The majority of "export" radios (also sold as "10-meter" radios but are switched "converted" down to 11-meters through a simple set of button pushes or another simple modification) cover considerably more frequencies below the 10 meter band allocation than they do above the 10-meter allocation. The "standard" export radio frequency plan is six sets of 40 channels, 25.615-28.305 MHz. I've heard of some of the newer radios going up to 30.105, 30.555 or even 31.005 MHz. You'll notice each set of 40 channels is the same bandwidth as the legal CB band (450kHz). Of course, some radios go below 25.615, usually down to 25.165 but some of them go down into 12 meters or even below, 24.715 or even 24.265 MHz.
The two export radios I use, a Voyage VR9000 (a.k.a. Galaxy 88, Superstar 3900F/3900EFT, Super Jopix 2000, and a dozen others - of course they're all made by Ranger/RCI) covers 25.615-28.305 MHz. My CRE 8900 covers up to 30.105MHz but I see no point in going above 10 meters when there's plenty of empty channels below 28.000 MHz.
So therefore, you're looking at people running exports on band "A" (assuming the legal CB band is band "D" - as it usually is), channel 19A - 27.195MHz "down three bands". So that means the radios they're using have that lovely +10kHz switch, allowing you to get to the "A" channels (26.995, 27.045, 27.095, 27.145 and 27.195 MHz). So each band really has 45 channels and not 40 channels. I've heard truckers on 25.835 MHz plenty of times (band A, channel 19). Makes sense don't it? Just flip that band switch down to band A, I feel bad for these trucker's radios, I'm yet to hear of a CB antenna that can do 27.185MHz and 25.835MHz with a decent SWR. You know these guys aren't adjusting their antennas when they move up and down the freeband.
Hearing SSB transmissions below 27MHz is uncommon though. Most of the stuff below CB channel 1 [26.965 MHz] I hear is in AM mode, and I'd say 3/4 of the transmissions I've heard above CB channel 40 [27.405 MHz] are in SSB mode. Of course, there's some AM above channel 40, usually in the form of truckers flipping their bandswitches up to get away from the noise of the legal 40 channels. Interesting to see SSB below channel 1. I've noticed it on 26.500, 26.515, 26.540 and 26.555, all LSB..but below 26MHz is a new one for me.
It seems like there's a "gentleman's agreement" on the freeband, as much as hams (especially the QRZ or eHam forum types
) would hate to hear something like that.
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