Must be years since I last saw a car equipped with CB Radio, in any country, not just the UK. Which leads me to wonder...
Will it ever be as popular as it was in the 80s? Are CB and ham radios covered by the same legislation as mobile phones? (i.e. fines for using one while driving?)
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 24/11/2008 at 09:40
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AFAIK a few truck drivers use them. I think they died a death when they were made legal on FM frequency, the illegal ones smuggled in from the US and Europe operated on 27Mhz AM which made them unpopular with radio controlled model airplane enthusiasts, who used the same frequency. I would imagine that it would be illegal to use one while driving, though I don't know if there is any legislation against it.
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Many of the "forestry" drivers round our way use them, essential when you're coming up a single track and you don't want to be reversing an artic half a mile down a 1 in 5 on rough ground! Same goes for a lot of the tipper drivers, but apart from that it's a bit of a minority sport. Obviously mobiles are useless in areas like that, no signal most of the time.
Most truckers will tell you that it was spoilt for them by people - (minor edit DD) on invalidity benefit who had nothing to do all day but yak to each other. I tried one for a bit back in the mid-80's , but found it a PITA.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 23/11/2008 at 18:55
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It is and getting more popular, plenty of use by truckers still, also 4x4 off road types and also nostagia ridden midlifecrisses harking back to the 'good old days' of the late 70's and early 80's.
You no longer need a licence, plenty of old 80's equipmant on Ebay, unfortunately the channels (or one channel that is in use around here) is full of foul mouthed idiots, apparantly this is common coutrywide.
DXing, contacting other radio users long distance, is popular, although illegal as it doesnt use FM. Suffice to say I know nothing of this activity.
And no they are not governed by the same rules as mobiles, something to do with only one person can 'talk' at the same time as opposed to phones. You could still get done for dangerous driving if you are weaving all over the road to change channel though.
Cheers.CBG
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squawk beep breaker breaker smokies on M6 North of ganglion niner fiver beep bear in the air just by beep Cheshire county line squawk beep beep chchchchchch
beep squawk this here's Rubber Duck and I'm about to put the hammer down squawk beep
chchchchchch beep
... heavens what fun. True post-modern discourse, yah?
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Nope, none of that old tosh anymore, just lots of swearing and idiots, hence the DXing.
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Nope none of that old tosh anymore just lots of swearing and idiots.
About the same as certain areas of the internet, then?
I suppose some of the mouth-breathers see it the same way - a great opportunity to be an offensive and argumentative yob, whilst hiding brhind the cloak of anonymity.
My brother had a set in his car circa 1980, and used it on long trips purely to keep tabs of traffic conditions, possible delays, and money-making rackets up ahead.
He also called in a few emergencies/accidents as well, which i suppose was one of the big plusses of the system.
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As some people have already said it's popular where mobiles might not work as well. Quite a few farmers and associated workers use them as an easy way to communicate that is free.
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The worse thing they ever did to CB was make it legal!
After the initial interest when this happened and you could actually buy CB rigs in places like Dixons (who, so I gather, lost a great deal of money from trading in this area) Cb'ers generally lost interest. Those that didn't tended to become licenced radio amateurs.
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And using CB or equivalent hand held as dangerous as a phone. But phone records can be used as evidence if you used your phone.
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One of my favourite cassettes is "CB Special" by Dick Curless with Curtis McPeake and the Nashville Pickers, so I'm fairly conversant with the US truckers CB lingo. I've recently copied it onto a CD so I can play it in my car. Uh, Breaker one-nine, this here's the Rubber Duck. You got a copy on me Pig-Pen? C'mon!
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A little bit of Trivia;the video that accompanied "Convoy" in the UK was filmed at the Ford Proving Ground-Boreham Airfield in Essex.
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all this talk of CB's has got me wondering do T.H.A.M.E.S (i think thats what they were called) still exsist, they used to be a group of volunteers who organized traffic control for events i think they all used to have cars with CB's and flashy decals.....anyone know?
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We've got a couple of sets for when we go camping in Europe. Much, much cheaper than using mobiles to talk to each other (passengers obviously) - with a mobile you pay to make two international calls and the person receiving the call pays too.
There are two sets of 40 legal channels in the UK but only one of them is legal in most of Europe. It's possible to buy sets that have a country selector so you don't have to worry about using the right ones. Most UK sourced 40 channel sets are not legal for use in Europe.
CB is less dangerous than using a mobile (though I'd still not do it) because the conversation isn't real-time, you have to press the button to talk. The thing that is especially dangerous about mobiles is that conversation is two-way, real-time which places a particular strain on the old grey matter.
