Fired up my radio base station: Things pretty quiet

[Radiomatrix]

if i got it right you would hear them sounding off frequency even though they are not.
and the FM thing is really new so not too many would have it.
and this is not the 1970's or 80's, CB died a bit ago.
even my stepson who drove a big rig just got phone numbers from other drivers at rest stops.
if you can hear anything, you are hearing everything.

Oh NO

 

[wtp]

when i lived in New Jersey, some guy had an export radio that did FM, we could talk to each other.
he just sounded off freq. this was about 1983 or so, and yes the radio was very busy back then.

 

[mmckenna]

COPY!
NICE you mentioned channel 6 as there was some stuff, not a lot there. When I push the NB button, while in SSB, the frequencies change and take me to another section of the band. but there still a whole lot of stuff as I remember 40 years ago...

Bingo. Sounds like you have a radio that has been set up for "Freeband".
The NB button has probably been repurposed to switch between regular CB and Freeband.
I'd figure out how to get it on regular CB Channel 6 (27.025MHz) and then play with your settings. That'll be CB channel 6, and probably a ton of useless noise, but it will at least tell you if the radio is working. You should hear a bunch of crap on there.
Keep it on that setting and switch through all 40 channels. If you hear something, then you are on the right track.
Check the other switches/settings and see what they do for you.

 

[mmckenna]

OKAY...I feel like rip van winkle....CB is now also on FM? Is this why probably AM CB is blank where I live and everyone is on FM?

FM on CB radio is new, as in approved by the FCC in the last year or so. While there are a few FM capable CB radios on the market, I doubt you'll find many people that actually have them.
Most of the traffic will absolutely be on AM or SSB.

I would not worry about FM CB radio at all, very niche market, very few suitable radios, probably very few people actively using it in your area. Don't toss your radio thinking you need a new one, you will be disappointed.

 

[Radiomatrix]

Bingo. Sounds like you have a radio that has been set up for "Freeband".
The NB button has probably been repurposed to switch between regular CB and Freeband.
I'd figure out how to get it on regular CB Channel 6 (27.025MHz) and then play with your settings. That'll be CB channel 6, and probably a ton of useless noise, but it will at least tell you if the radio is working. You should hear a bunch of crap on there.
Keep it on that setting and switch through all 40 channels. If you hear something, then you are on the right track.
Check the other switches/settings and see what they do for you.

The extra channels only work when the button is depressed, been that way.

 

[niceguy71]

I'm just getting back into CB myself.. I'll set up my 30 year old still in the box Antron 99 this summer I've been buying my handheld CB's I like to have a bunch so if SHTF I can pass them to neighbors for security and as spotters... anyway I set up my favorite handheld up in my house with the 51" antenna it should pick up several miles away???? if I send one of my friends out with another of my handhelds I can hear him a few miles away .. .I run it all day long ... in the old days (1980's 1990's ) it would always be going.. truckers or families talking and of course the jerk that has to play music or screw with anyone they could find.... something was always on.... for the last couple weeks I've heard one faint transmission... just not like the old days... but also not as much of the static either.. my handheld CB's transmit and receive father than they did back in the day

 

[Radiomatrix]

I'm just getting back into CB myself.. I'll set up my 30 year old still in the box Antron 99 this summer I've been buying my handheld CB's I like to have a bunch so if SHTF I can pass them to neighbors for security and as spotters... anyway I set up my favorite handheld up in my house with the 51" antenna it should pick up several miles away???? if I send one of my friends out with another of my handhelds I can hear him a few miles away .. .I run it all day long ... in the old days (1980's 1990's ) it would always be going.. truckers or families talking and of course the jerk that has to play music or screw with anyone they could find.... something was always on.... for the last couple weeks I've heard one faint transmission... just not like the old days... but also not as much of the static either.. my handheld CB's transmit and receive father than they did back in the day

Quite disappointing. I sent my 40 year old radio to Exit 42 Electronics, the official repair outfit for President Electronics since I have not used it in that long but always stored it carefully, to have it tuned and checked out. ( run on sentence).... Anyway,

I went to the trouble and expense to erect 20 foot antenna mast that I also lugged around with me for 40 years as well as the A-99. new and improved low-loss coax and everything only to land in the same lack luster CB radio limbo boat you find your self in.

If this is the new normal---it SUCKS. I spent a small fortune to ship my radio to Joe via UPS, who also packed it for an additional charge. He did the work, and then I get my radio back with a single layer of fat bubble wrap through the GD ---USPS.

I keep thinking that my GD radio was damaged in return shipping because there just isn't the garbage I remember on nearly GD every channel in the 70's and 80's. I mean even on channel 19 and this base station 7000 feet from the Capital Beltway, I hear jack-Sh*t. Occasionally I hear what must be 10, 000 watt linears on channel 6, 23, 9..... I guess my radio is working. I talked to someone briefly who was 4 miles away, and someone else across the river-- but that was it.

