Your channel is just about the only channel here on UA-cam that explains everything needed to know about cb radio and everything that involves citizens band radio! I got into single side band on cb back in the mid 90s with an old realistic base station I was given by my old neighbor, he was an avid cber way back in the 70s thru the mid 90s back when there were more out there to chat with. I now have a galaxy 979 that works flawlessly ever since I bought it new in 2010. I still use the old realistic as to some of my old cbs I've got over the years. I certainly do appreciate all your informal videos and the helpful advice you've given out to all those into the hobby!
Could I just say, Eric is just a normal guy, the fact he has to save his money just like the rest of us mere mortals in order to buy his radio bits. Ps love the theme tune
I got my first ssb radio this afternoon. Galaxy 959. I made contact with Ontario Canada on my first transmission! Wow! I could never do that on AM with barefoot radio. Plus I'm running a Wilson mag mount on my pickup truck. I am very surprised and pleased ! I made long distance contacts one after another like it was nothing lol. I love it ! Shoulda tried sideband years ago !
Great video. I started talking on CB radio when I could stand next to my dad in his car while driving down the road. Best times ever. Been a licensed ham with my dad for over 25 years now. Still love CB radio though. Over 50 now and love all communication.
It may be a dying hobby in the long term, but it's still a lot of fun for me to get on the air and touch base with someone on the other side of the country. Yes, the internet can do that too, but it's different on the radio.
Thanks, I love your videos.. I used CBs in the late 70s. Stopped in late 80s, because of all the disrespect that was going on. After watching your videos, Im inspired to get back into it. Pick up a Cobra 29 LTD Chrome, and now I am back into the game, also working on my Technician license. Thanks to you!! Keep those CB videos coming.. "73"
I watched quite a few HAM Radio videos because I'm interested in getting into it but none of those people even mentioned CB radios, so if I hadn't came across this channel, I wouldn't have known there was a cheaper and less time consuming alternative. Thank you.
CB can have it's time to shine. Just keep in mind very few persons keep conversations clean anymore and there are far more stupids and muppets on CB than Ham radio. I always have my CB on yet don't often talk on it unless conditions of weather or roads cause me to feel a need to announce such. I really enjoy HAM and the use of Echolink repeaters that I can use to talk across the globe to radios from my car or even just my laptop at home.
Back about 5 years ago when I wanted to get a CB again, Eric was a huge help and I ended up with the setup I have due to his videos. Although SSB isn't optimum for a mobile application, that's where mine is and I've made contacts all over the country with it. I'm running a President McKinley, 102" whip, and I'm not using an RM Italy KL203P. I know it's an old video and Eric won't see this comment, but for everyone else watching this and is new to his channel, FPF is a wealth of info!
I love it how you explain how SBB is on the radio spectrum! Now I understand so much better now! I actually hated hearing the robot noise in the background. Now that I understand it on how it's 'produced', I really like to "tune-it-in"! Thank you!
I got out of CB radios back in 1980. SSB was just becoming popular with the CB crowd. Thanks so much for the update and explanation of this area of CB. Maybe someday soon as I move into retirement I can get back into it.
Shure beats the prc25. For practice. we made a back pack with a motorcycle battery. And a loaded antenna x two for squad practice CB was cheaper to buy and practice on. Than the fancy/heavy/expensive/ battery the the prc used. The cheapest was radio shack three chanel sets. Retired and kicking back.
I have my dad's radios when he passed he left them to me he spoke all around the world got many many postcards from all over the world made many friends, I often have a listen from time to time but we have two aerials down at moment as we have had storms
Normal CB signal transmit all three signal: LSB + carrier + USB , in SSB you only transmit one side band so doesn't expend power in other two components. This is also the reason for the clarifier, it inject the carrier again but if the frecuency & fase is not the same as the original you get a distortionen voice, so you need to adjust the new carrier to "clarify" the received voice.
The FCC has relaxed the DX restrictions. One thing some people don't realize is thar with SSB you can legally use 12 watts PEP for power. When you use AM, yoy still are using 12 watts, bit 2/3 of that power is going to generate the carrier, effectively cutting you to 4 watts. With cycle 25 starting up, skip will be prevalent, and some fun contacts will be had.
I just got a RTL SDR a week ago. Measured the antennas to 36 inches then take away 2 for internal antenna length, and dialed it to 27.025mhz in cubic sdr. Listening to CB radio on a tv tuner card for under $50 is awesome! The card also can appear as a 802.11 wifi adapter. It can listen to ham, CB, FM radio, watch tv, run wifi, and I got it specifically for entropy generation, and the radio entropy program is broken lol. I'm still way happy over its features. Two together can do trunked channels.
Finally getting my Ham/CB shack up and functional after moving and now have mobile and base station capabilities almost !! My base antenna is a mag mount on top of a 10/12 steel shed next to the house for now ! My back is broken and the weather is icy so making it to the top of my house is a no go but , making the best of what you have at any given time is part of the sport and hobby ! Thank You for your videos very much , they are one of the sources that have kept me going through some very bad times 👍🏻 Shane KK7SJM/ KBLZ 5795(original CB call issued in 1978)
A trip down memory lane. I reckon we've had one or two yarns (decades ago), I am VCQ 494 or Albatross Radio 494, it seems like a lifetime ago. I started with a Cobra 138 SSB 23ch a great old radio that I had in my old wagon. Being an Aussie my next radio was an eighteen ch base hooked up to a half wave dipole. Later I had all 40ch SSB's with the base antenna being a 5/8 ground plane about a 120' up. I still have a radio in the cupboard and after watching this I might just crank it up again. Thanks mate.
Now I'm interested in side band... after watching this, I realized I had a side band radio when I was younger and had no clue what I was doing. Therefore I got rid of it because I didn't realize what I was doing. I thought it was a bad radio. I'll definitely be getting another side band to play with and learn how to use. Thanks again!
Here in the UK we bought the USA CB radio's and it was great fun on AM and it was fantastic. The first one I bought was from a friend in a pub, So he told me about it, We went to his house and I bought it but no money left for the pub. I connected a wire to the aerial socket and sat there all night listening to people talking. Next weekend I bought an aerial so I could transmit and never looked back. Then the UK government legalised it on the FM frequency and it died a death. I bought one a few months back to try and get back into it, but it was full of idiots swearing and cursing, leaving ticking clocks going all night ETC so I sold it on again. But I did love it in the 70's
Erik, love your channel. So, as I understand it based on your explanation, SSB is more practical for a base station and less so for a mobile unit in your vehicle because the necessary tuning would distract you from driving. I understand the advantages of the increased power, but the increased number of channels doesn't seem to be a big deal because there isn't as much CB traffic as in the old days. Last year I found a radio shop because I was looking to get back into radio, but: 1) wanted more range 2) didn't want to go the HAM route or GMRS. Turns out the owner had a solution. The President Richard Ham radio was designed to be modified to work on CB frequency. So I now have a CB that has better than 12 watts on all channels. Great range, clear as day and no tuning involved. It's a great SHTF radio. Yes I know it's technically not compliant with FCC regs, but I don't think anyone is hunting down mobile users when you have guys with powerhouse amplifiers using base units all the time.
