CB or Better?

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Rice Nuker

Rice Nuker

Let the Coal Roll!
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Hi,
Is anyone interested in talking about 2 way radios?
I always had a CB from age 9 to 19. When I was a teenager it was great because I could drive hundreds of miles, clear of all smokies and half the normal eta. There were not many people on the road in those days but lots of people had cb and kept the roads safe and the hammer lanes open. We always knew where an accident was, a road hazard, tornado, cow herd, bus load of hippies, or a cojack with a kodak.

Now days I dont know what the environment is or if it is all just chatter and jibber jabber.

I got a 4x4 dakota that is in good condition and am building my duster. I want to outfit them both with long range radios so I can shoot the breeze. I want a base at my house which has a nice hill with an antenna pole (tree on top of hill) I was contemplating like an SSB or something other than CB to communicate with all the road warriors. I know very little about HF. I think some CBs can also operate in SSB.

So I thought I would see if anyone wants to talk about radios.

.
 
When I was a teenager I had a hopped up Cobra 142 GTL that I would shoot skip on SSB and talk around the world. It could go about 80 channels above Channel 40. I think it's still done on the illegal channels and on Ham radios, but the standard CB channels are full of A holes. Not to mention skip is coming back in so bad it's hard to talk past a mile or so during the day. I'm a truck driver by the way, that's the only reason I still know anything about it.

To answer your SSB question, there are a lot of standard CB radios that have both AM and SSB. Not as common as it use to be, but they still sell them.
 
OK, if you are talking about LEGAL CB radio in the U.S. even though a license is no longer required, this does not mean CB is a free-fer-all and it does have to meet certain FCC regulations and law.

This means............

All CBs MUST be unmodified, (used to be called "type accepted.) forget the "new" term

NO linears, amplifiers, "foot warmers" allowed

I've forgotten, I think base station antennas are supposed to be limited to 25 ft above AGL

(wrong, turns out, top of antenna not more than 20 ft above a building, 60 feet above ground to TOP of antenna

This means that legal CBs have a limited range, whether AM or SSB



I haven't listened, or used, CB in a very long time. I used to "jump" on there sometimes looking for interference problems (There once was a guy about 2M away who would tear my TV to shreds. Yup. Illegal amplifier. Dirty as can be)

The so called "sunspot" cycle affects CB by an enormous amount, and the "cycle" has been slow in coming "this time around." This is good or bad, depending on who you are, and what you are trying to do.

If you are some guy trying to drive down the road, and yak with others in the immediate area, the slow sunspot cycle is GOOD, because there is "no skip" and therefore local communications work great.

BUT if you are the proverbial "skip shooter" who thinks its s fun (illegal by the way) to work all over the world, then the slow cycle is "no fun at all." I've forgotten, I believe there's a LEGAL supposed radius of something like 150 miles. (turns out to be 155.3 mi)

Right from the horse's mouth:

http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/tex...text&node=47:5.0.1.1.5&idno=47#47:5.0.1.1.5.4
 
I have one on the swinger but it seems like there are tons of A holes out there, My friends and I do like to play CB hid in go seek and it's a great alternative to a now illegal cell phone when a few of us are cruising.
 
I have a 1977 Midland with side band and manual SWR.

I've had it since 88.

$10 yard sle item...the "classic" 70's CB IMO.

Not really "into it" like some, but still a big plus on long road trips.

There ARE a lot more Aholes now than back in the 70s/80s.
 
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