Time is now to revive CB Radio

[Red Ranger]

What some members do forget, CB will always be in the Trucking Industry. That has been a long standing with truckers. The only problem is the new generation of truck drivers. Some of them have no respect for them selves, Let alone those who are on the road. JMHO from an Ol' School Trucker/ 1976- Still trucking.

I doubt that, notice how many trucks now have no CB antenna? Especially the dedicate route trucks, I'm seeing fewer CB's in Big Rigs folks.

CB is antiquated, user office888 is Right. Refresh the radios, Chrome knobs are like obsolete, should have gone the way of the metal chrome bumpers on motor vehicles!!!

Also get the features right, IMO, I see WAY too many radios lack the essential features like RF/Mic gain, NO ANL(a mobile install with no NB/ANL is just stupid)


Stop rehashing the same radios over and over, the Connex Saturn/Galaxy DX 2517/2980/2995 types of radios!!!!!

but perhaps our griping is outdated, as with the 50th anniversary Cobra and the Ranger PPR-TLM1, CB radios are getting more modern.

 

[this_is_nascar]

Theirs no time like 2011 for CB Radio's to make a come back. CB Radio needs reinvented marketed and revived. CB Radio at one time was the backbone of America communications. Anyone have any ideas???

Nice concept, but I'm sorry to say that CB will never make a come-back. Matter of fact, as each year goes by, you'll see it decline is usage. Less and less truck drivers are using CB. Most of the new truck drivers want no parts of CB. With cell phones, GPS and other technologies, CB is really only considered to be a usable form of communications by the die-hard old-timers. Every now and again, you'll get a newbie that shows some interests, but that's a very small minority.

 

[mackmobile43]

Nice concept, but I'm sorry to say that CB will never make a come-back. Matter of fact, as each year goes by, you'll see it decline is usage. Less and less truck drivers are using CB. Most of the new truck drivers want no parts of CB. With cell phones, GPS and other technologies, CB is really only considered to be a usable form of communications by the die-hard old-timers. Every now and again, you'll get a newbie that shows some interests, but that's a very small minority.

 

[Robb]

The use and interest in CB radio wanes or thrives on the solar cycle. Now that the cycle is now on the upswing, interest seems to be increasing as far as I can see. Perhaps those who claim it is fading away are just sharing their own wishful thinking. Or they do/don't have a radio - or just didn't turn it on. Has to be one of those possibilities.

Whenever skip conditions have been fair here in CA; the radio literally boils over each time with many operators clamoring to say hi to old friends and to meet and make new ones.

Is it dying? No; and the equipment mfr's are coming out with new gear loaded with new technology clearly makes this statement true. They wouldn't waste their time and money if it was dying. Even CB's are getting the computer USB connection now. This could be the very best time for CB radio as we speak.

AS far as truckers go; I know they are very active in using CB's over that last few years - from my travel experiences across this country. For them, it still is and probably will be a major tool of the trade - IMO . . .

 

[Red Ranger]

Exactly, how ya going to sell something at a truck stop when you hurting for cash if you have no CB?

I've heard some pathetic truck drivers on the air, need some cash for fuel etc.:bored:

 

[UTAHSCOPER]

I think the CB is still a great asset to truckers. I ride with my brother quite a bit and the radio is used all the time for traffic updates and such. I also see the new trucks selling with the CB already built in which is a good idea....if the CB radios were updated versions it would be better. I've been into CB since 1969 and still enjoy the heck out of it....mostly on SSB but it's just in my blood. I keep thinking I should upgrade and get the ticket. But being a "free bander" it just wouldn't be the same if I had the ticket. JMO

 

[W5LZ]

