Say Again Driver...

[slowmover]

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About four hours invested in the antenna and coax run. In a truck I don't own and will never drive.

A driver I know and frequently meet on the highway. Now another set of ears if nothing more.

DC upgrades to follow...

1). Every time you hear him it’s a test of your radio rig. “Qualities”

2). Every time he responds to you you’ll be able to hear what might need “fixin” on his.

You’ve just built a radio test laboratory that’ll be reference for every other Big Truck mobile with whom you interact.

I’ve started on a neighbors Motorhome. Had a dog bite problem from another neighbor to solve befote I get back to it. Two antenna systems already in place to try to get some performance. I’ve two avenues to try with first system. Will remove second.

And a young guy here just got him a sweet L6-300 1995 F150. I get something put together for him then that’s the two (me makes three) I hope to inspire others here we get CH-14 to cranking and not be Net/Cell reliant. Use up my oversupplied Supply Crate.

Two other men (truck drivers) have CB. Of the 20-21 usually living here it’s a good start. Hellzapoopin’ when some of the cows or goats get loose, ha!


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[KK4JUG]

imagine if there were millions of trucks on the road that could talk for 8 to 10 miles? it would be a better hobby.

Maybe not. I'm certainly no prude but the language I used to hear from the truckers on CB embarrassed even me. That's one of the main reasons why I haven't turned my CB on in several years.

 

[slowmover]

Maybe not. I'm certainly no prude but the language I used to hear from the truckers on CB embarrassed even me. That's one of the main reasons why I haven't turned my CB on in several years.

Ghetto-speak is everywhere. “Full grown man”, or , “Bro” or other slang made popular by the NFL-watchers (who don’t care the league is rigged, legally).

“Sick”
“GOAT”
“Based”
“Cool”
Etc

And other insults to grammar or the vocabulary of the very few who learned to read.

It’s not by accident.

The mistake is in not having the tool and the skills to use it. The aids.

Turning “you” away is not a bug, but a feature.

Speak as if a human and you’ll get that in response.

But first you’ll need a mobile rig that shines.

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[niceguy71]

Maybe not. I'm certainly no prude but the language I used to hear from the truckers on CB embarrassed even me. That's one of the main reasons why I haven't turned my CB on in several years.

lol

it's all part of the charm of the CB hobby.... that's why no one on CB would want to have a license like a ham operator that shows their name and address.

the other day I asked for a Radio Check...
someone said "it's working F**K FACE" ????

I said......F**K FACE? usually only my family calls me that ...he laughed.... I laughed

I smiled and said well, at least I know it's working... I hope I never have to ask this guy for help or information

 

[kc2asb]

Ghetto-speak is everywhere. “Full grown man”, or , “Bro” or other slang made popular by the NFL-watchers (who don’t care the league is rigged, legally).

“Sick”
“GOAT”
“Based”
“Cool”
Etc

And other insults to grammar or the vocabulary of the very few who learned to read.

It’s not by accident.

The mistake is in not having the tool and the skills to use it. The aids.

Turning “you” away is not a bug, but a feature.

Speak as if a human and you’ll get that in response.

But first you’ll need a mobile rig that shines.

.

Tha language spoken on Channel 6 has yet to be identified and classified.

 

[K9KLC]

Tha language spoken on Channel 6 has yet to be identified and classified.

In many cases, even understood.

 

[slowmover]

 

[slowmover]

View attachment 191877

 

[slowmover]

View attachment 191877View attachment 191877

 

[slowmover]

I always respect a man willing to go into business for himself. The American Way. In this case it’s a RAM 5500 with a custom flatbed. A load of several trailers stacked at Somerset, KY, and headed to a dealer in the Eastern Central zone. Regional. Gets him home often.

Well past $100k, I’d guess.
Many miles per week.
27-33k gross range.

But I dislike the 3’ zip-tied to the headache rack. And (I’d imagine) a 1989-spec radio. First to fade away, in my experience. The $200 joke. An amp can’t fix RX range.

A four door RAM with a roof the perfect RF ground for:

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

And plenty of room inside for radio & speaker (LIDO mounts).



“Opinions” born 20, 30, 40 years ago about Citizen Band aren’t just obsolete re performance, they in no way reflect what’s wanted today in light of the invasion of foreigners given subsidized CDLs.

