. A friend was using one in his vehicle and I was in my home. No problem with 1/2 mile distance. At one mile it started to have problems and at 1.5 miles it was very intermittent/not working. Again, I was in my home and a friend in his moving vehicle. If we were both outdoors and not behind a structure or in a vehicle, it may have worked fine at 1.5 miles and more than likely no problem at one mile in open terrain. Still, one half mile seems pretty good for that handheld and its specs.
 
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