Portland Area CB Help

[Stlhdbvr1]

Good morning all!

I’m not exactly new to the site as I used to be hot and heavy in my police scanner and used the site for info but I couldnt recover my original login info so I had to create a new account lol. Fast forward 10 years and my attention has shifted to CB’s. I’m still very much an amateur and still trying to figure this out as I go and when an issue comes up.

I installed a Bearcat 980 in my pickup to use on a recent hunting trip where we were traveling on active logging roads. My 6 year old has been really interested in the cb since I put it in and always wants to listen to the people with high powered radios, whenever we drive the truck around.

I can’t seem to make any contacts when we try to see if anyone is listening so my question is, what channels are people running in the Portland area freeways? I’m mostly on AM when we’re running around town but would like to try out the USB/LSB capabilities of the radio. Is anyone around here using usb/lsb? My radio is dialed in (at least the built in swr meter tells me I am) I’ve been able to talk to people that have been right in front of me in the woods and they tell me I’m coming in clear but have yet to make a contact anywhere else. Am I missing something or is cb radio really that dead around here?

Any help and info is greatly appreciated and likely to make a 6 year old very happy! Lol

Thanks!

 

[Baker845]

CB radio likely still in use, they are in trucks going up and down I-5. But, its not in heavy use around the cities, at least i don't hear much where i live here in Oregon. But, ham radio or GMRS maybe something to look into. GMRS there is no test, but cost $35 for a license. A Test is required for a Ham radio license. GMRS and Ham radio are popular, and you are likely to have better luck talking to people or getting in contact with someone.

 

[devicelab]

In case you didn't realize it, sideband is primarily for long range contacts. You should use AM/FM on channels 1-35 and LSB on 36-40.

CB radio really died around here back in the late 90s -- with the exception of the truckers -- and they usually confine themselves to CH 19 or some other channel. Lately, the CB bands have been really good so you can hear well with an average setup.

FWIW, CB is 5w maximum on AM/FM -- this is why a lot of people use some kind of amp. If you have a solid configuration with low SWR then you may want to consider one. They're not very expensive.

RM Italy KL203P CB Amplifier | CB Radio Magazine

RM KL203-P Amplifier Review The KL203 has been one of those amplifiers I recommend to people again and again over the years. They are inexpensive, they put out a solid 100 watts, which is more than enough for most DX, and as long as you don’t overdrive them they can last for quite a RM KL203-P...

cbradiomagazine.com

 

[slowmover]

Best Mobile 2025

A general: what should I recommend to friends who want high performance in Citizen Band? Let’s ballpark it at $500 entry. Will last longer than the time they own the automobile. Seatbelts, Concealed Carry, and CITIZEN BAND. This thread aimed at YOU, not the guy who knows even less. However...

forums.radioreference.com

Obsolete gear won’t have what’s needed for performance today.

U980 + KL203 was fine in 2012. But needed a DSP speaker to be “good”. I ran that and others.

The thread has links giving context. This isn’t 1989 any more. It’s not even 2012.

Antenna — as always — is make or break.

www.k0bg.com

An HF rig is a great vehicle upgrade. My son enjoyed my use of such many years back as is yours today. After he became a military then transport pilot, homeowner and father himself he’s now well ahead of me in regards to “radio”.

The tech part aside (proper tools) the rest is in use. Context of use by others, and what to expect. In the end it’s not passive if one expects results (that Universe understands your desire).

West Coast isn’t America, proper. It’s barely a colony despite concentration of population. The culture is isolated from larger trends as it’s in no way self-sufficient. Citizen Band is “different”, therefore in your area.

Read the links embedded.

West Coast also exists as it does due to massive tax transfers. This is coming to an end.
You’ll find CB that much more useful as a result.

.

 

[PACNWDude]

My employer has a fleet of trucks going between Everett, WA and Portland, OR. They would be on channels 24 or 32, as well as Channel 16. No Sideband. And this would be AM (as many now have Cobra 29 LTD Classic radios that have both AM and FM mode of operation.