Super video, Erik. Before I got my ham license, I ran SSB for quite a while from my base station back in the early 90's . First, I had a Cobra 148 GTL modified with the extra upper channels ( the ones just below the 10 meter amateur band, totally illegal I know ). Then I ran a President 2510, all with an Antron 99 antenna. But here's an interesting FYI about SSB . Ben Burtt, the sound designer for the first Star Wars movies, used a pair of SSB transceivers for the X-Wing pilot chatter during the final Death Star battle. ( listen close and you can hear the robotic-sounding voices in the film)
Wow! Did not kno9w that but do remember the chatter, i also at one point in the movie the Gold Leader (Y-Wing) commanders voice does sound robotic before making their bombing run . I know to much useless trivia.
Pretty new to CB & after watching a bunch of your videos I have to say your way of explaining stuff is very good. Your channel is great & I've learned a bunch, thank you. Was a kid in the 70's but remember the CB "heyday". Just put mobiles in the Bronco & truck (Uniden Bearcat 980 & McKinley II respectively). I think I need to tweak my setup as range seems pretty poor (1-2 miles). Travel north east Ohio & western Pennsylvania so terrain might not be optimal. Anyway, thank you again, much respect for your knowledge.
This last Friday afternoon on 38 LSB I heard Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee, Florida panhandle, and Canada on Friday while driving thru Southern Mississippi. Lots of overlapping signals as you mentioned. Ive had a CB in every truck and Jeep Ive owned since I was a kid in the late 80s but I just bought my first SSB last week. I may need to get an SSB just for my garage now.
What equipment are you using? I am in Fort Worth and with my uniden 980 and k30 antenna on the roof of the car I haven't made a single contact. Only occasionally do I hear a trucker on AM19 even. I used the scan function for a long time until I read most ssb is happening on 38 so now I monitor that, but still haven't had a ssb contact. I grew up in dfw back in the early 90's and we had a group of us on cb in town. tons of fun. Trying to get back into it....
Jesse Roland I have a Uniden 980 SSB, about 10' of cheap RG58 and a 1/4 wave metal whip mounted on my trucks toolbox. The coax shield is grounded to the chassis withe some 18 gauge wire, if the cable was any longer than 10' I would buy some better cable and some wide, flat grounding cable.
Hey, another great video. You are definitely the go-to guy on youtube for all things CB, especially for those of us who aren't hard core radio nerds and view CB as more a practical tool than a hobby. Cheers!
When I started making videos about CB, I aimed my stuff towards people that hadn't ever even heard of it. I try to make my videos as simple and easy to understand as possible. There are some that wish I was more technical, but I like to think of myself as the beginners CB channel.
@@FarpointFarms I only got interested in CB initially as a means of communication while off roading/overlanding. I've since gotten a little bit more into it and Im considering setting up a base station at my homestead. Unfortunately CB seems much less prevalent in Canada than the US, but I do sometimes get local contacts.
Perfect explaination, thx for that. Right now I think about to get into the hobby again after a long break of about 25 years. I will go for SSB then :D
Great channel, sorry to comment on the old vids, just stumbled across this. I just got my GMRS license and a CB radio for my jeep, CB is a Uniden Pro 520XL, and GMRS is a Midland MXT275. I wish my CB was SSB compatible, but I might be due for an upgrade ;)
Thank you very much for the CB related videos. I’ve watch only two at this point, but very helpful. Been thinking about setting up a CB base to go along with my marine standalone (live on the coast). Want to introduce my son to this as I was when a kid. Lots of great information in your conversational videos… thank you.
Cq cq dx.... I remember the old days. Still have my old Cobras from the 70s. A 101E to. Going to dig those out next year and get a station up. Have fun. Thanks for the refresher talk
I've asked you questions on some of your other videos. You may or may not remember. Anyway, I finally got all my setup done and working. I have a Uniden 980ssb and a homebrew horizontal dipole that I built. I got lucky with the first turn of the power knob. I put my antenna on its mast came inside turned on the radio and it came alive on LSB.There were more talking then I could answer. So thanks for your videos and I hope to hear you out there some day..
Thank you Eric(NorthStar) I just installed a Uniden 980ssb in my pickup and was looking for the channels sideband users used. The video was very informative and now I can try out my radio. And who knows, maybe catch you out there. Shadow from Northern NYS, 20 miles south of Canada.
it's like shoveling heavy snow with a 2x12x8ft board. use the 8ft is AM. Can't get real far. ssb is like using the end of the board. less to push, more available power.
In 1977 I had a nice desk top CB w/ side band I lived ona ranch in Eastern Oregon and could talk to a guy in Saskatchewan Canada every night . I could also "shoot the skip" and almost alway listen in to these 2 fishing trawlers somewhere off the coast of California about 10 am most mornings. I figures it was 1000 miles line of site.
Back in the day I had an SBE Console II with an add on slider and could tune up or down as needed. Also had a sigma 5/8 antenna and I ran a maverick 250 and the classic D104 Mike. Shot a lot of skip and QSLd a lot. Sold all my stuff. Only thing I have left is a 50ohm RG8 dummyload that sits on my desk as a paper weight. LOL Brings back great memories..Thanks!
I'm hooking up my old base station today and came across your channel. I'm near Charlotte. Hopefully, I'll get up and running today. I'll try to make contact with you.
I have been a licensed Amateur Radio operator since 1976, Yeah, long time, I know, I have never lost my interest in CB radio. Good video on SSB!! Anymore, if someone is interested in CB, I Recommend that they Not mess with an AM only CB Radio... I usually say spend a bit more new or used, on an SSB CB Radio!!!! I have some diehard old timer Amateur radio friends that still cringe at any suggestion of CB (SSB CB) Radio as any valid form of Communication. I see CB radio and GMRS as just more tools in my Communication tool box... Due to my housing situation, I am only mobile at this time, but I am a member of the local Amateur Radio Club and have access to a great club station. But any suggestion of any other form of Communication other than Amateur Radio is scorned as though I was talking heresy..... so, I don't have access to a good SSB CB base station locally...maybe soon.... Thanks for the very timely video!!!! It was something I wanted to say but didn't know how ..... You did it better than I would have!!!! Kudos!!!
Man great video I know this is old, brought back memories of SSB I use to do back in the late 70's I'm fairly sure it was a midland with a 500 watt linear and moonraker4 on a 70 ft tower. Now a HAM and GMRS operator.
nice.. I have some old cb stuff from my Grandpa that I remember playing with him on in the 70's.. I have started dusting it off and buying some needed repair stuff (just in case).. I'm working on an antennae today.. When I get that stuff rolling, I will see if I can hit you up.. In the early 90's I had a cobra with a lineasr amp and whip in my 77 chevy, in the parking lot of the barracks at Cherry Point I could listen to guys talk in florida..
I miss the old Moonraker 4 & 6 base station antennas. I owned a moonraker 4 and a 22' omni directional vertical antenna back in the day. The moonraker "6" was huge.
was talking with my mom about CB radios, when she and her siblings were in high school, her mom had set up a CB base station at the house, and all the kids had CB's in their cars. nifty way to keep in touch before cell phones were common place (this was in the 70's)
@@thomasdunaway2573 What does that even mean, 155 miles? You cannot select distances on radio, and whether long distances as in hundreds of miles are workable is decided by athmospheric conditions. In 27 MHz/11meters that will usually be in the day(light)time, where/when solar radiation causes a layer to reflect your signal. That's why laws usually limit the amount of watts you can use, and what types of antenna, without mentioning distance. It's also why we call it SKIP: your signal can be heard up to a few dozen kilometers, and OUTSIDE a much wider radius, SKIPPING the places in between ( the "dead-zone"). In my experience (FM, receiving only), 155 miles away will always be in the dead-zone for 27 MHz. Type of modulation is irrelevant for that Somebody correct me if I'm wrong
Thanks for the Video Erik. I have my CB coax hooked up to my MLA 80 loop antenna and can listen to 1 to 30 mhz and will have to look at those channels!
