Posted: 2/25/2008 7:13:38 AM EDT
| Do any of you guys get wild and play down there any? |
I am the same way. I absolutely do not talk to those that are using the children's band lingo. There has been a big influx in CB'ers getting their license and bringing the garbage talk in my area along with not following the 2 meter band plan ragchewing on 145.85 one of the satelitte freq's. Even when a group of us try to redirect them to the simplex frequency's they argue with everyone trying to help them. I just have no interest in communicating at all with that type of 11m talk or class of people. |
Well I can honestly say I've never used a CB, and from what I have heard on there I really don't think I'd want to associate with that crowd. I only know of one ham who was still very active on 11, he also turned out to be a drunk idiot who jammed repeaters until the FCC took away his license. What are the odds........ But it's easy to tell the CB people with KI4 & KJ4 calls, they use words I have never heard of. I actually had to have someone explain to me when one guy said he was going to the waterfall he meant he was going to take a shower. WTF? Just say that. But we also have a few hams (20-30 year hams) who say they are "destinated" on two meters. One in question gave a class about how newbies should use the local repeaters and to just speak normally and to forget all the 11 meter ways. Of course I asked him why he uses "destinated" because I've never seen that in a dictionary  It's also rather insulting to assume all hams came from 11 meters, I'd rather say I come from apes than 11 
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I have no ill feeling towards CB'ers, I don't have one, dont' plan on putting one in my truck. but what gets me is when someone sees my 2 m and 10 meter antenna and I have to explain that it's not a CB antenna. well, the 10 meter antenna is really a CB antenna, just cut down a little. |
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Pretty sad... I really had hoped that this section of the board would not go the way of QRZ, and trash talk the CB crowd. This forum was supposed to be for 2 way radio stuff, and the ham name was just what it ended up being. I dispatch EMS/FIRE/Police for my $$$, and have done so for years.... I dont bang on hams when they cant even relay a simple address for a real world medical call during a disaster drill. It is a different service. It is not supposed to be AR. When they want to come over to AR then Im OK with that also. I hear mor pissing, and moaning on AR then on our local CB... Hell, the CB guys have WAY more fun. Around here I think of CB as the GD, and AR as a tech forum. |
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I only report what I know. I have never heard any sober, coherent thoughts on CB when I have listened. As far as their fun, well that's not the fun I would like to take part in. Ham radio can just do more than CB can. This forum was born in the survival forum, and ham radio is a perfect fit. Toss up a VHF antenna made from a coat hanger and talk across the state, toss up a wire and talk to the world. CB is different, toss up an antron and maybe talk across the county, or get a band opening and not hear the guy across town and hear some guy 500 miles away. Not reliable in a survival standpoint or any emergency communications use except in very limited instances. |
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To me survival radio is about options and for the most part ham radio gives me the most options. Although for extreme short term comms frs/gmrs certainly has its place. Do I own a hand held CB....yes. Do I ever use it....well, with the exception of an annual power on check, no. I purchased it for extreme situation local information gathering. I've listened to the cb'rs in my state and have come to a simple conclusion. If I'm in the woods bleeding to death I wouldn't call any of them. I would just allow myself to die in peace. Just so we know how fair of a person I can be, we have a ham radio repeater system in my state full of every moron, retard, and child molester in ham radio....no exaggeration....if I'm in the woods bleeding to death, don't call them either. Sorry, but in a crisis I can't rely on the trailer park crowd to make good decisions or to do the right thing. |
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Yes, I do use 11 meters....every day. I actually have more fun there. We have a very well "behaved" group of operators here on our home channel in the Bay Area. I currently use a Cobra 2000 with a Turner +3 mic, and an IMAX 2000 about 30' up in a pine tree. I also have a AM/SSB radio in both of the family vehicles. I also have a nice assortment of other old and new radios(I have my General Class) like an ICOM 706mkIIG, ICOM 621, Siltronix 1011D with counter, a few am/ssb CB handhelds, and a half dozen Garmin Rino 530's....all good for their intended use. However, I enjoy talking to my 11 meter friends as opposed the stuffiness of the other bands. To much critisism, to many people telling you how to run your station, telling you to conform to their idea of reality...mind you, I am 100% legal, and clean, (can you say o-scope) and get favorable reports from other operators that I know and trust. Anyways...I too had hoped that this would evolve into a radio forum, open to all with none of the one class is better than the other mumbo jumbo, because quite frankly, there are good operators, and there are bad operators, and It really does not matter on which band you are refering....period. |
