Citizens' Band Radio

[Weetabix]

I've been interested in CB for a while, but not interested enough to spend any money.

Saw a Royce 1-632 SSB/AM unit at a garage sale for $5. So I bought it. I was meeting a guy to buy a shotgun, and Oh! Look! This place has a CB shop. Took it in, and they tested it. All good. Bought an antenna and mag mount. $60. So, the radio cost 1/12 the antenna.

When I had my amateur mobile installed, I had them run some power straight from the battery and leave me some taped leads in the cab. Put an Anderson Power Pole on it this weekend, and one on the end of the CB power. Tuned the antenna, and Bob's your uncle.

Went to sit by the highway and see what I could hear. It sounded like the silliest of Cletus from Smokey and the Bandit x 2.

Is CB worth bothering with in general? I could see it maybe being useful if you're out in the boonies with friends who have it, but in general, is it useful on the road any more?

ETA: interestingly, this radio was manufactured the year Smokey and the Bandit came out.

[MarkD]

Posted for amusement

https://youtu.be/F7y_ZxNNsSw

[Rich]

The way I've always looked at it, it's another form of communication in the local area. I've always carried a plug-in (to the cigarette lighter power) and a magnetic mount antenna for the roof of the car/truck I was in so I could receive reports on road conditions, accidents and other possible hazards. Now with cell phones and such, the need has diminished, but if your not in range of a cell tower, it hasn't entirely disappeared. And yes, what you hear can be pretty silly.

So, are you going to get your rubber ducky on?

[randy]

I know several organizations such as RV'ers, motorbike clubs and Jeep/off road clubs that use CB for intercom when on their excursions.

I can monitor 11 meters on my HF radio in the truck. I've occasionally scanned through that band to try to get info on traffic, etc. and never found anything useful. I also did not want to have that dreck (I'm talking obscenity, not just stupidity) coming from the speakers with my wife and daughter in the vehicle.

So I've quit carrying anything that can transmit on that band, although I still have my radios from the 70's and 80's in the garage and can hook them up quickly if need be.

And while the service is intended for local communications, it does get interesting when the bands open up and you hear conversations from hundreds of miles away. Especially with a user group with no understanding of RF communications beyond turning the power switch.

Bottom line, not a bad capability to have in the tool box, if you have a need, use it, but as my entire family and most of my local friends have amateur license I don't personally have much use for it.

[Weetabix]

I guess I can box it up and leave it in the back. This one has an old click dial and no scan capability. I had a scanner going so I could find a channel to listen to. The mag mount antenna up top plugged into the scanner was much better than the rubber duck on the scanner.

[skb12172]

Just make sure you put the metal to the pedal and the thing to the floor.

[Weetabix]

And keep my shiny butt up and my greasy hair down?

[MarkD]

Keep the bugs off your glass and the bears off your ass!

[Frankingun]

Keep your fifth wheel greasy.