Hey there, I am new to CB Radio Forum in RadioReference.com

[K4EET]

<snip>
Hi there K4EET! I really appreciate your taking the time to comment to my thread or postings. Part of the reason why I posted some of thoughts and queerries is that I spend some of my time in Canada and some time in the U.S.A. I go to some of small CB shops and truckstops looking at the CB radio equipmet that is on display and for sale. I think to myself, well, if it is the same brnad and make I guess it is the same regardless where it is available, in which market place, U.S.A. or Canada. Well, when I bought a unit, and upon reading the owner's manual I read a liitl more and there are refernces to U.S. version or Canada version and so on. So I confuse myself with wondering if there are any differences? If my memory serves me correctly, the technical specifications such as receiver sensitivity 0.5 u volts for 10dB S/N or power output 4 watts are the same for the same brand and model of CB unit bought in the U.S.A. or in Canada. So my first thought is that technically speaking the units or the same regardless which market they are sold in. HOWEVER, upon reading the owner's manual their are references sometimes to U.S. version so I get to thinking, why does the owners manual refer to diffferent version? Is there a reason? Do the units perform slightly differently? Maybe not big differences but slight differences? Another thing that I notice is why are the prices for the same brand and model of CB radio different in different markets? Maybe what I should do is place a phone call to the Company who makes them and ask there? Regards to all. Paul.

Hi Paul, of course one difference is the FM mode in U.S. versions of certain models. The other may be "type acceptance" as we call it here. Somewhere on all U.S. versions there is a model number plate that has an "FCC ID" number. Perhaps another difference is the omission of that number and in its place is a Canadian "type acceptance" number. Other than that, I've run out of ideas... 73, Dave K4EET

 

[signalhound]

I forgot to say, the rules for here in the States are found in 47 C.F.R, Part 95. CFR stands for Code of Federal Regulations. I would be glad to compare the rules and regulations if you want me to. Also someone else may chime in that already has the answer. 73, Dave K4EET

Hi there, Dave. I don't mean to ignore you but I am still going thorugh the 47 C.F.R. to see what I can find. Regards, Paul.

 

[signalhound]

The Frequencies and power limits are the same in Canada and the US. I'm not sure if the CRTC has Green lighted FM CBs here yet but as they have always keep the two in sync if not yet then most likely soon. That said the FCC certainly does not seem to do a lot of enforcement around CBs and power and I doubt the CRTC does much either unless someone has all their neighbours appliances talking when they key up.

I keep my rigs strictly legal. and thus try to stay away from second hand rigs that someone has/may have modded. I get out plenty far with a good stock rig.

Hey there, Freemor. I am not sure about status of FM in Canada either. However, I have seen Cobra CB radios AM/FM units available at Pilot Flying J Truck Stops in Fort Erie, Ontario Canada, jus a stones throw from the peace bridge and the U.S.A. border.

 

[KevinC]

jus a stones throw from the peace bridge and the U.S.A. border.

I'd be careful around that bridge. I saw a story a couple of years ago about people cutting the barbed wire on the bridge and entering the US illegally.

 

[signalhound]

I'd be careful around that bridge. I saw a story a couple of years ago about people cutting the barbed wire on the bridge and entering the US illegally.

Thanks for the warning

 

[K4EET]

I'd be careful around that bridge. I saw a story a couple of years ago about people cutting the barbed wire on the bridge and entering the US illegally.

Is this the story:

Prosecutors: Fort Erie man used wire cutters on Peace Bridge to illegally enter U.S.

A Fort Erie, Ont., man was arrested on the Peace Bridge on Thursday and accused of using wire cutters to cut a barbed wire fence and enter the United States.

buffalonews.com

 

[KevinC]

Is this the story:

Prosecutors: Fort Erie man used wire cutters on Peace Bridge to illegally enter U.S.

A Fort Erie, Ont., man was arrested on the Peace Bridge on Thursday and accused of using wire cutters to cut a barbed wire fence and enter the United States.

buffalonews.com

Yep, that's it.

 

[spongella]

Welcome Paul, okay on CB. Was on CB for decades but am only a listener these days. CB sure is exciting with many openings lately. International contacts are possible thanks to the FCC dropping the 150 mile limit rule.

Have fun and you've come to the best forum for information.

 

[merlin]

Hi there merlin. I read that you are an SWL. It has been explained that this is a great part of radio. Some choose to be SWL's instead of transmitting over the air at all! Regards, Paul.

Hi Paul.
Its a fun hobby you can get hooked on. Over time you can amass a lot of equipment and antennas.
The bands below 60 MHz have changed a lot, much of the marine is going digital or satellite. Foreign AM broadcast stations are dropping like flies. Some bits of military are still around with some foreign digital. All of the low amateur bands seem rather quiet but always something to listen to. The CB band is a tiny chunk of these bands. Like listening for skip and finding a country you never heard before. Learning CW and radio waves can be a precurser to Amateur radio, then you can TALK to stations globally. Not that I have't done that on CB.
Radio is some strange stuff, welcome to that world.