I agree I'd hate to think I was stuck in a world were I could only run a non effecient "Supper Clean" A biased amp. While distortion is worse C biasing rocks when you want to see a Bird meter dance. |
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Every time I tune into 11m all I hear is: The worlds most poorly tuned radios way over modulated by some dude withe a screwdriver at the truck stop, horribly built amps that splatter all over adjacent frequncies, "techs" who think the measure of performance is how far you can make a power meter "swing" when you scream into the mic, echo mics, noisemakers, bad language, and fights...punctuated every now and then by someone who is actualy considerate and offering good advice. Don't even get me started by the freebanders moving in on the 10m band with thier "extra channel" radio they got at the truck stop, or the number of times I have helped someone track down interferance from a "ham radio" when it turned out that it was a CB'er with a POS amp spewing garabge all across the bands. It had potential to be a good service, but now? In most areas, it is a sewer. I wouldn't depend on it as a primary or secondary means of communication for anything more serious than a trip to the mall. As a hobby? Sure, if thats what you are in to. In remote areas where there is not a large population, it likely remains pretty usable. But I am close enough to the interstate and a population of freebander and such that it is not. |
+eleventy billion. I got my start into radio with that exact same setup. It was awesome. had some awesome qso's. Then i got my ham. I used my CB more than i ever used my ham. It just seems everyone i talk to on the ham has a stick up their ass, or want to talk about the weather or lutefisk. Maybe one of these years i'll upgrade to general, and check in to one of the arfcom nets. But in my current location, there's little chance of setting up an HF right withotu problems. |
This topic was not about what ham radio could do, it was a question about who uses 11 meters in this forum. As for you saying that you only report what you know. Well you have already admitted that you know very little. Ask joe blow on CB what they know about Amateur Radio, and they may tell you that all they ever hear is a bunch of old guys talking about antennas. CB can do the same things that 2M simplex can do, and sometimes even better. CB has REACT teams in some areas. AR has ARES/RACES. As I type this, Ch 5, and 7 are full of skip, Im hearing So Cal, Im also hearing Mississippi, and Japan. It is not every day that I can hear the skip, and sometimes it is good for an hour, sometimes it is good for 15 min's. I can talk across 3 county's with my radio/antenna.. no amp. But I have a nice antenna. There is nothing that cant be done on CB short repeaters that is done on VHF/UHF simplex, if given the same power restrictions. I notice a heck of a lot more CB antennas on veh's then Ham antennas, I also notice that I can buy CB's at Radio Shack, Fred Meyers, Kmart, Big 5 Sports, Wallmart, ect..ect... I also have 2 Sabers that have the MURS freq's on them, a couple of GMRS/FRS Motorola radios. I think in a SHTF situation, You would have better odds, and bigger numbers on a CB in your local AO than Ham. Hell the Fire department's, and Sheriffs cars even have CB/FRS in their rigs out here. I only know of 2 departments in my county that have AR set up inside their stations, and no one in those stations has the first clue as to what to do with them... They wait for some guy/gal from RACES to show up. As for the type of people that frequent 11 meters.... Well we can all point out the bad apples in the HF bands. The big difference is, on 11 meters, It is not illegal to act in those ways. Some of you guys in here sound worse than the anti gunners. I have no problem with an ARFcommer asking questions about CB, FRS,GMRS,MURS, Ham.... Whatever... Im just am bummed to see people in here think they are some better class then others, and talking down to, or at those that dont fit into your mold of how the all holly radio should be used. |
That guy really messed up 14 days of my life. ( I could have gotten some foreign nookie at least 2-3 more times before she went back to Germany, but I had to dress up in my BDU's and watch people burn down their neighborhoods.) As for the Ham vs CB deal.... I doubt it. 
