Those were the days moorlander999, CB set up in the bedroom, and every time you keyed the mike, mum and dad would complain that the tv picture had been scrambled, same for the neighbours if you had a big enough burner.
Had CB’ers taken the trouble to match the antenna to the transmitter properly the TV signals would have been unaffected. Spurious linear amplifiers and mis matched antennas caused much of the interference.
Also a properly matched antenna system with a good ground plane would have greatly improved range more so than any ‘boots’ as CB’ers called their illegal linear amplifiers.
Of course it can go to the other extreme. Radio Amateurs are generally a boring lot to talk to as they only seem to want to discuss their equipment, antenna system, the weather and location. To be fair as I was a radio engineer by trade I saw enough of radio during the day than to make a hobby of it.
I was never really a CB "geek", I just used it as a means of informal communication between boats if several of us were travelling together. I did however have a pair of 27mhz hand-held transceivers back in the late 1960s. They weren't legal back then, but they were freely on sale on Bethnal Green market in London, which is where I bought mine. I was still a teenager then and the fact that they were "illegal" probably made it more fun!
Typically our government decided for some inexplicable reason to license CB on 27Mhz band on different channel spacing than all the available equipment at the time and also using FM instead of DSB AM like everyone else.
Lots of cheap equipment was available from America on their 27Mhz CB frequencies using AM so guess what most people used.
I don’t know why our Governent always seem to screw up projects of a technical or IT nature but to this day they haven’t got a scooby! They’ve certainly managed to cock a few high profile IT and Comms projects up over the years.
Yep David, for different reasons it was crazy the UK FTV Satellite channels like the BBC/iTV moved from Astra1 (19.2 E)Wide Beam to Astra 2 (28.2 E) Spot Beam, and instead of being FTV became FTA, the end result was that you could not watch U.K. Freesat as it is now known outside of the U.K. with a small 45cm Dish almost anywhere in Europe, we’re as before when FTV you could, a backward step if ever there was one.
Of course the French, Germans and Spanish, can still watch there satellite channels almost anywhere in Europe including the UK using a small dish, as they stuck with using soft encryption for the FTV channels, which is what Freesat should have done, in fact at the time Sky offered to look after the soft encryption side of things for Freesat but the offer was declined, in favour of the ineffective Spot Beam solution, madness.
Of course it brings a smile to my face when I am watching Freesat outside my tent, when down in Frejus, thinking that the powers that be thought they could stop me, if only they new that 1m Dish would have thwarted all there efforts.
Quote:
... Radio Amateurs are generally a boring lot to talk to as they only seem to want to discuss their equipment, antenna system, the weather and location...
Probably the main reason I never took to the amateur bands much, my FT-7900 just gathering dust now.
Know this is old thread,but hey ho
Zello Free will give you VOIP PTT free with wifi or 4\5G connectivity.
CB radio is advancing with CTCSS\DCS sub tones (including split CTCSS Tones) for improved noise immunity and VOIP\Parrot gateways links.
New repeater channel TX shift for base repeater use on CB.
Albrecht AE-6290
UK long range SSB mode on EU band legally.
NEW Crt FRance
SS6900V NRC Modes
SS7900V2 NRC all modes
New CB handheld President Randy III with AM\FM
CTCSS\DCS (split tones)
Repeater shift (expanded mode)
Vehicle adaptor included.
See latest CB sets & News at www.simonthewizard.com
While cb radio wont be like 1980s,it has changed in some ways for the better,still a handy tool while camping and outdoor activities and in some cases better than a phone.
Know this maybe old post but things have moved on a little regarding this subject.
Zello is the app
CB now can use ctcss/DC's sub tones to mute the CB ,only when correct tone code will it open set up.
This reduces "noise disturbances"and now becoming a standard feature to CB ,just like UHF pmr446 radios.
Zello offers pc interfacing using it's software.
A sound card
A rs232 cable
A small hardware interface to hook up pc to radio base.
Utilising audio in and out to radio
Push to talk switch via rs-232 interface
A windows 11 mini pc with AC ups backup.
Internet can be done with a unlocked router and data SIM
with external Ariel's on 4/5G lte
If in poor GSM coverage a mast which you mount your CB base antenna on ,can accommodate a game LTE panel antenna for router.
