CB's anyone?

[PhotonWrangler]

I used to have a CB radio back in the 70s. Even filed for and got a CB license. I thought it was a useful acceessory for the car at the time, especially since I was driving a clunker that tended to go through starters and ballast resistors. Then I went for years without turning it on at all.

Then several years ago I got curious as to how the Citizens Band was doing since I hadn't listened to it in awhile, so I turned on my little CB HT. This is what I heard:

<click>
"OH YEAH WELL YOU'RE AN A**HOLE!"
"OH YEAH, WELL YOU"RE A BIGGER A**HOLE!"
"OH YEAH, THEN YOU"RE A..."
<click>

Haven't turned it on since. :shakehead

 

[Max_Power]

A full-sized antenna is best, but a well-made mobile antenna that's at least 50% of full size might be hard to distinguish from the 106 inch whip, especially if you can mount it on the roof instead of a bumper. Look for a large diameter coil form made of low loss insulator (like teflon or air, not PVC) and at least 14 guage wire for the coil itself. Use NEW high quality coaxial cable like LMR400 or Belden RG8 or RG8x.

I was into CB before I got my ham license back in 1979, because CB gear was a lot cheaper. First I had a Pace 40 channel AM unit, and when Sears closed out their roadtalker 40 SSB rigs for around $40 each, I got a base and a mobile. I also scored a 4 element beam by antenna specialists, which I later modified for 10 meters.

It's a shame that the bureaucrats at FCC decided to take away the 11 meter ham band and use it for a short-range service "under 150 miles." 11 meters is an outstanding band for daylight "skip" communications. My 10 meter mobile setup with 100 W PEP and a 1/4 wave whip on a Honda Civic easily reached Europe from California every morning during the most recent sunspot peak.

Something that I never could understand about CB is why the FCC doesn't allow the SSB transmit frequency to track with the receive "clarifier" setting. During a 2-way conversation, everyone listening has to retune in order to hear the next person talk. If there are 3 or more people talking in a roundtable mode, it's ridiculous having to retune the clarifier every time. That's one rule I would happily break.

Going from CB to ham radio was like going from moonlight to sunlight. With the CB it was hard to talk 5 miles on AM or 20 miles SSB, but with the ham radio I could regularly talk all over the world, and to much more interesting people than the potty-mouth teenagers infesting CB.

With ham radio I have done things like hearing my own voice coming back time delayed 2.6 seconds and doppler shifted after bouncing off the moon on 1296 MHz SSB... or round the world time delay on 14 Mhz (only about 0.16 seconds delay, but very noticeable echo.) I've talked to men in space a dozen times (Mir and Space Shuttle) and used amateur satellites. I've hooked up my computer to the Internet with packet radio and TCP/IP before there was such a thing as html and world wide web. It's a pretty cool hobby compared to CB.

Max_Power

 

[LuxLoverr]

i have an old 23 channel cb, and some handhelds with telescopic antennas. both bulky, and a ssw or the meter to measure transmission.

 

[Vortus]

Have a galaxy 44 in my pick up, i know some think they are junk apparently, but I like it and it works pretty well. More knobs than I know what to do with, but got it on a trade for a couple load locks, seemed a good deal at the time. Have a couple old unidens in the semi that are between 15-18 years old. Seem to be doing fine too. Have a couple hand helds we use when travelling with family, nice to keep the cell calls down.

Yeah, in some places the CB chatter is pretty vile.

 

[Radiophile]

Something that I never could understand about CB is why the FCC doesn't allow the SSB transmit frequency to track with the receive "clarifier" setting. During a 2-way conversation, everyone listening has to retune in order to hear the next person talk. If there are 3 or more people talking in a roundtable mode, it's ridiculous having to retune the clarifier every time. That's one rule I would happily break.

How true! Before the expansion to 40 channels, clarifiers tracked both transmit and receive on SSB. The amount varied from radio to radio, but was usually 1.5 kHz or less - plenty to allow several operators to chat without having to constantly adjust the clarifier. Strangely enough, most SSB radios still have about that range of clarifier control, and the modification to make it track on both transmit and receive is quite common.

Going from CB to ham radio was like going from moonlight to sunlight. With the CB it was hard to talk 5 miles on AM or 20 miles SSB, but with the ham radio I could regularly talk all over the world

You're comparing skywave to groundwave propogation and that's not fair. I've heard 11 meter skywave signals from Europe, the Carribean, the west coast, Central America, and even South Africa. I've had groundwave conversations as far as 50 miles on SSB when skywave propogation was dead quiet, and my antenna is a simple end fed 1/2 wave 32' at it's base.

...and to much more interesting people than the potty-mouth teenagers infesting CB.

Unfortunately there seems to be folks of all ages who behave like that. Adolescents who have never grown up, just aged. That's why I prefer SSB. There seems to be a more Amateur radio like attitude there.

 

[Radiophile]

I'm into 4 wheeling and use CB extensively. My club has started to use FRS more and more as a backup communication device for those who do not have CB radios. We use FRS extensively in the 4 wheel drive "how to" classes the we conduct twice a year because hardly any students have CB radios.

