CB Radios
- Thread starter ebelling
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rescuecomm
Member
Highway patrol stopped putting CB's in cars over 10 years ago. Seems like there was a lawsuit filed after someone drove the wrong way on an interstate and the CBers could not raise the HP to get them stopped and there was a major accident. I think that "stopped" the use of CB's by the HP. I haven't used mine since a road trip to Texas in June. Therw was some radio traffic, but not what it used to be. I need to put it in the car permanently just for traffic info, but can't find the time to mount the antenna. I am still using a 1/4 wave mag mount for 2 meter/440 ham with the dual band antenna sitting on the shelf in my shop. I really need to get my priorities correct.
Bob
Bob
In MS the truckers' still roll hard on 19 "Sesame Street" as its known... but a lot have gone to cell phones especially when the idjits start the stupidity on 19... During deer season the CB's are super busy ... In TN there are a lot of younger kids that roll CB , and the hunters of course.... In WNC the truckers use 19, and a few use 23.... Most folks use FRS/GMRS these days, though a few still use CB... 
A few of the Sheriff's Dept.'s use CB and monitor 9....
A few of the Sheriff's Dept.'s use CB and monitor 9....
Caesar
Member
it depends on where you are, i lived in pelion,ch 1and ch 4 was the local's channels and stayed busy, always something on ch19 b/c we have i20/i26/i77 traffic.... i also hear some busn people locally use cbs, some for busn i believe, several of the sand haulers "classcock" in the area use 2meters (147.390) though, but there is always something out there, i've got a dual band in my truck but i want to get one of the crome edition cbs with a PA output for my truck, just for traffic and when hambands are quiet for late night travel... and the pa to mess with people.
Anytime you wanna chat yell for Skyhawk on 19 , If I'm on , don't worry - you'll hear me.....GRIN!!
Not much really for CB in SC except for truckers, I live in the Little River area and do hear some "local" chatting on there from time to time. Wilmington , NC has a rather big crowd on there.
Here's what I use.......Galaxy 95t2 .....
Antenna is a Wilson 5000 with ground plane kit.
Not much really for CB in SC except for truckers, I live in the Little River area and do hear some "local" chatting on there from time to time. Wilmington , NC has a rather big crowd on there.
Here's what I use.......Galaxy 95t2 .....
Antenna is a Wilson 5000 with ground plane kit.
CLB
Member
Used to be into it pretty hardcore. Then I fried a Cobra DX and brand new Texas Ranger...Sold my tweaked 29 Classic just fell out of it. 250w and I still couldn't get out any farther than 40 miles with all the saturation.
Been thinking about buying a small one to put in the Jeep and trash the handheld.
Been thinking about buying a small one to put in the Jeep and trash the handheld.
Alot of us(drivers) have gone to the low side(the 40 below the rregular) to get away from the B.S. that goes on nowadays. Too much cussing and argueing, I would want the kids to listen to whats going on. The locals in the Gaston area used to use 20 and 36 alot but I havent moitored much lately.
S
S
Sometimes you can get over those people , if my Galaxy 95T2 was to Dead Key say 15 watts and swing 125 watts into a Magna Force 600 out of the amp would be doing about 800 Watts , I'm only saying if it could of course !! He he :lol:shadow357 said:
CSL126
Member
We have a regular group of about 20 people here in Tuscaloosa County that talk on channel 23. It's a lot of fun if you have a few people around to talk to.
ScanDaBands said:
Yes you can do that and yes I also have the capability to it at will BUT that puts me and you in the same catagory as all the other horses A$$es out there. We decided to be peaceful about it and just go our own way and be done with it. Granted they can probably go where we do but seldom do they follow.
Thats one of the exact reasons alot of us have left the "legal" cb band.