What was “bad” ten years ago is now horrible given what’s happened the past five (5) years.

Just a few men along a forty-mile stretch of IH64 can send alert of genuinely bad driving observed.

Big trucks tailgating, lane-changing, wandering, running too fast thru construction, etc. Not to mention the mass of automobiles piloted by same.

The number of serious wrecks has been on the rise for years. Now it can’t any longer be hidden:

Logbook ELDs hacked from overseas and HOS no longer a limit. Dispatcher in Serbia, and an apartment in Indy the home of the corporation. Driver from South Asia with false papers of experience.

This is not the exception, as it’s driven thousands of Americans out-of-business.

United, we stand (Radio)
Divided, (Waze, GMaps) we fall.

The install of this thread is another beacon 🔥

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[slowmover]

Thanks to a lot of participation we’ve got minimums for Best Mobile figured out:

A range of antennas
A range of radios
HQ Audio Reproduction

Hear, and Get Heard to overcome the deficiencies of the others bad radio rigs is a reality. A model to adapt from big truck to pickup to mommy van.









Running familiar roads in the truck I own to provide for my family in concert with other men doing the same, even if company hands.

The threat to the safety of my wife, or my brother, my son, isn't any longer an abstraction. Networks of foreign-owned truckstops, C-stores, motels, set up across the country and now being populated with the last pieces. At the same time, the big corporate chains were never anyone’s friend. All of these subsidized by the American taxpayer.

Might never drive that other mans truck . . but hearing him is payment-made-in-full.

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[slowmover]

I’ve had radio checks made from nearby last few days I’m sure the other man wasn’t aware of how Skip was almost drowning him out.

It was from both New England AND the California Coast into Texas on one of those days.

 

[niceguy71]

I was really looking forward to making a handheld CB radio video today... I figured it might be quiet on Christmas.... I got four of my handhelds all loaded up and my camcorder set up... only to learn 7 pounds was the lowest noise on any of the channels I could find ... I tried it every half hour all morning and afternoon... skip has been incredible for a long time now.... I really miss making my videos... but with all this noise I can't get a handheld CB to make two miles range..... killed my hobby... I guess the skip cycle will stop next year??

 

[slowmover]

I was really looking forward to making a handheld CB radio video today... I figured it might be quiet on Christmas.... I got four of my handhelds all loaded up and my camcorder set up... only to learn 7 pounds was the lowest noise on any of the channels I could find ... I tried it every half hour all morning and afternoon... skip has been incredible for a long time now.... I really miss making my videos... but with all this noise I can't get a handheld CB to make two miles range..... killed my hobby... I guess the skip cycle will stop next year??

Yeah, I’m about as overwhelmed with family duties as you (cat got fed).

I think we are at/near peak. It winds down over time.

Read Miles Mathis on subject. He’s the most accurate. (Difference between prediction & actual)



It’s more fun it’s only an hour or so per day.
2017-2021 is good example. DSP even more fun as a result of general quiet (range). I got my DSP set-up going in late 2014. You can “see” why I quickly came to love it.

An NRC QT60 in 2023 sealed the deal.

Our Best Mobile discussions where a man has control back over HF comms is the value of the gear & the install work against Skip. A true frenemy.

.

 

[niceguy71]

Yeah, I’m about as overwhelmed with family duties as you (cat got fed).

I think we are at/near peak. It winds down over time.

Read Miles Mathis on subject. He’s the most accurate. (Difference between prediction & actual)

View attachment 194487

It’s more fun it’s only an hour or so per day.
2017-2021 is good example. DSP even more fun as a result of general quiet (range). I got my DSP set-up going in late 2014. You can “see” why I quickly came to love it.

An NRC QT60 in 2023 sealed the deal.

Our Best Mobile discussions where a man has control back over HF comms is the value of the gear & the install work against Skip. A true frenemy.

