Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

Was talking to my dad about cb's yesterday, he was on around 1979 onwards, i didn't realise they where around that early

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

This was originally from 1975 and remade for the 1978 film Convoy.

CB radio was invented in 1945 but CB as we know it was first available in the 70's

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

oh

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

A lot of lorry drivers were using CB in the early 70's, they were brought over from the Continent long before home base operators caught on.
I had one in put in a lorry in March 1974. The reason I am sure of the date is it was the day I got a brand new Leyland Marathon, the lorry I had earlier was too noisy to hear a CB.

I found it usefull but once the home users started shouting abuse and swearing ect I chucked it out.
I then went onto get my radio ham licence and had ham radio in my cab until I retired in 1997.

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

quite scary when you think, it was 25 years ago, when i knew rhonda!

i was a bit of a lad back then, between the age of 14-18 i seem to have crammed a whole lot in, lol

i was married at 18, and everyone said it would last 6 months, 23 years last feb!

certain circumstances around november 88 made me grow up hell of a lot, rhonda will know what im on about

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

Its when you start looking back that you realise just how far down the road you have come, I was in at the start of am CB. Had one in the car, and a base station at home, but TVI drove me up the wall.
At its height every high spot was occupied by a car with a Cb'r inside. Then the kids must have all got one for Christmas and it was impossible to use the set without people walking all over the frequencies.Decided to take the Ham ticket (Dec1981), then took the Morse test (April 1984). Then it was back to having one in the car and a base station at home, and a portable radio as well this time.
Then moved house, put it all in a box and it stayed there for 10 years, and only recently dabbled slightly back on 2 mtrs and 70 cm, and funnily enough it is like the early days of am, not many people about.

I think life is a bit circular, and a little bit funny when you look back.

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

Ha ha just like my other half, his radio amateur stuff has been in a box for a bit longer than ten years I think. Though I think I mentioned before, my brother in Belthorn has been licensed for about forty years and I think is still fairly active.

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

I think it was all the hassle of dismantling my station and putting it in a box, I even had a crossed Yagi, on a rotator, on the roof, it was attached to the wall, when it rotated it just missed the chimney.
I could never muster the enthusiasm to go through all that again. I have recently purchased a portable radio, but there was no one of the airwaves, so that sits at my side and only gets turned on sporadically.

Computers now fill the space left by radio, and ham radio has moved onto the computer, it is now possible to work stations around the world through the computer using a virtual hf transmitter. For instance, I worked someone in Malta on 2 meters (line of sight transmissions normally) sat in my underpants in my front room on the computer, and I make no apology for that mental picture.

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

Surely there's only one davemac with a G4 in CLM. Does spraying a Rapier bright orange in a certain mean owt to you.

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

Do you know your brothers call sign Susie, I may have worked him at some time.
I had the B licence in about 81 and the A licence a couple if years later.
I passed theCW test first time at Fleetwood nautical college and then went on to pass the Marine Hf andVHF licence along with the inshore navigation ticket.

Ihad briefly dabbled in AM CB and because I drove a tanker I was known as the Tankerman.

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

He's John Creasey G4 FSD. And he taught at Fleetwood college for years, not quite sure when he started, now semi retired and I think he still does some work there.

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

It certainly does, I was at Hawoth Park at the time, I was G6HQP when I worked at Haworth, then a few years later, G4XEI.

I checked your details, and it is not specific enough for me to suss you out.

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

Mac, it's Ian, G1 OPU once. Spent many hours on BQQ's roof installing more metalwork than goonhilly downs. That last post should've read "a certain park".

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

Well blow me down, did you move on from the Post Office or still connected?
I know what you mean about on his roof, I still wake up sweating about some of the experiences, like the time we went up one sunny afternoon, whilst up there it went dark and frost developed on the slates, swinging across a slippery roof on a rope to get to the ladder, this bit should be in the thread "have you nearly killed yourself". If he had anything he always had to have the biggest and with a light on as well.

I see from your profile you are into photography, you may be interested in the "Today in Pictures" section in Accrington photos.

