The Rise and Decline of CB Radio

[ChrisSmolinski]

In the mid-1970s, an obscure technology called Citizens Band or CB radio exploded in popularity across America. Seemingly overnight, bulky CB radios became standard equipment in millions of cars and trucks across the country. Antennas sprouted up like the shoots of some weird new plants. Obscure codes and nicknames like “10-4 good buddy” entered the national lexicon. But by the early 1980s, the CB craze had largely faded away. What explains this rapid rise and fall of what was arguably one of the biggest fads in American history?

Full story: https://sjl.us/2023/11/12/the-rise-and-decline-of-cb-radio/

[East Troy Don]

Inexpensive radios, no licensing and unenforceable rules.   Geez, what could possibly go wrong?   

[ThaDood]

I've always thought that MAX distance rule was stupid. When you put a Citizen's Band in an HF portion, that gets more openings than the neighboring 10M Amateur Band, what did they think was going to happen? Still, CB has its place. Want to go deep into wooded areas, with hills & valleys, VHF MURS, and especially UHF FRS / GMRS, just have no penetration. Let alone, 800MHz cell phone.   

[Shortwave_Listener]

At least they got rid of the distance rule in the US. We still have it here.

[RobRich]

FWIW, the FCC finally dropped the 250km limit in 2017.

https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-344617A1.pdf

I agree the distance limit never really made sense for a HF band. Sure, break out a map each time ya' make a contact. Even just 12w SSB legal limit on a decent 11m opening can garner contacts at thousands of miles distance.

I used to "talk" on 27.025am and similar at times back in the day, but being realistic, power like that is rarely needed to actually work 11m DX.

[shadypyro]

And channel 9 isn’t a emergency channel anymore, now a calling channel in Spanish with lots of power and the echo microphones, channel 19 is pretty much the cousin of Channel 6

[RobRich]

Sure enough. 27.065a (ch9) has been mostly Spanish-language DX here in the SE USA since even my CB days back in the 1990s

27.185a (ch19) ranges from truckers, to truckers talking DX, to often just outright trolling via both locals and DX here.

A few local regulars still popup in the SDR waterfall here. Seems mostly mornings on the same two or three frequencies.

I rarely turn on a CB anymore, but if I was so inclined, I tend to prefer DX via the usual SSB frequencies. That said, I know, even 27.385l (ch38) can turn into QRM and trolling real quick.