My primary interest in CB is local comms, which is why I bought an AM/FM model. Local traffic, however, in my experience is virtually dead. Do many people use SSB for local comms? If so, I might go buy an AM/SSB rig too. Thanks for any help.
SSB is more popular among the base station crowd. That is where most of the local chat comes from in my area. That said, put up flyers and pick a channel and time to meet.
Thanks for the video. I guess one of the advantages of SSB is that you are outputting 12 watts instead of 4 watts. Does that give you more transmitting range locally? And, are you able to use the squelch control, so you can just here one person locally? Thanks.
Farpoint Farms i found a cobra 140 GTL somewhere with SSB this vid helped alot for me to understand more about it. have checked it out and it does work. i am in Va i want to start useing it soon.
Nice video. /voted and subscribed. Ramble mode on, sorry! heh Back when I was younger (12-17 years old) in the mid-to- late 70s we used CB radio as our social network. Basically, they were our cell phones from that era. There were a lot of CB antennas seen of roofs back then and even more on vehicles. I still have my old Pace 23 channel Sidetalk AM/SSB radio and Turner super sidekick microphone. The CB needs work on the power supply but the mic works fine. However, I can use an AC/DC converter to make it work. On some radios like my Pace, if you turned channel 23 one half click up you'd get an extra frequency most people couldn't listen to. I also have my old Tram XL mobile CB that I used in my first car back in 1980. Anyway, I've stayed out of it for 35+ years up until my friend got me back into it a couple of years ago. I only use a mobile radio for now, but one day I might hide an antenna up in a tree if I feel adventurous enough to want a base station again (home owner's association limitation). My well tuned Galaxy 959 and 98 VHP do a fine job getting out on my mobile. As you know, a well tuned, good quality antenna is key! I have a permanently mounted Wilson 5000 on top of my minivan and that sucker really gets out there! It does very well locally on AM and amazing on SSB. I never really bothered to try doing skip on AM much, but I love using SSB when we have good conditions. Actually, there's a decent size local group that hangs out on 38 lower here in St. Louis, so that's always an option regardless of conditions. For SSB, I typically call out as 322 mobile St. Louis. I've been away from it for several months but I'm back at it again.
Great to hear it! I really think you'd get a lot of use out of a base station. I'd say I spend way more time listing and chatting at night from my base than I do during my commute. My first radio was a Pace 122 (23 channel AM). Loved that radio!!
I love single side band, I have 3 radio that are sideband. 2 Uniden PC122XL and a Galaxy 979 and I made all good contacts. Another good side band radio is the old Radio Shack or Realistic TRC 485 which is the same electronic has the Uniden PC 122XL.Using side band is like a private mode, When AM gets to much, I and my partner would which to side band. Because most people have only AM CB Radios.
One of the two side bands on am is suppressed And your upper/lower side band is used. The center of frequency is the reference point. The "suppressed" side band is returned to( in local set) get full audio. Just good management of space. Ham is kv4li. CB is Kbok 9017// four foot// ten/ 11(CB) meters is a hoot. Both bands are due to pop soon. De kv4li // Kbok 9017
My biggest triumph using SSB CB was a contact I made between Richmond, Virginia and Baffin Island (In the Canadian arctic) He sounded as strong as any local station....gotta love that skip! I also did a bit of CB between Richmond, VA and the west coast of England via FM (The British CB is all FM mode and the channels are below the USA CB band. I was using a Ranger 2950 CB/Ham rig to pull that feat off. And, YES you can talk skip in FM mode....totally surprised me. I have about a dozen postcards from the UK due to my little experiment. Later, I went ahead and got a ham license which opened up even more possibilities for long haul communication.
Hi Eric I'm new to your channel. I've only seen a few of your videos. But I really like what I'm seeing. You seem very well informed.and I like the tone in your voice when you're talking about things it makes it very easy for dummies like me to understand what you're saying. LOL. I was into CB radios back in the 70s and early 80s but then I got out of the hobbybut now that I'm retired and just sitting around the house I've decided to get back into the hobby again. And I must say I feel like I have forgotten most everything I knew. That is why I am enjoying your videos.I have an older Midland 23 channel that is also a side bander coming should be here in the next few days purchased it off of eBay hopefully it will work like the man claims it does. LOL. I have been listening to you talkin about the different types of coax and base station antennas that work best and are fairly reasonably priced. I do believe I'm going to go with the antron 99 and the rg213 coax I live in London Arkansas out in the country and I live on a hill with lots of pine trees around me. I just hope I'll be able to get out good enough to talk to people. Anyway I really enjoy your videos and you seem like a really nice guy. Anyway you take care of my friend and keep putting out these awesome videos! And perhaps someday we'll be talking to each other over the radio. Toodaloo!
You talked me into getting out my midland 13-892 ssb made in Japan about '72. It was a $300 radio new back then. I have a K-40 I'll see if I can get it tuned up and working.
I just got my 980SSB CB, I'm wondering what would be better, using it at home and keeping my 880 in the rig. I'm slightly finding myself obsessed with learning how radio waves work, been browsing your channel, thanks for the info.
Great videos I have always had cb radio's in my vehicles growing up. I got a uniden cb in my pickup now and I am going to set up a base station next, been watching your videos so hopefully know what to do and what not to
This is MT-1890 in Buckley, Washington State maybe might hear you when the skip picks up again. I use an Icom IC 703 and Workman Bandit II base antenna about 25' off the ground on a steel fence pipe.
Very good sir. Never had one as I said in another comment on your CB video but I hear people are more " civil". May have to grab me a Galaxy with SSB!!!
As a kid we went to CB breaks, get togethers. It was huge. I found your Channel and want to get into CB. Will you give me your recommendation for a radio and antenna set up. Not worried about saving a dollar. I’d like to get a great radio set up to start onto the hobby. Thank you for your advice and many thanks for the videos.
When I was a kid, my dad and his friends always talked on the CB. After one of my dad’s friends died, my dad his radio equipment. He hooked up a base unit that had a separate box that sat on top of it and was plugged into the back of the radio. When you switched channels on the radio, the box ( my dad called it a slider) would show the frequency. The slider had a toggle switch that change the frequency. So my dad could use frequencies below channel 1, above channel 40, and frequencies between channels. Is this what you are talking about with SSB?
I'm looking for a little advice and your videos have really helped me so far but I recently purchased a bearcat 980 SSB the same one you have for your Homebase now and I have it paired up to a Wilson 5000 trucker antenna on my Ford pickup and the only contacts I've been able to make or very short distance on am band and on Side Band I can hear the different tone in the whistling when I try to use the clarifier but I'm not making any contacts. I'm located in north eastern Missouri right in the middle of the US so I was assuming I would have made alot of contacts by now but nothing
Hello does your radio pass all the diagnostic test on the radio? The volt, antenna and RF out is important! When you do the RF Out, key the mic and see how many watts you put out and then maybe one or two words to see what it swings to when you speak into the mic! 30+dB is what you want! Also check the Calibration settings turn it to line or all the way up to check and see if your receiver RX/TX sensitivity! I am new to the hobby! I own the same radio as a base station in my room Basically I plug n played it and it works awesome! I made contact 2000 miles away! I know more checks to see why you may not be TX or RX! Thanks
I make more contacts on 11 meters than 10; there's a group on 37 USB I make contact with weekly and that's almost 900 miles. I'm planning on buying a beam antenna soon.