Give it a couple of years, and you'll be using FRS a lot more yourself as the sunspot cycle reaches it's peak and local comminications with AM CB becomes nearly impossible during daytime. Having a radio with an RF Gain control will help a little, but not much. SSB will again rule - especially between the channels where it's amazingly quiet.

I have plenty of experience with CB, FRS, and HAM. Ham is king in terms of Fidelity and range, but not many people, compared to CB and FRS users, have HAM licenses and equipment. CB comes next. It beats the hell out of FRS for fidelity and range. FRS is last, but it has the advantages of being cheap and easy to carry around.

I'll assume you're referring to narrow band FM when you say HAM. Yes, it's easier especially with the power and efficient antennas at 2 meter or even 6 meter frequencies. You might consider another service - MURS. It's license free and you can use NFM. It's near 2m in frequency at about 151MHz using some of the common business band "dot" frequencies that noone ever bothered to get licensed. Power is restricted to 2 watts or less depending on the radio used, but that's plenty of power for local communications especially with an antenna that can actually have gain and still be short enough to mount on a vehicle.

FRS really blows when used in a car because the RF has only the glass area to radiate through. Years ago Rat Shack sold an FRS radio with a magnet mount antenna for the roof and a microphone control for use in the car. In reality the radio was in the base of the magnet mount antenna and only controls were in the microphone unit - quite a good design. They work much better than hand held FRS radios in cars.

 

[M@elstrom]

Give it a couple of years, and you'll be using FRS a lot more yourself as the sunspot cycle reaches it's peak and local comminications with AM CB becomes nearly impossible during daytime. Having a radio with an RF Gain control will help a little, but not much. SSB will again rule - especially between the channels where it's amazingly quiet.

Didn't the US adopt a fully fledged 477Mhz Citizens Band allocation in addition to the PRS? we have both (as does NZ AFAIK) although our PRS equivalent are simply referred to as low power UHF CB 😉

The popularity has waned somewhat since it's inception with many locally funded duplex (repeater stations) closing during the 90's 🙁

 

[Lynx_Arc]

CB radios have waned in popularity because of cell phones IMO. I still have two radios one is a Cobra 29GTL and the other a midland 40 channel. I have a moonraker magnet mount mobile antenna with a 6 foot stainless steel whip and a (illegal) 75 watt booster which comes in very handy when the skip levels is so high you can only talk about 3 miles without one. I have a liscense that expired as they no longer have CB liscensing.

 

[M@elstrom]

So the US went to a class licensing system too then (Clayton's licensing)? :thinking:

I still have a nice Cobra 146GTL, Uniden AX-144 (similar to the 146GTL) and a handful of 18Ch & 40ch 27Mhz CB rigs, I sold off my original 477Mhz CB's years ago but retained a FRS styled handheld & my favourite Uniden UH-100 (with integrated voice scrambler), I'd like to get back into pursuing the hobby one day probably the reason I hoarded 90% of my gear/antennas etc.

During the 80's & 90's they were a heap of fun but the rise of the internet & cell phone (as you've already mentioned) pretty much killed off a majority of it's following in the same way UHF CB killed off 27Mhz CB (with the exception of the DX chaser die hards) :mecry:

I wonder why a full powered (5 watt) 477Mhz CB system never became a reality in the US like it did here :thinking:

 

[Lynx_Arc]

I am guessing the FCC wanted that frequency for something else. I once had a very nice base setup and talked skip all over the world at one time. My mobile setup once talked over 50 miles without my power booster. I doubt I will use CB again but it is tons cheaper than paying for a cell phone each month for emergencies on long road trips. The internet took over the chat CB had going and being able to talk to people all over the world was a daily thing online vs having skip conditions on CB.

 

[Radiophile]

Didn't the US adopt a fully fledged 477Mhz Citizens Band allocation in addition to the PRS? we have both (as does NZ AFAIK) although our PRS equivalent are simply referred to as low power UHF CB 😉

The popularity has waned somewhat since it's inception with many locally funded duplex (repeater stations) closing during the 90's 🙁

Not exactly. We have GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) which is a narrow band FM service on 462/467 MHz. It requires a license which until recently didn't allow communication between licensees. It was intended as a service for family use, and only communication between family members was permitted. That restriction has been relaxed and now it's being used by businesses although I'm not sure if that is actually permitted.

There are repeaters, base, and mobile radios with power levels up to 50 watts and gain antennas. Most don't use directional antennas though, relying on repeaters for distant communications. As yet, truck drivers don't seem to have caught onto this service or MURS.

 

[Radiophile]

So the US went to a class licensing system too then (Clayton's licensing)? :thinking:

CB use in the USA has always been licensed, but about the time of the expansion from 23 to 40 channels the need to have an FCC issued call sign was waived. It is now a useage license in that if you want to use the service you are expected to obey the rules. People can, and have been banned from using CB since the license change.

I don't know what you mean about class licensing. There is more than one Citizen's Band service, but the 27MHz service is AM/SSB and restricted to 4 watts carrier AM and 12 watts PEP SSB.

