CB radio VS Ham Radio

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As with a lot of things in life, your mental age is more important than your physical age. So true when you compare Ham vs. CB; a high percentage of CB operators truly fit the definition of "Childrens Band" operators.
 

Little_Spike

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Hello I'm new to this forum,

C.B. was at one time 11 meters Ham , but because it wasn't used as much as 10 meters it was taken from the Hams and became CB.

Len.
 

Little_Spike

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Now some cb operators try to get into lower 10 & upper 12 if they can illegally

That's true , there is a way if you go inside the radio and attach a jumper wire from a diode to the 15th. leg on the right side of the main IC Chip, it will gain you extra channels. I have seen this done many times. I my self didn't ever do that. Uniden 2510 & 2610 10 Meter Ham Radios you can convert to the 11 meter band easy.
which is legal for a Ham to do.

Len.
 

elk2370bruce

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Free banding has been going for a while and it is a royal pain for the legal guys.Too many rigs are just too easy to mod for out of band operations. With no callsigns or other legal identifiers, Uncle Chuckie has got to be listening at the time and have triangulation capabilities to shut these clowns down.
 

Token

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C.B. was at one time 11 meters Ham , but because it wasn't used as much
as 10 meters it was taken from the Hams and became CB.

Channels 1 to 22 of what is now "CB", or class D Citizens Radio Service, was the old Ham 11 meter band. Channel 23 was not, and naturally in the 70's when they expanded to 40 channels the frequencies used for 24 to 40 had never been part of "11 Meters". The 11 Meter Ham band was from 26.96 to 27.23 MHz.

The conversion of 11 Meters to CB was in 1958. The Ham community had only had 11 Meters since a couple years after WW II (1947, the same year Hams lost 300 kHz at the top of 10 Meters, 50 kHz at the top of 20 Meters, and gained 11 Meters and 15 Meters). Hams were a secondary "not to interfere" usage in the 11 Meter band, rather like 60 Meters is today. 10 Meters had been part of the Ham service since 1928.

Naturally the following is speculation, (histories on this subject appear "spotty" at best, and it is sometimes difficult to separate the bias from the fact) but I rather doubt 11 Meters was taken away because it "wasn't used much". It was a new band for the Ham community, as such fewer people had invested money or time in the gear, and so it would have the least impact of any band if it was reallocated to the new service. And yes, the traffic on the band was less than some other bands, not many Hams had gear for it yet, but then 10 Meters itself was not really crowded.

Prior to that time this CB service had been up in the 460 MHz region, but the FCC wanted to move it down to Lo VHF or the upper end of HF, I have been told primarily to reduce the cost of the equipment. The least intrusive way to do that was to put it in the 11 Meter band.

T!
 

SCPD

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Channels 1 to 22 of what is now "CB", or class D Citizens Radio Service, was the old Ham 11 meter band. Channel 23 was not, and naturally in the 70's when they expanded to 40 channels the frequencies used for 24 to 40 had never been part of "11 Meters". The 11 Meter Ham band was from 26.96 to 27.23 MHz.

The conversion of 11 Meters to CB was in 1958. The Ham community had only had 11 Meters since a couple years after WW II (1947, the same year Hams lost 300 kHz at the top of 10 Meters, 50 kHz at the top of 20 Meters, and gained 11 Meters and 15 Meters). Hams were a secondary "not to interfere" usage in the 11 Meter band, rather like 60 Meters is today. 10 Meters had been part of the Ham service since 1928.

Naturally the following is speculation, (histories on this subject appear "spotty" at best, and it is sometimes difficult to separate the bias from the fact) but I rather doubt 11 Meters was taken away because it "wasn't used much". It was a new band for the Ham community, as such fewer people had invested money or time in the gear, and so it would have the least impact of any band if it was reallocated to the new service. And yes, the traffic on the band was less than some other bands, not many Hams had gear for it yet, but then 10 Meters itself was not really crowded.

Prior to that time this CB service had been up in the 460 MHz region, but the FCC wanted to move it down to Lo VHF or the upper end of HF, I have been told primarily to reduce the cost of the equipment. The least intrusive way to do that was to put it in the 11 Meter band.

T!

Great information. I remember a humerous incident back around 1981 or 1982 when I took a Ham radio class through Gordon West at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, CA. This CBer also taking Gordo's class insisted on calling CB "11 Meters." Gordo tried to correct him, and they went back and forth for about five minutes, much to the amusement of the rest of the class. I remember they agreed to disagree, just so that night's lesson could proceed.