Me too. I still have 1 10M rig, but its sitting in a box waiting to be sold. 38LSB is hopping here too almost all the time. I had a lead on a good used beam just the other day, but someone got to it first. I just hope it didn't go to scrap.
I have two CB radio's that I picked up from the Thrift store that I work at. They're both Cobra 29 LTD's but one is a Classic and the other is a Chrome. Bought them for 7 bucks a piece. The Chrome is going to be my base unit while the Classic is going to be my mobile unit.
Hardrock here out of Reedville, Va. also my handle on the Appalachian Trail. Wanting to step up to a Galaxy. Got the Cobra 25 and the 29 Chrome in my trucks
So if I understand correctly, the channel freq is the same. AM is both sidebands and a carrier, USB & LSB is just one sideband but you're still competing with the other AM users on the channel?
Best explanation on ssb that I've found in ALL media designs that I've been looking into for WHAT this is. Thank you very much. If your ever into antenna designs, please put those thoughts up too about bests for different uses, I'm playing around with magnetic loops for 27Mhz. Supposed to be ground level operable @ > 90% of verticals, any thoughts?
I'm not expert in antenna design, but I do have a few old books on the subject and it is on my list of things to do here by building a large directional base antenna.
I'm very new new to cb since I just bought my first Jeep that I actually want a cb now. My questions are can I put ssb in the cb if it does not have it? Or do I have to buy one with it? Also which cb is the best for price with or without ssb? Cobra, uniben, galaxy...? I've found a few on amazon that I am researching in depth b4 I buy. I've just found your vids and I will be watching to see how to mount antenna and how to work the cb. Thanks. Great vids.
You would not be able to upgrade your radio to SSB at a later date. If it doesn't have it from the factory, it can't be added later. As far as radio for the price? Well... New I'd say the Cobra 29 series are great AM only radios for the price. and Uniden 980 would be a great SSB radio. For a used radio i'd say the Cobra 148 and Uniden Grant series of radios are great used SSB radios, and Just about any Radio Shack radio from the 90's would be a great value for AM.
Is there any certain channels people gather on ssb? I have noticed on a lot of other UA-cam videos people seem to be on 38 lower side band I don't know if that was a common channel or what great video brother I'm getting ready to put a bearcat 980 ssb in my dump truck.
I rather wish I came across your channel years ago. I learned vast majority of my 27mhz stuff while as a truck driver with a pair of Connex Pirate11m rigs. Back then in the early 00's I was running a Connex 4300HP in the dash on Monkey Made antenna and a Galaxy 33 driving a 500w linear in the bunk with a retractable antenna mast on the back of the cab. I remember talking with persons in Mexico, South America, Canada, Euro and once Japan all in the upper 27mhz band with AM. My longest Legal power contact back then was about 500 miles and change from GA to northern KY with a barefoot Cobra 19GTL and 102" stainless whip. With the current solar activity we have all I can hear on CB 19 in my area during the day is MudDuck somewhere in Southern Cali or New Mexico area one. Just 15miles east of me there is MrWorldwide that stays on CH6 or CH25 (Might just be bleeding I don't know) however I know for a fact he is pushing some crazy power in excess of 10k watts because my Direction finding equipment is useless as all the receivers are just overloaded when he keys up. I'd hate to see his power bill.
I have had a Uniden 122XL in the garage for I don't know how many years. Just got it back from getting it checked out & tuned. Installed it 2 days ago with a new 4' Firestick. Used to be on CB in the 70's and early 80's. I used to hear Muduck all the time back then, what a crack up .
SSB 'skips' because it's using 1/3 of the frequency range but sending full power for that channel. Since CB is technically 11 meters, depending on the atmospheric condition and solar activities, it's fully possible to get the skywave going.
Hi great video! What antenna do you recommend for my semi with a Uniden Bearcat 980? I'm mostly going to use it for AM channel 19 but I will play with the SSB a bit. I was just going to get the Wilson 20,000 watt antenna but if you have a different opinion I'd love to know it. Thanks!
Your channel is just about the only channel here on UA-cam that explains everything needed to know about cb radio and everything that involves citizens band radio! I got into single side band on cb back in the mid 90s with an old realistic base station I was given by my old neighbor, he was an avid cber way back in the 70s thru the mid 90s back when there were more out there to chat with. I now have a galaxy 979 that works flawlessly ever since I bought it new in 2010. I still use the old realistic as to some of my old cbs I've got over the years. I certainly do appreciate all your informal videos and the helpful advice you've given out to all those into the hobby!
Could I just say, Eric is just a normal guy, the fact he has to save his money just like the rest of us mere mortals in order to buy his radio bits. Ps love the theme tune
The skip is really rolling in..20 yrs ago was not to bad..73
I got my first ssb radio this afternoon. Galaxy 959. I made contact with Ontario Canada on my first transmission! Wow! I could never do that on AM with barefoot radio. Plus I'm running a Wilson mag mount on my pickup truck. I am very surprised and pleased ! I made long distance contacts one after another like it was nothing lol. I love it ! Shoulda tried sideband years ago !
Love the Wilson 1000 awesome antenna, on all my vehicles.
Great video. I started talking on CB radio when I could stand next to my dad in his car while driving down the road. Best times ever. Been a licensed ham with my dad for over 25 years now. Still love CB radio though. Over 50 now and love all communication.
It may be a dying hobby in the long term, but it's still a lot of fun for me to get on the air and touch base with someone on the other side of the country. Yes, the internet can do that too, but it's different on the radio.
Thanks, I love your videos.. I used CBs in the late 70s. Stopped in late 80s, because of all the disrespect that was going on. After watching your videos, Im inspired to get back into it. Pick up a Cobra 29 LTD Chrome, and now I am back into the game, also working on my Technician license. Thanks to you!! Keep those CB videos coming.. "73"
Did you ever get your Technician license?
Are you still on the CB sir. I am getting back into it
I watched quite a few HAM Radio videos because I'm interested in getting into it but none of those people even mentioned CB radios, so if I hadn't came across this channel, I wouldn't have known there was a cheaper and less time consuming alternative. Thank you.
Most HAM operators look down their nose at CB, even though may of them got started with a CB radio.
CB can have it's time to shine. Just keep in mind very few persons keep conversations clean anymore and there are far more stupids and muppets on CB than Ham radio.
I always have my CB on yet don't often talk on it unless conditions of weather or roads cause me to feel a need to announce such. I really enjoy HAM and the use of Echolink repeaters that I can use to talk across the globe to radios from my car or even just my laptop at home.
Back about 5 years ago when I wanted to get a CB again, Eric was a huge help and I ended up with the setup I have due to his videos.
Although SSB isn't optimum for a mobile application, that's where mine is and I've made contacts all over the country with it. I'm running a President McKinley, 102" whip, and I'm not using an RM Italy KL203P.
I know it's an old video and Eric won't see this comment, but for everyone else watching this and is new to his channel, FPF is a wealth of info!
Erik will see this comment- Thank you for your kind words
I have always preferred a 102" whip antenna.
