Who Uses CB Radios?

[Industrial Toys]

How are the numbers for field day doing? Steady decline? Holding it's own?

When I saw RTTY, I thought I had found my niche. Then it went to Packet, and soon after the Internet was here. I like some of the pictures on the internet. Hard for Ham radio to compete with that. It can't compete at any level, only if communications fail, and that hasn't happened.

Besides, I can't help but think, if something bad does happen, communications isn't going to make any difference. Especially if it's wide spread. But at least, you might gain some information.

 

[ultrarunner]

Just found two new in box CB radios in the basement of the home I bought... still finding things... hope to find the cache of bullion soon!

Never quite know what to expect with estate type sales.

 

[k0ua]

How are the numbers for field day doing? Steady decline? Holding it's own?

When I saw RTTY, I thought I had found my niche. Then it went to Packet, and soon after the Internet was here. I like some of the pictures on the internet. Hard for Ham radio to compete with that. It can't compete at any level, only if communications fail, and that hasn't happened.

Besides, I can't help but think, if something bad does happen, communications isn't going to make any difference. Especially if it's wide spread. But at least, you might gain some information.

Field day participation is about steady with around 35,000 anually. RTTY is very active during RTTY contests. It is used by DXpeditions and very little otherwise. You could grow old scaring up a RTTY contact outside of a contest. PSK31 still has a following as well as Olivia as they are "ragchew modes" but they both pale in the face of FT8. I would say 90 percent or more of all digital modes is FT8. Of course the "bands" all sucketh during this time of sunspot minimum and FT8 and to some extent CW is what is keeping operation at an all time high. It sure isn't SSB.

Another driver of FT8 is the fact that so many people now live in HOA housing and cannot put up much or any outside antenna. With FT8 even these poeple can have some fun and make some contacts when the bands are more or less dead. Or at least dead for voice modes. FT8 will decode signals at -24dB below the noise floor in a 2.5khz bandwidth. It can decode signals that the human ear cannot even hear. Of course CW has always had a pretty good edge on SSB, and depending on how good the operator is may as much as -10dB below the noise floor. I can't copy that weak of signals , but some can.

 

[Sumner Sapough]

Good evening and hello from Georgia.
I will be turning 30 this year and I say that I represent the fact that I have been into CB radios and have enjoyed the hobby for about 10 years now. I've had everything from old 23 channel CB radios, uniden Grant XL, old Cobra 29 LTD, and have now I have two Cobra 29 LX's one of which is Bluetooth and has been peaked and tuned. I'm no professional Cb'er and I'm still understanding how things work in this hobby, however it's a really interesting and very neat way to communicate. Especially when you consider modern society and its fast pace and the ever-growing technology. Cuz when the fit hits the Shan a CB will work. And BTW if any of you guys are around the north Georgia area; Holler out for Whiskey Sierra and I might just give you a shout back!

 

[ultrarunner]

Growing up a trucker lived nearby and his hobby was radios...

We would often have conversation come through the Blaupunkt receiver on Saturday mornings... neighbor had problems with his garage door opener... somehow the radio would be picked up by the opener?

The trucker would have conversations that would go on for minutes at a time and all clear as a bell.

My school was on the approach to the Military Hospital and at times the Helicopter transport would be non-stop and many times we could hear the Helicopter radio in through the school PA system.

Often wondered why this no longer seems to be common?

 

[k0ua]

Growing up a trucker lived nearby and his hobby was radios...

We would often have conversation come through the Blaupunkt receiver on Saturday mornings... neighbor had problems with his garage door opener... somehow the radio would be picked up by the opener?

The trucker would have conversations that would go on for minutes at a time and all clear as a bell.

My school was on the approach to the Military Hospital and at times the Helicopter transport would be non-stop and many times we could hear the Helicopter radio in through the school PA system.

Often wondered why this no longer seems to be common?

CB and aircraft radio VHF radio traditionally used AM or Amplitude Modulation of a carrier. When the RF wave is rectified by lets say your schools PA system the rectified signal would be plainly audible and understandable by a human. FM or SSB would not be understandable, nor any digital mode. Now of course your PA system had a design flaw inherent to its design and should not have picked up an RF signal let alone rectified it and amplified it. Of course mitigation steps could have been taken on the PA to prevent this. Proper shielding and bypassing could have been applied. Perhaps some Ferrite chokes on microphone leads etc.

Any device that is not intended to respond to the presence of RF energy is by definition deficient in design. Sometimes these problems are easy to fix and sometimes they aren't.

 

[MossRoad]

I'll send you a PM....

 

[k0ua]

I'll send you a PM....

Ok, I will be here..

 

[ultrarunner]

CB and aircraft radio VHF radio traditionally used AM or Amplitude Modulation of a carrier. When the RF wave is rectified by lets say your schools PA system the rectified signal would be plainly audible and understandable by a human. FM or SSB would not be understandable, nor any digital mode. Now of course your PA system had a design flaw inherent to its design and should not have picked up an RF signal let alone rectified it and amplified it. Of course mitigation steps could have been taken on the PA to prevent this. Proper shielding and bypassing could have been applied. Perhaps some Ferrite chokes on microphone leads etc.

Any device that is not intended to respond to the presence of RF energy is by definition deficient in design. Sometimes these problems are easy to fix and sometimes they aren't.

This was all in the early 60's and the we had a lot of fun listening in...

