Is CB Radio worth considering for a HAM?

[Seven-Delta-FortyOne]

At the risk of beating an already dead horse, I'll throw out my opinion.

I'm a General Class ham operator, but I have a CB in the work truck, (I'm a General Contractor), along with GMRS. We use GMRS at the ranch. I use CB for talking to drivers mostly.

I bought the 980 SSB so I would have ssb capability, and I got the wireless mic as well. That thing is pretty cool. I can park the truck on the job site, and carry the wireless mic with me into the backhoe, or skid-steer, and direct incoming dump trucks or whoever.

The point is, CB is useful if you need to, or want to, talk to people who have a CB.

I happen to really like radio in general. I use Marine Band when playing on the water. I could just use GMRS, but I like experimenting, and I like the ability to contact the CG if something goes sideways out there. Just because I'm a Ham, doesn't mean I eschew all other forms of radio.

MURS is, as mentioned, a good alternative for traveling/convoys, except that equipment for MURS is hard to come by. Basically, you'll have to get an HT, and a mag mount antenna.

Back to CB, the skip is bad some days, nonexistent others. As a general rule, I, and most others who actually use CB, stay away from channel 6 and 11. I flipped on the radio the other day when skip was high, and there was one numbnut on ch 11, spattering from ch 1 to ch 21. Fortunately, with a little adjustment, ch 19 was still usable. But that is far from an everyday occurrence.

Out here in Northern California, there are still a great many loggers, truckers, ranchers, hunters, and all sorts who still use CB. Very unlike the jackholes down south.



Delta

 

[AC2OY]

At the risk of beating an already dead horse, I'll throw out my opinion.

I'm a General Class ham operator, but I have a CB in the work truck, (I'm a General Contractor), along with GMRS. We use GMRS at the ranch. I use CB for talking to drivers mostly.

I bought the 980 SSB so I would have ssb capability, and I got the wireless mic as well. That thing is pretty cool. I can park the truck on the job site, and carry the wireless mic with me into the backhoe, or skid-steer, and direct incoming dump trucks or whoever.

The point is, CB is useful if you need to, or want to, talk to people who have a CB.

I happen to really like radio in general. I use Marine Band when playing on the water. I could just use GMRS, but I like experimenting, and I like the ability to contact the CG if something goes sideways out there. Just because I'm a Ham, doesn't mean I eschew all other forms of radio.

MURS is, as mentioned, a good alternative for traveling/convoys, except that equipment for MURS is hard to come by. Basically, you'll have to get an HT, and a mag mount antenna.

Back to CB, the skip is bad some days, nonexistent others. As a general rule, I, and most others who actually use CB, stay away from channel 6 and 11. I flipped on the radio the other day when skip was high, and there was one numbnut on ch 11, spattering from ch 1 to ch 21. Fortunately, with a little adjustment, ch 19 was still usable. But that is far from an everyday occurrence.

Out here in Northern California, there are still a great many loggers, truckers, ranchers, hunters, and all sorts who still use CB. Very unlike the jackholes down south.



Delta

This post made me chuckle! You have a talent for commentary my friend.😀

 

[KF5UFA]

I find CB a useful tool for being on the road. Truckers know where the traffic jams and police are (Their paychecks depend on this knowledge). Beyond that, it's a waste of time and I started out with radio back in the 70s with CB (It was way better back then).

I have 27.185 MHz programmed into my VX-8DR (RX only), I get enough info on road trips without having to TX.

 

[riverrat373]

I used to be licensed as a CB operator with the callsign KGBK9754 (I think). I sold my CB radio because there were no interesting conversations around my area.

73, Dave K4EET

Sometimes you can use that generalization for ham radio too!

 

[KC3ECJ]

I use CB for traffic info and chit chat.

What I don't like though are the idiots that will use ch 19 to talk from base station to base station, long distance such as across the country. The channel is for traffic info people!