I love it how you explain how SBB is on the radio spectrum! Now I understand so much better now! I actually hated hearing the robot noise in the background. Now that I understand it on how it's 'produced', I really like to "tune-it-in"! Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
I got out of CB radios back in 1980. SSB was just becoming popular with the CB crowd. Thanks so much for the update and explanation of this area of CB. Maybe someday soon as I move into retirement I can get back into it.
I think that will be a cool thing to tinker with in retirement- Hobbies are a great way to pass some time
CB was big when I was a kid. I Had a cobra 135 with a D104 power mic brings back some good memories. 👍
Good straight forward advice delivered in a patient and genuinely friendly manner. Good to know there's still level headed people out there. Thanks
Sometimes it does seem like there are just a few of us left here on the internet. Glad I could help!
Thanks for showing the difference between SSB and normal CB. Definitely something to consider for a base station
Shure beats the prc25. For practice. we made a back pack with a motorcycle battery. And a loaded antenna x two for squad practice CB was cheaper to buy and practice on. Than the fancy/heavy/expensive/ battery the the prc used. The cheapest was radio shack three chanel sets. Retired and kicking back.
I have my dad's radios when he passed he left them to me he spoke all around the world got many many postcards from all over the world made many friends, I often have a listen from time to time but we have two aerials down at moment as we have had storms
This video convinced me to buy a ssb cb and get back into cb while im waiting for arrl to get back to testing sessions
Normal CB signal transmit all three signal: LSB + carrier + USB , in SSB you only transmit one side band so doesn't expend power in other two components. This is also the reason for the clarifier, it inject the carrier again but if the frecuency & fase is not the same as the original you get a distortionen voice, so you need to adjust the new carrier to "clarify" the received voice.
Nope. Clarifier is just a fine tuning control. The clarifier doesn't inject a carrier.
The FCC has relaxed the DX restrictions. One thing some people don't realize is thar with SSB you can legally use 12 watts PEP for power. When you use AM, yoy still are using 12 watts, bit 2/3 of that power is going to generate the carrier, effectively cutting you to 4 watts.
With cycle 25 starting up, skip will be prevalent, and some fun contacts will be had.
I can't wait!
These videos are not terrible at all! Thank you for making them... I think they are going to make my life much easier!
I just got a RTL SDR a week ago. Measured the antennas to 36 inches then take away 2 for internal antenna length, and dialed it to 27.025mhz in cubic sdr. Listening to CB radio on a tv tuner card for under $50 is awesome! The card also can appear as a 802.11 wifi adapter. It can listen to ham, CB, FM radio, watch tv, run wifi, and I got it specifically for entropy generation, and the radio entropy program is broken lol. I'm still way happy over its features. Two together can do trunked channels.
I just started playing with SDR radio. Pretty cool.
Finally getting my Ham/CB shack up and functional after moving and now have mobile and base station capabilities almost !! My base antenna is a mag mount on top of a 10/12 steel shed next to the house for now ! My back is broken and the weather is icy so making it to the top of my house is a no go but , making the best of what you have at any given time is part of the sport and hobby ! Thank You for your videos very much , they are one of the sources that have kept me going through some very bad times 👍🏻 Shane KK7SJM/ KBLZ 5795(original CB call issued in 1978)
A trip down memory lane.
I reckon we've had one or two yarns (decades ago), I am VCQ 494 or Albatross Radio 494, it seems like a lifetime ago. I started with a Cobra 138 SSB 23ch a great old radio that I had in my old wagon. Being an Aussie my next radio was an eighteen ch base hooked up to a half wave dipole. Later I had all 40ch SSB's with the base antenna being a 5/8 ground plane about a 120' up.
I still have a radio in the cupboard and after watching this I might just crank it up again. Thanks mate.
Glad I could bring back some cool memories.
Now I'm interested in side band... after watching this, I realized I had a side band radio when I was younger and had no clue what I was doing. Therefore I got rid of it because I didn't realize what I was doing. I thought it was a bad radio. I'll definitely be getting another side band to play with and learn how to use. Thanks again!
Here in the UK we bought the USA CB radio's and it was great fun on AM and it was fantastic. The first one I bought was from a friend in a pub, So he told me about it, We went to his house and I bought it but no money left for the pub. I connected a wire to the aerial socket and sat there all night listening to people talking. Next weekend I bought an aerial so I could transmit and never looked back. Then the UK government legalised it on the FM frequency and it died a death. I bought one a few months back to try and get back into it, but it was full of idiots swearing and cursing, leaving ticking clocks going all night ETC so I sold it on again. But I did love it in the 70's
Erik, love your channel. So, as I understand it based on your explanation, SSB is more practical for a base station and less so for a mobile unit in your vehicle because the necessary tuning would distract you from driving. I understand the advantages of the increased power, but the increased number of channels doesn't seem to be a big deal because there isn't as much CB traffic as in the old days. Last year I found a radio shop because I was looking to get back into radio, but: 1) wanted more range 2) didn't want to go the HAM route or GMRS. Turns out the owner had a solution. The President Richard Ham radio was designed to be modified to work on CB frequency. So I now have a CB that has better than 12 watts on all channels. Great range, clear as day and no tuning involved. It's a great SHTF radio. Yes I know it's technically not compliant with FCC regs, but I don't think anyone is hunting down mobile users when you have guys with powerhouse amplifiers using base units all the time.
Hey glad to hear it. It sounds like the best of all worlds!
Super video, Erik. Before I got my ham license, I ran SSB for quite a while from my base station back in the early 90's . First, I had a Cobra 148 GTL modified with the extra upper channels ( the ones just below the 10 meter amateur band, totally illegal I know ). Then I ran a President 2510, all with an Antron 99 antenna. But here's an interesting FYI about SSB . Ben Burtt, the sound designer for the first Star Wars movies, used a pair of SSB transceivers for the X-Wing pilot chatter during the final Death Star battle. ( listen close and you can hear the robotic-sounding voices in the film)
Still got my modified 148 GTL. It is my favorite CB radio.
Wow! Did not kno9w that but do remember the chatter, i also at one point in the movie the Gold Leader (Y-Wing) commanders voice does sound robotic before making their bombing run
. I know to much useless trivia.
Pretty new to CB & after watching a bunch of your videos I have to say your way of explaining stuff is very good. Your channel is great & I've learned a bunch, thank you. Was a kid in the 70's but remember the CB "heyday". Just put mobiles in the Bronco & truck (Uniden Bearcat 980 & McKinley II respectively). I think I need to tweak my setup as range seems pretty poor (1-2 miles). Travel north east Ohio & western Pennsylvania so terrain might not be optimal. Anyway, thank you again, much respect for your knowledge.
Thanks for the kind words! Good luck with the setups!!
This last Friday afternoon on 38 LSB I heard Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee, Florida panhandle, and Canada on Friday while driving thru Southern Mississippi. Lots of overlapping signals as you mentioned. Ive had a CB in every truck and Jeep Ive owned since I was a kid in the late 80s but I just bought my first SSB last week. I may need to get an SSB just for my garage now.
What equipment are you using? I am in Fort Worth and with my uniden 980 and k30 antenna on the roof of the car I haven't made a single contact. Only occasionally do I hear a trucker on AM19 even. I used the scan function for a long time until I read most ssb is happening on 38 so now I monitor that, but still haven't had a ssb contact. I grew up in dfw back in the early 90's and we had a group of us on cb in town. tons of fun. Trying to get back into it....
