CB RADIO / HAM RADIO (TO BE OR NOT TO BE)

[W5LZ]

Have people been CB'ers, switched to ham, then switched back? Don't have any statistics, but I'd certainly be willing to bet that there have been. Why? I have no idea, probably lots of them, I don't know. I would tend to think that cost could certainly be one of those reasons, though.
One way of looking at those costs, justifying them? That ham radio doesn't just cover one band, more like 8 to 10 bands. Multiply the cost of one CB radio by those band numbers and you get toward the 'high' end of ham radios, sort of. That does not include the 'used' market, so you could save a few that way too.
Basically it's a matter of what YOU want to do or be able to do. Up to you...
- 'Doc

 

[EDUK8TR]

I really don't think you're going to find many former cb ops. who went ham go back to cb and be content in doing so. I fit the same mold of several of the others posting in this thread. The added bandwidth for use and the abililty to have QSO's with so many others is another world compared to when you're sitting waiting for a band opening on 11m to take advantage of some propagation.

Once you make that contact to a region half way around the world on 100w with a piece of wire for an antenna your'e gonna be hooked. I really hope you will give this due consideration and take the plunge.

I know some local "Techs" who haven't upgraded and are in fact quite happy with just those priviledges. They enjoy the use of reapeaters and nets on those repeaters. I kind of did it alittle backwards. I was more interested in HF and tested to get into HF right away. It has only been recently that I have also got into using the local repeaters. This was mostly because alot of chatter among club members is done there. I do however really enjoy the ability to always have someone to talk to on the HF freq.s. I would be remiss in saying that I can't wait for the next sunspot cycle to kick into full swing, that is gonna be a hell'uva lot of fun.

Take the plunge dude!

73

Wayne C.

 

[rfoverlord]

Well, like a lot of others here i started on cb and then moved up to the ham bands just because i wanted more spectrum. i still use my cb and probably always will, but when the 11 mtr. band is dead there is always 80mtrs.

 

[C2]

Who said that?

Ham is like going to a black tie event. You have to be PC, watch your tounge, and courtsie when appropriate. Don't gulp the wine, swirl it in the glass, then take a big wiff, a small sip, and swirl it around in your mouth, then comment on the buttery or berry flavors...

CB is like being at the beach where you can wear a hawaian shirt, untucked, ogle at the women, and gulp cheap beer (unless you live on the left coast).

It's kind of like this forum in a way. It used to be fun to just talk casually about RF theory and kind of stumble along with it. But then some people were just too up tight about it and had to rub your face in everythig you said wrong.

Sometimes, you just could not be right.

I put the key down, walked away from the table, and went to get some nachos, with jalapenios.

Someday I will turn my expired extra minus class license into something useable.

 

[skipper1]

I have been in two way radio since the mid sixties and never got into ham seriously until last year. I am proud to be a ham operator but I still enjoy CB also. My opinion is that there is room for both. And I agree that there are bad apples in ham just like CB, but it is just something we have to live with unless we want to drop two way radio use all the way just to avoid the undesirable portion of each class of radio operators. Lets just get along and ignore the bad apples and have fun with the hobby.

skipper1

 

[Justme]

You can do both.
About the hambands and fitting in, that is what we do in real life too, isn't it?
Going to an party with close friends you behave different as going to an party with people from work or high up bozo's.

I got my license in 1977, but stayed active on 11 meters, some good friends there, who were not interested in getting an license.
Repaired lots of butched up transcievers, undoing mods wich produced lots of harmonics and problems, buildt P.A. s for H.F. 11 meter, 6. 2 and 70 cm's

Not active on 11 meter since years, things went down the drain fast here for 5 years back, so not active now on theis side of the pond.

On the Ham frequencies i stil have fun, making jokes as long it stays decent, no problems, not everything is as black and white as told here.
Had lots of good QSO's on 20 meters and up with stateside stations where we had an long chat with fun.

I'm not the DX looking guy, rather have an decent chat with the other man/woman at the other side.

I know i can work the world, no certificate needed to prove that.
I have more pleasure in an good chat, and if one of my homemade projects actually work the first time

Cor

 

[kd-5-bgt]

I would have to say ...take the plunge..... I have been a ham for 11 years now and I took my general last weekend at a local ham fest and I am finally able to hit a good chunk of all bands.

I will never forget the time that I took a CB to a local ham(his call is KI-5-RB) to get it worked on and saw a Kenwood 950 on his desk.I told him that I had to have one of those,he threw a CQ magazine to me and said "ok here is how you do it legally"....that was all it took...Thanks George!

I was in CB and freeband for a very long time and used a varity of gear from CBs to modded ham gear.I just simply found it interesting that you can put a piece of metal/wire on a pole and talk to someone across town or across the world....on 2 meter or 440 mhz you can even bounce a signal off the moon to work ' DX ' and also run a signal through a satalite(?spelling) and last but not least talk to the space station and the shuttles while they are in space.

Some ham gear can be bought for around the same price as high end CB gear and a ham antenna can be either made or bought as cheap as 30 to 50$ that will work from 160 meters(1.8 mhz) to 440 mhz depending on how you cut it

Don't forget storm spotting,80 to 90% of all tornado warnings that are put out on TV and radio come from hams that are out in the field watching the sky

Ham radio,well worth the time to get your ticket.

I was glad that I did !