CB PSK/WSPR reporting?

[rjvalenta]

i go to pskreporter and they have 11m as part of their reporting system and show reports from JS8Call... then i open wspr.rocks and they have 11m listed as well - and there are actual JS8Call reports on pskreporter.

i have a CB antenna set up, originally just did it so i could see what i would hear... a 102" whip vertical dipole on my chimney, purely happened because a guy i knew had the parts and i was bored... but then it just sits, and i would love to WSPR on it for CB SSB, but i'm not even sure where to start with that... is there a CAT controlled CB available? i know a lot of 'export' radios can do things and 11m is commonly used overseas.

anyone have any thoughts or ideas on ways to make better use of CB?

and before anyone starts to comment on how CB is beneath amateurs, i see your point, i'm not thinking a ratty old antenna on the back of my car with 4w of AM should be able to talk to China... i'm thinking that i have managed to WSPR 5w of SSB overseas on a few bands - why couldn't i try to do the same with CB? and see what the 'cb skip' people are able to pull off... there are people on YouTube putting a lot of effort into their whatever antenna in their barn getting a signal in to their town and i'm wondering what i could accomplish with all the tech available to me from amateur HF work.

why climb the mountain? because it is there...

anyway, maybe people overseas have some ideas, love to hear any positive thoughts or ideas.

Richard
N0TZC

 

[K6EEN]

Much of Europe has more channels of CB and digital modes are authorized on a few channels, see for example, in Germany. That's probably what you're seeing, mostly European digi-mode reporting. Here's a typical European band plan from the Finnish CB DX Cub "Foxtrot Lima" or FL.

mamma

28.126 MHz WSPR on the 10m ham band is so close to the 27.385 MHz CB (Channel 38) DX SSB calling frequency, the propagation is going to be nearly identical. Just stick to 10m WSPR with your ham license, maybe use it as a propagation beacon or indicator, and when the 10m band is open try switching to voice SSB on the CB. Could tune that CB antenna of yours for 27.800 and it would work on both 27.385 CB and ham 28.126, just leave the CB warmed up and use a 2-position coax switch to change the antenna from the ham rig to the CB in SSB voice mode when you notice a band opening, and pick up the microphone.

The FCC had a rule change to allow FM modulation on CB frequencies starting in late 2021; helps regularize the service and bring it in line with European CEPT CB standards. Maybe digital modes will be permitted in the U.S.A., also, in some future Part 95 rules change.