I haven't gone back through all of this thread, just the last couple of pages. Fromn what I've seen people post, everyone has been 'right' to some extend, and 'wrong' to some extent. Which is about normal.
This is what I've seen over the last forty some-odd years.
CB radio has changed, there's no getting around that. It went from a structured/licensed thing to a totally 'whatever'/unlicensed thing. There were as many "rebels"/"outlaws" forty something years ago as there are now, just to different degrees. Big stations and the more common average stations, and then the small stations. The regular 40 channels and out of the regular 40 channels. There weren't all that many really high power stations, but there wasn't as many big amplifiers either.
Unfortunately, CB radio hasn't stayed up with the current technology. What's 'new' now, that wasnt' around 40 years ago? Digital/LED/LC/whatever read-outs, PLL circuits instead of crystals? Oh, and 'BlueTooth, maybe even a USB port (what can you do with that besides 'BlueTooth'?)? Some are even SMT instead of 'pig-tailed' components! Wow! that's what, at least 20 years out of date? The basic circuitry hasn't changed at all, it's still the same radio as 30 - 40 years ago. Only a few changes that are inexpensive for the manufacturers. And how about the modes? AM and SSB, that's it. While usable, I wouldn't exactly call them up to date, would you?
I do quite a bit of traveling, not necessarily on the highways, but I'm in the car a lot and I really do listen to CB radio. When there's anything worth listening to, which is very seldom. Part of that is propagation. But part of it is that there's just not as many CB'ers around as there used to be. there are just too many other ways of doing things now. That 'nasty' ham radio, for one (dead nutz easy to get now), VOIP, IRLP, EchoLink, gobs of other modes including TV and digital keyboard stuff and any other mode you can think of. Or cell phones, iPads, iPhones, who knows what else. CB radio is declining. It's out modded. It has a reputation, deserved or otherwise. And where are you going to mount the thing in newer vehicles?

It isn't dead yet! But it's sure getting 'old'...
- 'Doc

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Is it dying? No; and the equipment mfr's are coming out with new gear loaded with new technology clearly makes this statement true. They wouldn't waste their time and money if it was dying. Even CB's are getting the computer USB connection now. This could be the very best time for CB radio as we speak.

Not necessarily true. The companies could be seeing a drop in business and are putting money into new features in hopes of breathing new life into a dying hobby. CB will never be what it was when hundreds of companies were making radios and making a profit doing it. Today there are a handfull or two of companies making radios with (relatively speaking) low sales. Cellphones and especially texting will continue to increase in use especially among the younger set and most of today's youth have no interest in "an antiquated and usesless" (not my words but those of which I have heard spoken in regards to ham radio etc.) mode of communications like CB (or any radio based communications). There will be short term peaks but overallCB will continue to be on the downslide.

 

[tracker1962]

I've been watching this thread as well and something hasn't been said.
I was a CB'er in the mid 70's and gave it up when the skip was too much to talk to my friends 20-30 miles away.
Later on I got my ticket so we could speak again.
Recently I set up a Uniden PC 66XL in my vehicle as a new job requires me to do a lot of highway travel.
Do I have room for it in my newer vehicle, no, as someone mentioned.
I had to jam it between my seat and console.
Agreed don't hear too much on it but it's only been 3 days.
To the point. My XYL asked me, why a CB and not a cell phone or other modes mentioned here.
My reply, will the trucker ahead of me have my number to call or text me?
To me, it still seems to be a good mode of road communication.
It shows that there are many truckers/people using them if the ban of communications while driving excludes the radio until technology catches up.
A lot of noise must have been made for this decision.

 

[BammBamm]

my 2 cents

I'm a mechanic and let me throw my $ .02 in here. I have been a mechanic for over 16 years and have worked on hundreds if not thousands of vehicles. How many have a cb installed....maybe 50 out of all of them. I always comment on those that have one about their choice of gear or swr's to make small talk and to let them know that I also am into radio. In the last 3 years I have seen maybe 5 radios in vehicles other than the horse haulers we service their trucks for. Our shop is located about 1 mile from a major highway here in Chicago area and as a service in our shop we sell a few radios in our shop along with antennas. All new radios are installed and swr set at no charge and we sell them at 5% over our purchase price. we also do swr set for $5 on your radios. We have been doing this for about 2 years now and guess how many radios we have sold.....3 1 was a cobra 29 and 2 galaxy dx 959's and 1 k-40 antenna. we have now sent back all but 1 old cobra 19 plus and are not doing any cb work at all. I must agree cb is slowly dying here also.

 

[NorthStar]

Yes I wish we could get some Remote Head CB Rigs.
I'm not gonna give up. I think some creative Marketing is in order Got CB? I do !

 

[mackmobile43]

Yes I wish we could get some Remote Head CB Rigs.
I'm not gonna give up. I think some creative Marketing is in order Got CB? I do !

That would be awesome and would work great for newer vehicles, yes trucks too

 

[cbradiomagazine.com]

CB Radio might still be in a decline but if it was dying then companies like Magnum wouldn't be able to keep making radio and they sure as heck wouldn't be bothering to make new ones

There were some articles posted recently for a online magazine by a computer geek about things that are now obsolete and he listed CB radio as one of them....obviously he didn't poll the tens of thousand of people who use them everyday around the world

When you talk about things that were "dying" those are things where only a couple of thousand people still use them.