Really what there should be is a UHF CB adjacent to GMRS and FRS. Simplex only channels up to 50 watts and easy to use radios specifically made for that service. And if somebody wants to use a programmable radio with it, fine.

 

[cmdrwill]

Really what there should be is a UHF CB adjacent to GMRS and FRS. Simplex only channels up to 50 watts and easy to use radios specifically made for that service. And if somebody wants to use a programmable radio with it, fine.

UHF CB has become GMRS. Same UHF frequencies, and 50 watts. But STILL has much the same the license requirements that the UHF CB had.

 

[elk2370bruce]

In a true emergency, any radio is better than no communication. I have CB, FRS, and MURS radios in addition to my ham equipment. In a true emergency, you can hand a FRS or MURS to anybody and they can be one extra person to help or provide information.

All you then need is a government agency who may monitor those freebie frequencies or someone who's phone is working to make the call to the public safety forces of EOC. While it may be better than nothing, it may provide only a false sense of security. I'll stick to the amateur repeaters that are operational at the EOC. In my area of central NJ, I am unaware of any police department that monitors CB, FRS, or MURS. Since repeaters are illegal on those services, coverage will, at best be minimal. As to modifying equipment, you might want to check FCC rules. There are many radio services in which legal modification is illegal. Secondly, unless you have the knowledge and equipment to make such modifications, no legitimate shop will touch that.

 

[KC3ECJ]

UHF CB has become GMRS. Same UHF frequencies, and 50 watts. But STILL has much the same the license requirements that the UHF CB had.

FRS shared channels are 5 watts, the remaining channels are repeater outputs.

Are the repeater output channels often used for simplex? Yes. But it would be nice to have in seperate simplex channels with plenty of watts.

 

[KC3ECJ]

All you then need is a government agency who may monitor those freebie frequencies or someone who's phone is working to make the call to the public safety forces of EOC. While it may be better than nothing, it may provide only a false sense of security. I'll stick to the amateur repeaters that are operational at the EOC. In my area of central NJ, I am unaware of any police department that monitors CB, FRS, or MURS. Since repeaters are illegal on those services, coverage will, at best be minimal. As to modifying equipment, you might want to check FCC rules. There are many radio services in which legal modification is illegal. Secondly, unless you have the knowledge and equipment to make such modifications, no legitimate shop will touch that.

I've noticed the PA State Police sometimes have magnet mount antennas that look to be 11m

On the Ohio Turnpike there are signs that state that ch9 is monitored.

 

[TheSpaceMann]

I've noticed the PA State Police sometimes have magnet mount antennas that look to be 11m

On the Ohio Turnpike there are signs that state that ch9 is monitored.

Friend works for the California Highway Patrol (CHIPS). He said that they are still monitoring channel 9.

 

[mmckenna]

Friend works for the California Highway Patrol (CHIPS). He said that they are still monitoring channel 9.

Not from their regular vehicles they don't. Most of the vehicles do not have CB's in them.
The exceptions are the commercial vehicle enforcement trucks (usually 3/4 ton pickups), some of the large SUV's used in the mountains (not to be confused with the Ford Police Intercepter SUVS), and maybe at some bases. I think I've seen a few old Crown Vic's with CB's on them, but they seemed to be the commercial vehicle guys.
I think the weigh stations have CB's, too.

I wouldn't rely on them hearing you in an emergency. Most of the CHP vehicles have multiple two way radios going with higher priority traffic. The CB, on the vehicles that still have them, often gets it's volume turned down, squelch turned up, etc.