The Zello app can be used on phone,tablet or pc laptop
To link you IT devices to your radio gateway base.
Your CB vehicle or CB handtalkies can then talk to your base ,from there to your IT devices wherever you are in world/location as long as have WiFi or GSM.
Sounds complicated but there are video on YouTube.
From person experience,I would only buy CB radios now with ctcss or DCS Subtone code capabilities so can keep your radio channel clear if "noise disturbances"
President Electronics
Jopix
CRT
Plus others available
CB radios with ctcss/DCS sub codes capability is highly recommended,even if not using VoIP gateways.
We run a mobile and handheld CB channel with ctcss uninterrupted group Comms.
An easy system to remember we developed
As new CB can store the ctcss or DCS code per channel
Ch xx=CT code
Example
Ch 13-13
Ch 18-18
So only radios on ch 13-13 tone code will open radios speaker up and be heard.
There's around 40 tones ,with 80 CB channels to play with in UK .
I will warn ,CB with ctcss maybe a little more on expensive but well worth it if want silent group communications.
More new CB sets are now coming out with these features as low as £70 mobile.
2024 even more models.
CB sets can also be legally used in Europe ,so not restricted to just UK uses.
My preferences
President
Randy 3 with tactical tape antenna (optional) hand held (ctcss DCS)
Harrison 2 mobile ctcss DCS
George 2 mobile all modes ctcss DCS
Budget ctcss DCS
Jopix GS-60 mobile ctcss
Jopix Doris mobile ctcss DCS
All this has changed
Agree not the best handling of things 😞 for personal radio.
But it's not all that bad now in 2023/24
We have lisense free multi-norm CB radio am FM ssb
Ctcss DCS sub tone code signalling for quieter more private Comms.
Much improved rugged CB kit for vehicle,base and handheld use.
Some sport new noise reduction dsp chips to improve noise called NRC
President make cracking new CB gear gear and can be used in Europe too.
Am FM as long range
UHF one 446 16 FM channels 32 digital channels
But agree ofcom could do more to improve the personal radio band inc CB by allowing more RF ERP ,channels ,digital integration allowances to bring it up-to-date.
Unfortunately our peers seem to think we not worthy of communicating like other countries and have had to fight all the way in UK for personal long range communications liesense free.
Do such as truckers still use CB? Im asking because when it first came about, it was a revelation. Due to the fact that there was literally no other forms of communication when 'on the road'. The notion seems archaic today.
Well if that works for you fine,but it does not work for me solely relying on GSM signals in a lot of areas where dead spots still exist in2023 and phones are utter useless door wedges then.
Two way radio still has a role to play as a communications tool.
I take the view ,why rely on one technology solely,why I supplement my comms with Zello GSM data VoIP ,27mhz CB radio with ctcss and UHF pmr446 voice scrambled & ctcss giving three possibilities.
I would never suggest solely relying on GSM phones from experience,there are other options that all I'm saying.
Quote: Originally posted by david8858 on 08/4/2020
You can’t use a repeater with license free or PMR446 because they are simplex channels. Anything duplex requires a license. It may be possible to use some kind of gateway to another network ie 3G etc but the legality of this from either license free or PMR446 would be very questionable.
That's not "technically" true,while they're could be greys areas
Record and resend repeater box could be on simplex frequency and use split sub tones on separate tones .
I've tried it it works both pmr446 and CB to see if technically could be done.
For example 27.125mhz FM base tx Rx
Tx ctcss 67.0hz tone 1
Rx ctcss 94.8hz tone 10
Mobiles 27.125 FM mobiles/HT tx Rx
Tx ctcss tone 10
Rx ctcss tone 1
Semi duplex sub tones on simplex single frequency.
CB VoIP gateways are about
Some use split tx
Some use simplex with ctcss sub tone
Depends where you are and what country.
On the plus side since the cuts OFCOM have very few vans with spinning roof racks so you are unlikely to get caught!
They now use linked remotes receivers all over UK to monitor radio spectrum
As for being caught,by doing exactly what on a approved legal CB radio ??
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Topic: CB radio & VOIP
Probably the main reason I never took to the amateur bands much, my FT-7900 just gathering dust now.
via mobile 07/12/2023 at 12:21pm
