SKIP Problems in Noise Abatement.
It’s not easy for me, either. An over $1,000-system. Big trucks are more difficult.
But, . . it can be done.
Do truckers still use CB Radios?
I’ve gone into detail about
when one is most likely to hear truck drivers on air (as well as
where) for situations just like yours. As an on-air local (time & place) others will come to expect to hear from you.
Think of truck drivers as the base requirement:
able to speak with them and it’s likeliest you’ll be speaking to all others as well.
Minimum Gear Requirements as addressed above have to go up in ability (price), and needed externals plus the necessity of best installation due to the prevalence of both
Skip and the jerks crowding AM-19
and other channels.
New England is something of a special case as it’s isolated from the rest of the US as a trucker experiences it.
Difficult to get in or out from the major N-S and E-W routes. Thus much truck service is by locals traveling outbound to regional DC and back (versus the prevalence of national truck firms elsewhere). NE is almost another country, truck-wise.
NE drivers are home every night thus there’s very little on-air truck chatter overnight.
A CB which scans would bring up the likeliest channels on which locals speak to each other and thereby
greatly increase your chances of contacts. Their friends and families are also likeliest to be on those channels (largest CB user group).
As also noted,
SSB increases success. Pre-dawn and post-dusk are “best” for local and regional these days using any mode.
Mobile CB hasn’t the advantage of an 18’ vertical antenna 30’ in the air. Contacts are fleeting.
A really weak signal can get you ignored as second response isn’t possible. (Pay to play).
There’s no substitute for best mobile antenna system + clean DC power and a radio with DSP either integrated or as an external.
Some years back I used to run Philadelphia to central Maine through Massachusetts on IH-90 over to IH-95 and didn’t have much problem in getting other drivers to respond.
But it’s different than the rest of the US (as above) as it’s nearly ALL locals only. Very different than The Great Plains.
Your desire
to make it so is commendable and will carry things through.
The section on RF BONDING is suggested as integral to the antenna system:
Mobile Install Bible
.
