Bootleggers with illegal cb radios

[Polar Bear]

I have been hearing them on 28.305 Mhz - but it doesn't sound like single side splatter.
The signals are about 40 kc's wide and appears to be coming out of Texas.
Dumb rednecks - truck drivers - that have their Galaxies tuned as far sound into the ham bands as they will go.

[R4002]

Yep, for many radios, 28.305 MHz is channel 40 on the highest band, usually Band F.  At least on the standard 6-band 25.615-28.305 MHz radios.

Some of the older Galaxy rigs were actually set up as 8 band radios, going up to 28.755 MHz (well, 28.765 MHz if you include the +10 kHz switch).   Now the Chinese export radios cover up to 30.105 MHz as the standard.  Coverage is generally 25.615 MHz to 30.105 MHz / 25.610 MHz to 30.100 MHz or 30.110 MHz / 30.115 MHz with that handy +10kc switch.

A good chunk of 28 MHz band intruders are found below roughly 28.7 MHz or 28.8 MHz. 

Generally the bands are set up with 40 channels plus a band switch and a +10 kHz switch.  Each "band" is 450 kHz wide (40 channels + 5 skipped "A" channels, hence the +10k switch).  The legal CB band is usually "Band D" or "MID band".  There are more available channels to work with below the legal CB band the way most rigs are set up.

Band A - 25.615 MHz - 26.055 MHz
Band B - 26.065 MHz - 26.505 MHz
Band C - 26.515 MHz - 26.955 MHz - low channels or "low band" or "lowers"
Band D - 26.965 MHz - 27.405 MHz - legal CB band or "mid band"
Band E - 27.415 MHz - 27.855 MHz - high channels, "high band" "upper channels"
Band F - 27.865 MHz - 28.305 MHz

Unfortunately the fact is there are a lot of folks using all of these frequencies. 

Locally, there is a trucking company that uses 25.835 MHz AM as their "company channel".  25.835MHz is CB channel 19 "down three bands" or Band A, Channel 19 (where the real CB channel 19 is Band D, Channel 19).  That makes switching to the company channel quite easy, just flip your band switch down from "D" to "A".   27.635 MHz AM and 26.735 MHz AM (channel 19 on Band E and Band C respectively) are also very popular for the same reason.  Other "company channels" follow a similar scheme, often using the in-band "company channel" plus flipping the band switch down one or two. 

The lower channels, Bands A, B and C are very popular with all sorts of users - from farming and ranching operations to hunting clubs to taxi cab companies to trucking companies and various other users.  It's pretty straightforward.  One can buy radios with full 25.615 MHz - 30.105 MHz coverage or 25.615 MHz - 28.305 MHz coverage and AM/FM modes for less than $100 now.  Or you can get radios that do respectable output power (similar to what a real land mobile radio would do, 25w, 45w, 100w/110w, and often considerably more), quality mobile antennas...then pick one of the unused frequencies in the A, B or C bands (or the higher part of E band or very bottom part of F band...which is just channels 1-11 (well, technically "11A", band F channel 1 to channel 11A, that is, channel 11 with the +10 kHz switch on gives you 27.865 MHz to 27.995 MHz). 

There seem to be a substantial number of trucking companies and other users that use the lower part of the E band, 27.905 MHz AM, 27.915 MHz AM, 27.925 MHz AM, 27.955 MHz AM and 27.965 MHz AM are all quite popular.  The same can be said for the A/B/C bands, I've logged countless users on frequencies like 25.965 MHz AM, 26.115 MHz AM, 26.155 MHz AM, 26.185 MHz AM.


Here's a good example, I'm hearing a Spanish language taxi cab dispatcher on 26.765 MHz AM right now out of Mexico and hearing American truck drivers talking to each other on 26.735 MHz AM (at 1944 UTC).