 

[merlin]

Welcome Paul, okay on CB. Was on CB for decades but am only a listener these days. CB sure is exciting with many openings lately. International contacts are possible thanks to the FCC dropping the 150 mile limit rule.

Have fun and you've come to the best forum for information.

Hmm. I never heard of a 150 mile ruel, even back in the early 60s. Nothing in the ruels says a licensed west coast station could not talk skip to a licensed east coast station.

 

[KevinC]

Hmm. I never heard of a 150 mile ruel, even back in the early 60s. Nothing in the ruels says a licensed west coast station could not talk skip to a licensed east coast station.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC)Part 95 – Subpart D – Rules for CB Service Citizens Band (CB) Radio Service Rule 13 section 9 states that it is illegal to do the following :​

[9] to communicate with, or ATTEMPT to communicate with, any CB station more than 155.3 miles (250 kilometers) away.

That got rescinded in 2017 I believe.

 

[merlin]

I'm betting that got rescinded a lot earlier than that, but then, who cares, it never was enforced.

 

[KevinC]

I'm betting that got rescinded a lot earlier than that, but then, who cares, it never was enforced.

https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-344617A1.pdf

 

[signalhound]

Welcome Paul, okay on CB. Was on CB for decades but am only a listener these days. CB sure is exciting with many openings lately. International contacts are possible thanks to the FCC dropping the 150 mile limit rule.

Have fun and you've come to the best forum for information.

I am new to all of this. Hi there spongella, just quickly typing out to you to say my thanks for your welcoming me and descriding what is going on a little bit on the CB radio band. I have had a little curiosity in CB radio since, I guess I can say, the CB radio craze of the 1970's. I used to see lots of vehicles with the long whip antennas, I later gathered are called 102" whip antennas. Is seemed to peter out a little bit. However, I see some different mobile antennas on some cars as I drive around that. to me, look like diiferent versions of CB radio mobile antennas. So, my guess is that there still is some interest in CB and probably some activity. From time to time I have thought that CB radio is a more cost effective and fun way to communicate and meet new people than the plain old telephone. It is a warm and sunny day and approx. 58 degrees fahrenheit out there. Regards, Paul.

 

[signalhound]

Hi Paul.
Its a fun hobby you can get hooked on. Over time you can amass a lot of equipment and antennas.
The bands below 60 MHz have changed a lot, much of the marine is going digital or satellite. Foreign AM broadcast stations are dropping like flies. Some bits of military are still around with some foreign digital. All of the low amateur bands seem rather quiet but always something to listen to. The CB band is a tiny chunk of these bands. Like listening for skip and finding a country you never heard before. Learning CW and radio waves can be a precurser to Amateur radio, then you can TALK to stations globally. Not that I have't done that on CB.
Radio is some strange stuff, welcome to that world.

Hi there, Merlin, it is a warm sunny day an about 59 degrees fahrenheit. I just had the chance to read your thread! I just want to say thanks for getting back to me here in RadioReferenceForum. I am looking forward to amasing some equipment like you mention in the thread. I am not sure how. This may be unbelievable somehow I was looking at or reading something with the title Monitoring Times and from what I gather it is published or printed somewhere in North Carolina. I responded to a classifed ad for someone looking for a penpal and it seemed like the thing to do so I wrote a letter. Should be allright since a schoo teacher once told a calssromm I was in that a penpal is someone you can correspond with by mail. I gave it a try. Over the course of a few years the penpal I was corresponding addressed some querries that I had with HAM radio and the two meter VHF Ham band. One fine day, I received a parcel with an HT the read SANTEC on it two battery packs with rechargeable batteries and on telescoping antenna and I guess what is called a rubber duck antenna. That radio worked so well that since then my opinion is that it is better to have a penpal to receive a an HT through then to buy on new from a ham radio store or used at a hamfest, flemarket, or garage sale. All I had to do was spend money on postage to my penpal! I bought the ARRL repeater book and started checking if I get transmit and bring up any local repeaters, wow I was transmitting to and receiving from allmost every ham repeater in the directory! A few times turned the Santec unit on it is possible I was receiving VHF DX by tropospheric inversion ducting one summer. I moved a switch to simplex from the 600 +/- offset for repeater operation. I am pretty I was working troposheric DX in the VHF band. I had previously read about it in the William Orr, Radio Handbook. My big question and since formed humble opinion is that it is best, in my experience to get a ham radio HT from a penpal and not brnad new store bought or used but I did not make comparisons. I am sort of curious about your musings or thougts about it. Regards, Paul

 

[KB4MSZ]

International contacts are possible thanks to the FCC dropping the 150 mile limit rule.

Unfortunatly, "international" contacts are limited exclusively to Canada.