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

[Mudfoot]

My Aunt married a former RAF radioman after WWII and he was BIG into ham radio. As far back as I can remember I was awed at the sheer amount and size of equipment in his basement. At age 10 or so, (1970), he gave me my first radio - A Mosley CM-1 ham bands only receiver. I got my first CB in 1974 - A brandy-new Lafayette Telsat 925 with a Hy-Gain CLR2 Ground plane on the vent pipe. Got my ham ticket in 1979 and I enjoy both ham and CB, but gotta admit, CB is still my fav! Wow - Memories!

I liked those old 925's.

Lafayette made some nice looking bases. I had a paper route and mowed 4 lawns each summer, shoveled snow in the winter, scrounged for car batteries to recycle. Decent CB crap back then was big bucks. Course...I had the young ladies to chase. I hid my nerdness.

 

[KC9Q]

It was 1968: My first CB was an Amphenol Model 650, 23 channels Tx with a selector switch between 10 receive crystals or a tunable dial. The antenna was an Astro Plane bought directly from the new owner of this startup company in the next town, (Avanti in Addison, IL).

My Uncle worked for Amphenol so I got the radio (well my dad did) at a great price. Got a Model 675 mobile rig for dad's car too (to be legal). We got an FCC callsign (KBQ7917), and we were off to the races. Those were the good days. I also got Amphenol connectors for free, plus free cable. If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have said no to a free 500 foot spool of RG-9/U.:headbang I only took 50 feet of the stuff instead. (The military rejected the cable because the print on the gray jacket was smeared.)

Well anyway I got involved with some friends and got my Ham Technician ticket in 1973 and its been radio fun ever since.

 

[Mudfoot]

I had a Cobra 19+ with a radio shack magnet mount stuck to a cookie sheet hung outside my window (1992). Sadly my base station situations hasn't improved much since then

I may have a bigger cookie sheet you can try.

 

[Zman]

I had a Cobra 19+ with a radio shack magnet mount stuck to a cookie sheet hung outside my window (1992). Sadly my base station situations hasn't improved much since then

Sounds like how i started. GE help CB hooked to a Cobra mag mount hooked to the eaves trouthf (Sp?). Later President Madison 858 PLL and an A 99 up on the roof.

 

[WA2SI]

My very first CB transceiver was a 2 ch. 100mW G.E. walkie-talkie that I used to talk to my best friend/next door neighbor, circa 1976. I removed the fixed telescopic antenna and soldered a length of RF-58A/U in its place with the far end terminating at a 1/2L dipole up abt 25 ft. in a tree next to my room.

My dad liked this so much that he bought me my next "real" rig, a Radio Shack TRC-421. Not to be outdone, mom bought me a Royce 1-639 SSB rig a year later along with a Wilson V5/8 base antenna.

Some odd 35 years later, an Elecraft K2/100 sits atop my desk and I operate 99.99% CW, HOWEVER, I have nothing but respect for CB ops who operate respectfully. I will never forget where I came from and will always credit 11-meters for sparking (Pun very much intended!) my interest in all things RF. Take care es...

Vy 73 de Bert
WA2SI

P.S. All the rigs that followed the Royce... I paid for - hihi.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

 

[Turbo T]

It was 2004 or 2005. A friend of mine had a few CB's sitting around. I casually mentioned that I wouldn't mind having one someday as I never had one before. He hands me 2 of them and tells me "I don't know if they work or not but you can have them".

I got two from him that day....a Realistic TRC-415 and a Uniden PC66. The PC66 was a little too big for the small interior of my S-10 so I tried the TRC-415. I went to radio shack and bought an antenna, hooked it up, heard some people, tried to key up and talk but no one came back.

I tried this a few more times, no luck, so I gave up, sold the TRC-415 and the antenna. Put the PC66 in the garage in storage.

Fast forward to 2008. I was moving 1000 miles across the U.S. and decided to use the PC66 in my car. Did some researching and found out about the importance of low SWR's and also found out about how Wilson antennas were one of the best out there. One night a co worker and I had a discussion about his Cobra 29 in his Jeep. I told him I had a radio but no antenna. He comes in the next night with a Lil Wil. We hooked it to the PC66 and I was on the air for the first time.

Then came the move, and all along the interstate I found the CB was a great tool to bullshit with the truck drivers, as well as find out where all the traffic tie ups were, speed traps, etc. All of this got me hooked on using the CB.