Jesse Roland I have a Uniden 980 SSB, about 10' of cheap RG58 and a 1/4 wave metal whip mounted on my trucks toolbox. The coax shield is grounded to the chassis withe some 18 gauge wire, if the cable was any longer than 10' I would buy some better cable and some wide, flat grounding cable.
Hey, another great video. You are definitely the go-to guy on youtube for all things CB, especially for those of us who aren't hard core radio nerds and view CB as more a practical tool than a hobby. Cheers!
When I started making videos about CB, I aimed my stuff towards people that hadn't ever even heard of it. I try to make my videos as simple and easy to understand as possible.
There are some that wish I was more technical, but I like to think of myself as the beginners CB channel.
@@FarpointFarms I only got interested in CB initially as a means of communication while off roading/overlanding. I've since gotten a little bit more into it and Im considering setting up a base station at my homestead. Unfortunately CB seems much less prevalent in Canada than the US, but I do sometimes get local contacts.
Every time I am looking for cb info , it always brings me to this channel. Sooooo.. Subscribed. Great channel.
Welcome aboard!
Perfect explaination, thx for that. Right now I think about to get into the hobby again after a long break of about 25 years. I will go for SSB then :D
Never too late to get back into the hobby
Great channel, sorry to comment on the old vids, just stumbled across this. I just got my GMRS license and a CB radio for my jeep, CB is a Uniden Pro 520XL, and GMRS is a Midland MXT275. I wish my CB was SSB compatible, but I might be due for an upgrade ;)
Thank you very much for the CB related videos.
I’ve watch only two at this point, but very helpful.
Been thinking about setting up a CB base to go along with my marine standalone (live on the coast).
Want to introduce my son to this as I was when a kid.
Lots of great information in your conversational videos… thank you.
back in the day I stayed above channel 40 on sideband a lot quieter and good contacts with power levels up to 250 w.
Cq cq dx.... I remember the old days. Still have my old Cobras from the 70s. A 101E to. Going to dig those out next year and get a station up. Have fun. Thanks for the refresher talk
Welcome back to the hobby!
Your contribution to my understanding of ssb radio was very helpful
Thank you for your speedy reply. For better or worse I bought a DX 5000/ Intek 5500 CB today.
Great video as always Erik - greetings from the UK!🇬🇧
I've asked you questions on some of your other videos. You may or may not remember. Anyway, I finally got all my setup done and working. I have a Uniden 980ssb and a homebrew horizontal dipole that I built. I got lucky with the first turn of the power knob. I put my antenna on its mast came inside turned on the radio and it came alive on LSB.There were more talking then I could answer. So thanks for your videos and I hope to hear you out there some day..
I'm so glad to hear it! This is NorthStar 707 I'll be listing for you.
Excellent information well stated. Thank you! Looking forward into purchasing a SSB radio as my father had in the early 1970's. Subscribed!!! A+
Thank you Eric(NorthStar) I just installed a Uniden 980ssb in my pickup and was looking for the channels sideband users used. The video was very informative and now I can try out my radio. And who knows, maybe catch you out there. Shadow from Northern NYS, 20 miles south of Canada.
First place I have ever been that got me to understand SSB. Thank you for this video.
Glad it was helpful!
it's like shoveling heavy snow with a 2x12x8ft board. use the 8ft is AM. Can't get real far. ssb is like using the end of the board. less to push, more available power.
In 1977 I had a nice desk top CB w/ side band I lived ona ranch in Eastern Oregon and could talk to a guy in Saskatchewan Canada every night . I could also "shoot the skip" and almost alway listen in to these 2 fishing trawlers somewhere off the coast of California about 10 am most mornings. I figures it was 1000 miles line of site.
Crazy how the range on a little 4 watt radio can get you that far isn't it?
I know it's an old video,, but a good once just the same. Thanks for the introduction
Glad I could help.
Back in the day I had an SBE Console II with an add on slider and could tune up or down as needed. Also had a sigma 5/8 antenna and I ran a maverick 250 and the classic D104 Mike. Shot a lot of skip and QSLd a lot. Sold all my stuff. Only thing I have left is a 50ohm RG8 dummyload that sits on my desk as a paper weight. LOL Brings back great memories..Thanks!
Give it a year or two and hop back into the hobby. Skip will be picking up then and there will be a lot of DXing on the good old 40 channels.
I'm hooking up my old base station today and came across your channel. I'm near Charlotte. Hopefully, I'll get up and running today. I'll try to make contact with you.
Off Grid Nation Hello from Durham NC.
I have been a licensed Amateur Radio operator since 1976, Yeah, long time, I know, I have never lost my interest in CB radio.
Good video on SSB!!
Anymore, if someone is interested in CB, I Recommend that they Not mess with an AM only CB Radio... I usually say spend a bit more new or used, on an SSB CB Radio!!!! I have some diehard old timer Amateur radio friends that still cringe at any suggestion of CB (SSB CB) Radio as any valid form of Communication. I see CB radio and GMRS as just more tools in my Communication tool box... Due to my housing situation, I am only mobile at this time, but I am a member of the local Amateur Radio Club and have access to a great club station. But any suggestion of any other form of Communication other than Amateur Radio is scorned as though I was talking heresy..... so, I don't have access to a good SSB CB base station locally...maybe soon....
Thanks for the very timely video!!!! It was something I wanted to say but didn't know how ..... You did it better than I would have!!!! Kudos!!!
Concord NC Just got my old 23 back on line last year. What channels do you guys talk on?
Gastonia,NC
Hey off grid, ROSEBORO nc here.used to live in Charlotte off 485. Org. From nj. See ya on on the airwaves 73s! Wolfman. Aka nj coffee pot.
Man great video I know this is old, brought back memories of SSB I use to do back in the late 70's I'm fairly sure it was a midland with a 500 watt linear and moonraker4 on a 70 ft tower. Now a HAM and GMRS operator.
I am glad that I could bring back some memories-
@@FarpointFarms subscribed
Love the content man. You are the most relaxing guy to watch. I have learned a lot from you. Thanks.
I appreciate that!
nice.. I have some old cb stuff from my Grandpa that I remember playing with him on in the 70's.. I have started dusting it off and buying some needed repair stuff (just in case).. I'm working on an antennae today.. When I get that stuff rolling, I will see if I can hit you up.. In the early 90's I had a cobra with a lineasr amp and whip in my 77 chevy, in the parking lot of the barracks at Cherry Point I could listen to guys talk in florida..
please keep his memory alive by using his stuff- I would love to hear you
I cant wait to set up my 25ft Shakespeare that I bought from the USA 🇬🇧 love your videos I've learned so much buddy 👍 Respect ⭐
Thanks, try to have fun with it!
I miss the old Moonraker 4 & 6 base station antennas. I owned a moonraker 4 and a 22' omni directional vertical antenna back in the day. The moonraker "6" was huge.
The big guns! Those were the days!
Me and the wife want to make a station like this to try and communicate with each other when I'm on the road. I'm a trucker
was talking with my mom about CB radios, when she and her siblings were in high school, her mom had set up a CB base station at the house, and all the kids had CB's in their cars. nifty way to keep in touch before cell phones were common place (this was in the 70's)
We can legally talk skip now on cb, they changed that law like you were saying
Glad to hear it! Let the skip start rolling in!
not over 155.3 miles
@@thomasdunaway2573 Ooops. I guess my conversation with a station in Germany is going to earn a spanking from Uncle Sam.
