Does anyone use CB?

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Rearfang

Re: Does anyone use CB?

Post by Rearfang »

Note on raynet I contacted them 2 months ago regarding volunteering only reply was a auto email :evil:
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Gwiz
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Re: Does anyone use CB?

Post by Gwiz »

Hamradioop, I understand that the law will be changed this year (July) regarding the use of SSB and AM frequencies? or have I, yet again, got the wrong end of the stick? a not unusual state of affairs.
I rather get the impression that Ofcom won't do very much unless someone complains about interference (from another website that dabbles pretty much exclusively with SSB)
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Malthouse
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Re: Does anyone use CB?

Post by Malthouse »

Yes indeed, SSB etc are to become legal shortly :)

"...include these changes in the next update of the licence exemption regulations which we expect to come into force by July 2014."

http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binari ... tement.pdf
Eclectickle
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Re: Does anyone use CB?

Post by Eclectickle »

I used to use a CB in the 90s. I had a home base with a mag mount ariel stuck on top of an old washing machine top. The signal was okay, but couldn't be heard off Island. I changed to a silver rod and bought a boot, but, it didn't improve the signal much. I also had a hand held, but, it ate batteries, so I didn't use it very often.

A few of my friends had CBs fitted in their cars and would drive up onto the mountain so that they could talk to people in England or Ireland, but they had to be quite high up to get any replies.

We had some trouble with idiots playing music over the top of our conversations and blocking our signals. Some of the guys tried to track them down by triangulating the signal and got pretty close.

CBs were great fun and I still have mine, but, I don't use them anymore. Mostly because I moved to another town and reception at my current location is useless and nobody around here uses CBs.

In a SHTF situation I think CBs would only really be useful for local communications and even then it would be insecure, could attract unwanted attention to your location and power could be a problem.
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munchh
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Re: Does anyone use CB?

Post by munchh »

loads of CB down south at the min and today there has been a big skip, so you can hear Russia and allsorts, no time to talk to anyone though and there are lots of mobile antennas more than ever, ive put my silver rod up, not too high but high enough for local (5-6 miles).
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metatron

Re: Does anyone use CB?

Post by metatron »

With AM and SSB and power limits of 4W ERP for AM and 12W ERP for SSB, CB is far more useful now that they have relaxed the rules.

I've had some good results with a President Grant II All mode AM/FM/SSB CB radio and Sirio 2016 antenna, from my office in the attic.
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Trawlerman
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Re: Does anyone use CB?

Post by Trawlerman »

Nope. Dabbled with 11m a little but being a radio amateur it was a bit dodgy for me.

Right now my station is disassembled. We took the mast and antenna down a few months back and gave it away.
I do still have a Yaesu FT2600 144MHz mobile, a FT730 433MHz mobile, a Lowe HF150 HF Receiver and an Opto-electronics Freq. Counter. I also own a Cobra Marine VHF that I keep just for listening.

At the moment i'm planning on getting a pair of Baofeng UV-5R handhelds. One for me and the other for my dad who is also a licensed amateur.
Area 10 - East Yorkshire
Radio Amateur ex-G7NNT now M0NNT

'In Omnia Paratus'
Malthouse
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Re: Does anyone use CB?

Post by Malthouse »

Eclectickle wrote:In a SHTF situation I think CBs would only really be useful for local communications and even then it would be insecure, could attract unwanted attention to your location and power could be a problem.
For reliable communications yes, CB will only be good for local stuff but still better than higher frequencies. Not sure it would give your location away that much, someone with direction finding capabilities is probably well enough resourced to find you in other ways too. Keep your broadcasts short and don't give sensitive info out, you should be ok.

Also bear in mind that CB is the British Isle's only official emergency communications network, so worth having if only for that.
neverstop
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Re: Does anyone use CB?

Post by neverstop »

TopSod wrote:Is there such a thing as a wind up CB? In a shtf situation with no electric they'd be a godsend. I've searched and never come across any, only wind up radios.
I have one of those power packs for starting cars with, it has a fag lighter socket on the side, which would be ideal for supplying power to such items like cab radios, phones and even cooler boxes
Waterbaby
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Re: Does anyone use CB?

Post by Waterbaby »

Used to in the 80's when mobile phones weren't an option -and given there wasn't that alternative then,it was the beez kneez!