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Why?

S

Staybolt

Sr. Member
Mar 20, 2013
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Why did the FCC make 23 channel CB radios illegal? I mean other than the fact they they are only 23 ch they don't put out anymore power than 40 channel rigs and they are limited on what they can do. So why the big deal about the FCC making them illegal? This is one thing that as long as i have been into CB has escaped me as not making any sense at all..:confused:
 

Spiderleggs said:
I believe they tightened the specs on radios and the 23 channel models did not meet those specifications. Others can elaborate.
Click to expand...


Correct. With the expansion of the band from 23 ch to 40 ch the FCC also tightened the technical specs especially concerning frequency tolerance. If you ever noticed that was about the same time the clarifiers on radios started working on RX only as well.
 
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Does it surprise you to see the FCC passing stupid laws and rules they can't/don't even enforce?
 
I didn't even it know this was a thing. So it's illegal to operate a 23 channel cb? Ivan believe they wouldn't be grandfathered in.
 
they are not illegal, just illegal to sell or that was the way it was supposed to work,,,, manufacturers dumped the 23 channels ones like crazy just before deadline for the new ones started. i remeber 5 and 10 dollar cb s at shops just to get rid of them and not get stuck with them. the official law stated just that dealers and manufacturers could not sell the 23 channel models any more, just the upgraded 40 channels type accepted.
 
Same thing I've been told by an old time Cb repairman who still has the bulletin from late 1976....you can operate a 23 ch. rig all you want but by law you're not supposed to sell them due to certification loss....which is funny because eBay is littered with them....and to my knowledge they never get pulled.....yet most of the 10 meter amps on eBay get pulled....I guess those retired hams with all the time in the day to surf eBay for illegal radio items aren't too concerned with 23 channel radios for sale....:rolleyes:
 
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Maycomm in Michigan used to sell old Brownings and Trams all the time, but Maynard sold them as "non working", LOL. He simply removed or clipped a simple to replace part in the mic socket to make the radios not transmit and then told you what to re-solder to make it work again, he, he, he, he, he, he, LOL!
 
As I recall it was kind of expected that most if not all 23 channel radios would have hit the junk pile by a certain date, probably 1987 or something like that. I don't think anyone thought that there would be so many of them still around.
 
So are they valued at all for their wider bandwidth? Isnt that how you can get better audio sound with more bandwidth?
 

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