PMR walkie talkies are fine too, but CB has probably a 10 mile range - handy if one person has popped to the shops and the person back at the campsite forgot to ask you to get more cheese (for example).
Magnetic antennas and power leads terminated in lighter plugs make them quickly put-in and out-able. One of our sets has all the controls on the mike, so there's no trying to mount something on the dash.
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There's a Mark 3 Ford Capri in my work car park with a dirty great aerial on the roof and a CB set on the dash. Also, a louvre on the rear window.
I think the bloke who drives it lives in 1983.
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There is the ham radio boys RAYNET, the radio hams emergency network.
Edited by Webmaster on 26/11/2008 at 19:04
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Hey this thread is right up my street!
Buford T. Justice: Breaker, breaker for the Bandit.
Bandit: Come on back, breaker.
Buford T. Justice: You got trouble comin'. Big trouble.
Bandit: Well, what's your handle son and what's your 20?
Buford T. Justice: My handle is Smokey Bear and I'm tail grabbin' your ass right now!
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Update on the Capri. It also has a number 8 pool ball for a gear knob.
Further details will be posted as they become available.
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Brilliant AV. I hope the guy just has a highly developed sense of humour. I have visions of that character Steve Coogan created who was a pest controller or something. Can't remember the name...
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I know who you mean HB. Did they not use the 70s "World in Action" theme for the credits? Struggling to remember the name....Tommy Saxondale?
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I know who you mean HB. Did they not use the 70s "World in Action" theme for the credits? Struggling to remember the name....Tommy Saxondale
the theme tune to saxondale is called "house of the king" by dutch rock band Focus
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I remember Focus sadly - our Music Teacher (who was very Avant Garde) promoted them at the expense of Mozart - got 17% in my 3rd year exams....:-(
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Buford T. Justice: Junior - when i get home I am gonna smack your mama in the mouth.
Junior: whys that daddy?
Buford T Justice: There is no way - NO WAY that you have come from my loins.
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Is txt'ing the modern day equivalent or is it the use of mobiles?
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I did some research on this a while back,I am 95% certain that CB radios are not classified as Mobile Phones therefore you can use whilst driving.
However if you crashed whilst using it I would expect you to be prosucuted for Careless Driving.
For the purposes of the mobile phone law a mobile phone is defined as follows
" a device, other than a two-way radio, which performs an interactive communication
function by transmitting and receiving data."interactive communication function" includes the following:
(i) sending or receiving oral or written messages;
(ii) sending or receiving facsimile documents;
(iii) sending or receiving still or moving images; and
A two way radio ( which is lawful to use ) is described as any wireless telegraphy apparatus which is designed or adapted for the purpose of transmitting and receiving spoken messages; and to operate on any frequency other than 880 MHz to 915 MHz, 925 MHz to 960 MHz, 1710 MHz to 1785 MHz, 1805 MHz to 1880 MHz, 1900 MHz to 1980 MHz or 2110 MHz to 2170 MHz
Check the frequency of your CB set and if it NOT included in the above, NO offence.
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A two way radio ( which is lawful to use )
When I was driving minicabs (Private Hire), we were told the 2-way radios we used were legal because there was no display to look at in order to operate the unit.
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I know of some old school truckers that used AM CB which was illegal, but never bothered with the vastly inferior FM, does that mean those people i knew had a slightly rebellious streak?
I'm very pleased to have lost contact with them..;)
Apparently during the early hours of the morning especially if you had a better set that went below the normal frequencies (before the ''skip'' became too heavy) on AM you could talk to other breakers for many (20+) miles even mobile whereas the FM sets would have a job to cover quarter the distance, apparently some would even use disguised aerials.....
so i'm told.
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I used to be on CB regularly in the early to mid 90's. Used to enjoy it very much and had helped me out on may occasions.
Occasionally, I switch on the set and listen around - it seems to be growing in popularity again down this neck of the woods after many years of decline.
Doing a lot of driving and having an amateur radio license, I have a full HF radio setup in the vehicle, enabling me to chat around the world easily (providing conditions are right).
As others have pointed out, you no longer need a license and it is not illegal to hold the fist mic whilst driving either (unlike a mobile phone).
10-4
Dan
Edited by DanG on 04/01/2009 at 17:11
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It was the 3rd of May at half past five in a Scammell hauling bricks !
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It was 2am with a yorkie pulling a bucket...saw a super swede on the flip flop and we let on it was clean and green over our shoulders, with no sign of smokie or wheeltappers, pedal to the metal yeehaw...
so my mate said.
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10 10 catch u again, bye-'zee'-bye we gone!
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