.

great chart.... I'm hoping the skip will go down by spring time.
my Jeep friend has come over 3 times this month to finish the range test ... his old eyes can see at night and it's pitch black here at 3:30PM .... so he comes over at 1:30PM and the noise floor is plus 9 this whole month... I used to talk to a lot of locals .. but it's getting pretty difficult to do lately

 

[W8HDU]

10-meter ham, and low band business has been active due to this cycle. I have a LB frequency for business, and it was the first time we've heard someone else on the channel we use. I'm in Ohio, and he was in Arizona. We could hear him, he couldn't hear us because he was getting skip from unlicensed Asian fishing boats off the South American coast.

I know I'm dating myself, but this reminds me of a period in the 1970s where the 27 MHz was non-stop S-20 to S-30, even through the nights. Channel 19 would get maybe 1 mile on the highway because it was just non-stop carriers. Most of the time in-town communications were not possible.

I don't know how you guys feel the skip patterns take place, but it seems all our LB skip comes from the SW U.S. A fellow in Texas always seems to get skip from New England area. California and Arizona get Pacific skip (including Australia). And a friend in South Carolina gets European skip. I've never seen a pattern I can say follows a rule.

 

[niceguy71]

10-meter ham, and low band business has been active due to this cycle. I have a LB frequency for business, and it was the first time we've heard someone else on the channel we use. I'm in Ohio, and he was in Arizona. We could hear him, he couldn't hear us because he was getting skip from unlicensed Asian fishing boats off the South American coast.

I know I'm dating myself, but this reminds me of a period in the 1970s where the 27 MHz was non-stop S-20 to S-30, even through the nights. Channel 19 would get maybe 1 mile on the highway because it was just non-stop carriers. Most of the time in-town communications were not possible.

I don't know how you guys feel the skip patterns take place, but it seems all our LB skip comes from the SW U.S. A fellow in Texas always seems to get skip from New England area. California and Arizona get Pacific skip (including Australia). And a friend in South Carolina gets European skip. I've never seen a pattern I can say follows a rule.

I enjoyed reading that..... hope we never see s20. Or s30 again..... I'm complaining about s7 all day, everyday

 

[K9KLC]

I know I'm dating myself, but this reminds me of a period in the 1970s where the 27 MHz was non-stop S-20 to S-30, even through the nights. Channel 19 would get maybe 1 mile on the highway because it was just non-stop carriers. Most of the time in-town communications were not possible.

No, but you could talk to the west coast most the day and into even some nights. I remember this when I first got on CB sometimes after 71, and it was nuts out there skip wise. We weren't on 19 rather CH 21 (usually) but even there it was crazy.

Not to admit to illegal acts or anything but switching the CH 23 crystals around landed us on 26.800 and occasionally (you know for emergency purposes) we seemed to end up there on occasion. Even there, we occasionally got a fair amount of traffic but not the 20-30 db over we had on Ch 21.

 

[kc2asb]

10-meter ham, and low band business has been active due to this cycle. I have a LB frequency for business, and it was the first time we've heard someone else on the channel we use. I'm in Ohio, and he was in Arizona. We could hear him, he couldn't hear us because he was getting skip from unlicensed Asian fishing boats off the South American coast.

I know I'm dating myself, but this reminds me of a period in the 1970s where the 27 MHz was non-stop S-20 to S-30, even through the nights. Channel 19 would get maybe 1 mile on the highway because it was just non-stop carriers. Most of the time in-town communications were not possible.

I don't know how you guys feel the skip patterns take place, but it seems all our LB skip comes from the SW U.S. A fellow in Texas always seems to get skip from New England area. California and Arizona get Pacific skip (including Australia). And a friend in South Carolina gets European skip. I've never seen a pattern I can say follows a rule.

I was born in the 70's and did not get into the hobby until the mid-late 80's. I do remember Cycle 22 in the 1989-1993 period. On our local channel, I would often have trouble hearing one of the regulars who was 6 blocks away, but stations from Texas were coming in 20db over S-9.

Low band skip was wild during Cycle 22, plus there were simply more users on low band compared to now. I was hearing US military and stations from out of the country, in addition to business, government, fire, and police from all over the west / southwest.

This current solar cycle pales in comparison to Cycle 22, IMHO. Personally, I would love to have skip conditions like that back again.

 

[K9KLC]

This current solar cycle pales in comparison to Cycle 22, IMHO. Personally, I would love to have skip conditions like that back again.

You're not alone. I'd love to see it too!!!