I guess channel 19 is dead??? what are the truck drivers doing now?

[niceguy71]

I hauled all kinds of landscape rock and agricultural products before I retired. None of the quarries or loading facilities used channel 19 for on site communications with drivers loading or untloading. Each one used a different channel just to keep away from all the chatter on 19. Plus, they didn't want to cause interference to drivers out on the road.
When the sunspot cycle is peaking like it is now, it becomes a challenge to hear anything close by. Noise mitigation can help, but, it won't overcome a signal arriving at your antenna from a distant station that is stronger than the one right across from you.
There's not much you can do other than to lower your RF Gain and hope for the best.
James

Great reply, thank you ...... Maybe it's just skip????? I thought it was hundreds of people with high powered radios wanting to talk skip on 19..... Never thought about it might just be the conditions right now??... But I swear they seem to have a million watts

 

[Trucker700]

Great reply, thank you ...... Maybe it's just skip????? I thought it was hundreds of people with high powered radios wanting to talk skip on 19..... Never thought about it might just be the conditions right now??... But I swear they seem to have a million watts

It's a combination of folks taking advantage of the increased sunspot count that allows for longer distance ( skip) communication. It doesn't even have to be someone running a lot of power. Just being at the right location where the signals bounce back to earth is enough to overpower a close by signal.
It won't be too long before the cycle takes a downturn. Most likely a year or so more. Then the sunspot count will start to drop. And then local communications will not be effected like it is now.
That's why if you are in need of traffic information, you will need more tools than just a CB radio for information. A good scanner and a GPS that has live traffic updates ( not the best, but better than nothing) will increase your chances of receiving an early warning of problems along your route. Like anything else, the more tools you have in the box, the better prepared you will be.
James

 

[Randyk4661]

Here in the Los Angeles metro area I drive the freeways around the area and I can say I don't see many CB antennas on the big rig trucks hardly ever, of course I don't really look for them either.
The other day I did spot an 800/900MHz antenna on the trunk lid of what looked like a private car, first one I have seen in years.
Now CB's may be used more in the rural parts in the country, just not in So. Cal.
I can't see people placing big antennas on their cars these days and with HOA's I don't see base station antennas on roofs.

With smart phones, the internet, and app's like Zello, CB radios are ancient history. And now with LTE systems on the 5G networks, would you like to replace your modern washing machine with a machine from the 1930's?

If you want to talk on radios, get a Ham license or FRS/GMRS. CB is on life support, it's alive just not very functional in today's modern world.

 

[slowmover]

AM-19 isn’t dead, I’ve been trying to say. It’s harder to use (daylight) for now, but that doesn’t mean traffic around you isn’t monitoring.

The moment things get hairy, you’ll hear them.

The quality of your rig determines how well and how far.

 

[slowmover]

I hauled all kinds of landscape rock and agricultural products before I retired. None of the quarries or loading facilities used channel 19 for on site communications with drivers loading or untloading. Each one used a different channel just to keep away from all the chatter on 19. Plus, they didn't want to cause interference to drivers out on the road.
When the sunspot cycle is peaking like it is now, it becomes a challenge to hear anything close by. Noise mitigation can help, but, it won't overcome a signal arriving at your antenna from a distant station that is stronger than the one right across from you.
There's not much you can do other than to lower your RF Gain and hope for the best.
James

There are very few that strong. Moments of being blanked aren’t consistent or long in time.

18-wheelers are the weak link as the difficulty of having a good radio is high.

I’ve yet to be taken unawares of a serious problem. 2,000-hrs of use annually gives plenty of perspective.

A QT60 solves almost all the RX/TX problems if the antenna system is up to par (big truck & private).

.

 

[Ensnared]

Yes, it is quite active along IH35 in Texas. Yes, at present, skip is driving me nuts; however, I've never ever heard skip like this. If my memory is correct, skip conditions were mostly a summer occurrence, but I could be wrong.

At present, various malcontents & man babies, who were likely weaned too early from their mothers breasts are making life miserable for people. A more respectful way to operate skip would be going to one of the other 39 channels. However, they would not be the center of attention.

Freud was spot-on, oral fixation! They cannot shut up talking. Maybe it is methamphetamine or booze. I don't know.

Hopefully, skip will subside in the future & things can be back like the used to be.

I am going to say this. Most of what I am saying is plain tongue-in-cheek sarcasm.

