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Do Normal People Still Use CB

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KC9ICE said:
There is a fair amount of "normal" CB operation around my area. Of course, as already stated by other posters, channel 6 (and consequently 5&7) is a wasteland of AM splatter but some of the SSB (LSB usually) skip up on 35-40 can be an interesting counter-culture to the more proper ham radio HF bands. And, of course, you still can't beat channel 19 on the road (especially when paired with my GRE PSR500 and Valentine 1). But my town lies off the interstate by enough to usually separate us from the typical channel 19 chatter & there is occasional casual use. Many of the farmers have CBs & but when 19 really gets a workout is during a snow event. In my town (of about 11,000) both the city and township (rural) maintenance trucks share a commercial VHF frequency for official comms but they also all run CBs & keep most of their two-trucking chatter (like one plowing & another following winging it back) & general BSing on it. So it can be rather interesting to listen to & also if you're out & need to get ahold of one of the plows, its as simple as TXing "Hey, township-six on CB" or "Lincoln-fifteen, you gotta copy on CB?".

I'd say i started out, and have continued as what has been recognized as a "normal" CB operator. (As normal as any of us radio ops are, hi hi) I started out in CB in high school with a little Uniden pro510 (three-knobber to the CB aficionados) in my pickup, just talking around town with my buddies while we were out wasting gas and on occasional convoys to the under-21 dance club in Peoria or four-wheeling excursions into the Mackinaw river bottoms. When i started driving a semi i got a slightly "bigger" CB to make sure i could get over the audio-checkers when i needed to get or give directions or something. I subsequently have gotten my ham ticket & got into commercial (part 90) radios for use with EMA & on GMRS but as i have retired my "big" radio, I still run a little pro510 (now a different one as my first finally died) in my pickup for use on the interstate & around town. And although it may seem at times that the goof-balls have taken over, there are more "normal" folks like me still out here ready to assist with directions or other information. All it takes is a friendly "Break one-nine for some local".

Respectfully submitted
Chuck KC9ICE

Although I own a Galaxy 959 now the Uniden 510 still has a place in my heart. Nothing beats the simplicity, size, and decent stock modulation for a radio of that class. Driving down I40 a couple times to northern Arizona the CB radio gets some great use. I had more fun using the CB in Arizona than I do in SoCal.
 

Arizona_Scanner

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I switched to the new little midland LCD radio and really am enjoying the listening (and occasional participation). I have to drive through the "truckstop zone" part of Phoenix every day and sometimes the truckers are really chatting it up. Sometimes it's thoughtful, sometimes it is full of racial slurs and minorities on CBs shouting down the racists, sometimes is just just a few guys telling each other to "shut up or I'll beat you up" (radio tough talk). Either way it is more entertaining than the music and talk radio stations on AM/FM most of the time.
 

Bob_61

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Normal people on cb's?
Sort of like the definition of bipolar....dual sides of an ice cube right?
N-aaaaaah! :lol:

73,
n9zas

I hada CBe wen I wus a wee bit of a lad and i has nevern ben acused of beng norml! :)
 
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zzdiesel

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I switched to the new little midland LCD radio and really am enjoying the listening (and occasional participation). I have to drive through the "truckstop zone" part of Phoenix every day and sometimes the truckers are really chatting it up. Sometimes it's thoughtful, sometimes it is full of racial slurs and minorities on CBs shouting down the racists, sometimes is just just a few guys telling each other to "shut up or I'll beat you up" (radio tough talk). Either way it is more entertaining than the music and talk radio stations on AM/FM most of the time.
That's what happened to the CB hobby here. There was a killing damn near every Fri & Sat nights.
 

KC9ICE

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Although I own a Galaxy 959 now the Uniden 510 still has a place in my heart. Nothing beats the simplicity, size, and decent stock modulation for a radio of that class. Driving down I40 a couple times to northern Arizona the CB radio gets some great use. I had more fun using the CB in Arizona than I do in SoCal.

I totally agree! I actually have a Galaxy 959 that i use as a base for SSB and the only way i might replace it is if the new Uniden 980SSB (seen here) turns out to be as good as it looks to be. But for a mobile AM-only rig the 510 just simply can't be beat, for exactly the reasons you listed, but also the price; $45 (at my local CB shop and at walcottcb.com). I also like the fact that it is more subtle than the chromed-out "big" radios. Definitely easier to mount and i believe more aesthetically pleasing in a passenger car or pickup.
 

KD8DVR

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I have a CB. That was my first interest in radio.... yeah, I still like radio anyway. I have had many, and still have one. Mostly all I do is just listen for road conditions, although, bow many drivers don't even use CB.

People I used to talk to are long gone. All I really do is listen.

