Is cb in new jersey a lost hobby

[darticus]

Thought I would give it a try after many years of different hobbies. Some people still remember me from 40 years ago. Is there a trucker channel in NJ? Is there any locals in Sparta NJ? Haven't picked up anything but skip here. Please let me know the return policy is 7 days. Ron

 

[bezking]

Go for your ham ticket instead. You'll never look back.

 

[rfradioconsult]

Why should NJ be any different than the other 49 states?

 

[SCPD]

Nj

If your interested in NJ people look at this site CBRETARDS.COM - CB RADIO MODS AND OTHER STUFF FOR YOU DUMMIES. that will give you a idea of what you are up against. alot of power and harassment. ( listen to the watergates) just a thought. I'm in Wisconsin and talk to them anytime skip lets me .

PS. let the hams give it to me, I know it's going to happen but thats all good with me. The old saying sticks and stones comes to mind (HAMS) LOL

 

[freqs]

Thought I would give it a try after many years of different hobbies. Some people still remember me from 40 years ago. Is there a trucker channel in NJ? Is there any locals in Sparta NJ? Haven't picked up anything but skip here. Please let me know the return policy is 7 days. Ron

First off I wont tell you go get your Ham .You asked about CB not ham correct ? CB is dead in some areas and alive in others most have moved away from CB. Around Detroit its alive but 19 is a mess just fools yelling out cuss words .I still get on it from time to time late at nite thats when all the idiots go to bed and some locals talk it up like normal people .I did notice last year on my trip to KY and S/Ill it was dead on CB for most of the trip unless I was near big cities .I di think it is a dying hobby do to all the crap on it .Try diff times of day and nite good chance you mite hear someone ? Good luck

 

[marconi949]

Thought I would give it a try after many years of different hobbies. Some people still remember me from 40 years ago. Is there a trucker channel in NJ? Is there any locals in Sparta NJ? Haven't picked up anything but skip here. Please let me know the return policy is 7 days. Ron

I just got in to CB and i love it,the CB community around me is top notch.
I was talking to a Ham on my CB last night,a real nice guy,he told me Ham radio is not what its cracked up to be other than the power you get with the ham radios,he said there were idiots on both sides of the fence.
Its nice to have both style radio he said.If you get an idiot on CB or Ham radio just turn the dial he said,he was talking mainly about HF idiots,I started monitoring UHF VHF on my scanner, hardly came across any QSO's.CB for me around my area is all i need.

Marconi949

 

[kb2vxa]

The short answer is CB in NJ like everywhere it's Squonk, alive at both ends but dead in the middle. (Genesis) Once upon a time when I had a good antenna system all I heard were a few high power loud mouths in the Newark area talking among themselves as always, even when there was life on the band.

"Haven't picked up anything but skip here."
Unless they're VERY close to you if there ARE any locals all you'll hear is "skip" and it will only get worse as the sunspot cycle continues on the upswing. It won't be long before the band degenerates into nothing but noise with the occasional signal rising out of the sea only to sink again under the waves. (Nice pun, eh?)

Never mind the idiots, they're not germane to the OP's intent and discussion. Communications effectiveness is the heart of the matter and it's deteriorating fast so a new CB rig is a poor investment at this stage of the game.

 

[roadranger]

Posh!

New or old radio, NJ is as noisey as ever. At least it is every time I pick up a load of Imports for Walmart. CB CH 19 is a good channel anywhere. Just make sure your antenna setup is right.

 

[hockeyshrink]

IMHO, cb is just very different than it was in the 70's. "Back in the day.." a lot of people had cb's and cb communities developed on various channels in a town. There was a lot of opportunity for local contacts, ragchewing, and friendships. I met some of my best friends on the cb, and there were even cb "clubs".

Now, it's probably very dependent on where you are. I'm sure there are active cb communities out there and some of you may live in them; however, its certainly not the scale it once was. When I go home to where I grew up in VA, I see many more mobiles around town than I do around NYC (typically a Wilson 1000/5000). They're still popular with hunters. There is a group of hams that use ssb on the upper channels to ragchew around here (metro NYC), but I haven't heard any local AM traffic, except 19 on 95 or the thruway.

Amateur radio is now such that anyone interested in hobby radio can fairly easily obtain their technician ticket and enter a world that makes cb seem kind of obsolete. I did not go after a ham ticket in the 70's & 80's because I had no interest in building stuff. I was in CAP and got interested in radio, then found cb. Now, building your own rig - or learning Morse code for that matter, are not required to get on the air. The things you learn to get your technician license make you a better operator.

I still have a cb in my truck, but mainly because I am always on and off the highway and it has certainly been helpful in avoiding problems down the road. However, its not the community it was back in the day. Tooti-Frooti and Sweat Hog are divorced, Streakin' Deacon is long gone, and the Southside VA CB Radio Club in Ettrick folded a loooong time ago. (I think most of them have passed away) Oh well, its a new day...embrace it & roll with it, son!! Eastbound and down...

 

[Daniel_Boone]

Well I guess the question was - is there any CB activity in New Jersey.

I can't comment on that because I don't live in New Jersey and most mobiles are limited to less then 20 miles - one reason is due to the fact that most radios are improperly installed.

The 1970's truck drivers for the most part are either real old or retired and listening to XM radio, talking on their cell phones or listening to the AM - people like Rush Limbaugh and such.