 

[KB0VWG]

I have been on a 3 week vacation from Lyford, Texas up thru Colorado,Utah, Arizona, and going thru New Mexico and then back to Lyford, Texas and I only heard and talk to one person on 146.520 and heard more useful traffic info on Ch 19. A CB is another useful tool that can be used when needed.on this trip I also checked in to some HF nets including the one on 14.300. I have a few more days till I get back home and the cb radio will be on ch 19 all the way.
kb0vwg
wqoi992

 

[TheSpaceMann]

I have been on a 3 week vacation from Lyford, Texas up thru Colorado,Utah, Arizona, and going thru New Mexico and then back to Lyford, Texas and I only heard and talk to one person on 146.520 and heard more useful traffic info on Ch 19. A CB is another useful tool that can be used when needed.on this trip I also checked in to some HF nets including the one on 14.300. I have a few more days till I get back home and the cb radio will be on ch 19 all the way.
kb0vwg
wqoi992

I travel around the country on business, and do a good deal of it by car. There are certain areas where lots of CB activity can still be found, and not just operators pursuing "skip"! "Locals" are chatting away with each other, sometimes into the wee hours, just as they did back in the '70s and '80s. You can often hear a lot more CB activity in these areas, than you will hear on the local VHF and UHF ham bands! One can sometimes hear a good deal of CB activity in and around retirement communities, where many elderly and retired folks will be chatting away with their radio friends. It probably serves the purpose of helping to combat loneliness, and/or allowing shut ins or people with mobility issues to have more social contact with the outside world.

 

[ElroyJetson]

I honestly can't conceive of any possible reason why I would ever want to tune in to that 40 channel snowstorm.

It'd be almost as bad as listening to 14.313 on a bad day.

PASS.

 

[902]

UHF CB has become GMRS. Same UHF frequencies, and 50 watts. But STILL has much the same the license requirements that the UHF CB had.

Originally, there were 4 classes of CB. Class A, which evolved into GMRS in the mid-80s and lost its site-and-frequency based requirements in the 90s, Class B, which utilized "walkie-talkie" technology accepted by the FCC in 1948 invented by Al Gross and was kind of a free-form 5 Watt portable radio service on UHF almost like FRS and the blister-packed GMRS stuff, but was discontinued on 1 NOV 1971. It was more or less resurrected by FRS which is licensed by rule. Class C was for remote control of airplanes, boats, cars, etc. on six 27 MHz and seven 72/75 MHz RC frequencies, and Class D became the Citizen's Band that evolved from 23 original channels to the 40 we know today.

I honestly can't conceive of any possible reason why I would ever want to tune in to that 40 channel snowstorm.

That's actually one reason I used to put one in the Suburban whenever we drove long distances. In the winter months we would usually get stuck in a snowstorm somewhere in the travels westward. Usually in Pennsylvania somewhere. Before we hit a backlog where we'll sit for hours without moving, we would hear about road closures from the truckers. Not the PR version put out by traffic management centers, but sometimes graphic details. It would give us the situational awareness to decide whether to continue as-is, continue on an alternate route, or just take the next exit and find a motel for the evening.

 

[krokus]

...we would hear about road closures from the truckers. Not the PR version put out by traffic management centers, but sometimes graphic details. It would give us the situational awareness...

While driving through Wisconsin, the truckers were reporting a 16 mile parking lot ahead of me. I jumped in with a bunch of truckers, since one of them knew a way around the other side of town. That saved me hours if frustration, and is why I try to help truckers with local information.

Sent via Tapatalk

 

[K5MPH]

All this CB talk,makes me want to hook my cobra 148 back up......

 

[TheSpaceMann]

All this CB talk,makes me want to hook my cobra 148 back up......

LOL!!! Hook it up, you may be surprised at what you hear! You can actually find a few "normal" people lately chatting away on sideband. I occasionally hear some familiar ham voices on there as well, using the frequency to chat with locals.

 

[k6cpo]

It's comforting though, to know that when Jerry Springer finally retires the CB airwaves will happily carry that torch far, far into the future.

I think DR. Phil is doing a good job at that already...

 

[N5XTC]

there is plenty of malfeasance on ham radio, try 7.200 or 14.313 sometime. lol. so, it's not just the 11 meter monkeys who act that way. there are also some repeater users in California who act no better than the 11 meter monkeys. i hate to see it on ham radio though.