Re: About - Citizens' Band (CB) Radio

bpnjensen wrote:
On May 13, 10:18 pm, RHF <rhf-newsgro...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Yes "CB" a Thousand Beacons of Blight ! ~ RHF
- - - Don't get me wrong "CB" still has it's uses
-but- a Celfone works better for the same uses
99.7% of the time in the real world.

Yeah, but the CB is 99.7% more fun!

:-)

Bruce



Several years ago, on a road trip through central Missouri and into Arkansas, I brought my 148GTL Sideband along, mostly to get road forecasts. And it paid off...a truck hitting a bridge abutment 45 miles ahead had closed the highway I was on. And at the particular location of the crash, the detour around it would have been more than 50 miles out of my way. I had been chatting with a trucker for about 35 minutes (everything from Music to Politics) when we heard the call, and he took me off the highway, through a rather scenic detour that only added a few miles and about 15 minutes to my trip, chatting and chewing all the way, he in his 18 wheeler and me following in my Caravan.

We split at Hot Springs, but it was one of the most enjoyable conversations I'd had on the road (and on the radio) in some time.

Later that week, I picked up another conversation that lasted for more than 100 miles. And several more 'head's up' notifications about traffic conditions and construction before me on the Arkansas roads.

Now, not everyone gets the same kind of mileage out of a CB radio. Any decent HF radio will get you some pretty hefty crap, right now, if you care to try. But for a short range AM rig, I got quite a lot of useful information, sufficiently far enough out to divert around the problems, and far more entertainment than broadcast radio alone.

Not all truckers are friendly out on the road. And they're not all Jerry Reed from 'Smoky and the Bandit.' But, by far the lion's share of them find more benefit in disseminating useful information and engaging in conversation, than not.

Get a decent converation going, and you'll be surprised at how many will participate.

Your mileage will vary, of course, but if you know how to apply it, a decent CB rig can indeed be a lot of fun.



.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Sony ICF-S10MK2 -- Anyone here use it?
    ... won't match up to larger radios like the GE Super Radio. ... I suspect under good conditions it may pull in stations 1000 miles away. ... Decent FM reception, slightly below the GE Super Radio though. ...
    (rec.radio.shortwave)
  • Re: Long range rural wireless high speed data options...
    ... the nearest TV channel 8 transmitter is 300 miles away. ... Of course it's radio. ... to allow for multiple signals. ... the radio gets a satellite dish. ...
    (rec.radio.amateur.homebrew)
  • Re: GMRS/FRS Radio
    ... Since curvature of the earth is about 17 miles are they measuring from ... radios are no different than similarly powered ham radio or commercial hand-helds. ... sitting on the lip of a bluff, with the high gain antenna on a 300 ft tower. ... against fraudulent advertising claims, I suggest direct action. ...
    (rec.outdoors.rv-travel)
  • Re: (OT) : Weak "HD" FM Radio Signals - The Blinking Blue Light Report
    ... "Family" Radio in Twain Harte, ... a very good FM Stereo signal and on an occasionalBlinkingBlueLight{indicating an IBOC "HD" Signal}.http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?list=0&facid=35501 ... Distance to me about 120 Miles. ... CA Good Audio and BBL ~100 Miles ...
    (rec.radio.shortwave)
  • Re: How far out is safe
    ... Can you instantly radio your current ... if any questions or doubts on the weather, ... we often go out fifty miles. ... I think in most places the USCG offers a general boating safety course ...
    (rec.outdoors.fishing.saltwater)