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Umm, actually, yes it is illegal to do all those things I complained about in my post. Amps? Illegal. "Export radios"? Illegal Radios modified at the truck stop for extra channels, more "swing" or more power? Illegal Obscene or indecent language? Illegal Music, whistling or sound effects? Illegal And I do complain just as much about crappy HF ops. The thing is, it is all far more prevelant on CB. And most people seem to think it is perfectly ok. And when we have posters here talking about "getting wild" and amps on 11m, I can see where this is leading. |
Listen honey, I reported facts, you don;t like don't come crying when you end up with a sandy manginia. What I know is everytime I have listen to 11 meters, I have heard stuff that I would not expect out of a five year old. If any of them were sober, that would be even more frightening. You want to talk about CBs, no one is stopping you. Just don't expect most of us to actually take it seriously. There are good things about CB, you can cut the antennas to a useful band
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And there is the reason i haven't talked on my ham in ages. Elitist bullshit. So only those that possess approval from .gov should be able to talk on a radio? Hmm...what about guns? Should we only allow people that have gotten .gov approval own guns? I'm sure you'd cry your eyes out if an anti said: "There are good things about guns. You can melt them and use them as paperweights." So why go after fellow radio enthusiasts? As time goes on, I become more and more ashamed of this site.  |
If you talk on 11 meters, you are using frequencies that are granted by the goverment to use.
Guess you have never been to GD As much "fun" the CB crowd claims to want to have, they sure don't have a sense of humor
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Don't have any illegal CB gear, so negative on the playing. My communications gear is for comms and not entertainment. There is a fair number of people on amatuer and CB that use the stuff to entertain themselves usually to the detriment of the rest of us. The last time I tried to get a traffic report on the CB, the only thing you could hear were two truckers running amps/roger beeps talking about the high price of fuel. The CB is probably coming out to be replaced with a 220 radio or a scanner. Something useful anyway. RS |
Yup. The concept of 11m was, no is sound. The problem is that way too many yahoos have taken it over. Does it have its place? Sure. That said, don't take anything said here as a blanket statement about all CB'ers. Much like I don't hate all Lorcin owners, I do hate all the gangbangers who seem to gravitate to Lorcins. I don't dislike all CB'ers, just the ones that scrwed it all up. |
| Well, CB really does have it's place. I use it for offroading. When you're with a few jeepers, radio contact needs to be maintained. As far as illegal activities, what do CB'ers need to fear? Who's going to take their license? No one that's who. Hams are more well behaved because we are required by law to identify ourselves and the risk of loosing our licenses keeps many of us from doing stupid things. As far as elitism, don't get me started on 20 meters..... |
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This has gotten way off the OP's intended question, but I'll add that when we talk about illegal activities on the airwaves, HAM's do it too. There are plenty of operators using more power than alloted, using modified Kenwoods, Yaesu's, and ICOM's to work the CB bands, and with CAP, WARC and MURS mods, and generally act like a fool. It's not just happening on 11 meters, just check the FCC page on who is getting popped. (HAM's and CB'ers) That said, (and remember, I am a General class operator, so I am on both sides), if I don't have anything good to say on topic posted on anything....say....HAM related, I don't. I've posted here before about CB and GMRS/FRS and was hit by a swarm of negitivity, mostly by HAM's, so I generally read whats posted, and move on. There has definitly been good info posted, and very helpful posters, BUT some of those very same posters you would not recognize when they post to a topic related to the lowly CB radio Oh well to each his own, but as I've said before, I am a Radio Operator, and reguardless of what band, or which mode, that is what I'll be, and I enjoy it all. |