On SSB it is still pretty stupid, even above or below the normal freqs.. I can hear Aguadilla, Puerto Rico a lot and stations in Florida and Mexico..... Does that mean my radio is working?
I bought a radio with a built in SWR meter from Amazon only to see if there was a difference....there wasn't. Returned the radio yesterday. I bought a new SWR meter and my antenna is 4x4!

So the state of Citizen Band Radio is not what it use to be.... sad.

I really only set up my CB base station to test everything out for when I finally pass my technician's license which I hope will be effin more rewarding than this....

 

[alcahuete]

for when I finally pass my technician's license which I hope will be effin more rewarding than this....

Definitely more rewarding, however, your passion seems to be HF. The Technician license isn't really the license for that. Yes, you get 10m and some CW on other bands, but the General license is really what you need to open the HF bands, assuming that's your interest.

 

[Radiomatrix]

Definitely more rewarding, however, your passion seems to be HF. The Technician license isn't really the license for that. Yes, you get 10m and some CW on other bands, but the General license is really what you need to open the HF bands, assuming that's your interest.

I just want to talk to people long distance and so on. Like in the olden days! HF...seems like a long ways off at the rate I am going!

 

[merlin]

With a G1 flare inbound, I wouldn.t expect much for several days. Best I got on 11 meters today was some brief chatter on channel 6.

 

[Radiomatrix]

if i got it right you would hear them sounding off frequency even though they are not.
and the FM thing is really new so not too many would have it.
and this is not the 1970's or 80's, CB died a bit ago.
even my stepson who drove a big rig just got phone numbers from other drivers at rest stops.
if you can hear anything, you are hearing everything.

Oh no…

 

[dave3825]

the FM thing is really new so not too many would have it.
and this is not the 1970's or 80's, CB died a bit ago.

Back in the late 80's early 90's, I had a Superstar 3900 radios. They were am, fm usb & lsb. A few friends had them as well. Also had RCI 2950 ham radio that was modded for cb. We talked on fm quite often. Pretty sure it bothered people who did not have fm. Mid 90's here on Long Island still had a good amount of cb-ers.

 

[merlin]

The extra channels only work when the button is depressed, been that way.

Awful simple, the switch selects unused pins on the PLL adding a different devisor for frequency.

 

[Radiomatrix]

Awful simple, the switch selects unused pins on the PLL adding a different devisor for frequency.

Ok! I have no idea whatsoever! Thank you! I will DM you with a question.

 

[DaveC1964]

Oh NO

What is really odd is that people seem to be still buying CBs. They are still new ones being made, tons are being bought and sold on Ebay. I just sold a spare newer Radio Shack walkie talkie for $50.00 it really wasn't anything special and there were multiple bids. If sales were as dead as the airwaves I would have not had any interest in mine. Maybe it is just preppers buying them? Or maybe people buy them thinking there is more action then toss in a closet when they find out there isn't? I don't really know what the reason is and who is buying them and what they are using them for.

I would at least think there are hobbyists playing around with them. I hear the old trope that cellphones replaced everything. Sure if you are going to call your wife on the way home you probably won't use a CB. But if you just want to talk to some random people in the town for fun or on the road you don't have a cell number and CB would seem to make sense.

 

[Radiomatrix]

What is really odd is that people seem to be still buying CBs. They are still new ones being made, tons are being bought and sold on Ebay. I just sold a spare newer Radio Shack walkie talkie for $50.00 it really wasn't anything special and there were multiple bids. If sales were as dead as the airwaves I would have not had any interest in mine. Maybe it is just preppers buying them? Or maybe people buy them thinking there is more action then toss in a closet when they find out there isn't? I don't really know what the reason is and who is buying them and what they are using them for.

I would at least think there are hobbyists playing around with them. I hear the old trope that cellphones replaced everything. Sure if you are going to call your wife on the way home you probably won't use a CB. But if you just want to talk to some random people in the town for fun or on the road you don't have a cell number and CB would seem to make sense.

i don't hear much chatter at all around here which makes me think something is up with my radio. antenna is fine.

 

[niceguy71]

after not hearing anything on the airwaves for a few weeks I started looking for CB antenna's in parking lots.... my grocery store, Lowes, Home Depot, restaurants .... I haven't seen one yet! even the jeeps don't have one!

 

[prcguy]

after not hearing anything on the airwaves for a few weeks I started looking for CB antenna's in parking lots.... my grocery store, Lowes, Home Depot, restaurants .... I haven't seen one yet! even the jeeps don't have one!

I just turned on my remote station north of Boston and lots of skip is coming in right now, especially 38 LSB.

 

[Radiomatrix]

I just turned on my remote station north of Boston and lots of skip is coming in right now, especially 38 LSB.

Ok…temp call sign 505 washington DC STATIION

 

[DaveC1964]

i don't hear much chatter at all around here which makes me think something is up with my radio. antenna is fine.

I usually don't hear anything either in a suburb of Chicago. Once in awhile I do hear something but it is usually the super bowlers in another state, no chance of receiving me.