Nice to make contact again, keep posting on the site.
Just a quick question are you still licenced, I tried a callsign look up and it came back with a no results option. You may want to move this conversation onto the PM route if you have stuff you want to say but not generally broadcast.

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

PM sent

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

Got it , replied.

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

I certainly worked him many years ago but only on VHF or UHF from the tanker.
We usually spoke when he was returning from work and I was on the last leg of my trip back from Newcastle (oop North)

I have a vague feeling his wife was licenced as well but maybe not.

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

Hi there. I've just come across this forum because I was thinking of getting a new CB setup for my 4x4, and was wondering if anybody was actually on CB these days.
I used to be on when it was good old AM and super secret. I can remember going to eyeballs at Martholme Grange and Bogarts in Darwen.
My handle was Daybreaker back then and will brobably go back to that if they still use handles that is.
Ah, the good old days.

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

I loved my CB days, spent a few years being an idiot on it. My handle was CrazyKilt.

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

Never had one, never interested me, am older n you n i'm still n idiot.:D

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

I used to be on cb in the late 70`s and the 80`s i used to have a ham international jumbo mk1 till i got robbed, i also used to do a lot of cb radio repairs as well... oh what fun only if I could relive those days again

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

AM and SSB on what us old ones call mid band is legal now, because legal in July 2014
So it's FM on the original UK channels and AM FB SSB on Mid band/EU channels

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

CB radio users aren't necessarily old.

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

Anyone over 25 is old to our 'youf'. Anyone under 25 probably hasn't heard of CB radio.

Neil says he's an old one and he's only a lad- to me at least!

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

Hi banshee here the one and only unless there was another I was on in the 80s on am and fm

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

I was called banshee on the cb back in the 80s all the way thru the 90s

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

I've been travelling down to South Lincolnshire every two or three weeks this year and staying for a few days so I bought s CB for my car to listen to the drivers patter and check on hold ups on the M62 and A1.
It's AM and FM all channels and over about 2000 miles I've heard one other CB user.
I was an old AM user in the 60's and early 70's but soon packed it in when FM started and passed my radio ham licence and never used CB again until this year.
it seems I wasted my money on this new one.

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

You would have been better off with a 2 & 70, at least when you found someone to talk with you wouldn't have learnt new swear words.

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

I have a 2 and 70 Neil and it is still used.
There is not much activity on that even nowadays.
But I agree with you, it's a lot more civilised than CB or what remember of the old AM days.

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

I must admit to sitting at the PC with the radios not switched on often myself

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

2 and 70 are about as dead as CB is for me, HF is the only place to go if you want to hear people. Of course that requires that you actually turn the radio on - for me that would mean I have to get it out of the same bag it went into after my last expedition up a hill with it last year.

Which is not happening soon, when I tell my kids that I made a new contact they generally look at me with puzzlement muttering that they talk to someone there every day via t'internet.

I cannot remember what happened to my Jumbo, it must have disappeared along with the scope and other meters I no longer seem to be able to find from 30+ years ago.

CB was fun, you could have a good natter without official consequences - on 2 & 70 etc just get some busybody telling you off.

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

CB is full of bad language and idiots last time I listened which is probably over a year ago. No point me listening now as I've not got a vertical up except for 6/4/2/70. The irony is the last time I heard a busybody moaning they didn't ID themselves :)

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

I'm sure I could find some youtube videos of idiots and bad language on VHF too.
Especially now you can get a license with every box of Cornflakes. :)

Mind you, the silent keyer is still there on CH19 last time I looked.

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

I have a Yeasu 2 and 70 handheld which also TC and RX on the marine band for which I also had a licence.
I took it to Angelsey a couple of weeks ago and had a couple of QSOs on 70 ( with the W prefix) but I also enjoyed listening on the marine band when we took a cruise round the Island and Llandudno and back.
Very civilised.

I also enjoy decoding CW listening using PC software.
I used to manage 25wpm but 25 is my limit nowadays.

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

Some people must buy the wrong cornflakes because they fail the foundation licence. The 3 step system has it's positives as well as negatives like everything I suppose. It's a bit like the old A & B thing years ago.

Yes you hear iffy things on VHF but it's very rare.