 

[BaLa]

When I was OTR I threw my cb in trash. 😂
Too much BS.

Anyway now running semi local/regional Oversize out of Central Texas and company has CBs in all the trucks.

We use it quite a bit,when running with another driver (Mobile Homes) (doubles). Although a lot of times some guys will just be on the phone with their running partner.
Few of the guys if I run with them will just be on the phone nearly the whole time. Keeps the channel free as well. Still keep the CBs on but turned down.

I keep a UHF/VHF Radio in the truck programmed for GMRS and other things... Never hear anything on it though ever.

 

[N5RLR]

It seems that the problem is less a technical than a regulatory one. And of simple ethics, i.e, not being a total jerk just because one can. The FCC is classically understaffed to handle the on-air misbehavior. And then a question arises, "Do we really want the Federal Government breathing down our necks?" For me, the answer to this is No.

If we're to use CB for anything approaching serious business (especially when cellphones, etc. go down, remember the recent AT&T outage), we may have to resort to some self-policing. And taking care of issues personally. I'll leave it up to the reader as to how to interpret this.

I'd rather see 19 used as it has become known, a travelers'-assistance and road channel. For that matter, 9 for emergencies (especially since it still carries a legal designation as such to this day). Let base stations who want to roast the ether, do so on one of the other thirty-eight channels. 😒

 

[Trucker700]

Yes, it is quite active along IH35 in Texas. Yes, at present, skip is driving me nuts; however, I've never ever heard skip like this. If my memory is correct, skip conditions were mostly a summer occurrence, but I could be wrong.

At present, various malcontents & man babies, who were likely weaned too early from their mothers breasts are making life miserable for people. A more respectful way to operate skip would be going to one of the other 39 channels. However, they would not be the center of attention.

Freud was spot-on, oral fixation! They cannot shut up talking. Maybe it is methamphetamine or booze. I don't know.

Hopefully, skip will subside in the future & things can be back like the used to be.

I am going to say this. Most of what I am saying is plain tongue-in-cheek sarcasm.

I completely understand your frustration. Skip is not necessarily a seasonal occurrence. While it can seem to occur more often in the Summer time, it is actually part of an 11 year cycle of sunspot activity on the sun. The peak of the cycle occurs at the halfway point between the low points. Example, year 1 is a low point with zero or nearly zero, sunspots. At that point local communications is fine as the ionosphere is not being ionized by solar radiation enough to cause reflection of radio waves. As we approach the peak of the 11 year cycle, ( about 5 1/2 years in,plus or minus) the number of sunspots increases and solar radiation becomes quite strong. It ionizes the upper layers of the atmosphere to such a degree that radio waves, even very low power ones, are easily reflected off the ionosphere and sent back to earth 100's, if not 1,000's of miles away. And even those running lower power can overcome a nearby radio running a lot more power.
At the 11 year point we are back to the lowest level of sunspots. And ionosphere reflection drops off to the point that only extremely low frequency signals can still be reflected by the ionosphere as the density of the ionized layer is decreased.
About the only thing that might help is changing antenna polarization. That can sometimes, but not always, reduce the effect of strong signals arriving by sky wave.
I have often wondered why the FCC decided to place the Citizens Band in the frequency range it did. Unlike UHF ,and to some extent, VHF, it is more likely to be adversely effected by an increase in solar activity. I think someone at the FCC just threw a dart at a frequency chart and it landed on 11 meters!
James

 

[niceguy71]

It seems that the problem is less a technical than a regulatory one. And of simple ethics, i.e, not being a total jerk just because one can. The FCC is classically understaffed to handle the on-air misbehavior. And then a question arises, "Do we really want the Federal Government breathing down our necks?" For me, the answer to this is No.

If we're to use CB for anything approaching serious business (especially when cellphones, etc. go down, remember the recent AT&T outage), we may have to resort to some self-policing. And taking care of issues personally. I'll leave it up to the reader as to how to interpret this.

I'd rather see 19 used as it has become known, a travelers'-assistance and road channel. For that matter, 9 for emergencies (especially since it still carries a legal designation as such to this day). Let base stations who want to roast the ether, do so on one of the other thirty-eight channels. 😒

channel 9 was a great idea in it's day.... sad it has become Porto Rico's super bowl now or I would leave a radio on that channel all the time.