"Legally"...
@@thomasdunaway2573 What does that even mean, 155 miles? You cannot select distances on radio, and whether long distances as in hundreds of miles are workable is decided by athmospheric conditions. In 27 MHz/11meters that will usually be in the day(light)time, where/when solar radiation causes a layer to reflect your signal. That's why laws usually limit the amount of watts you can use, and what types of antenna, without mentioning distance. It's also why we call it SKIP: your signal can be heard up to a few dozen kilometers, and OUTSIDE a much wider radius, SKIPPING the places in between ( the "dead-zone"). In my experience (FM, receiving only), 155 miles away will always be in the dead-zone for 27 MHz. Type of modulation is irrelevant for that
Somebody correct me if I'm wrong
Thanks for the Video Erik. I have my CB coax hooked up to my MLA 80 loop antenna and can listen to 1 to 30 mhz and will have to look at those channels!
I used to make my own sliders. This is some great info. Thanks.
Thanks I bought an ole 23 I’m gonna give it a try you were quite helpful I enjoy your videos
Thank you for sharing that information Erik. Greetings from Alberta Canada
Glad it was helpful!
My primary interest in CB is local comms, which is why I bought an AM/FM model. Local traffic, however, in my experience is virtually dead. Do many people use SSB for local comms? If so, I might go buy an AM/SSB rig too. Thanks for any help.
SSB is more popular among the base station crowd. That is where most of the local chat comes from in my area. That said, put up flyers and pick a channel and time to meet.
Thanks for the video. I guess one of the advantages of SSB is that you are outputting 12 watts instead of 4 watts. Does that give you more transmitting range locally? And, are you able to use the squelch control, so you can just here one person locally? Thanks.
Hey hey there we go Awesome Video I’ll be putting my radio back in my truck hopefully contact can be made
Farpoint Farms i found a cobra 140 GTL somewhere with SSB this vid helped alot for me to understand more about it. have checked it out and it does work. i am in Va i want to start useing it soon.
Thank you so much for all your videos I appreciate each one be well God bless
Same to you!
CQ Northstar, this is linerider setting up my shack, haven't been on the air since the '90s so if you hear me come back to me
Great video got me uniden Bearcat 980 learning about the SSB
Nice video. /voted and subscribed.
Ramble mode on, sorry! heh
Back when I was younger (12-17 years old) in the mid-to- late 70s we used CB radio as our social network. Basically, they were our cell phones from that era. There were a lot of CB antennas seen of roofs back then and even more on vehicles. I still have my old Pace 23 channel Sidetalk AM/SSB radio and Turner super sidekick microphone. The CB needs work on the power supply but the mic works fine. However, I can use an AC/DC converter to make it work. On some radios like my Pace, if you turned channel 23 one half click up you'd get an extra frequency most people couldn't listen to. I also have my old Tram XL mobile CB that I used in my first car back in 1980. Anyway, I've stayed out of it for 35+ years up until my friend got me back into it a couple of years ago. I only use a mobile radio for now, but one day I might hide an antenna up in a tree if I feel adventurous enough to want a base station again (home owner's association limitation). My well tuned Galaxy 959 and 98 VHP do a fine job getting out on my mobile. As you know, a well tuned, good quality antenna is key! I have a permanently mounted Wilson 5000 on top of my minivan and that sucker really gets out there! It does very well locally on AM and amazing on SSB. I never really bothered to try doing skip on AM much, but I love using SSB when we have good conditions. Actually, there's a decent size local group that hangs out on 38 lower here in St. Louis, so that's always an option regardless of conditions.
For SSB, I typically call out as 322 mobile St. Louis. I've been away from it for several months but I'm back at it again.
Great to hear it! I really think you'd get a lot of use out of a base station. I'd say I spend way more time listing and chatting at night from my base than I do during my commute.
My first radio was a Pace 122 (23 channel AM). Loved that radio!!
you are makeing the radio come alive
I'm on a one man crusade to resurrect CB RADIO!
I love single side band, I have 3 radio that are sideband. 2 Uniden PC122XL and a Galaxy 979 and I made all good contacts. Another good side band radio is the old Radio Shack or Realistic TRC 485 which is the same electronic has the Uniden PC 122XL.Using side band is like a private mode, When AM gets to much, I and my partner would which to side band. Because most people have only AM CB Radios.
One of the two side bands on am is suppressed
And your upper/lower side band is used. The center of frequency is the reference point. The "suppressed" side band is returned to( in local set) get full audio. Just good management of space. Ham is kv4li. CB is Kbok 9017// four foot// ten/ 11(CB) meters is a hoot. Both bands are due to pop soon. De kv4li // Kbok 9017
My biggest triumph using SSB CB was a contact I made between Richmond, Virginia and Baffin Island (In the Canadian arctic) He sounded as strong as any local station....gotta love that skip! I also did a bit of CB between Richmond, VA and the west coast of England via FM (The British CB is all FM mode and the channels are below the USA CB band. I was using a Ranger 2950 CB/Ham rig to pull that feat off. And, YES you can talk skip in FM mode....totally surprised me. I have about a dozen postcards from the UK due to my little experiment. Later, I went ahead and got a ham license which opened up even more possibilities for long haul communication.
Hi Eric I'm new to your channel. I've only seen a few of your videos. But I really like what I'm seeing. You seem very well informed.and I like the tone in your voice when you're talking about things it makes it very easy for dummies like me to understand what you're saying. LOL. I was into CB radios back in the 70s and early 80s but then I got out of the hobbybut now that I'm retired and just sitting around the house I've decided to get back into the hobby again. And I must say I feel like I have forgotten most everything I knew. That is why I am enjoying your videos.I have an older Midland 23 channel that is also a side bander coming should be here in the next few days purchased it off of eBay hopefully it will work like the man claims it does. LOL. I have been listening to you talkin about the different types of coax and base station antennas that work best and are fairly reasonably priced. I do believe I'm going to go with the antron 99 and the rg213 coax
I live in London Arkansas out in the country and I live on a hill with lots of pine trees around me. I just hope I'll be able to get out good enough to talk to people. Anyway I really enjoy your videos and you seem like a really nice guy. Anyway you take care of my friend and keep putting out these awesome videos! And perhaps someday we'll be talking to each other over the radio. Toodaloo!
Thanks for the demo of how (and what) SSB is. Also what brand mic is that?
You talked me into getting out my midland 13-892 ssb made in Japan about '72. It was a $300 radio new back then. I have a K-40 I'll see if I can get it tuned up and working.
Great things to consider. I have a cb radio I just installed but having trouble hearing I get a lot schelching
I enjoy all of your videos especially the CB stuff thanks
CQ CQ CQ Northstar 707 this is Fordman 565 in Alabama waving a hand
You got the snowman 320, just moved this year to Daingerfield Texas from Pahrump Nevada.
@@bobdillashaw4360 I used to listen to Art Bell while I was driving my simi truck. I really liked his show
I just got my 980SSB CB, I'm wondering what would be better, using it at home and keeping my 880 in the rig.
I'm slightly finding myself obsessed with learning how radio waves work, been browsing your channel, thanks for the info.
Great videos I have always had cb radio's in my vehicles growing up. I got a uniden cb in my pickup now and I am going to set up a base station next, been watching your videos so hopefully know what to do and what not to
This is MT-1890 in Buckley, Washington State maybe might hear you when the skip picks up again. I use an Icom IC 703 and Workman Bandit II base antenna about 25' off the ground on a steel fence pipe.
