Is CB radio dead/dying?

[mmckenna]

I live in Reno near the base of Donnar Pass, or I-80. Especially during inclement weather one would assume I'd hear lots of chatter. Dead Quiet. Have they gone to FMRS or GMRS or something near that?
Dave

Highway 80, 50, 88, 395, etc. I don't often hear much on CB. I haven't been in a good storm up there in a few years, so maybe it picks up when the chain controls are up.
I just don't hear the trucker chatter that I used to.

 

[KV4BL]

It's not the industry, it's the FCC. The FCC hasn't allowed it, so it can't be legally used and radios that support it cannot be legally sold in the USA.

What should have happened in the 1980's is that FM should have been permitted. Many other countries allow FM on CB. That results in cleaner audio, the use of CTCSS/DCS squelches, etc. Since it's allowed in other countries, the radios exist. Problem is, since it's not allowed in the USA by the FCC, the radios cannot be granted a type acceptance to make them legal for sale.

But, yeah, eventually digital will happen, but I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for it. The FCC will need to get enough pressure from the public to make it happen. Most of all, someone is going to need to decide on a standard. The standard needs to be robust and cheap.

And that's the big issue Amateur Radio has, there are many digital modes in use on VHF and UHF, problem is none of them are compatible with the others. So, a bunch of digital radios, but they cannot all talk in digital mode. Manufacturers have taken to giving repeaters away to clubs to generate interest. That results in people buying a specific brand digital radio. That's great, but it creates digital "islands". Fine for the ham crowd. Most will claim their chosen mode is the best. As usual, ask 10 people and you'll get 11 different answers.

Digital CB, eventually. FM on CB, something you could push the FCC on now. The CB die-hards should really band together and start pushing the FCC on that.

I hope they never digitize CB. Despite what some say, analog is much clearer than most digital modes, less complicated, less expensive, and more reliable. As you noted, there are so many digital protocols, with newer ones being developed all the time, it just isn't practical to have radios capable of doing all of them. You hear a lot of "experts" proclaim that "with digital, you either hear them or you don't", which is again, mostly false. When a digital signal starts getting weak or interfered with, it usually makes annoying beeps, boops, and rasping sounds on your receiver. I would rather copy through static any day of the week than that!

As you correctly noted, the best thing the FCC could do would be to allow current narrowband FM protocol on CB. This would allow for much better quality of reception, CTCSS squelch, capture effect, and a host of other benefits. Radios such as the Anytone "Smart CB" would work in this mode and allow comms with older AM rigs, too. While the FCC is at it, they ought to raise legal output power on CB to 10-25 watts, which would allow for realistic local coverage and at least get CB out of its long-suffering QRP mode.

 

[alcahuete]

Exact same thing I discovered in that area. 14, 58, I-10, I-15, I-5, US-395, quiet. Never heard anything around Kramer Junction. I figured I hear something along I10 and I15, but quiet. Even around Barstow, zilch.

Last time I ever really heard truckers talking was on I-5 between Stockton and Sacramento, and that was a few years ago.

Haven't really heard anybody in years out here (14 and 138) until I get on the 5 headed toward the Grapevine. And even that is rare. Nothing on the 15. Recently made a contact on the 93/95 out toward Vegas, but that's it.

I think CB is most definitely dead in most parts of the country. Shame, because it used to be fun.

 

[FiveFilter]

Quote: "I hope they never digitize CB. Despite what some say, analog is much clearer than most digital modes, less complicated, less expensive, and more reliable. As you noted, there are so many digital protocols, with newer ones being developed all the time, it just isn't practical to have radios capable of doing all of them. You hear a lot of "experts" proclaim that "with digital, you either hear them or you don't", which is again, mostly false. When a digital signal starts getting weak or interfered with, it usually makes annoying beeps, boops, and rasping sounds on your receiver. I would rather copy through static any day of the week than that!"



Yeah, I heard those claims when digital TV was first introduced, about how the signal is always great until it isn't. However, with digital TV I hate to see those little squares with multiple colors on the screen when the signal breaks up. I'd rather the old-fashioned distorted and fading-in-and-out analog images, which some times at least allowed you to catch a bit of the action rather than a completely blank screen waiting for the full signal to come back. IOW, I'd rather the fuzzy images for a while instead of no signal at all. It just seemed more intuitive than digital. I think the same would apply with CB.

 

[jonwienke]

The fallacy to that argument is that digital can decode cleanly in conditions where analog is full of static and difficult to copy. Digital is clearly understandable for greater distances than analog, all else being equal.

 

[SnowWalker]

I have to believe that the FCC, & the IC in Canada would be more apt to increase the wattage of a CB before it would allow a digital signal in a CB. Most radio users are dropping the CB because of the limited range.