 

[GadgetGeek]

Lots of trucks here at the NY/NJ Metro area but channel 19 is dead. Not like it was 20+ years ago. Channel 38 LSB is active with lots of hobbyists though. I miss the truckers on 19 for road and smokey reports.

 

[krokus]

I get annoyed with people trying to DX on 19. You have 34 channels that do not have a legally defined, or de facto, use. Go use those.

Then there is the blabber mouth talking about splatter boxes, which seems to be audio clips being played over the radio. That should be on 6, with the other people that just want to talk to the universe. (No, there is nothing super about it.)

FWIW: I do hear some professional drivers on 19, but they are often downed out by the above-mentioned noise.

 

[niceguy71]

I get annoyed with people trying to DX on 19. You have 34 channels that do not have a legally defined, or de facto, use. Go use those.

Then there is the blabber mouth talking about splatter boxes, which seems to be audio clips being played over the radio. That should be on 6, with the other people that just want to talk to the universe. (No, there is nothing super about it.)

FWIW: I do hear some professional drivers on 19, but they are often downed out by the above-mentioned noise.

I'm surprised any truckers have it on anymore.... I hate to do it, but I'm not turning my radio on channel 19 during the day anymore..... Someone said it is the conditions right now???? That even low power is sounding like it is next to you and it will go back to normal in time...... I doubt this as it seems to be the same 100 or so idiots every day..... I've been waiting to get my cb in my pick up truck for 23 years . . I finally get it in and working well.....only to have 19 turn into the super bowl

 

[217]

There is a new generation of truckers who in fact just hold the steering wheel. If one hand is holding the wheel and the other is holding a phone up to their ear, there is no hand left to hold a cb mic. Nowadays when there is a major blockage on the interstate, you will see miles and miles of the new generation sitting in line. One time i tried to alert a driver that he had two blown out tires on his trailer, but my truck was maxed out at 70 mph and I watched him get smaller in my windshield.

 

[niceguy71]

There is a new generation of truckers who in fact just hold the steering wheel. If one hand is holding the wheel and the other is holding a phone up to their ear, there is no hand left to hold a cb mic. Nowadays when there is a major blockage on the interstate, you will see miles and miles of the new generation sitting in line. One time i tried to alert a driver that he had two blown out tires on his trailer, but my truck was maxed out at 70 mph and I watched him get smaller in my windshield.

The world certainly changed.... Not for the better.... Well maybe it did????. Look how dependable trucks / vehicles are now how good and cheap radios are.... My phone can do anything but make me breakfast our technology is fascinating... But the people skills and personality have gone in the trash

 

[ladn]

My phone can do anything but make me breakfast our technology is fascinating

But it still can't talk on CB!

 

[niceguy71]

But it still can't talk on CB!

Give it time.... It can do Bluetooth and vox now....

 

[krokus]

The world certainly changed.... Not for the better.... Well maybe it did????. Look how dependable trucks / vehicles are now how good and cheap radios are.... My phone can do anything but make me breakfast our technology is fascinating... But the people skills and personality have gone in the trash

Most of what the phone can do requires the infrastructure of the cellular carrier. CB will become required, rapidly, wherever there is no signal. Of course, those that are not wanting CB now will not see the benefits, until they need it.

 

[217]

The world certainly changed.... Not for the better.... Well maybe it did????. Look how dependable trucks / vehicles are now how good and cheap radios are.... My phone can do anything but make me breakfast our technology is fascinating... But the people skills and personality have gone in the trash

Most large trucking outfits use auto transmissions nowadays because skill is no longer required.

 

[Trucker700]

Most large trucking outfits use auto transmissions nowadays because skill is no longer required.

I'm not worried if a driver is driving a truck with a manual or automatic transmission. I am more concerned with them knowing how to handle the truck safely around others. While I have drove trucks with just about every kind of transmission available, I believe that skill at handling a big rig safely is the most important part of driving a truck.
Almost anyone can learn how to shift a manual transmission given the proper training. Time and experience are the true test. And the only way to learn. Not a single driver ever knew everything about trucking,including how to shift a manual transmission well ,when they first started out. Some of us tend to forget that we were rookies at one time too.
I don't disrespect a driver for being new. I have always tried to help new drivers just like the old hands that helped me get started out in trucking. As tough as it is out on the road, drivers should be helping each other by sharing their knowledge instead,of what seems to be the new trend, of trashing new drivers for not knowing everything. ( old or new)
James