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CB radios
marktigere1 - 21/9/04 at 10:34 AM

Does anyone else use a CB Radio in their car?

I picked two up very cheaply and use them if my family go on Holiday in convoy (Que music!!)

There's no charge for use and you get to hear some very interesting conversations between truckers on the way to work.

Always fancied one as a kid but now I'm a big kid I find that technology has moved on and the humble CB is not cool anymore

Anyway, just thought I'd ask.

Cheers

Mark

DaveFJ - 21/9/04 at 11:51 AM

I would of thought that CB's were "new fangled white man's magic" in Norfolk

marktigere1 - 21/9/04 at 11:58 AM

We in Norwich have never tried to keep up with you sophisticated lot in Ipswich

We know our place. (Premiership without a win yet!!)

Cheers

Mark

stephen_gusterson - 21/9/04 at 12:07 PM

dont you need to buy a license for a cb (ie not completly free)
?

atb

steve

SeaBass - 21/9/04 at 12:47 PM

License is required...

http://www.fact-index.com/c/cb/cb_radio_uk.html

Cheers

[Edited on 21/9/04 by SeaBass]

marktigere1 - 21/9/04 at 12:55 PM

I was under the impression that CB was deregulated in April of this year and no license was required?

Will check that out.

Cheers

Mark

marktigere1 - 21/9/04 at 01:36 PM

Just checked with Offcom and it was to be deregulated but as with every other fecking thing in this country, its taking longer than was initially forecast.

Bugger!!!

Still, who the hell is going to pull me over for saying breaker, breaker?

Cheers

Mark

Rob Lane - 21/9/04 at 01:48 PM

I've used a couple of the licence free PMR446 handhelds when in convoy, they are generally interference free.

Makes for easy direction changes.

[Edited on 21/9/04 by Rob Lane]

marktigere1 - 21/9/04 at 02:13 PM

I have some PMR 446 radios.

Found the range in a car to be fairly naff though. Usually line of sight works but if you lose sight of the other car you also lose reception which defeats the object. Could benefit from a good external antenna I would have thought.

CB can give 10-15 miles dependant on atmospherics.

Cheers

Mark

Rob Lane - 21/9/04 at 02:21 PM

PMR 446 Depends on model, most of the cheap mickey mouse versions have useless aerials and even lower output.

OK Motorola are the best and meet the specs fully, but at a cost.

CB is better because of its higher transmiter power output but has an even bigger aerial requirement.

[Edited on 21/9/04 by Rob Lane]

David Jenkins - 21/9/04 at 02:35 PM

Just a thought - do the new "mobile phone in cars" laws also apply to CB?

I wouldn't be surprised if they are...

David

[Edited on 21/9/04 by David Jenkins]

mangogrooveworkshop - 21/9/04 at 02:51 PM

Point One

quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
Just a thought - do the new "mobile phone in cars" laws also apply to CB?

I wouldn't be surprised if they are...

]


Point 2 CB can give 10-15 miles dependant on atmospherics.




Point one
A hand held mike is exempt as you can put it down when having a conversation. This is so as Plod would break the law if it wasnt.

Point two

On the chicken boxes they sold as legal rigs you are lucky to speak to your m8te next block down. On the Ole yankee CB you could get the skip to East coast of the states in the Summer and all the way to Southern Africa in the winter. Had a thousand QSL cards from all over the world......CQ CQ CQ DX! Whitelaw wanted a FM system and thats what they went ahead with. Oh the miss spent youth swaring DV27`s and trimming the silver rods.
As for one in the seven we got mobys and they are hard enough to use . Cbs for a convoy maybe.
It was fun and well remembered. as for a cb in the seven na

DaveFJ - 21/9/04 at 03:32 PM

As one of the Sad blokes who had a CB in the eighties........

Originally the only legal band was FM, with a home rig when the atmospherics were right you could get a pretty respectable distance!
that was on the old FM - then AM was brought in and (although i didn't actually have a set) apparently had far more 'power'