S
Yep can't argue with that........have a good one !!!!shadow357 said:
kc4jgc
Member
ebelling said:
To me, "not too much activity" would be a GOOD thing. Join/start a good local group on some channel away from 19; you'd be good to go. Back in my younger days (in my 20's, 1981-89), because of the crap on AM, I purchased a Realistic TRC-451 AM/SSB rig and joined a couple local sideband clubs, which were on 16 USB (Ocean Front Sidebanders) and 39 LSB (Old Dominion Sidebanders). Folks were much more civil and courteous. Back then, no "handles" were used and the 10 codes were left behind on AM; the "Q" signals were used in its place. Toward the end of the 80's I couldn't have a local QSO anymore without ignorant AM'ers using the SSB channels and the almost constant "CQ-DX" on SSB (height of the solar cycle then). I gave it up; studied my CW & theory & got my ham ticket. Finally sold the '451 in '93.
ScanDaBands said:
You might do that but you may also p*** your neighbors off when they hear you over the stereos/tv's, etc.
shadow357 said:
While I agree with your first 2 sentences I'm amazed at the last. I know there are a lot of "freebanders" out there. Surely though, out of the other 38 channels you can find a "legal" channel where no one will hassle you? How about getting a rig with sideband capability? Not sure how the environment is now; there was a "gentleman's agreement" years ago that reserved sideband ops to channels 16-18 (15 in some areas) and 35-40. That agreement has probably died. Still, I figure getting an ssb rig has to be cheaper than modifying a rig to operate out of band, assuming you don't get one of those ultra expensive Galaxy radios. Twelve watts ssb has better range than 4 watts am. I know if I were on AM I wouldn't want to hear "garble" from a ssb station. I say all this because in some areas there are "freebanders" who either knowingly or not encroach on the CW portion of 10 meters. Not a good thing to do.
CLB said:
It's not so much as power out as line of sight, under normal conditions, even on a quiet channel. Your antenna height coincides with your line of sight. You could run 50kw and still have only 40 miles ground wave coverage. Even with skip conditions, your ground wave coverage would remain the same. Beyond that point, you wouldn't be heard again until your skywave signal comes back down from the ionosphere, starting from about 400-500 miles out (E layer skip. F layer skip would be much farther.).
With all that being said, ebelling, there is still plenty of activity on CB, depending on the area. I'm now a trucker who has resisted getting a CB. However, if enough of my fellow drivers I work with were to get a CB with SSB capability, I would reconsider. Now, I may consider a handheld CB only. I carry a scanner I can switch to 19 if I REALLY feel I need to.
I have a 2m/1.25m dual band rig. Would like to upgrade my ticket to general so that I can operate on voice below 10 meters (I can only operate CW on 80/40/15m), especially to join the informal trucker net on 20 meters.
73,
Steve
Old CB call KES3940
kc4jgc said:
I agree with the sideband issue, but the problem with that is alot of people either dont have or dont know how to tune in on usb or lsb, therefore we just stay on the am or even in short range talking on the fm side.
As to encroaching on the 10 meter band , if memory serves me right the areas we run are not allocated for the 10 meter band on either voice or CW.
You are 100 % right as to having 39 other channels but with just a spin of the dial, here comes the jack A&*es. Its really a no win situation as to the 11 meter band , your damned if you do and damned if you dont. Hearing what goes on out there on the radio anymore its a wonder that the powers that be havent stepped in to control it like it used to be in the 70's.
Its not uncommon to come across two or more trucks and catch bleed over for up to a mile in either direction. Now when you pass these people you just happen to look over and on the dash sits an amp , powered up and keyed up when the driver is talking. Keep in mind these trucks are only separated by about 100 ft or so. Whats the need ? You dont need all that power to talk no further than you can yell. So now were back to the reason we have decided to go to the lower 40, down there we are far enough from the regular 40 that we are not getting the bleed over and can talk for miles on a 4 watt dead key, we have even talked to drivers in other states, try that on the allocated cb band.
Its a totally different now than it was even 10 years ago on the cb band and I dont see any thing in sight that will improve it.
If I had the chance to do it all over again I would have went with a ham rig and left the 11 meter stuf alone. The people have better attitudes, willing to help, do raise he&^ and dont cry and whine near as much.
S
shadow357 said:
Doesn't seem to be one anymore ??????????????????? :lol:
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