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

I've just travelled 300 miles on the A1 and M62 with my new CB installed in my car and not one peep out of it. I had it scanning every channel AM and FM British and EU. It does work because where I stay I heard the farmers in their tractors asking for another empty trailer.
I only have a mag mount and temporary installation so out it comes destined for the back of the shed. .

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

If someone fails the foundation license then they are either not doing it through a club (or at a bad club) or are just completely thick! its easy peasy.

Lets face it, radio communication as was is virtually dead.

It's mainly all digital and using the interweb now, only die hard hams (or older near dying hams) are still using it for what it was, CB too - this is only still used by older users that knew what it was back in the day.

Anyone wanting comms now would generally find themselves using mobile phones, skype, discord etc. where they can have more private discussions, public ones etc without planks etc.

If your not in a phone area little handies may get used, but TBH I cannot say I have seen enough people using them (outside of a rally or radio club) to be able to continue counting on my other hand.

My first contact in 20+ years was using Echolink to a caravan in SA from my Nexus 7, then over 50km through HF to a ham. Since then its only really been contests that have made much noise on my radio, anything else is a beep, buzz, wizz or bluuuurrrrghgghh! :)

I told my kids about the conversation and they tell me that they do that almost every day via their computer.

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

Foundation is mainly about safety and rules/regulations with a tiny bit of technical in but you could probably pass without the tech bit.

I don't agree it's all digital, I was doing some PSK63 last night on 30m. By digital do you mean voice or typed? Unless you mean CW which is probably the oldest form or digital comms

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

PSK63 is digital?
A lot goes via different digital formats.

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

I only bought the CB recently because I've been doing regular trips over the M62 and down the A1. I thought maybe the patter between other road users could advise me of hold ups or crashes to be avoided. Anyway it's packed away now.
When I got my B radio ham licence in the 1970,s and later the A licence it was stipulated that it could not be used for general broadcasts such as saying a certain road had delays.
Apart from using the old Internet forum such as this I never use a PC for any sort of QSO.
My last big HF contact on SSB was the Australian Grand Prix special event station.
My last contact on CW was an operator just outside Moscow.
Both using a vertical.

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

Very few truck drivers have CB's now so no traffic reports anymore and you still can't make traffic broadcast messages on ham bands unless you CQ'd for anyone stuck in this traffic jam at junction 21 on the M6 :)

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

Yes PSK is digital, only been playing with it a bit. It's typed not spoken

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

Is that similar to the old packet radio we used in the 80's.
I had on Tandy terminal and built a packet radio circuit into it using an old Yeasu two metre set with crystal for the two frequencies.

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

Packet is before my time but from what I know it was passed from user to user until it got where it was going.
PSK is like RTTY which is still used a lot

Here is a wiki link to PSK31 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSK31

Just found a good link for many different ham digital modes http://hfradio.org.uk/html/digital_modes.html

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

That's the packet system I used Neil. It took about an hour to get a few words to Glasgow going via the IOM and Carlisle then Dumfries and Kilmarnock. All exciting stuff back then.
I have a multi system box somewhere which does Packet, RTTY and other.
I used it on HF to see the shipping forecasts and map changes at 15 past midnight and every four hours.
When I moved down here I sold the HF gear and antennas but still have 2 and 70 in a mobile and hand held. I keep meaning to get active again.
In the meanwhile the CB I bought recently has been packed away and I wasted money.

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

If you're local to Accrington you will probably be able to hit GB3RF which is up Willows Lane with your hand held 145.775 with a -0.6 split and 82.5Hz CTCSS

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

I was a member of the repeater group going back many years when the Bowling club was packed for the meetings.
I think the late Jack Addison was an early chairman.
The repeater was moved from Hambledonhill due to excessive costs but a member from the top of Fern Gore put it in his house.
The Club had a chance to buy the GB3PF site, the 70cm repeater but declined.
It was going for a song and would be worth a fortune today with all the other commercial users there.
And yes, my hand held can open RF but I don't hear anybody. Mind you it's not every day I have a listen.

Re: Any old AM CB radio users out there?
 

I'm a member but haven't been up for a few months, work has been getting in the way of play