Dave
KA6TJF
 

KD8DVR

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Free banding has been going for a while and it is a royal pain for the legal guys.Too many rigs are just too easy to mod for out of band operations. With no callsigns or other legal identifiers, Uncle Chuckie has got to be listening at the time and have triangulation capabilities to shut these clowns down.

They have killed equipment authorization for these so-called "10 meter radios". That's why the Cobra models went bye-bye. They are cracking down on equipment that can be modded for the "good buddies" They are also going after shops that sell them.
 
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w2txb

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Having been into CB during the mid-1960's when there were licenses, my late uncle talked me into studying for and earning an Amateur Radio license. After that, I dabbled in CB every so often, mostly because my Honda GoldWing (GL1500SE) had one built in. My current GL1800 has one as well, but I rarely use it, as the VX-8DR HT works far better.

Each has its own purpose, and my needs are rarely met with CB; YMMV.
 

SCPD

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CB to ham

hey guys,
Im taking out a cb radio and i want to install a Yaesu FT-2900R 75 Watt 2 Meter VHF Mobile Transceiver Amateur Ham Radio. The truck already has a K-40 ant with a 3.5ft whip from the cb. Do you think the ham will work with that ant? I believe it should boost the ham's range because its larger ant, but i dont know much about ham radios. Can anyone help?
 

W2NJS

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hey guys,
Im taking out a cb radio and i want to install a Yaesu FT-2900R 75 Watt 2 Meter VHF Mobile Transceiver Amateur Ham Radio. The truck already has a K-40 ant with a 3.5ft whip from the cb. Do you think the ham will work with that ant? I believe it should boost the ham's range because its larger ant, but i dont know much about ham radios. Can anyone help?

If you don't know much about them then why are you messing with one? I suspect a troll.
 

RadioDaze

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Welcome to the forum, and please be aware that a current Amateur Radio Operator License is required in order to transmit on frequencies allocated to the Amateur Radio Service. That antenna would not be appropriate to use with a VHF transmitter. Remember these guidelines:

Transmitting
Requires
Official,
Legitimate
License

Amateur
Licensing
Eliminates
Rogue
Transmissions
 

Narr8rdanny

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CB vs HAM

[QUOTE
Were you a former cb operator and moved on into ham radio?

Yes. I was a heavy CB'er in the early 1970's in Tallahassee, FL. We had a great group back then. Courtesy, respect and order, for the most part, were the rules. We all had licenses and call signs as well as handles. Co-Pilot, Troublemaker, Gator, Lawbreaker, City Boy, Water Skier, Five-O,
Then came the 55 MPH Speed Limit and with it the truckers "watching for Bears". Then "Convoy", then "Smokey and The Bandit" and CB as a social, technical hobby was dead.
The license requirement was removed and so, as we learn, if something is free....that's exactly what it's worth. Just look at FRS.

Are you still an active cb operator?

I have one in my truck, but strictly for highway emergencies and info.

Do you think CB needs policing?

It''s too late for that. Listen to Channel 19 now and all you'll hear is a mass of unintelligible yokels talking into those God-Awful echo mics. Those hicks all apparently think the echo makes 'em sound better, or cooler or something. All it makes 'em sound is stupid.

Why do you prefer one service out of the two?

Ham radio is infinitely better. Why? Because it's self-policing. Guys have to take a test, show they know something not only about "Co-Ax" and "Linears" and "swingin' them beams" but also about common courtesy and care for the technology as it fits into society. Amatuer Radio users follow the rules because we all know that's what civilized people do.

CB as a useful part of the radio spectrum is as dead as VHS tape. But if you still want to buy a CB Radio, you can find them at truck stops right next to the Yosemite Sam Mud Flaps.

Danny Harmon
Tampa
KJ4QWX
 

LtDoc

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And to answer the question, it probably won't work with out tuning the antenna for 10 meters. That typically means shortening it since 10 meters is higher in frequency than 11 meters (or CB). Can it be -made- to work on 10 meters? More than likely...
- 'Doc
 

RES51CUE

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Were you a former cb operator and moved on into ham radio?no

Are you still an active cb operator?yes

Do you think CB needs policing?yes

Why do you prefer one service out of the two? I like the cb radio because that is what i grew up with
 

RES51CUE

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i had a part 95 class d lic. a log time ago how do i get it back now i use not only part D but part A as well
 
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