I think 8 tracks, Laserdisks, Beta movies, and quite a few other things are examples of things that were dying or died. But even they aren't gone completely - I still have a Sony Betamax from 1986 I think and 100 movies and it still works great!

With multiple companies still selling and marketing CB radios (even if they all come from the same factory in China) it is far from dying. Now maybe 20 years from now when all the people who were in their 20's and 30's in the 70's and 80's start kicking the bucket we'll see it dwindle.

The one thing that it has going in it's favor is that it only take 2 people for a CB radio to be useful or fun.

And when all you old farts kick the bucket and there are only 5,000 CBer's left in the entire world and Cobra 2000's sell for 0.99 on ebay because no one knows what they are, you can bet those lucky few will have the largest and most awesome collections of radios, amplifiers and antennas you've ever seen. And you also can bet that they will all talk on one channel, will all know each other, and will rule the airwaves (even if 11 meters isn't legal by then ).

Heck - channel 6 and channel 38 are becoming like that already, everyone knows each other, people get together at big keydowns and events every year. I think if anything a small CB community means good times, good friends, and good fun.

The sun won't stop making sunspots (at least until this year ) so DX will continue and there will always be someone out there looking to say hello.

So don't worry yourselves about it and take good care of those radios so when you die the rest of us don't have to do too much repair work.

By the way - I think it's worth mentioning, since I started tracking stats for my website in 2009 I now have had over a half a million people visit and almost 1.5 million webpages viewed.

My 68 youtube videos have been played 733,797 times and if you figure the average video is 3 mins long (many are 5 to 10 minutes long) - if you tried to watch a 3 min video x 733,797 times (by my math) it would take you over 4 years of continuous watching to see it all.

CB is far from dying or dead So go recruit someone new to enjoy the hobby.

 

[okiebob]

CB Radio might still be in a decline but if it was dying then companies like Magnum wouldn't be able to keep making radio and they sure as heck wouldn't be bothering to make new ones

There were some articles posted recently for a online magazine by a computer geek about things that are now obsolete and he listed CB radio as one of them....obviously he didn't poll the tens of thousand of people who use them everyday around the world

When you talk about things that were "dying" those are things where only a couple of thousand people still use them.

I think 8 tracks, Laserdisks, Beta movies, and quite a few other things are examples of things that were dying or died. But even they aren't gone completely - I still have a Sony Betamax from 1986 I think and 100 movies and it still works great!

With multiple companies still selling and marketing CB radios (even if they all come from the same factory in China) it is far from dying. Now maybe 20 years from now when all the people who were in their 20's and 30's in the 70's and 80's start kicking the bucket we'll see it dwindle.

The one thing that it has going in it's favor is that it only take 2 people for a CB radio to be useful or fun.

And when all you old farts kick the bucket and there are only 5,000 CBer's left in the entire world and Cobra 2000's sell for 0.99 on ebay because no one knows what they are, you can bet those lucky few will have the largest and most awesome collections of radios, amplifiers and antennas you've ever seen. And you also can bet that they will all talk on one channel, will all know each other, and will rule the airwaves (even if 11 meters isn't legal by then ).

Heck - channel 6 and channel 38 are becoming like that already, everyone knows each other, people get together at big keydowns and events every year. I think if anything a small CB community means good times, good friends, and good fun.

The sun won't stop making sunspots (at least until this year ) so DX will continue and there will always be someone out there looking to say hello.

So don't worry yourselves about it and take good care of those radios so when you die the rest of us don't have to do too much repair work.

By the way - I think it's worth mentioning, since I started tracking stats for my website in 2009 I now have had over a half a million people visit and almost 1.5 million webpages viewed.

My 68 youtube videos have been played 733,797 times and if you figure the average video is 3 mins long (many are 5 to 10 minutes long) - if you tried to watch a 3 min video x 733,797 times (by my math) it would take you over 4 years of continuous watching to see it all.

CB is far from dying or dead So go recruit someone new to enjoy the hobby.

Good post.

 

[jazzsinger]

It isn't dead yet! But it's sure getting 'old'...
- 'Doc

I know that feeling, 43 going on 80. it's not till you realise what you used to do all night now takes you all night to do, that it sinks in that you aren't aging as gracefully as you thought you were.