[Scan-DC] Compact CB Radios

Mon Mar 8 22:39:19 EST 2021

Alex,

Good idea but the FCC is unlikely to revamp the band for digital use since
that would entail regulations. As to propagation, being a bit lower than 10
meters and AM/SSB would give Scan-DC folks a true RF environment for all
members, HAMs and non-amatuer alike. Making it regional also means when the
band is open we could all talk as a group IF we are not bombarded by
kilowatt skip!

On Mon, Mar 8, 2021 at 4:34 PM Alex Fraser <beatnic50 at gmail.com> wrote:

> I have not heard much on the "Chicken Band" lately.   A couple of years
> ago I managed to test PSK31 on 2 SSB radios I have in my collection.  I
> used a dummy load for an antenna and had the rigs right near each other
> so I wouldn't get the government suspicious.  It worked great.  I put
> the data in the mic input with a separate connector I made up and puled
> the audio into my PC from the speaker output jack, both routed through
> an inexpensive kit with Isolation transformers.  I had a switch for TX
> and RX.
>
> Point is that if the band is not being used, then perhaps it should be
> opened up for experimenters.  At 5 watts I'm not sure how far you could
> reliably communicate. Probably two stations with 100' towers and beams
> could talk without skip over 20 plus  miles, but I'm not sure.   Using
> some of the new digital modes might work out, but they are slow and not
> good for just chatting.  If you ain't worried about efficiency and more
> concerned with having fun, let's do it.
>
> On 3/8/2021 3:52 PM, Greg Danes wrote:
> > Then if it is little used, why not a regional Scan-DC talk group (us)? It
> > does not have to be a formal net. Since some of us are in Arlington,
> > Bethesda, Baltimore, Fairfax etc. We could assign a working channel for
> > each locale.
> >
> > It would pretty much make like minded go scanner folks able to discuss
> > stuff without need of a HAM ticket.
> >
> > KJ4DGE
> >
> > On Mon, Mar 8, 2021, 3:10 PM <along at comcast.net> wrote:
> >
> >> Last time I had a listen to anything in the CB band there was a lot of
> >> nothing in English and a lot of chit chat in Spanish and other foreign
> >> languages.  The most you'll hear from truckers is on the interstates
> and as
> >> Dewey already mentioned that's even drying up.
> >>
> >> Andy
> >> KE8QHA
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: scan-dc-bounces at mailman.qth.net <scan-dc-bounces at mailman.qth.net>
> On
> >> Behalf Of Dewey
> >> Sent: Monday, March 8, 2021 2:46 PM
> >> To: 'Scan DC' <Scan-DC at mailman.qth.net>
> >> Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] Compact CB Radios
> >>
> >> As a radio hobbyist who frequently travels, I still like to run a CB
> when
> >> on
> >> the road.  Problem is, CB is pretty much dead now, even on the highways.
> >> Sure, you *may* hear a conversation once in a while, but even at crash
> and
> >> other event scenes, there is extremely little reporting going on... at
> >> least
> >> on this side of the Mississippi (smokey reports are almost
> non-existent).
> >> I
> >> find more local chatter, such as, dump trucks on their talking to their
> >> co-workers than anything else.  When stopping at truck stops, all of the
> >> truck drivers I see are wearing single-sided Bluetooth headphones to
> their
> >> cellphones.  I've actually scanned the complete CB band when on the road
> >> with nothing but miles and miles of silence.  This is just an opinion,
> but
> >> my belief is that in addition to cellphones killing CB (I'm sure most
> of us
> >> remember good ol' REACT), the proliferation of GPS tracking has also
> slowed
> >> a number (not all) of truckers down, thus eliminating the need for CB
> and
> >> its most famous... smokey reports.
> >>
> >> Dewey
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: scan-dc-bounces at mailman.qth.net <scan-dc-bounces at mailman.qth.net>
> On
> >> Behalf Of Alan Henney
> >> Sent: Saturday, March 6, 2021 01:33
> >> To: Scan DC <Scan-DC at mailman.qth.net>
> >> Subject: [Scan-DC] Compact CB Radios
> >>
> >> With less and less to monitor on VHF and UHF, I was thinking about
> trying
> >> the old CB radio band again.
> >>
> >> I noticed that the inexpensive radio manufacturers have some new
> offerings,
> >> small and petite.  These could easily fit in almost any auto.
> >>
> >> Has anybody tried something similar to one of these?  What do you think?
> >> What about any interesting modifications?  How well do they scan?
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> https://www.radioddity.com/products/radioddity-cb-27-cb-radio?variant=278751
> >> 70156627
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/President-Bill-FCC-40-Channel-CB-Radio-AM-12v-7-Col
> >>
> >>
> or-LCD-Compact-Off-Road-UTV/254015305433?epid=4026341205&hash=item3b247df6d9
> >> :g:WhsAAOSwJ61gNK6P
> >> <
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/President-Bill-FCC-40-Channel-CB-Radio-AM-12v-7-Color-LCD-Compact-Off-Road-UTV/254015305433?epid=4026341205&hash=item3b247df6d9:g:WhsAAOSwJ61gNK6P
> >
> >>
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