CB in the GTA

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sulk

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So I havn't gotten around to getting my Ham license, and theres a chance I can get some older CB radios (two handhelds and a base).
At radioworld, they recommended a Hustler MRM (mag mount), which I'm currently using indoors, and it works decently enough.

Though it doesn't go low enough to get CB (only down to 30mhz), I was wondering if theres much CB activitiy in the GTA (specifically in mississauga). I just don't know if its worth getting the CB radios if theres no activity. With the MRM, I can pick up some CB, through its usually pretty weak, noisy, and so forth.

I also read that someone with a handheld CB unit, and stock antenna, pretty much got crappy reception. So I'm guessing an Antenna would help, but if theres no activity, then antenna wouldn't really be helpful.

Anyone have any info/experience with CB in the GTA? Would really want to know if its worth getting these radios or not. (And I'd primarily be using it at home, so yea...)
 

KC0QNB

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go for it and blow up your radios, the SWR will be real high, BAD, CB reception is usually real bad too much crap on that band
 

VE3RADIO

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go for it and blow up your radios, the SWR will be real high, BAD, CB reception is usually real bad too much crap on that band

Considering you live no where near the GTA and defiantly not anywhere near Mississauga.. im not sure he is too interested in your opinion of the CB Band.. Perhaps in Nebraska the CB Band is crap.. but here it is actually quite useful! Have you ever driven on our major highways? Truckers with CB's give excellent traffic reports... second to only our GO Transit drivers.

This is what our roads look like up here in igloo land Canada where we use dog sleds to get around.

p221471368-5.jpg
 

mrweather

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I live in the west end of the GTA and flip my Cobra on occasionally. Definitely lots of activity on 19 and moreso the close you live to the 401.

Haven't heard much "local" chatter but then again I haven't really looked for it either.

I find CB much more useful when I travel the highways than my 2m and 70cm ham gear.
 

unpltd

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I'm around the GTA/Mississauga and I almost always have my CB on (19) when I'm on the 400's. Great to listen to for traffic and such. Good for a laugh to in rush hour, listening too everyone get all road rage and yelling at each other. Working on getting one set up at home too.

There use to be a buch of local guys around me a few years back but there all gone for the most part.
 

mciupa

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Do people still "free-band" ?

I remember talking to NFLD back in the late 80's. :cool:
 

IdleMonitor

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I know the locals around here get on to chatter the odd time. I'll get on the odd time but not much, when the skip rolls in though....I'll get on an give a shout out. To me that's the fun part...seriously....I live in Ontario, Canada, and can talk to someone all the ways down to the South in PA, AL, TN, etc....all with a barefoot Cobra 2000 and a magnet antenna outside. Mind u it's a 7 ft. Firestik trucker antenna but it works.

Hell even when I'm in Ottawa I don't find much traffic on the radio, I used to listen to an online scanner in the Toronto area before and would tune into the CB channels (java radio type - user control) and would hear some folks on there.

It's definitely not like the old days where everyone had CB's but they can still be heard, people do still have them. I see people driving around here all the time that all have CB's noone uses them though unless they really have or, they're just chit chattin locally.
 

pathalogical

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I live very close to the highway. I do have a Radio Shack CB, a mag mount antenna and a K40. I don't have them hooked up, but often use my 246 CB preset. The other night...like any other...the usual profanity...a driver (with an echo mic) made a comment to another driver and he subsequently returned with more profanity...bla, bla, bla. I had a perfect come back line for the guy with the echo that would have made him keep his mouth shut for the next 50 kms...lol... And those jake brakes sure sound cool at 3 am !!! Just YouTube 'jake brakes' and you'll hear some nice rigs, especially the rigs going through tunnels.
 

KC0QNB

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Considering you live no where near the GTA and defiantly not anywhere near Mississauga.. im not sure he is too interested in your opinion of the CB Band.. Perhaps in Nebraska the CB Band is crap.. but here it is actually quite useful! Have you ever driven on our major highways? Truckers with CB's give excellent traffic reports... second to only our GO Transit drivers.

Not exactly, my point i never said CB wouldn't work, or be useful my comment was meant as a wake up call, if he uses that antenna to transmit on CB, the radio output will probably fail, and the radio would be toast. You are right on one point though CB is crap in Nebraska, Last week I set one up in my shack to do a test, S9 noise floor on 19. I couldn't even hear truckers less than a mile away, on the interstate (I-80)or at least not make them out. I guess you are lucky to find CB useful in and usable in your area. I would stay longer but it is Saturday, I have to chase the indians out of my yard.
 
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KC0QNB

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It just seemed like right thing to type in response to the Eskimo and dogsled comment, yes there are still people here that ask us about the Indian raids, mostly from the big cities on the coasts, you know the type of people that have never left and never will leave their city lifestyle, but there are also some of those types in the eastern part of the state, Omaha and Lincoln, when they do venture away from the comforts of their domains, and come out here, there is about one year I get to talk too, if they ask a question like "So where are the Indians? I proceed to play them, I can be very convincing, usually there is someone in the area burning brush or the like, and you can see the smoke for miles out here in the Platte River Valley, you can take it from there.
I have a good story I have heard from a friend about windmills, wind or lack thereof he told a "city girl". I will post it on by blog when I get time.
 

EJB

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It just seemed like right thing to type in response to the Eskimo and dogsled comment, yes there are still people here that ask us about the Indian raids, mostly from the big cities on the coasts, you know the type of people that have never left and never will leave their city lifestyle, but there are also some of those types in the eastern part of the state, Omaha and Lincoln, when they do venture away from the comforts of their domains, and come out here, there is about one year I get to talk too, if they ask a question like "So where are the Indians? I proceed to play them, I can be very convincing, usually there is someone in the area burning brush or the like, and you can see the smoke for miles out here in the Platte River Valley, you can take it from there.
I have a good story I have heard from a friend about windmills, wind or lack thereof he told a "city girl". I will post it on by blog when I get time.

Crazy!
I'd ask about call-centres, football, thunderstorms & corn.
 

KC0QNB

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I can tell you about corn, corn fields and working in corn fields when it is 108F, actually I can sum that up on two word phrase, it sucks
I can also tell you about thunderstorms and the occasional tornado, that comes with them, hailstones the size of soccer balls, rare but I have seen one, or rather a picture of one.
Foot ball on the other hand not so much, most of the time, I may ask who won, but that's about it.
 

sulk

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Not exactly, my point i never said CB wouldn't work, or be useful my comment was meant as a wake up call, if he uses that antenna to transmit on CB, the radio output will probably fail, and the radio would be toast.

I was never intending to use the MRM antenna to broadcast on CB, because I know that wouldnt work. I was just saying that it doesnt get down into the CB range, so i dont know if there is any activity on CB. If it cant recieve CB, then I doubt itd be any good transmitting on it.

I just picked up a CB radio off of ebay, and I'll be getting a new antenna for CB.
 

EJB

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Sulk: I scanned thru the CB bands on my 396.
From my Burlington base there was a fair bit of activity but to be honest I have no idea where these strange Southern voices are from, skip from the south or just idiots here with reverb and drowning each other out.

This was at Sunday evening at about 6 PM

E
 
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