[Scan-DC] Compact CB Radios

Mon Mar 8 22:48:01 EST 2021

You can expect 10 to 15 miles groundwave with quiet conditions
and good, high antennas. I've had groundwave go farther, but that's
the exception, not the rule. Skip happens from 300 to 3000 miles/hop.
I spent 25 years on CB and a ham for the past 15. Now an extra.

On 2021-03-08 22:39, Greg Danes wrote:
> 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
>>