I still have a nice Cobra 146GTL, Uniden AX-144 (similar to the 146GTL)

I've got an AX-144 myself. Nice little rig. I've always wondered why the were so popular down under? Here in the US the most popular SSB radios are the Cobra 148/2000 and Uniden Grant/Madison. The Cobra 146/Washington and Uniden PC122/810 were never as popular as the dual conversion SSB chassis.

 

[M@elstrom]

I don't know what you mean about class licensing. There is more than one Citizen's Band service, but the 27MHz service is AM/SSB and restricted to 4 watts carrier AM and 12 watts PEP SSB.

Prior to the adoption of a "class licensing system" by the Spectrum Management Agency (now the ACMA thanks to departmental mergers) individuals were required to be licensed/regulated, "class licensing" is a blanket waiver of the need to hold a licence though the need to adhere to departmental regulations regarding operation remained in effect... hence my reference to "claytons" a local non alcoholic beverage packaged to resemble whiskey/bourbon 😉

I've got an AX-144 myself. Nice little rig. I've always wondered why the were so popular down under? Here in the US the most popular SSB radios are the Cobra 148/2000 and Uniden Grant/Madison. The Cobra 146/Washington and Uniden PC122/810 were never as popular as the dual conversion SSB chassis.

Compared to the PLL02A chassis (easily modified) the PD2824 chassis proved popular due to it's ruggedness and best of all adjacent-channel-rejection ratio which was especially useful in dense high radio traffic areas, the chassis design was originally introduced in the Hornet II retailed by a local electronics chain (**** Smith Electronics) the later Uniden PD858 series weren't nearly as popular thanks to the waning interest in Radio here in general and the abundance of PD2824's already on the market 😉

I hope to "reinvigorate" my interests in this somewhat dormant hobby in the near future & have already pulled the SW receiver out of mothballs :thumbsup:

 

[Radiophile]

Compared to the PLL02A chassis (easily modified) the PD2824 chassis proved popular due to it's ruggedness and best of all adjacent-channel-rejection ratio which was especially useful in dense high radio traffic areas, the chassis design was originally introduced in the Hornet II retailed by a local electronics chain (**** Smith Electronics) the later Uniden PD858 series weren't nearly as popular thanks to the waning interest in Radio here in general and the abundance of PD2824's already on the market 😉

It's interesting how certain chassis are more popular in various areas of the world. Here in the US the Cobra 148/Uniden Grant XL is still the most popular even though the Grant XL hasn't been made in years, and the current 148 is made in China and isn't as good as the Philippines made model. In the UK there is still a big fan base for the Cobra 148 GTL DX, and in your corner of the world it's the Uniden/President AX144.

I own most of the above, and my favorite SSB radio is still the Grant XL because of it's superior selectivity and sensitivity, but the 148 DX and AX144 aren't far behind. They're all Uniden designed and made, so that just proves their excellence at making SSB CBs. Aside from Stoner and CPI radios which cost an order of magnitude more, Uniden SSB radios are easily the class of mainstream SSB CBs.

So what is the deal with the little Simpson SSB radios I see for sale from down under? Are they 2824 radios? I know Uniden made and marketed a small one here called the 640, but it didn't look as slim as the Simpson.

What "10 meter" or export radios are popular there? Is your 27MHz CB from 26.965 to 27.405 like ours?

 

[M@elstrom]

So what is the deal with the little Simpson SSB radios I see for sale from down under? Are they 2824 radios? I know Uniden made and marketed a small one here called the 640, but it didn't look as slim as the Simpson.

The Pierce Simpson rigs were pretty ordinary "on the whole" basic small radios designed with automotive fitment in mind, nasty in high radio traffic areas (channel splatter) and not the most stable I've used, I had a "Super Tomcat" before I scraped up the cash for a Uniden chassis rig... as a side note the Grant's were very popular but seeing as it's predecessor had already proven itself (and was more affordable) it's following wasn't as big as it could have been 😉

What "10 meter" or export radios are popular there?

Primarily people modified the existing PLL02A rigs for out of band operation, the Tandy (Radio Shack) retailed HR2510 was popular if you could get one without producing an Amateur licence 😀

Is your 27MHz CB from 26.965 to 27.405 like ours?

Sure was though not initially, Australia originally operated an 18 channel band plan with a couple of different incompatible channels namely "7 & 16 Aussie" best explained by the frequency comparison chart @ ACBRO :thumbsup:

FWIW I still retain one of the original 18 channel AM rigs for posterity, namely a HMV Roadhound TX55 😀

 

[Chrontius]

Didn't the US adopt a fully fledged 477Mhz Citizens Band allocation in addition to the PRS? we have both (as does NZ AFAIK) although our PRS equivalent are simply referred to as low power UHF CB 😉

The popularity has waned somewhat since it's inception with many locally funded duplex (repeater stations) closing during the 90's 🙁

FRS and GMRS operates between 462 and 467 MHz. There's another allocation between 151 and 155 MHz with five specified channels, (at least) five channels down at 49 MHz, and 902-928 MHz that are commonly used for two-way radios of one sort or another.

Also, there's something of a resurgence going on in GMRS right now; radios built specifically for the service (and taking full advantage of the license's privileges) are being made, and some of them are downright good.