It's based upon various factors like Sunspot activity.
This is CB Channel 6, known as the "Super Bowl". The operators on that channel run some illegal power on their rigs. Never know who or what you'll hear there
Yes, I hear lots of activity on that channel up here in BC, most of which is from California or Nevada. As for high power, some of them reach full scale on my S meter. They usually overmodulate, and their audio often splatters onto adjacent channels, too. With that kind of audio it's pretty hard to understand what the operators are saying.
They can smile all they like, but I'm no longer on CB, and have no transmit capability. Even if I did, there would be the problem of getting an antenna outside of this apartment. In the 70s I lived in a high-rise on the 21st floor. It was a huge suite with two separate balconies, and I strapped a little back-of-the-set CB whip to a railing on the unused balcony, running the coax through a partially open balcony door, along the baseboard heating openings on the inside walls, then into the living room. Not sure if I caused any TVI, but all the building's TV cable outlets were connected to a shared rooftop antenna system, not to a cable TV service. I made lots of contacts.
Make sure to get on high ground and away from obstructions when you use a handheld one, since they typically run less power than the base units, and their antennas tend to be limited, too. I'm not sure if any of them support sideband, but that would likely improve your chances of making long-distance contacts. Channel 38 (27.385 lower sideband) is where most of the action is. I've also noticed that the sidebanders seem more well-behaved than CBers on the AM channels.
It's based upon various factors like Sunspot activity
"Systematic study of solar activity began around 1750. Long-term sunspot activity varies in cycles. On average, the number of sunspots reaches a maximum every 11 years, but the period has varied from 7 to 17 years. The first cycle to be completely and scientifically observed began in 1755; we know it as Cycle 1. We are now just starting Cycle 23. Solar activity also follows a 27-day cycle: the sun's rotational period. "
W1AW Bulletins Archive (Propagation)
The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is the national association for amateur radio, connecting hams around the U.S. with news, information and resources.www.arrl.org
en.wikipedia.org
Well, I once heard a guy down in California coming in here at S-9+, who claimed he was on a bicycle on the Golden Gate Bridge and transmitting on a toy walkie-talkie. Yeah, right!
Right, and any portable radio can achieve long-distance CB reception during skip conditions with just the built-in whip antenna. In fact, during the early days there were little 100 milliwatt walkie-talkies that had simple regenerative receivers. I had several of those, and could always hear stations I could never hope to contact.
Not for me, as apartment living makes it out of the question to even transmit on a atock rig with legal power, considering the antenna restrictions here. I'm just a listener nowadays. CB is an interesting daytime alternative when I can't hear much on the lower shortwave bands.
