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Your first CB? what year started? any other radio interest?

  • Thread starter Thread starter drifter 8291
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My first radio in 67 was an old lafayette it could recieve 23 channels tuning it manually but it only had crystals for transmit on channel 14. There were a few old guys in my town that I could hear but not talk to too much they were on channel 6 so after shoveling a ton of snow one winter I got one of the old guys to sell me a set of channel crystals for 10 bucks so I could talk and hear them without changing anything, in the day that was soooooooo cool. 1/4 wave ground plane I think it cost 9.95 then and the old guy gave me some old coax he was not using. A CB license then was 20 bucks too.
 
I started in the 80s sometime cant remember when exactly...

I had a radio shack 40 channel mobile TRC 4 something,i cant remember the # :( (457 maybe)

I only had a mobile antenna when i started...... I quickly lose interest in 11 because of all the trouble makers and those who dont care who they splash!! (They run these amps that splash several megs each way of the freq they are on and its quite annoying)


I dont like turning a radio on and hearing swearing,etc....... Radios are meant for FUN,not abuse!
 
My first radio

My first radio was a Cobra 19 which is also where my handle came from "Cobra", it was on a steel whip. My first base was a Cobra Cam 89 with a Turner JM+2U power hand mic, on an old Starduster. Man I miss that old antenna! I currently talk on a Galaxy 66V with a modified TX800 on a Wilson 1000 magnet mount in my mobile (does about 1100 in high). My current base station is a RCI2980 with a 750 modulator + built by Sparkplug here in Blount Co. TN, on an Antron 99. I also have a Melaka that stays on stand by. I, like everyone else, have had hunderds of other radios over the years, but I am quite happy with my current set up.

I first got into the radio scene in 1987 and never looked back, Ive made a lot of good friends and a couple of not so good friends, but its all good times. I will try to post pics later.



Cobra,AKA: Unit 360,AKA: The No Modulation Station of East Tennessee, AKA: MudHole Control
 

My first radio was a 23 channel (????) which was given to me to use on a trip from New York to Washington. Talked to a few truckers on the trip across, but sold it when I was in need of $$$.
The first radio I owned was a Malaysian made Cobra 148GTL that I purchased in 1997. The radio frequencies were expanded, clarifier opened and peaked. Still use this radio in my Jeep when I go offroading in the mountains and occasionally talking SKIP.
Over the past 20+ years I have owned several Cobra 148GTL's, Uniden Grants, Cobra 142GTL and 2000GTL, several RCI, Kenwood, ICOM and Yaesu radios.
 
the good ole days

I GUESS THIS IS A OLD TREAD BUT WHAT THE HELL...
my first radio was a kris 23 plus...they got one on ebay right now...it sure brought back memories to see it again... that was in 1972, i sure did a LOT of talking on that radio.
i had a kris big boomer to go with it...it was one of the old tube types that are still around...it had 2 tubes.
my antenna was a ground plane on a 50 foot tower that my dad had the tv antenna on---we wont go into the fights we had over tvi---lol
those were sure fun days back then
now days every one just wants the internet...they just dont know what they are missing
 
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Great thread...even though its an old one!

First CB I ever got to experience was some kind of Cobra 40 ch. base my dad had got from a friend. I dont think the antenna was ever tuned but I did a lot of listening.

First radio I owned was some basic midland 40ch. with the up/down buttons on the mic from around 1992ish. I'm quite sure I burned up the finals in it not knowing a thing about SWR at the time....it had a range of about 2 blocks!

Between then and now, I have owned several radios. cobra 148, trams, robyn 520d, uniden washington, 2 RCI 2950's, galaxy saturn turbo, and believe it or not...an ARF 2001 (which i wish i had never sold).

I currently have a Emporer 5010, Cobra 139xlr, Teaberry stalker II, Gemtronix GTX-5000, Lafyette 740, and various other volume/squelch radios I picked up at garage sales.
I use my radios for mostly skip. I have a lot of locals in my area but I only talk to about 7-8 of them. This area is a real mess sometimes....drunks, tough guys, and troublemakers.
 
i wish there were 7 or 8 locals here ...theres 1 or maybe 2 i know of.
so skip is the only talking i do and with the conditions lately thats only for 3 or 4 hrs a day if im real lucky.
 
My very first rig was a Browning. A Browning Brownie. :laugh: 23 Channel mobile with a battery on my bedroom floor, and a mag mount on a pizza pan outside my bedroom window. Man, I had a lot of fun on that, and it led to a lot of bigger and better things.

CB MAGAZINE BROWNING "BROWNIE"

73,
RT307
 
First post 1969, I wonder where he got a computer to make that post back then. Government or private company? Oh yea, mine was a JC Penny 23 channel mobile with a 102" steel whip. That was 1976.
 
The first radio I ever used was an old white face Johnson. It belonged to my father, and he let me use it with a little dingy antenna that mounted to the back of the radio

The first radio I actually owned was an old midland SSB CB, I forget the model number, I had it on a new A-99. The radio was quite the talker. IIRC, this was maybe 12-13 years ago. It's been a long time since I had that radio, and I sure do miss it. I still don't know what happened to it or the antenna for that matter. I ran a D-104 Silver Eagle on that radio and I still have it to this day. with the exception of the A-99 all the the stuff was given to me by an old HAM that got me started in radios when I was around 13 years old
 
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1965, couple of Hitachi handhelds, single channel (14). Just had turned it on and called my uncle that gave the rigs to me when some dude came in and called me, Jackrabbit, he was miles away. I've been hooked ever since.
 
My first, other than Radio Shack walkie talkies, was a Midland 6 channel. You bought it with channel 19, 9, and 14. Then you added 3 more crystal sets. 2 per channel.
Then I got a SBE kit, and after that, they added more channels, from 23 to 40. It was easy to get distance, as not many bought 40 channels right away.
I bought a Cobra 21 GTL, for my car. It was used also as a base with an old 5/8 ground plane, that fell apart when it snowed.
I then got a 142 GTL, and later a 2000 GTL. I had been using an Antron 99.
There was a fire and it all got destroyed. I did not get involved again until I was offered some radios for car parts. Now, I have two 148 GTLs, another 142, and a 2000. I'm trying to get the bugs out of the 2000, I can't find the adjustment to get the SWR meter to work. It won't go into a full swing to set the meter, it only goes part way. Something not so hard, once I find it. I also have a 19 XLR with too many problems to mess with, for now.
I guess I am a Cobra junkie.
 
First radio?
Hmmmm.....

It was the cheapest 40 ch CB that money could buy at the time. Think I paid $29 for it new back in '77. Came with a card in the box to fill out and send to the FCC for a call sign; but that was no longer necessary to do that year. Not sure on the year - BTW. Made by GE with just a vol, squelch, PA/CB switch and a channel selector. But I did have a 108" whip on my car for it.

ge_40_ch_cb_pa_20_pv_28271817.jpg


Four years ago, the County Emergency Mgr (in Iowa) asked me to work with him for spotting severe storms and tornadoes (and surrounding counties too). But he required that I get a Ham license. So I did. I got my General Ham license so I had a hobby before and after the main storm seasons.
 
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After walkie-talkies I went straight into a TRC 30 with the RS quarter wave groundplane. This would have been around 1974. Broke it trying to put 22A in the blank spot and sent it to Ft. Worth for repair. It was never seen again and RS replaced it with the newer TRC 30A.

First sideband rig was a TRC 47 (no meter!) that I put a slider in.

First mobile was a Lafayette Micro 723 and a 4 ft fiberglass whip... on a Sears 10-speed bicycle!
 

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