cb radio does it still exist?

[mercalia]

does any one do this any more? cant say I have seen any rigs for sale.

[Paulatic]

Take a look on EBay
Looks like CB still in existence
10-7 Good Buddy

[Mick F]

CB radio = Citizens' Band Radio ............ and is a US term.
When it was legalised in UK, it was called something else. Open Channel(?) or something similar.

Trouble is, as in most things, US words and sayings take over.

[[XAP]Bob]

Yes, I know a couple of hams, and see a few more aerials around as well

[kwackers]

Yes, I know a couple of hams, and see a few more aerials around as well

Ooo... "cb" & "ham" mentioned in the same context. I'd keep quiet about that...

I'm not sure that it has ever been called anything other than "CB" in the UK. I played with it for a while when it was illegal and lost interest in it when they legalised it.
Mind you I'd been building radio transmitters for years prior to that. Even had my own "pirate" radio station - although with probably about 5 milliwatts of power on medium wave through a bit of wire I suspect my audience was probably pretty restricted.

I converted to ham radio shortly after and have a G0 callsign although I rarely use that either. I haven't set my gear up since I moved otherwise I'd have a quick listen to see if there's anyone on CB (last time I listened several years ago there was a reasonable amount of activity).

[661-Pete]

I wonder, if anyone is confusing CB with Amateur Radio (Radio Hams - as famously portrayed in Hancock's Half-Hour)? The former used to be illegal in the UK, but the latter has always been legal - provided you passed the RAE test. A classmate of mine at school was a dab hand at the hobby - he once held a demonstration for us. I don't know what's in the RAE nowadays, but in those days -.-- --- ..- / -. . . -.. . -.. / - --- / .--. .- ... ... / .- / -- --- .-. ... . / - . ... -

Edit: crossed with you Kwackers...

[cyclemad]

CB was legalised in the UK IN 1981 on 27mhz FM with a maximum power output of 4watts and antenna of 1.5m max height ( you could out this on a 20' pole but the antenna could only be 1.5m )

I had one for years and eventually went totally illegal with an SSB Transceiver ( single side band ) coupled up to a 2kw linear transmitter amplifier and a full wave YAGI BEAM antenna on a rotator affixed to a 20 foot mast in the back garden I had the advantage of living at the time on a family farm up a dirt track behind several locked gates so would have plenty of warning if the DTI came creeping around to try and locate me...
The only issue was that I completely blacked out all the TV'S in the local village ...and the phone would be red hot particularly around coronation street being aired as they all knew who was responsible....

As the years wore on and internet became increasingly popular and accessible to the masses the radio kit was put away in the attic and the kit fro the car was removed

I still have the radios in the attic somewhere and masses of cables ......it was really enjoyable at the time. It was the pre courser to facebook and social media and was a real thrill when you made contact with someone at the other side of the world while sat in your car up on a bleak hillside at 3am

Nowadays I just turn Skype on an hey presto HD Pics of family around the world !!

[Mick F]

Yes, I know a couple of hams, and see a few more aerials around as well

Ooo... "cb" & "ham" mentioned in the same context. I'd keep quiet about that...

I'm not sure that it has ever been called anything other than "CB" in the UK.

Radio hams are very different to CB enthusiasts. Please don't confuse the two.

CB radio was called something different, I can assure you. I must look it up.

[Mick F]

From Wiki

C.B. Radio was first introduced into the United Kingdom around 1972. Early use was known around the airports in the UK, particularly Stansted in 1973. As citizens band radio has been advertised in the US since before 1962, it is possible that a number of these radios were brought into the UK and used illegally. In the period 1976–1978, C.B. radio in Britain was much popularised by novelty hit songs and its use in the film Convoy and the usage of illegal C.B. radio peaked in 1980. Companies in Britain sold US equipment quite openly, and equipment was readily available in car accessory shops. During this time, a great many C.B. clubs emerged in the UK and they became centres of protest in the march towards legalisation, in the hope that existing equipment could be used legally. In response to this, the government commissioned a white paper proposing a C.B. service called "Open Channel" around 860 MHz.

[mercalia]

Yes, I know a couple of hams, and see a few more aerials around as well

i dont think they are the same - ham radio were ther amateurs who need to pass tests, once upon time incl morse ( but not now ) - my dad was one; cb is the pay £10 for a licence and there you go no training needed? ham radio used sets that can access "repeaters" around he country to extend the range of reception, where as cb was purely local?

ham radio is still alive i think. but what about cb?

[thirdcrank]

Whatever the govt., proposed, I see that "open channel" is a drainage term, another being "pipe-flow."

There is an open channel website which says "Welcome to the Open Channel website for CB and Amateur Radio in the UK."

http://www.m0ysu.com/

It tries to bring "CB'ers" and hams together:

In an effort to bring Amateur Radio to the attention of some of the CB'ers who are looking for something more than just CB this section has been put together for you.

Re the thread title, I see that that site runs a CB Radio museum.

[kwackers]

From Wiki
"white paper proposing a C.B. service called "Open Channel" around 860 MHz.

Yeah but that's just the white paper name and also it discussed putting it on 860mhz.
As far as I know the name "CB radio" applied for the 27mhz FM stuff we ended up with, I've had a look but cant find anything that says differently.

[Pastychomper]

FWIW ham radio has had a boost in the last few years from eastern companies selling very cheap but ok-specced portable rigs. I wouldn't be surprised if the price of CB has come down for similar reasons, on the other hand I wonder if the cheaper ham rigs and somewhat easier exams are enticing some away from CB.

[yakdiver]

I had one while living in Aussie I was Osprey

[PH]

From Wiki

C.B. Radio was first introduced into the United Kingdom around 1972. Early use was known around the airports in the UK, particularly Stansted in 1973. As citizens band radio has been advertised in the US since before 1962, it is possible that a number of these radios were brought into the UK and used illegally. In the period 1976–1978, C.B. radio in Britain was much popularised by novelty hit songs and its use in the film Convoy and the usage of illegal C.B. radio peaked in 1980. Companies in Britain sold US equipment quite openly, and equipment was readily available in car accessory shops. During this time, a great many C.B. clubs emerged in the UK and they became centres of protest in the march towards legalisation, in the hope that existing equipment could be used legally. In response to this, the government commissioned a white paper proposing a C.B. service called "Open Channel" around 860 MHz.

You have to remember what an authoritarian government we were living under, they really didn't want to give in to all those oiks using illegal US equipment. In the end they gave in on most points, but out of what looks like spite insisted on a slightly different frequency making all the illegal kit obsolete. The legislation required that the equipment be marked CB 27/81 (Citizens' Band 27MHz 1981)