CB IS DEAD? NO WAY! by NC Scout
(NC Scout / AmericanPartisan.org) So there’s some out there in the habit of saying ‘CB is dead’…well, is it? I’m not so sure about that. On the contrary, I think its very much alive, very much relevant, and should very much be a part of your sustainment communications plan. For all of the reasons I pointed out in the last post on setting a system up off grid, its an incredibly simple and robust method of communications that, even if bare bones, offers us much in the way of capability.
One of the primary reasons people claim CB is ‘dead’ revolves around its aged perception. Its old school, and the days of the Duke Boys burning up the screen are behind us. In that era CB was as much social media as it was communication. Since that’s largely been replaced by the internet, the perception that its a throwback to days gone by is certainly true and there’s not as many people to chit chat with on the air. Couple that with the fact that its perceived as a tool only truckers use, and a lot of people end up overlooking it in lieu of a better mousetrap. And while it might be true that there’s not as many people using it as in years past, that actually might be a great thing.
What CB was always designed to do it continues to do well – provide a simple option for communications to anyone and everyone with little to no technical knowledge. Its as affordable as you want it to be. I’ve sourced old CB radios for a song, and a lot of other people do too on the regular. Its a popular option in central NC among the immigrant laborers and that alone should be telling. Once upon a time a wise man taught me that going dark revolved around living as cheap as possible, always on cash, and communicating through the most basic means possible to avoid complications. What would he know…he operated in East Germany in the 80s.
When used in the right way it gives us some options that are about as close to plug and play as you can get with any radio system. And as I pointed out, the fact that there’s not as many people on the air these days overlooking it offers at least some level of obscurity. For that reason alone its worth having a radio or two laying around.
CB is always going to have a place in my sustainment communications plan, which I discussed in depth in one of the Lessons from the Farm on Radio Contra’s patron page. It may not be the thing it was once upon a time, its far from ‘dead’. What it offers the prepper community it does extremely well and will continue to do, outperforming FRS or GMRS at least in my opinion. While its only one component of a much, much larger communications scheme of maneuver, it should never be overlooked even when more sophisticated (and complicated!) options are on the table.
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GUNS N GEAR
CB is definitely not dead in my area. We have two nets a week with 10-20 check ins, one net is AM the other SSB. Our little radio group is starting to have “coffee breaks” and we get about 15 show up for those and people bring radio related equipment to sell or swap.
On the nets the Net Control comes up with a different question each week with the subject almost always being preparedness related.
Because of the sunspot cycle we’ve had check ins from all over the states including other countries as well. Last weeks SSB net we had a station check in from Australia.
We even have a Facebook page, Bravo Sierra Radio Group, not much there but it’s just getting started, check it out if you get a chance.
Right on!
Yeah man, CB has some great applications and I’m not unhappy that people forget about it. I grew up in the CB revival of the 70’s and 80’s, which also went along with lifted toyota 4×4 clubs and massive stereo systems in my rural desert hometown. We used to have nets (although we didn’t know that’s what they were called) and would race around different locations trying to find each other playing CB tag, or see who’s latest improvements could step on the known high power ‘king of the hill’. We didn’t know it then that we were doing what might be similar to tactical radio ops now; we were just playing which I think speaks to the ease of entry into radio operations that CB’s provide so one can get familiar with radio operations without getting potentially mired in the technical learning curve/testing/licensing that Ham 2m represents to some.
I know repeaters on CB freqs are illegal, but have heard of units that have a repeater function built into them, has anyone heard of this?
And to tie into community communications, I think it’s good to point out that modern scanners can pick up freqs down to 25mhz as well as typical HF radios. Good cross-radio/radio user connectivity/interop for SA.
Got my Class D license back in 69. Started out on Am and moved to sideband soon after. Still use it as my primary form of local communication and it works well in mountainous terrain. CB may be dead compared to what it was in 1975. But, that’s a good thing. Now that the band isn’t overcrowded you can use it to it’s full potential. People who complain that it’s too noisy or hasn’t got enough range haven’t learned how to work simplex. A high gain antenna plus height is everything. Lots of modern CB freebanders are running HF rigs and digital modes.
Hook a scanner to an HF antenna for any band or even a 15 or so foot (or longer) piece of wire and you’ll find CB is far from dead. Used radios are dirt cheap. New Unidens are still under $50 at Walmart. The principals of antenna building are the same as amateur radio. The first antenna I ever built was a CB dipole. Unlike FM polarization is less important. My attic dipole works just as well as the vertical. For the field a zip cord dipole is easy to pack. Formula is on AARL or MFJs antenna book. Both are downloadable for free.