OK here's the straight dope when it comes to radio checks.
if you have a radio without a meter, or can't see that meter because you are driving, then you might require a radio check every once in a great while.
The problem is that CBers who don't know how to just key up and talk keep asking for radio checks as a way of starting a conversation.
NOTHING makes a CBer feel more duped into talking to someone than responding "it's working" only to have the other operator come back with, "so what kind of radio are you talking on?"
that's conversational assault people!!!
stop doing that!
If you have something to say, then key up your mic and say it.
If you want to know if there is anyone else on the channel, then key up and say "is there anyone on the channel?"
or, like most CBers, you key up and say "awful quiet out there", or "where'd everybody go?"
or maybe this old chestnut, "ahhh, just like i like my channel, nice and quiet." LOL
but NEVER just key up and say "break one nine break one nine, can i get a radio check?" and expect anyone to have anything more to say to you than "it's working driver".
the reason this happens is because you have just alerted the whole channel to the fact that you are probably a very boring person with nothing original to say.
if you did have something original to say, you'd just key your mic and say it.
so, do that instead.
LC
That’s why I include location, sounds good at mile marker 176, hand. What’s your 20?
I distinctly recall feeling duped by what you’ve described above in giving an air check.
Now, they have a choice.
If there’s too much echo, I offer to help; back off the echo about half of what you got and let’s hear it.
It’s easy to brush against or reach across the radio and bump a setting. Or, the mic got dropped AGAIN. Etc.
DSP plus some coax filtration will give you the most sensitive ears on the road that morning. A lot of these ol boys have TERRIBLE audio down to Talkback being REALLY bad for setting radio versus GP.
They can’t hear themselves or others at all well. And KNOW they’ve been misunderstood more than once. Radio settings FIRST.
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