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hunter wright
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 14, 2003 - 11:37 am: | 
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Howdy, My name is Hunter Wright down in Austin, TX and I'm trying to find personal experiences or opinions involving the CB radio; what it was, and what it has become, for an English research paper. Any and all input is GREATLY appreciated, thanks in advance.
In your opinion what was the CB radio in the 70s compared to what it is now.
What kind of impact has the CB radio had on your life?
Describe in your opinion the "culture" behind the CB radio.
Also if you have an interesting story or maybe something you think is important that I didn't ask I would love to hear it.
Thanks again, Hunter. |
Sodapop
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 14, 2003 - 1:48 pm: |
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Well you have been on my forum and gotten loads of answer from me. So I will let the other forum members go at it. BTW - it was the Corner Pub forum I was talking about. |
707
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 15, 2003 - 12:10 am: |
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In your opinion what was the CB radio in the 70s compared to what it is now-
well, in the 70's, CB was a real community of local people. Not as much emphasis on skip talking like nowadays. Sure there were some big stations, but they mainly dominated the local scene like some sort of CB Sheriffs.
Almost everybody had a little mobile in the car, even the big new Caddy drivers (AM/FM/CB/8track) and so it was sort of like a chat room on wheels. Everybody had a funky handle and sort of adopted a persona. A lot of that campy stuff you see on old CB movies was for real back then. All us kids yearned for a CB, but made do with 1 watt Midland talkies, or snuck into Dads car at night to chatter. I got chewed out a few times for running the battery waaayyy down...
Some of the "fortunate" kids had Dads with base stations, so we would gather at their houses sometimes and have a blast talking on the big radio until all hours of the night. My best friend in junior high was luckiest (in our eyes)..his dad was a gravel truck driver and later the gravel pit foreman, and had a big base (Messenger 223) and mobiles in all their cars and sounded like CW MCall on the radio. We met lots of girls from other schools through the CB.
There were lots of weekly CB coffee breaks, and other community oriented stuff. It was great. |
Crafter
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 15, 2003 - 6:56 pm: |
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Well the 70's, I was in elementary school but oh yea I loved to talk it was like you say a few big stations but they did more react channel 9 stuff back then. CB was the common guys cell-phone in the 70's. Today its all about ssb I think in 75% of all case's.
When I lived in Lawton Okla we used to have coffee breaks even the rivals came as with any group there is always someone to stir the pot. There were and still is alot of CB operator's and yes I consider alot "operators" cause their in it for the fun a helping of their fellow radio friend.
I live in eastern oregon now so not many bases compared to probally 200 in lawton might be 6 here in this town but we still jaw all night and we even get together once in awhile. I was told stories about talking coffee out to the rest area and spending the day with truckers and travelers, not much of that goes on anymore but nice to remember the good times. |
Karatebutcher
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 15, 2003 - 7:07 pm: |
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Hunter 707 just about explained it all, it was a time when there were cb radio movies, cb clubs, cb breaks where family went to, prizes were given away, people were close, they got together each night to talk to other familys, it was mostly all on AM, hardly no amps, a lot of power mikes, and big stick antennas.
You ask impact on our life, well getting to talk to other people, traveling threw the airways to different states, finding a friendly conservation, and in most all cases good people |
Inspector
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 15, 2003 - 8:26 pm: |
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Ho, yes...I remember the old CB club, "The Rachet-Jaws". We had about twenty members and had flea markets and bake-sales to go to CB Jamborees(the CB version of hamfests). We had coffee breaks and still do almost EVERY NIGHT! It was almost like cell phones are today...yes a bit faddish but they bring people together...Today the fad is over but the CB "culture" is still there, found in the "old Dogs". |
707
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 15, 2003 - 11:12 pm: |
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crafter- I bet you used to listen to KLAW radio. I worked there (and for KZCD) for 3.5 years before I moved to Texas |
Mr_Rf
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 15, 2003 - 11:30 pm: |
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Awwwwwh Shucks Hunter,
The 60's & 70's were the good ole days for sure! Every town had a CB store of some sort, even if it was operated out of someone's garage.