"Break, break, radio check" might get a reply.

 

[Oakland_Tower]

I second the recommendation to go GMRS. $35 no test license good for ten years. Many repeaters to use in the PDX area. Friendly people out there that like to talk on the radio. You can buy a cheap walkie talkie for under $30 that is preprogrammed with the standard GMRS frequencies. You would just need to add repeater access tones. Check it out.

 

[Stlhdbvr1]

Thanks for the replies everyone! My wife bought me a ham license prep course for Valentine’s Day so I will be studying that to get my license!

I may just get my GMRS, like mentioned above, while I’m at it also. I have a Garmin Rino 755that I use for hunting so that can get me on the air quicker.

 

[GrouserPad]

Put the radio on ch. 19 AM. The truckers are not using FM radio. Not at all. If you pickup garbeled receive on 19 try switching to fm and if it comes in clear I’ll eat my words. I work with a company that runs semis dumpers and rollback and rolloffs. Out of 20+ drivers only 1 runs a radio the rest have no clue what squelch or mic gain even is so they just leave them off. I mean it. The drivers today have ZERO idea how to operate even a Cobra 25 let alone a 29. I’ve tried teaching all of them. They get a deer in the headlights look over the basics of cb operation and say “f’ this I’ll just use my phone”.

 

[oregontreehugger]

Thanks for the replies everyone! My wife bought me a ham license prep course for Valentine’s Day so I will be studying that to get my license!

I may just get my GMRS, like mentioned above, while I’m at it also. I have a Garmin Rino 755that I use for hunting so that can get me on the air quicker.

Awesome -- with a little bit of studying you will do great! And having that interest or background in radios or scanners helps a lot.

Ranked most-to-least in the amount of radio traffic locally heard (your exact area might differ):
1. Ham
2. GMRS and FRS
3. MURS
4. CB

So your idea to get both a ham ticket and GMRS is probably the best bet. Let us know how it goes, good luck!

 

[Stlhdbvr1]

Well I got the first ticket taken care of! I received my GMRS callsign yesterday. I’m going to use my Garmin rino for the time being. It’s not the best but I have it already. I updated my signature with my new callsign so if any of you are in the Oregon City area, maybe we’ll chat someday!

 

[oregontreehugger]

Well I got the first ticket taken care of! I received my GMRS callsign yesterday. I’m going to use my Garmin rino for the time being. It’s not the best but I have it already. I updated my signature with my new callsign so if any of you are in the Oregon City area, maybe we’ll chat someday!

Congrats!

Be sure to check out https://mygmrs.com/ for area repeaters and more in-depth forums specific to GMRS.

There are plenty of repeaters in the metro area, so I'm sure you'll be on the air in no time! Best thing to do is just throw your callsign out there and ask for a radio check or signal report. Plus, that'll give you an idea of which repeaters you can hit, and from where.

 

[Coffeemug]

I haven't been on CB since Bill Clinton was preparing to run for office. So, I imagine the 11m band is a whole lot different than those days, especially with the Frequency Modulation being authorize for use. Heck, if the FCC had authorized FM 30 plus years ago and the FCC hadn't dropped the licensing requirement for CBRS, I bet more folks would've had more good times. And Truckers and Community Service Organizations would've had a professional sounding radio service to use their business or activity. Oh, I wouldn't say there wouldn't be any knuckleheads make mayhem over airwaves, because even with GMRS or Amateur Radio, you do have licensed and unlicensed knuckleheads causing mayhem over the airwaves.

Man, if the FCC approved FM for 11m back in mid to late 1980s, my buddy would've had less RF hum coming from the overhead catenary when we hang down at Holmes Interlocking / Holmeburg Junction. We tried those 49mhz walkie talkies, but they wouldn't reach a full football and let alone 5 city blocks.