CB stands for Citizens Band. CB radio has been popular for over 50 years. CB had it’s peak in the 1970’s but is still widely in use.
CB radios operate on 27Mhz. Because of the low frequency, antennas are rather large. A typical base antenna can be 20’ long or more, vehicular antennas can be up to 102” long. There are handheld CB radios but their performance is dismal due to the highly compromised antenna needed to keep the radio a manageable size.
Up until 2021, CB radios could legally only operate on AM or SSB. These older modes of communication may seem noisy to folks accustomed to the HiFi audio cellphones are capable of. They are indeed noisy at times and it has to do with how susceptible AM and SSB are to atmospheric and man made electrical noise. Believe it or not, your ears become accustomed to the noise over time, much like how folks get used to listening to AM broadcast or shortwave. In 2021 the FCC approved the use of FM on the CB band. While a nice gesture, the CB community hasn’t embraced it with much enthusiasm,
Power is legally limited to 4W on AM and 12W on SSB regardless of radio type but those rules are rarely adhered to and blatantly ignored by many. CB is considered the Wild West of radio. Illegal amplifiers and radio mods are commonplace.
CB radio is not known as being a family friendly atmosphere. Language can be quite “colorful” and a thick skin is needed if you plan to successfully fit in to the CB radio community. There is no license required to purchase or use a CB radio.
Unlike GMRS or FRS, CB frequencies are subjected to atmospheric skip. This is when a radio signal is reflected by the atmosphere and it lands somewhere else, a great distance away. Technically a CB radio operator is not supposed to acknowledge “skip” stations but the rule is never adhered to.
The CB band is highly volatile when it comes to atmospheric changes. One day all you may hear are locals, then the next day there’s folks from all over the USA, Canada, and Latin America talking over each other. This is called a “band opening” and they are commonplace on CB.
For more information on CB radio, follow this link…