Q1. "In your opinion what was the CB radio in the 70s compared to what it is now?
First, CB was a well organized machine capable of real life impact. It served a purpose by bridging communications gaps that "party line" telephones couldn't even supply. There were licenses, real FCC (Federal Communications Commission) issued callsigns just like broadcast stations have, and even special designated emergency stations with special callsigns that started with KOA-xxxx and KOK-xxxx (e.g. KOK-1512). The license had a fee, had to be posted at your station, and a copy of the latest FCC rules were required!
Today there is no license, poorly enforced rules, and no organization. However, the machine still ticks strong just not as robust in the "purpose" department. Today's most visible CB is generally localized to several channels (6, 11, 19, 26, etc.) and has an overall lack of morals, rough language, and no respect. But there is a solid family of CB'ers (like us who hang out on this forum) that are still carrying on the true CB traditions. We can be found after the skip dies down holding family oriented conservations most every evening. REAL CB STILL LIVES!!!!
Q2. What kind of impact has the CB radio had on your life?
Well, after 34 years of CB exposure, and considering my life long passion has been electronics, and the first real electronics introduced into my life was CB radio, I would have to say that CB radio was the cattlist that has "kept food on the table" in my household! Although I have been a ham radio operator for 21 plus years I still enjoy listening to the CB locals and having an ocasional chat with the gang.
Q3. Describe in your opinion the "culture" behind the CB radio.
There are as many diversities (cultures) in CB as there are letters in the alphabet! There are as I call them special interest groups that turn the CB on for a reason...
a. The "truckers" (truckers best friend, his CB and his bird dog)
b. The "travelers" (vacationers and speed demons looking for bear reports)
c. The "Mud Buckets" (daytime dump truck drivers)
d. The "children" (teens who are exploring the hobby like we did)
e.The "Misfits" (cursing, dead-keying agitators with nothing better to do)
f. The "Ole Timers" (Those of us carrying on tradition)
g. The "Work Crew" (Businesses that try to use CB as a communications tool)
h. The "AM Skip Shooters" (those who command the "High" that comes from kilowatt linears and monster antennas)
i. The "SSB gang" (Local and skip with style!)
The list goes on and on...people from every walk utilizing CB as just what it is, public access communications!
Q4.Also if you have an interesting story or maybe something you think is important that I didn't ask I would love to hear it.
I grew up the third (and youngest) child of a poor family. M first exposure to CB was my brother, ten years my elder, was taking the same path of electronics that I would later walk. At can remember at age 5 or 6 holding the soldering iron for my brother,getting scoldedfor my standing still and being steady, and all the time playing spong to what he was un-intentionally teaching me by allowing me to help. I'll always own a debt to my brother for that experience! Anyway, about age eleven I got my first, very own, CB communicator! A one watt, three channel, walkie talkie with channel 14 installed. I thought I really had something. I spent every spare minute listening to that thing, drove my parents crazy, and even lost sleep staying up to the wee hours trying to talk to the gang I was listening to. After three years of forming opinions that I was an outcast on the CB because no one I heard would ever talk back to m, I learned that the receiver in the talkie was "broadband" and all those stuck up CB buddies I heard were not even on Ch 14 as I thought all that time. No wonder they were not coming back to me! I felt very stupid for a long time and wondered just haow many of the neighbors heard me on Ch. 14 screaming my mouth off trying to break people I heard that wasn't even on that channel!!!
Years later I learned to laugh about it and now think it was another one of those learning experiences and pure proof that I "thought" I was smarter than I was! Anyone with me on this one? lol
OK, my carpal tunnel just kicked so its time to go. I have enjoyed typing this mess and hope it helps your research paper.
Long Live CB!!!
73's
Mr_RF |
Ironmask
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 15, 2003 - 11:57 pm: |
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Inspector
I wish you wouldn't use the term " old Dogs" soo loosely.
I started with radios in the early 60's. The 70's were the react clubs with phone patch, get togethers, etc. Trucking from coast to coast for many years I met many fine people. When my voice was heard I would be told to stop for dinner or that there was someone in need, could I help?