The problem with increased power on a CB, the idiots would begin showing up again. I was an OTR for many years in the US & Canada during the CB's hayday years. I am not sure I would want to go back to that garbage can, CB era. Many of the truckers would have an non- disclosed channel we would go in different areas of our two countries. In some areas, the channel jumping for truckers would be dictated by the time of day. This was also when truckers started refusing to respond to 4 wheelers.

The idiots with the big amps on their CB's were commonly called blasters by truckers. Even when there were license requirements for a CB, the FCC lost control of the ubusers. I would love to see a CB go up to 25 or 50 watts and license to go along with it. I don't think we would hear the old type of garbage on the CB as it once was. There are too many other means of small, hand held units for communications out there that would discourage the idiots from spending the money to install radio equipment. Like in ham, call signs be required again, and encourage the CBers to police their own.

 

[K5MPH]

C.B. radio did not die on Cha 6 AM (27.025) Mhz there always traffic on that channel....

 

[KK4JUG]

I think the very fact that this thread has been going for 3 years indicates it's alive and well, Well, maybe it's not well since any management of it has been abandoned and people do what they want, legal or otherwise. But, it's certainly not dead.

 

[TheSpaceMann]

C.B. radio did not die on Cha 6 AM (27.025) Mhz there always traffic on that channel....

Those are the big guns!! They use so much power, that the can get through even when band conditions are lousy!!

 

[KV4BL]

Those are the big guns!! They use so much power, that the can get through even when band conditions are lousy!!

When those "Super Bowl" guys in Cali key the mic, my lights here in SC dim.

 

[K5MPH]

Those are the big guns!! They use so much power, that the can get through even when band conditions are lousy!!

You got that right even when ham HF is dead as ever you can tune over to cha 6 and they are just booming away.......

 

[swen_out_west]

When those "Super Bowl" guys in Cali key the mic, my lights here in SC dim.

Don't blame just the guys from Cali, they got to have some eastcoasters coming back at them to make it worth their while. A lot of superbowlers come out of the deep south.

I tune in sometimes just to hear the chatter. It can be humorous at times.

 

[spongella]

While on the road yesterday the band was open around 11am; Texas stations were being heard here in NJ on SSB. Glad to see it was open for a change.

Channel 6 was pinning the needle as always.

 

[KC3ECJ]

The fallacy to that argument is that digital can decode cleanly in conditions where analog is full of static and difficult to copy. Digital is clearly understandable for greater distances than analog, all else being equal.

I am not sure if I have said it before on this thread, but there should be a standardised digital 900 MHz fhss ISM CB.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

Still alive and well in the Philly area. There's often chatter on Channel 19 during traffic jams on 76 & 95. Of course there's the "super bowl" on channel 6

 

[bill4long]

I don't care what people say, CB radio is here to stay

Lot of illegal high power operators on channel 6.

Watch what happens when the sunspot cycle heats up again in 7 years. Kapow, CB will be hopping and a-bopping with even the lower power ham-radio-wanna-be stations. It's the poor/cheap/lazy man's "ham radio" when the sunspots at the high part of the cycle.

As far as the FCC getting rid of it, probably will never happen. There is plenty of use for its intended use. If you need some car to car comms, better than FRS, cheap and dirty, and easy to get setup, CB is the thing.

 

[blakews2217]

Just picked up a working action line wcb 40. Free. Co worker said she got it in either 1981 or 1991 in clearance at a truck stop in northern Illinois. He husband fixed it and it sat.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mmckenna]

I don't care what people say, CB radio is here to stay
……
As far as the FCC getting rid of it, probably will never happen. There is plenty of use for its intended use. If you need some car to car comms, better than FRS, cheap and dirty, and easy to get setup, CB is the thing.

I agree.
As for the FCC, it's 1MHz of relatively useless spectrum. With VHF Low band being pretty quiet, there's no need to take CB away. Plus, with all the other countries using it (or something close by) it would be a pain in the butt for any other use.

CB, while not my favorite way to communicate, does serve a good purpose. While it's got it's pro's and con's, it won't go anywhere. Now if someone who had some free time would start working on the FCC to permit the use of FM on CB, then we'd be on to something. Having the ability to run CTCSS or DCS squelch might make it a bit more "family friendly". We used CB for years, but when the sunspots were cooperative, it became too much noise and crap for little ears. GMRS took it's place for my family, then amateur, when the rest of them got their tickets.

Back in June, I did a long drive from California to Texas and back. While I did get a little bit of use out of CB, the guys running power were really having more fun. Easy enough to hear guys from all over the country with my little un-modded radio.

 

[KANE4109]

I just got back from a highway drive, not far.... just about 180 miles and back. I really missed not having a radio in the car......

 

[TheSpaceMann]

I just got back from a highway drive, not far.... just about 180 miles and back. I really missed not having a radio in the car......

Next time pop one in!!