Apparently the garage door opener flaw was also more prevalent in the 50's/60's

At one time I had a sailboat with a cable antenna that went all the way to the mast... someone told these types of antennae were illegal for sometime... but since I didn't have a radio I was not worried about it... the previous owner spent a lot of time in California Coastal Waters

 

[Industrial Toys]

It may be deficient by design, but the FCC made it chrystal clear (pun intended) that such interference was to be tolerated, both giving and receiving.

I was working on a telephone paging system the other day, having all kinds of trouble. Too few inputs, for number of signals and no proper mixing amplifiers, so I ended up with all kinds of mismatched inputs and ground loops. But when I powered down the amp, some radio station came in clear as a bell, until the caps discharged. Weird, which sent the owner running to find out what was going on, which I didn't need.

Anyway, I went back with a bunch of isolation transformers and everything was fine.

 

[k0ua]

This was all in the early 60's and the we had a lot of fun listening in...

Apparently the garage door opener flaw was also more prevalent in the 50's/60's

At one time I had a sailboat with a cable antenna that went all the way to the mast... someone told these types of antennae were illegal for sometime... but since I didn't have a radio I was not worried about it... the previous owner spent a lot of time in California Coastal Waters

Garage door recievers themselves aren't much better, but they all have digital locking now not just responding to RF at a certain frequency. So if the digital "rolling code" is not there they likely won't respond.

 

[k0ua]

It may be deficient by design, but the FCC made it chrystal clear (pun intended) that such interference was to be tolerated, both giving and receiving.

I was working on a telephone paging system the other day, having all kinds of trouble. Too few inputs, for number of signals and no proper mixing amplifiers, so I ended up with all kinds of mismatched inputs and ground loops. But when I powered down the amp, some radio station came in clear as a bell, until the caps discharged. Weird, which sent the owner running to find out what was going on, which I didn't need.

Anyway, I went back with a bunch of isolation transformers and everything was fine.

Yes if inputs are not properly impedence matched, that is an open invitation to RF. Some nice disk ceramic caps across inputs can go a long way to solving RF problems.

I had a problem with my professionally installed alarm system when I transmitted on 80 meters with anything over about 45 watts of power. It would throw a system alarm, bout not being able to "see" its alarm speaker module. Some .01 microfarad disk ceramics on the power leads and inputs solved that problem real quick.

 

[MossRoad]

Just found two new in box CB radios in the basement of the home I bought... still finding things... hope to find the cache of bullion soon!

Never quite know what to expect with estate type sales.

Sound like a blast! :thumbsup:

 

[ultrarunner]

Reading threads like this is eye opening as to how much I don't know!

 

[MossRoad]

It may be deficient by design, but the FCC made it chrystal clear (pun intended) that such interference was to be tolerated, both giving and receiving.

I was working on a telephone paging system the other day, having all kinds of trouble. Too few inputs, for number of signals and no proper mixing amplifiers, so I ended up with all kinds of mismatched inputs and ground loops. But when I powered down the amp, some radio station came in clear as a bell, until the caps discharged. Weird, which sent the owner running to find out what was going on, which I didn't need.

Anyway, I went back with a bunch of isolation transformers and everything was fine.

At my old employer we had several cheap sets of PC speakers that would pick up the local radio station that transmitted from a couple blocks over. It was weird.... the radio programming, not the phenomenon. :laughing:

 

[MossRoad]

Reading threads like this is eye opening as to how much I don't know!

It's fun to listen to people talk about stuff that I used to know a little about. Gets the brain going. I'm also enjoying your solar thread.

 

[k0ua]

Moss, here are the "twins" I referenced in the PM I just sent you. I did finally get the guy in Belarus in the log.

Still listening to the guy in Kuwait. YOu can see the frequencies on the display.
View attachment IMG_20190117_230933842.jpg

 

[k0ua]

At my old employer we had several cheap sets of PC speakers that would pick up the local radio station that transmitted from a couple blocks over. It was weird.... the radio programming, not the phenomenon. :laughing:

A mix 31 split bead ferrite with the power lead wrapped thru it a few times and the lead from the non powered speaker to the powered speaker would likely have gotten rid of that problem in about a minute. Or possibly a mix 73 might have been a bit more effective at those lower frequencies.

Here is a photo of one of my monitors power cord wrapped several times thru a split ferrite snap on.

View attachment IMG_20190117_232257654.jpg

 

[k0ua]

Reading threads like this is eye opening as to how much I don't know!

one way to learn is to ask questions of others.

 

[Ken]

one way to learn is to ask questions of others.

Around the year 1965 the gas pipe line company I was working for decided that with the break up of the telephone company and our use of the Watts line and telemetering of control and pressure readings of compressor stations . That the need of reliable communication was needed . they purchased a 100 k.w. RFL brand SSB. of transmitter and receiver radios. we installed them at each compressor station and tested them with call sign and Testing 1234. And received answers from East Texas power company's on same Frequency . wondering who we are and why using there air space. But we had a hard time talking to station 100 miles away. we were legal. licensed to use this space but FCC developed a hard nose of why using the freq. so changed to another frequency . then one day a supervisor walking past the transmitter/receiver saw one of the 2 tubes was not glowing and asked why .technician answered operating on SSB .which satisfied the person but then he quickly exchanged the faulty tube.
ken
Life was good when things were easily repaired.