I, mostly, consider myself normal.
 

rhalld38

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I remember back in the 90's I had a President Washington with a D104 and channel 21 here in Rockford was always busy back then. People threatening people over the radio, walking all over them, cussing, the people on 21 was not normal. Most of the so called normal people moved to channel 12 and the town next to us who had somewhat normal people were on channel 34. Now its dead here except channel 6.
 

KF4ZTO

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CB radio was how I got introduced to radio, and channel 19 (even though its loaded with junk) is still more useful on the Interstate than a 2m ham rig.

In Richmond, normal people do still use CB, I've heard business related radio communications on CB frequencies and on the freeband.

The other day I heard two people talking on 26.775 MHz FM mode about delivery locations (and they were local).

Broadbanded CBs/export radios are becoming more and more attractive as low-cost alternatives to licensed business band radio services.
 

kruser

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There are still quite a lot of users around here on 11 meters.
Now if they are normal or not... I can't answer that!

I used to talk 11 meters several years ago but all I ever did was sideband with a large group of local guys.
Most went on to get their amateur license but I still hear some of the old gang still out there on 11 meters in SSB mode to this day. Many of the guys I do hear are also active hams now but they still like 11 meters when their favorite ham bands go quiet.

I'd talk back but I'm in an apartment and don't have a decent antenna for 11 meters. It was a lot of fun when the conditions would become right and you could carry on a conversation with someone across the country for over an hour. That was at least 20 years ago though.
Or the "good ole days""!
 

DcotorWu

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I think I am normal somewhat ...lol .I still use CB at work in my Solid Waste Hauler's for road reports DOT Officer location's and ops at the land fill .I use it on trips to Kentucky as well .
I have not used it much at home infact not even hooked up at the house it has gone down hill so bad .
Its a shame I used to enjoy it late at night talking to people .Now it just seem's to be a tool I use for work .no longer fun

The CB service was intended to be used for business, home to mobile communications and such in the first place. It was never intended to be a hobby or jibber jabber band. There were only a few channels in the band that were legal to communicate with other stations that were not under your license. I know of someone who was fined 300 bucks by the FCC in the early 1970's for "hobby use" of the band. S9 magazine used to publish a long list of people who were fined for such use of the band every month. Wow how stuff changes.
 

DcotorWu

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Hello AS and all:

Why certainly there are normal people out there on the CB. I am sure at least a few could pass for normal. But life is like going into a Bar, there are those who you want to socialize with and those who you don’t.

During the hay day of CB Breaks and such we always had a few trouble makers who were gonna punch so and so out for what ever reason. But while the people turned into a crowd the word was out that we had bouncers and a bunch of guys who would escort you out to the parking lot if you wanted to cause trouble, everyone seemed to melt into the good times. But we never needed to do any of that.

Now we have localized BBQ’s and get to gathers at the local coffee shop or at the local airport. This thins out the trouble makers, goof balls, rule reciting goofs, X-wives, recent parolees, and of course the big starappers that walk all over everyone.

The BBQ’s are sometimes advertised to all but because the Mojave Desert is so vast covering several States not everyone can attend. And the undesirables at times don’t want to be left out of the fun, and many times have ask permission to come to the BBQ, but have been asked to be cool. And they show up and new friends are made. That’s a good thing right.

However the BBQ’s do get involved at times over who talked to who, antenna theory, electronics theory, local on the spot mobile installations showing off, repair, praise, and laughing at. Equipment trading, selling, and on the spot testing. Motorcycle ridding, dune buggie ridding and towing back, and on and on, a good time is had by all. Tall stories at the camp fire are always a neat thing to listen to.

The local BBQ’s are also a social function that is used for Mob Strength as is needed in antenna and tower installation. The Hosts rules are no Beer until the tower and antenna are up and tuned. This has a way to motivate everyone to a centralized goal. As experience has shown us that free Beer before the tower and antenna installation will lead to NO tower and antenna installation. Sometimes one of the guys will have his mobile radio connected to a dummy load and ID himself over the radio as some far distance station, again a good time is had by all.

Normal people probably not, but we do have a blast at times.

Jay in the Mojave

Of course, you would present the positive side of it, Jay. You make money selling products to high powered RF gangsters. Call it what you want, but that is a fact.
 

stevedogan

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Apparently the guy starting this thread has never heard people like "Lincoln" or "The Weasel" or "Repo Man" out there!
 

brandon

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Yes there is still plenty of CB radio activity. Here are a couple shots of the CB band. Monster signals around 27025 and 27085 kHz, but just about every frequency has activity.

cbradio1.jpg


cbradio2.jpg


cbradio3.jpg


As for normal people using CB, I cannot answer that question :D
 
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