The problem with CB is that there is no one to talk to.
Since there is very few people using the cb radio and since most of the activity would center around the wintertime - when people are stuck indoors and during the week - when they don't have anything else to do - mainly at night - that would be the best time for success of making a contact or two.

The problem with CB - and even the channel 19 activity is that the truck drivers only use it to talk between each other or to talk when there is a situation where they want to communicate amongst each other. You probably are not going to get anything more then just a signal report from most of those people and even then - you almost have to pull teeth to get them to talk.

The HF - Ham Radio is ok - because you can tell someone where to shove it if you want and no one can throw you off a frequency.

The FM bands - 2 meters and 440 - the repeater owners dictates what you do and how you do it and you will get chewed out if you upset someone.
Most FM repeaters sits idle - unless there is one person that has made arrangements with another person to talk. Most times when people asks for someone to talk to - no one will answer you.

There is 100 times more people listening to a frequency then what is actually talking.

 

[pjtnascar]

I put the cb radio back in my car last spring. When I lived near Newark, we had a nice CB community in the late 90's. One nice thing about the CB recently is that it IS quiet, especially in Sussex county. I talked to a couple of guys on and off on my way to and from SCCC up the 206 corridor. There was one guy with a base up near you, I think in Newton, and another guy somewhere around Andover. They were hanging out in the 30's, I think channel 37. Your best bet is to scan the freqs if your radio does that and shout back when someone calls. If you keep your CB, I'll give ya a shout when I'm the area if I know the channel you monitor.

BTW-Did you buy your radio locally? I haven't found any shops in the area, and Buzz Brothers closed down recently.

 

[darticus]

I do scan the channels so I don't have a home channel. I go by Crossfire and stay around channel 11. I bought the set in Advanced Specialties and there is also Royal Communications around the corner to where Buzz bros was. I'll be lookin'. I go to north arlington allot so thats in you neighborhood. Whats your handle?Ron

I put the cb radio back in my car last spring. When I lived near Newark, we had a nice CB community in the late 90's. One nice thing about the CB recently is that it IS quiet, especially in Sussex county. I talked to a couple of guys on and off on my way to and from SCCC up the 206 corridor. There was one guy with a base up near you, I think in Newton, and another guy somewhere around Andover. They were hanging out in the 30's, I think channel 37. Your best bet is to scan the freqs if your radio does that and shout back when someone calls. If you keep your CB, I'll give ya a shout when I'm the area if I know the channel you monitor.

BTW-Did you buy your radio locally? I haven't found any shops in the area, and Buzz Brothers closed down recently.

 

[pjtnascar]

I have been going to Advanced since back in the mid-90's. Great shop, and the guy knows his stuff. You said you're going to North Arlington? Did you mean Mount Arlington, or are you going to N.A. ? I used to live in Kearny which is right next to N.A., and now I live right near Mt. Arlington. Anyway, my handle is Sneaky P.

I'll have to check out Royal Comm. and see what they have.

It's tough to make contacts with both of us running mobiles, but hopefully I'll get may base set up here. I haven't done much with it because I'm in a crummy low spot here. I used to run on Channel 8, but usually I will scan the band. Knowing where you hang out, I'll make sure to shout you on 11. Maybe we can breathe some life back into 11M.

 

[darticus]

Sneaky P(or Pete)
I go to North Arlington as relatives live there. I thought you were still in Newark. I grew up in Jersey City and my childhood was in Lake Hopatcong. I'm a retired teacher and now have a deli in Sparta. Thinking of setting up a base again and would like an old Cobra 2000 base. Just like the looks. I was just in your neck of the woods today as we had to go to BJ's and Costco's today for the store. Don't even know if I'm getting out as people usually just say I can hear you and their gone. Waiting for a Wilson 1000 antenna to get here. Crossfire-Ron

I have been going to Advanced since back in the mid-90's. Great shop, and the guy knows his stuff. You said you're going to North Arlington? Did you mean Mount Arlington, or are you going to N.A. ? I used to live in Kearny which is right next to N.A., and now I live right near Mt. Arlington. Anyway, my handle is Sneaky P.

I'll have to check out Royal Comm. and see what they have.

It's tough to make contacts with both of us running mobiles, but hopefully I'll get may base set up here. I haven't done much with it because I'm in a crummy low spot here. I used to run on Channel 8, but usually I will scan the band. Knowing where you hang out, I'll make sure to shout you on 11. Maybe we can breathe some life back into 11M.

 

[pjtnascar]

We'll definitely have to have an on air chat.

 

[KC5AKB]

Well a 2000 is a good radio also do not sell ssb short

 

[k8krh]

NJ is loaded on CB chnl 13 is heavy on AM, and uppers on 515 if I remember from years ago ssb is full of Jamaican guys from Jersey all the time...also 38 lsb or usb from across the border on long island, also chnl 13 on SUNDAY mornings around 11 and noon ...CEF net
DOCTOR/795

 

[Rector]

I don't have a CB rig right now, but, listening in, the New Joizie truckers delivering to my part of Long Island, NY, are alive and kicking on 19! (I really must get a rig....)

 

[darticus]

Very bad language and not like 40 years ago but still very cool. Sets are cheap! Ron

I don't have a CB rig right now, but, listening in, the New Joizie truckers delivering to my part of Long Island, NY, are alive and kicking on 19! (I really must get a rig....)

 

[Rector]

Thanks, Ron! Even with the cussing (only occasional in these parts) I might just get that Cobra rig for the heck of it! The way I see it - CB is what we make it! If two people are using it responsibly then it's worth it! 10-4.