You could come to a strange town and ask for directions, within minutes there would be a car with an antenna on it telling you to follow it. You didn't have to worry where you would be taken. Just the cent & 1/2 from an old dog |
Crafter
| | Posted on Thursday, January 16, 2003 - 8:30 pm: |
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707 did you work with "spanky" John was his real name I think seems like he worked there too, dear god its a small world. Actually klaw, and klur out of wichita falls texas were my stations being a w.f. native. |
Taz
| | Posted on Thursday, January 16, 2003 - 11:02 pm: |
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Viva la CB |
707
| | Posted on Friday, January 17, 2003 - 1:50 am: |
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crafter-
he he..it is indeed a small world. As a child, I lived in WF way back in about '64, and still have relatives there. I don't know Spanky. I was at KLAW/KZCD from 97 to late 2000. That was my last real radio job. I do know that Lawton was a hotbed of CB activity up until about '95-'96, when the city passed an anti-base CB ordinance because of all the high powered stations messing up the cable system. No CB base operations allowed from 7pm to 1am under threat of fines if you got caught interefering. Also, Ft. Sill had something to do with that. Apparently, there was at least one guy who interfered with military comms. He finally got shut down and fined into submission. |
bruce
| | Posted on Friday, January 17, 2003 - 7:30 pm: |
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707
Under what law did they justfy that ordinance? seems to me if a LEAUGAL CB station was shut down he would have recorse through the FCC. Now my bet is it has a sub scrip that the station has to be in some way illeagal could you send me a copy ???
Bruce |
Crafter
| | Posted on Friday, January 17, 2003 - 7:36 pm: |
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Yea that was over the Rf interfering with the radar scopes on Ft. Sill from a mobile...I know I got investigated and recieved the ole cease your talking by the FCC mine was due to remax realestate being in my zone and a bad internal PA in there building and my "extasy" sound byte being full audio in there building. Oh and yes I moved in 95. Yes that was me and my little 1500b on a laser 400 and my next door neightbor had a shooting star and we used it all to talk next door LITERALLY. |
Crafter
| | Posted on Saturday, January 18, 2003 - 6:37 pm: |
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Mine was a signed letter from the FCC through senator nickles and gov.walters I had the police at my house daily almost...But I finally conceded upon the us marshalls coming so I moved...No big amps in the house no more but the mobile is a different story..The SKY'S THE LIMIT !! |
Galaxyraider
| | Posted on Saturday, January 18, 2003 - 9:38 pm: |
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The early 60s were the real beginnings for CB that evolved into the 70s. The radios were horrible with maybe one to three channels. And if you could hook up an external crytal socket, add channels. Pop in a crytal Zero beat the tone and your ready to Xmit/Rec. One of the very first units was the RCA green monster. The hand held mike was also the speaker. Built with tubes it was ugly and as big as a milk crate and generated all the heat you wanted.
Most users back then were semi=professionals, some Ham operators, some doctors and gas stations, bodyshops too.
The band was very quiet. Skip did not occur daily like it does now. And each channel was quiet. Three watts and a 108" whip worked well locally. Twenty miles was not uncommon base to base.
We had late night roundtables and talked everything from radios to politics till sunrise. Met and enjoyed new friends. Most are still close today. An attempt to form radio relay around the US was started and as popularity of CB increased it never became a useful way to send messages around the US.
CB could have been well organized capable of real life impact,but it never happened. It's popularity began to explode around 67 68 and airwave control and sensibility then went off the air. |
CM 3885
| | Posted on Saturday, January 18, 2003 - 10:51 pm: |
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Crafter; LOL on that "extasy" soundbite on the real esate PA system! ILL bet they about lost it when they heard that for the first time!!!! |
Crafter
| | Posted on Sunday, January 19, 2003 - 12:26 am: |
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I had a friend who's wife worked there and she said it was full PA volume and all h3ll broke lose oh there phones to was all on the same system somehow...But it wasnt just me there were 5 base stations and the little guy ran a 300a driven by a jb12, We were all keying about a grand and swinging to 3k it was a rough neighborhood that blk had 21 20lf6's in it and I had a blackcat with 3-500z's...I wasnt a nice guy in those days. |
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