The old FCC issued cb call signs

[TD126]

KBM-95##

I still have the original license somewhere around here from back in the early 70's...72,73....maybe 74 I don't remember. I used my paws # until I got old enough to get one. KFU-0134 I think it was...I still remember lot of the old call signs. I wish "CB" was not called CB. It should be 11 meters. The 11 meters is a professional hobby as well as 10 and 12 meters is and requires a certain amount of skill and knowledge if one makes and sets up even a small amount of their equipment. Back in "The Day" we were "Watched" a lot closer by the FCC and held to a degree of....accountability on some of the rules. Such as, there was not much of this Break, Break 19. How 'bout the Big Rabbit" or "Good buddy" this or that. If I were calling my paw it would go something like this. " This is KBM-95## calling KTO-0134" Come in please. Then people spoke in a casual but professional manner. When signing off it was much the same way..."73's my friend. This is KBM-95## will be standing by"
IF one had profanity to discuss or tell someone, they did not do it over the radio. IF they did and someone turned them in or they were caught in the act, they faced a hefty fine, license suspension etc. A serious infraction could mean confiscation of equipment. A lot of the old timers gave it all up when the crazy craze hit in the mid 70's after the Arab Oil Embargo in 73-74. It disgusted these folks so much. That is understandable. Especially for someone who had been in radio since the 11 meter was allocated in the late 1940's. (I think it was 1947 after WWII) The returning GI's from the signal corp. wanted the technology available to them so they could keep up with family friends etc. Every now and then you'd see an old (new then) car with a looooong whip and big ole "sprang" on the fender of the car or the back bumper of the car or pick up truck etc. I remember being a small boy and it just amazed me to see the radios, antenna and hearing the people talking...it still amazes me in a little different way. OK I should've3 left memory lane on the other side of the road but, I get wound up sometimes. If I can find the license sometime I will post a pic of it.

 

[WB5ITT]

11 meter CB was NOT supposed to be a "hobby"...Ham radio is not a PROFESSIONAL service (though there are pros who are hams...just as there are amateur professionals ) Class D CB (it's original name) was created to allow personal communications between family and non family members and small businesses who could not afford the larger and more expensive commercial land mobile gear at the time. The 11 meter band was originally a ham band....reallocated in late 1956 or 57 to the CB service. There was Class A and B CB already existing but they were UHF (and at the time had poor range and PRICEY equipment)...so the FCC thought using 11meters would give casual radio users decent range and inexpensive gear..the rules called for communications no further than 150 miles....at a sunspot minimum, that worked..but when the solar cycle started peaking, the CB ops realized they could work across the country on just 5 watts input power (something hams had been doing for decades) The oil embargos in the 70 sent CB popularity soaring as gear was cheap, plentiful and allowed anyone to listen to other folks on the road giving out "smokey reports"....Movies like "Smokey and the Bandit" just helped push the popularity along even more...and when people realized 10m linear amps could be easily used on 11m, the band got crowded with unlicensed and illegal operations..(since most folks by then didnt bother sending in the form for a license...the FCC was overwhelmed and could not control the problems on the band).

The FRS band on UHF is what CB should have been back in the early days but the cheap FM talkies today were not possible back in the days of tubes and point to point wiring...Even in the 70s, UHF gear was still out of the casual radio user's reach in price..NOW you can find FRS radios anywhere for $50 or less.....the FCC at least got some things right with FRS; made them require antennas that cannot be removed...thus no amplifier can be easily attached.

Class A and B CB were combined into what is now the GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service)...Class C (remote control of models, etc) was deleted 2 decades ago...Class D is the only "CB" still remaining...and it is a CB service, NOT a HOBBY or professional. All one needs is a radio, an antenna mounted in the air with coax connected between the two and that's it. No special skills are needed for THAT!....it was meant to be a personal, non hobby operation...but the folks who didn't want to take the ham license tests (oh it was too hard...I dont want to learn the code.......blah blah blah) made it into a ham like operation....but the two are nothing alike (though the amateur service is starting to become what 11m CB has been...with new hams not knowing electronic theory and just because they memorized the answers and have an Extra class ticket, they think they know it all......but DON'T)

Chris
WB5ITT
(licensed at age 14, Advanced since 1974)
EX KDO-2700 under my dad's call
PG-9-5322 FCC GROL (commercial lifetime license)
Telecom and broadcast engineer for almost 40 years

 

[Mudfoot]

Nice story... But...

CB radios might have been plentiful in the 70's, but they sure as hell weren't cheap.