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We have the language issue here also, mostly on 19, and a few others, but on the channel we use as our "Home" channel, we just don't talk to the people useing foul language, or otherwise un-acceptable practices......period. Eventually, they go away when they see they get no reaction. Some even gravitate to our channel because of the "Style" we have adopted. The guys on my channel like, and strive to achieve, clean audio output, and most are using older rigs like Tram D201(A), Browning III & IVs, Cobra 2000's & 142's, Siltronix 1011's (I know, I know) and I'm sure a few modded HAM radio's Most of my group have clean install's as well. Good grounds at the shack and antenna, filters if needed (HOA's and close nieghbors, I'm using a Bencher YA-1) In the TampaBay area, there are better than 200 people on the radio I would consider "Regulars" and 6-10 different "Groups" each using a seperate channel, although we all move around the dial, and some belong to more than one group. Even more, if you consider the sandbagger's who lay claim to no group or channel. 11 meters is alive and doing well, at least where I live, and I enjoy using it. |
| Yes I use a CB and I am a General Class. I travel a lot. In my car if I need info the CB gets used. I take my HT with me also and in hotels at night scan the freqs. Raraly do I find a lot of 2m or 440 traffic. Passing through some small town in another state it is a lot easier to ask on 11m than try to find someone on 2m. I enjoy HF while mobile, but thats just to pass the time. I know lots of local law enforcement who have CB's in their cars and other locals who stay off 19. I enjoy pretty much anything to do with communications. |
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People interested in working through an emergency need to keep ALL available options open. Once while traveling through Erie, PA the wind suddenly began gusting wildly, stirring up a wall of powdery snow which created a whiteout. Luckily I was listening on channel 19 where I heard a warning of the impending danger and less than 5 minutes after pulling off the highway a 50 vehicle pileup occured right where I would of been driving. Damn it all you want, thats one of many times 11meters has saved my rear from danger. |
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I'm a long time truck driver, and a long time General Class ham. FWIW, I have two CB radios, and they are both sitting in the bottom of a closet.  It would be useful for me at shippers/receivers, but I have a cell phone. They can call me when they have an open door for me.  There's nothing on there of use to me that I can't observe IF I'M PAYING ATTENTION, and bear reports as as useful to me as a map of Antartica. Folks want to use it? Prep it? Cool. Free country and all. But if I want filthy language, lame brained ideas, and generally poor behavior, I just surf ARFCOM. |
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I'm not going to say CBs are great... but neither are some ham bands..... there are assholes everywhere. FWIW I have my 2M/70cm and a Cobra 29 in my truck... both have dedicated holes in the roof for antennas- the CB is nice when I have friends who can't do the "ham thing"... Like was said, CB works well for offroading, and getting info while on the road- as far as sitting there BSing... na I don't use it for that- way too many idiots to deal with to listen to all the time... There's a place for all of it if you don't like it stay off the band... not too hard to do... see rodney, we all CAN get along -Roth |
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I have my extra license and have a CB radio mounted in my truck. No antenna yet but that's coming. I have 3/8" stud mounted on my spare tire carrier and will rotate my 2 meter 5/8th, 10 meter, and 11 meter antennas depending on "mission" requirements. I have a MFJ 2x2 switch which can connect my ham or CB radio to the 3/8" or NMO mounts as required. One of the problems we have down here are the Mexican truckers. They are coming across the border with 2m, 10m and 11m radios. The same echo and roger mics are on 2m. The same quality amplifiers are there too. Thank heavens they operate simplex ... but on any part of the band (or out of band) that they want. I live far enough away that I don't get the interference but I often operate very close to the border and hear it then. I cut my teeth as a 15/16 year old on CB radio back in the mid-70's. I learned about antennas, impedance matching, gain, radio horizon, dirrectional antennas, propagation ... the sort of stuff that was on my extra exam. It still serves as a good introduction into the hobby. |