Great explanation on CB SSB! I am have been wanting to add a CB to my shack now i will thanks to you. 73s
glad to hear that- maybe I will hear you on the radio
Very good sir. Never had one as I said in another comment on your CB video but I hear people are more " civil". May have to grab me a Galaxy with SSB!!!
As a kid we went to CB breaks, get togethers. It was huge. I found your Channel and want to get into CB. Will you give me your recommendation for a radio and antenna set up. Not worried about saving a dollar. I’d like to get a great radio set up to start onto the hobby. Thank you for your advice and many thanks for the videos.
I love the President McKinley and the Undien 980 for radios. The Tram 3500 and the Antron A99 when it comes to antennas.
i enjoy your videos,im thinking of getting back into cb radio,gonna do another base station with ssb! (Maverick)
When I was a kid, my dad and his friends always talked on the CB. After one of my dad’s friends died, my dad his radio equipment. He hooked up a base unit that had a separate box that sat on top of it and was plugged into the back of the radio. When you switched channels on the radio, the box ( my dad called it a slider) would show the frequency. The slider had a toggle switch that change the frequency. So my dad could use frequencies below channel 1, above channel 40, and frequencies between channels.
Is this what you are talking about with SSB?
I'm looking for a little advice and your videos have really helped me so far but I recently purchased a bearcat 980 SSB the same one you have for your Homebase now and I have it paired up to a Wilson 5000 trucker antenna on my Ford pickup and the only contacts I've been able to make or very short distance on am band and on Side Band I can hear the different tone in the whistling when I try to use the clarifier but I'm not making any contacts. I'm located in north eastern Missouri right in the middle of the US so I was assuming I would have made alot of contacts by now but nothing
Hello does your radio pass all the diagnostic test on the radio? The volt, antenna and RF out is important! When you do the RF Out, key the mic and see how many watts you put out and then maybe one or two words to see what it swings to when you speak into the mic! 30+dB is what you want! Also check the Calibration settings turn it to line or all the way up to check and see if your receiver RX/TX sensitivity! I am new to the hobby! I own the same radio as a base station in my room Basically I plug n played it and it works awesome! I made contact 2000 miles away! I know more checks to see why you may not be TX or RX! Thanks
Just picked up a 980SSB. I’ll be lookin’ for ya NorthStar once I get a decent antenna. Thinking A99. Thanks for the info and videos brother!
Just found your channel. Great info.
I make more contacts on 11 meters than 10; there's a group on 37 USB I make contact with weekly and that's almost 900 miles.
I'm planning on buying a beam antenna soon.
Me too. I still have 1 10M rig, but its sitting in a box waiting to be sold. 38LSB is hopping here too almost all the time.
I had a lead on a good used beam just the other day, but someone got to it first. I just hope it didn't go to scrap.
Thanks for a decent, sensible, explanation!!! Nc is an awesome state!!
Glad you enjoyed it! NC does a have ton to offer.
I have two CB radio's that I picked up from the Thrift store that I work at. They're both Cobra 29 LTD's but one is a Classic and the other is a Chrome. Bought them for 7 bucks a piece. The Chrome is going to be my base unit while the Classic is going to be my mobile unit.
Great deal on 2 great radios!
What should you set the CB on for best reception. On 19. Truck Driver. Am,Lsb,USB.
Hardrock here out of Reedville, Va. also my handle on the Appalachian Trail. Wanting to step up to a Galaxy. Got the Cobra 25 and the 29 Chrome in my trucks
Is there any videos on installing the antenna to that radio?
So if I understand correctly, the channel freq is the same. AM is both sidebands and a carrier, USB & LSB is just one sideband but you're still competing with the other AM users on the channel?
Best explanation on ssb that I've found in ALL media designs that I've been looking into for WHAT this is. Thank you very much. If your ever into antenna designs, please put those thoughts up too about bests for different uses, I'm playing around with magnetic loops for 27Mhz. Supposed to be ground level operable @ > 90% of verticals, any thoughts?
I'm not expert in antenna design, but I do have a few old books on the subject and it is on my list of things to do here by building a large directional base antenna.
I'm very new new to cb since I just bought my first Jeep that I actually want a cb now. My questions are can I put ssb in the cb if it does not have it? Or do I have to buy one with it? Also which cb is the best for price with or without ssb? Cobra, uniben, galaxy...? I've found a few on amazon that I am researching in depth b4 I buy. I've just found your vids and I will be watching to see how to mount antenna and how to work the cb. Thanks. Great vids.
You would not be able to upgrade your radio to SSB at a later date. If it doesn't have it from the factory, it can't be added later.
As far as radio for the price? Well...
New I'd say the Cobra 29 series are great AM only radios for the price. and Uniden 980 would be a great SSB radio.
For a used radio i'd say the Cobra 148 and Uniden Grant series of radios are great used SSB radios, and Just about any Radio Shack radio from the 90's would be a great value for AM.
Really enjoying your cb videos!
Thank you Eric I have learned a lot from you keep up the great content maybe one day we will make a contact though the air waves
That would be cool! Skip can make that happen
Is there any certain channels people gather on ssb? I have noticed on a lot of other UA-cam videos people seem to be on 38 lower side band I don't know if that was a common channel or what great video brother I'm getting ready to put a bearcat 980 ssb in my dump truck.
I rather wish I came across your channel years ago. I learned vast majority of my 27mhz stuff while as a truck driver with a pair of Connex Pirate11m rigs. Back then in the early 00's I was running a Connex 4300HP in the dash on Monkey Made antenna and a Galaxy 33 driving a 500w linear in the bunk with a retractable antenna mast on the back of the cab. I remember talking with persons in Mexico, South America, Canada, Euro and once Japan all in the upper 27mhz band with AM. My longest Legal power contact back then was about 500 miles and change from GA to northern KY with a barefoot Cobra 19GTL and 102" stainless whip.
With the current solar activity we have all I can hear on CB 19 in my area during the day is MudDuck somewhere in Southern Cali or New Mexico area one. Just 15miles east of me there is MrWorldwide that stays on CH6 or CH25 (Might just be bleeding I don't know) however I know for a fact he is pushing some crazy power in excess of 10k watts because my Direction finding equipment is useless as all the receivers are just overloaded when he keys up. I'd hate to see his power bill.
He might just be doing something he is not supposed to do.. I agree his power bill must be crazy for all that power.
I have had a Uniden 122XL in the garage for I don't know how many years. Just got it back from getting it checked out & tuned. Installed it 2 days ago with a new 4' Firestick. Used to be on CB in the 70's and early 80's. I used to hear Muduck all the time back then, what a crack up .
Thanks for the info. I have a Galaxy 2547 on the way. Hope to talk to you sometime. Thanks again
SSB 'skips' because it's using 1/3 of the frequency range but sending full power for that channel. Since CB is technically 11 meters, depending on the atmospheric condition and solar activities, it's fully possible to get the skywave going.
Why is Lower Side Band used more than Upper Side Band? Else, why have 2? As always, thank you for sharing your knowledge. Best Regards
Good question! I have no idea!
Hi great video! What antenna do you recommend for my semi with a Uniden Bearcat 980? I'm mostly going to use it for AM channel 19 but I will play with the SSB a bit. I was just going to get the Wilson 20,000 watt antenna but if you have a different opinion I'd love to know it. Thanks!
Tram 3500.