 

[Unit 194]

CB Call letters

KQD-0180

 

[Unit 194]

CB Call letters

One of my locals was: KOD-3839

 

[K4PIH]

Old FCC issued CB callsigns

Mine was KGE-8997 and my handle was "Shark" because I used to do a lot of shark fishing. Enough of my story, let me relate what I was told by a very old CBer (SK) some years back. When CB was first started, it was as an emergency network to back up civil defense back in the 50 and 60's. Back then you had to go through traning and then apply for a call sign. The only time you could talk was on a scheduled net that was like a communications exercise. Since you had to use your assigned number to talk, the guys who wanted to talk when they felt like it started making up code names which later became "handles". That way they could talk without the FCC or net control getting tracking them down. About the time CVB picked up 11 meters from tghe hams, the FCC dropped the civil defense aspect and let people talk but you still had to have a license. That's hoe I got KGE-8997 back in the early 70's. We were restricted to less than 100 miles (like you could tell your radio to only go that far), and you had to ID every 5 or 10 minutes. The electronic stores would not sell you a CB radio unless you had the FCC form with your license on it and showed it at the time of purchase. No ticket no radio! Then then the CB boom hit the FCC threw their hands up and said enough, we surrender. This all might not be correct but that's they way I was told it happened.

 

[RatsoW8]

Interesting take on it but I don't believe that is the actual history of CB radio. From what I understand it's always been a means of personal radio communication and was not used for civil defense or emergency comms, until REACT that is. Starting out in the UHF band in the 40's and relegated to 11 meters in the late 50's.

I also recall being able to buy a CB radio in the late 60's and early 70's without having a license. The license form was always included in the box with the CB.

 

[injunear]

Kqv6589

 

[357magnum]

KMA-5280

 

[The DB]

Mine was KGE-8997 and my handle was "Shark" because I used to do a lot of shark fishing. Enough of my story, let me relate what I was told by a very old CBer (SK) some years back. When CB was first started, it was as an emergency network to back up civil defense back in the 50 and 60's. Back then you had to go through traning and then apply for a call sign. The only time you could talk was on a scheduled net that was like a communications exercise. Since you had to use your assigned number to talk, the guys who wanted to talk when they felt like it started making up code names which later became "handles". That way they could talk without the FCC or net control getting tracking them down. About the time CVB picked up 11 meters from tghe hams, the FCC dropped the civil defense aspect and let people talk but you still had to have a license. That's hoe I got KGE-8997 back in the early 70's. We were restricted to less than 100 miles (like you could tell your radio to only go that far), and you had to ID every 5 or 10 minutes. The electronic stores would not sell you a CB radio unless you had the FCC form with your license on it and showed it at the time of purchase. No ticket no radio! Then then the CB boom hit the FCC threw their hands up and said enough, we surrender. This all might not be correct but that's they way I was told it happened.

Nice story, unfortunately its not true...

Taken from wikipedia, Citizen's Band Radio page...

The citizens band radio service originated in the United States as one of several personal radio services regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). These services began in 1945 to permit citizens a radio band for personal communication (e.g., radio-controlled model airplanes and family and business communications). In 1948, the original CB Radios were designed for operation on the 460–470 Megacycle UHF band. There were two classes of CB radio: A and B. Class B radios had simpler technical requirements, and were limited to a smaller frequency range. Al Gross established the Citizens Radio Corporation during the late 1940s to manufacture Class B handhelds for the general public.

Ultra-high frequency (UHF) radios, at the time, were neither practical nor affordable for the average consumer. On September 11, 1958 the Class D CB service was created on 27 MHz, and this band became what is popularly known today as CB. There were only 23 channels at the time; the first 22 were taken from the former Amateur Radio Service 11-meter band, and channel 23 was shared with radio-controlled devices. Some hobbyists continue to use the designation "11 meters" to refer to the citizens band and adjoining frequencies. Part 95 of the Code of Federal Regulations regulates the Class D CB service, on the 27 MHz band, since the 1970s and continuing today. Most of the 460–470 MHz band was reassigned for business and public-safety use; Class A CB is the forerunner of the General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS). Class B Citizens Band is a more distant ancestor of the Family Radio Service. The Multi-Use Radio Service is another two-way radio service in the VHF high band. An unsuccessful petition was filed in 1973 to create a Class E CB service at 220 MHz, which was opposed by Amateur Radio organizations and others. There are several other classes of personal radio services for specialized purposes (such as remote control devices).

During the 1960s, the service was popular among small businesses (e.g., electricians, plumbers, carpenters), truck drivers and radio hobbyists. By the late 1960s advances in solid-state electronics allowed the weight, size, and cost of the radios to fall, giving the public access to a communications medium previously only available to specialists. CB clubs were formed; a CB slang language evolved alongside 10-codes, similar to those used in emergency services.

There are several references to other sources in this text on wikipedia.