Then as soon as I got moved in, I hoped to continue my chats on the CB.....except I found that there's not much activity on the CB short of truckers on 19, and some of them really don't care to talk to you.

Then I got me another truck and put my CB into it, then eventually I upgraded the antenna from a Lil Wil to a Wilson 5000, sold that and bought a 102 whip, then decided I wished I had my 5000 back so i looked and found a 1000 and learned it was all I needed so I got it.

Then I decided I wanted more power, as I lived in the country and wanted to get out, so I bought a Palomar linear (which only worked half the time so i sold it) then later since I live in tornado alley, I wanted a CB with WX, so I bought a Uniden PC68LTW. Then I wanted to play on SSB so I purchased a Cobra 148 GTL. Then I decided I wanted a SSB export with echo and roger beep so I bought an SS158EDX. Then I saw a Cobra 21 and a old Cobra 19 GTL for $15 I couldn't pass up on. Then I decided I wanted a SSB base station so I bought a Uniden Washington with a Shakespeare Big Stick.

Then when I got tired of getting walked on during DX on 11 M SSB (since again there's not much CB activity here) I decided to study for my ham license. Once I received my ham ticket, I sold off all of my 11 meter stuff....radios, amps, antennas, SWR meter....and bought my 1st ham rig, a Yaesu FT7900 with a Tram 1180 antenna for my truck....then I bought a Yaesu FT 2800, paired it up with an Astron RS-12A power supply and a Cushcraft ARX-2B 2 meter base antenna. Then for Christmas, the wife bought me my first 10 meter rig, a Magnum 257 HP. To make it work, I had to buy another Wilson 1000 and another Radio Shack 21-534 SWR meter.

So there it is.....my radio travels.....and here's a pic of my first radio, the Uniden PC66.

....and the saga never ends. Shortly thereafter this original post, I decided to get into 440 MHz and bought my 1st 440 radio, a Kenwood TS-421A. At that same time I built my first home brew antenna for the 440 radio out of an SO-239 connector, a 6" piece of 14 gauge solid copper wire (like that's used in houses) and made the ground radials out of an old coat hanger I chopped up.

Later I decided to "consolidate" my ham radios into one. I sold the 2800M and the 421A off at a hamfest and purchased a Kenwood TS-2000 multibander. I hung onto my Magnum 257 for the time being. At the same hamfest I picked up a Realistic TRC-448 40 ch SSB rig for cheap which turned out to have a shorted zener diode; after that was replaced, it is working great.

At one point I've even owned a Cobra 78x and a Midland 77-155 that I sold to a guy on here, as well as a Maco Mite II 2 pill linear.

Later I stumbled into more CB gear....like a K40 trunk mount, a Midland 77-106 compact 40 channel and a Gemtronics GT-44 40 channel rotary dial style. I used the Midland as my "test mule for home brew modifications" which has turned out good. I get great reports of clarity and sound.

A few weeks ago I was in NC visiting family and scored a Connex CX3300 with a 575-M6 mic. If I told you what I paid you'd die shocked. But I got lots of good reports all the way back home with it.

And then one day I went to visit an old time CB guy I know for a few parts. I ended up coming home with 6 steel whips, a Cobra 135 base station, a Royce 1-612 and a Realistic TRC-422A that I got all for a steal. Right after I bought a new in box (from the late 1980's) Uniden 510 a few weeks earlier.

Do you suppose I just own too many radios?

 

[roadrage]

Technically my first radio I saved and purchased myself when I was in middle school. It was a Midland but don't have a clue what model. I remember I couldn't afford the Cobra so I had to settle for the Midland. It was similar in looks and design to the Cobra 25/29 series. I just had the little Radio Shack antenna the screwed onto the back of the radio and a 12V power supply. Many of my friends got radios at that time and we all talked in the evening. It fizzled out after a year or so.

What I consider my first radio is what made it a serious hobby. It was a few years ago when I purchased a Uniden PC76XLW during bear season. I was working as a bait tender for a guide service. I needed the radio for talking to the log trucks that operate on the small roads up there. Eventually the stereo ceased to be of use and the CB tended to be my entertainment. That is the radio that really got me started. It is not currently operational, but it is in the process of being rebuilt.

