CB Anyone?
 

I was just wondering if anyone here still uses a CB at all. I used to use a Realistic base station for casual listening (heard some really strange stuff on there a few years back). Now after a few years I've had 3 old base stations (Citi-Phone SS, Teaberry Model T, Realistic TRC-55) come my way. I was wondering if CB is still used for any purpose at all these days with e-mail and cellphones taking over everywhere. Anyone still use one?

I dumped mine, not hard to do better than that Taiwanese junker. The mic was permanently attached and it seems that the knobs were glued on. Only 23 channels.

I pretty much put away all of my CB equipment when I got my ham radio license in 1991. I put one in my motorhome when I am traveling, but even then I don't turn it on very often.

Still have my COBRA and my UNIDEN PRESIDENT.. Sitting in the closet :D

SR

You just gave me a GREAT idea. I'm going to Warren OH and Cleveland in the morning. Think I'll bring along the GE "HELP" CB a friend just gave me, just for grins :)

Still have a CB as part of the setup. Also for those in the USA - who don't know - we have just had AM & SSB legalized (26.965-27.405 mhz) on June 27th here in the UK. It took them long enough to do it!!!

Soundman2, that is amazing that it would be done at this date, since you already have the PMR446 service, which is probably much better as a real-world personal/local communications service than 27 MHz ever was. What was the status of 26.965-27.405 all of these years in the UK before now?

Chris. We only had FM on what we call the mid block of 40 channels and we also have FM on 27.60125-27.99125 mhz. This is a real game changer as we are now harmonised with Europe and many other places! We are allowed 4 watts AM/FM and 12 watts (PEP) on SSB :)

I have been told that you guys in the USA cannot use FM on CB. Is this true?

That's not true at all. For I have a CB repair shop here in NH and we use it a lot. On 26.00.0 flat up to 27.98.5 AM, FM, USB, LSB. We are also on 442.00.0

A lot of people use FM on 11 meters, but not legally. Unless the FCC changed the rules for CB it is just AM and SSB on the 40 channels. If they changed it I would like to know where the rules specify it. I will have to research it.

Interesting posts guys. So you can use FM but not officially. Am I right?

I wonder if anything is ever enforced on the CB bands. When we went on our trip, we brought the GE "Help", and heard screaming people from five states away talking really fast using thousand watt linears and Sadelta Echo Master Plus mics.

Same old crap from 20 years ago....

I always say that if you have to use high power on CB to get anywhere there is something very wrong! 4 watts gets me to where I want to go :)

I know folks who run high output over here. Crazy.:nono:

Something JBL GUY posted over on Tuners reminded me of this. A couple of sunspot peaks ago, very early 1990's, "11 meters" was hot with all this Spanish traffic, and we didn't have a lot of Hispanics in Michigan. This ham buddy said it was immigrants Lord knows where using the CB for "phone patches" back home. That's what he said anyway. Seems like congestion would close that loophole.

I wonder if my Uniden Bearcat scanning radio will pick up CB traffic. With its little antenna all it's getting is the weather network on 162.550.