The DB

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Mine was KGE-8997 and my handle was "Shark" because I used to do a lot of shark fishing. Enough of my story, let me relate what I was told by a very old CBer (SK) some years back. When CB was first started, it was as an emergency network to back up civil defense back in the 50 and 60's. Back then you had to go through traning and then apply for a call sign. The only time you could talk was on a scheduled net that was like a communications exercise. Since you had to use your assigned number to talk, the guys who wanted to talk when they felt like it started making up code names which later became "handles". That way they could talk without the FCC or net control getting tracking them down. About the time CVB picked up 11 meters from tghe hams, the FCC dropped the civil defense aspect and let people talk but you still had to have a license. That's hoe I got KGE-8997 back in the early 70's. We were restricted to less than 100 miles (like you could tell your radio to only go that far), and you had to ID every 5 or 10 minutes. The electronic stores would not sell you a CB radio unless you had the FCC form with your license on it and showed it at the time of purchase. No ticket no radio! Then then the CB boom hit the FCC threw their hands up and said enough, we surrender. This all might not be correct but that's they way I was told it happened.

:blink: Ummm.....errrrr......ahhhhhh......there is so much wrong with that account of the history of CB I don't know just where to start. In fact I won't. The DB pretty much said it in a nutshell.


OH hell......no training was required for CB and it was not part of civil defense. Stores would sell you a CB without a license because the license application was in the box, at least it was for a number of years. You did have to ID every ten minutes but the range was 155 miles not 100. Those are the major errors I see.

 

[K4PIH]

Old FCC callsigns

Glad you all decided to jump on my case. I was just relaying what I was told by a now SK who went through the training back in the day.

The part I told about having to get the form before you could buy the radio is 100% true. I know because I lived it. I went to the local Grice electronics store in Westwood mall in Pensacola Florida with cash in hand to buy a CB (this was in 1975) and was asked for a copy of my CB license, which I didn't have. The clerk explained to me that it was federal law (FCC requirement) to have a license and a call sign before I was able to by any CB radio. The store had a stack of forms and gave them to all who needed one. I had to fill out the form, include 20 something $$, send it to the FCC, and waited about 5 weeks to get my license. Only then would the store sell me a radio. If you thing that part is wrong then you are full of it. I still have a hard copy of that original CB license.

Another thing, if you believe or quote anything that is in wikipedia as gospel, then I have swamp land in Louisiana just for you. And for you Wiki coolaid drinkers, Grice electronics in Pensacola Flroida is on wiki.

 

[K6CPO]

try this link kind of interesting
page5

That's painful to look at...

KATF0709 (How I ever managed to remember that at my age is a miracle...)

 

[jessejamesdallas]

Glad you all decided to jump on my case. I was just relaying what I was told by a now SK who went through the training back in the day.

The part I told about having to get the form before you could buy the radio is 100% true. I know because I lived it. I went to the local Grice electronics store in Westwood mall in Pensacola Florida with cash in hand to buy a CB (this was in 1975) and was asked for a copy of my CB license, which I didn't have. The clerk explained to me that it was federal law (FCC requirement) to have a license and a call sign before I was able to by any CB radio. The store had a stack of forms and gave them to all who needed one. I had to fill out the form, include 20 something $$, send it to the FCC, and waited about 5 weeks to get my license. Only then would the store sell me a radio. If you thing that part is wrong then you are full of it. I still have a hard copy of that original CB license.

Another thing, if you believe or quote anything that is in wikipedia as gospel, then I have swamp land in Louisiana just for you. And for you Wiki coolaid drinkers, Grice electronics in Pensacola Flroida is on wiki.

That's weird....I bought my first CB in 74 from a local Radio Shack, and didn't have a license... Like said earlier, there was a card you had to fill out inside the radio's box, and send in with $4 to get your license...Shortly after that, around the time the 40 channel radios came out is when they dropped the license requirement... Probably because it was unenforceable... back then trying to get everyone using a CB to register, would be like trying to get everyone with a cell phone to have a license today..."Good luck!"

Interesting read on the History of CB Radio...
http://www.mortaljourney.com/2010/10/1970-trends/cb-radio

Here's one bit of information from that site:

During the beginning of the craze, CB radios required a licensed to operate. They cost about $20 in the early 1970′s and were reduced to $4 in the late 1970′s. In addition, there were many rules and regulations concerning antenna height, distance restrictions, allowable transmitter power, and call sign rules. People ignored the laws and developed “handles” or fake names to identify themselves on the radio. After the FCC started receiving over 1,000,000 license applications a month, the license requirement was dropped entirely but as the culture had already developed, people continued using handles such as “Big Mama” or “Timberwolf” to identify themselves while on the air.

Some famous celebrity handles include:

Betty Ford, a former First Lady of the United States, whose CB handle was “First Mama”.

Voice actor Mel Blanc , an active CB Radio operator, often used the CB handles Bugs or Daffy and talked over the air in the Los Angeles area using his many voices.

"IF" you payed over $20 for a license, and had to have it before you bought your radio...IT could be you have your dates mixed-up...As for having the license before you could buy a radio, that could have just been that particular stores rule's maybe, which you could have probably have turned his butt into the FCC at the time to get him to change his tune...Or maybe it was just a racist thing...

 

[todt061458]

No matter the true history of cb radio. It has turned into a Hobbie service. Ham radio is changing into a cb lite svc. And life goes on.