 

[Lil'Yeshua]

my first radio

My first radio that I purchased in 82' was a Realistic TRC-428 Ninescan mobile cb radio(R/S junkie back then). I run a R/S 102" stainless steel whip w/spring with a K40 Speech Processor mic. I still have the 428&the K40. I used to talk on it with my boss man and brothers and friends. This was just after you didn't need a license fo the cb band. CB'ing was really big in the early Eighties. My second radio was a Galaxy 2100 that I used as a base station on a power supply and a TUP9 mic and a R/S 1/2 wave base antenna. I got a free grade 8 power pole from the local utility and dug my own hole and used a A-frame along with a tractor and some friends to set it in the ground along with R/S antenna pole pieces and guy wires to set the antenna at a height of 67". One thing I found out quickly was that when I got the Galaxy,people wanted to talk to me. The Galaxy was stock and this was before internet in which if you wanted to mod a radio you took it to a cb shop. My third radio was a Tristar mobile 120 channel radio.I bought and wired a Missouri Mule Fart noise toy with a switch on the side. Wish they still made those. I then got into other things,sold my Galaxy and Tristar and left the world of CB'ing for twenty-five years. I now have a Galaxy DX-959 with a RF Limited Xtreme 2018 turbo mic out of nostalgia reasons. op:

 

[Jhkayakr]

Back in the 70's...........Cobra 29xlr 40 channel. Plugged into a Avon regulated power supply in my room. Antenna was a mobile "trunk-mount" radio shack antenna attached to the rain gutters of the house. SWR was really low and that thing boomed. Talked on Channel 18 all night long, even met for "coffee breaks". Back in the days..............

 

[v8henry]

1962, my first radio was an Olson spotter 1 tube type. Plug in xtal and tunable receiver. Later Olson spotter 2, then many solid state radios. Tram XL5, Midlands, other off brands, President Washington (I still have) since 1976. Currently a Galaxy DX 979 and Yaesu FT-1000 MP. Got into Ham in 1982, still use both...

 

[Tucker442]

1962, my first radio was an Olson spotter 1 tube type. Plug in xtal and tunable receiver. Later Olson spotter 2, then many solid state radios. Tram XL5, Midlands, other off brands, President Washington (I still have) since 1976. Currently a Galaxy DX 979 and Yaesu FT-1000 MP. Got into Ham in 1982, still use both...

V8Henry you must be older than me LOL with those old radios. Your the man

 

[Dude111]

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

I remember

I had a realistic TRC 422A -- It was a 40 channel AM rig and man that thing was stable!!! (It would get sizzlin' hot and stay on freq)

 

[TheRATT]

My first radio was a Uniden Pro 510XL with bundled mag mount antenna. It was 1990 and we used them to keep in touch with all the other high schoolers in our area! it worked really well - until I forgot to put the mag mount on the roof (it was in my back seat) and I burned out the radio when I noticed too late that it was in my car!

My next radio was a Cobra 29 and after I bought that, I learned what sideband was! I lusted after a SSB rig for a few years until I saved up. I had a 148GTL in my 62 Chevy for years and I learned more about antennas and SWR. By the late 90s I was shooting skip all over North America! Talking to Chicago from Seattle while underway!

I currently have a Uniden 980SSB in the car with a Sirio Performer. My base station at home is a AT-6666 with a half-wave vertical.

I live in a noisy area, RF wise, and I look forward to moving!

We run channel 40LSB in Seattle and we have a SSB net on weekends. Old tube radio or 23 channel SSB rigs check in on 16 at 6:30 local and we have the Puget Sound 11m SSB net on at 7PM. Give us a shout if you hear us!

I've also been into shortwave since the early days. My first was a Radio Shack DX-175. I then progressed to a DX-390, then a Sangean 909, then a Satellit 800 and my current rig is a Drake SW8 (made in America!) with a Wellbrook ALA-1530 active loop antenna.

 

[w9cll]

I started in CB in the early 70's, I remember my first radio was a Pace 166. Moved up to a Pace 8046 when the 40's became available. After that I picked up a Midland 76-858 and then moved up to a Cobra 1000gtl. In the car I ran various rigs, Midland 101c, Sears's something and finally a President Grant. For the base I picked up a Cobra 135xlr and went full side-band then. My final 11 meter rig was a ICOM 720a. In 1990 I got my ham ticket and have never really gone back to 11 meters other than some listening.

Other than my ham ticket I hold a GROL (General radiotelephone operators license with radar endorsement)and a GMRS License.

 

[Blackcat630]

At 11 yrs old and this bad boy with rubber duck mag mount outside my 2nd story window... I repeatedly dropped the maul and got down bump bump..