Episode 186 of The Two Way Radio Show Podcast is out! We check out two new CB radios from different manufacturers that seem to indicate CB is still alive and well. We’ll also tell you about two deals on CB radios.
Comments and feedback are welcome and could get you some swag if they are read on the show!
TWRS-186 - These Two New Radios Prove That CB is not Dead
Show Notes:
TWRS-186 - These Two New Radios Prove That CB is not Dead (buytwowayradios.com)
In my area, CB used to be hugely popular with drivers, especially trucks and jeeps. My sisters boyfriend has old toyota land cruiser from the 80s with CB installed. I believe its a 27 mhz radio.
Nowadays, I never knew that anyone uses CB radio. We only have UHF and vhf style radio here. Some in vehicle.
I’ve always thought that CB back in the Convoy days, was what we’d now call social media. Truck drivers, then a few individuals or other users with a common purpose. If you look back at that old movie, everything is there and detailed pretty well.
What is really clear is that in the main, the technology was irrelevant. It was 27MHz because that was achievable. Now, the need has changed, and what people want it for has changed. People are using ham radio for what they need, and treat the simple exam as just the entry ticket. Hams are different, so are CB’ers. With FMS and GMRS, PMR446 in the U.K., we’ve got loads of communication options. We now have network radio and Zello.
What goes wrong now is that the people who need or want radios often try to use the wrong ones. They then try to bend the systems to make them work and often it fails. If you boil it down, a radio has range, and people fight physics all the time. They can’t understand or afford longer range systems, and want the cheap ones to perform better than they can. They expect dirt cheap radios to do the same things as mega expensive ones. They expect technically clever systems to be usable by people with no expertise, and the amount of snobbery is immense. If you have two clever radios, that cost similar to a decent car, your attitude is that the radios that cost the same as taking my two grandkids to McDonald’s are rubbish. If you are skint, then you expect those radios to perform out of their capability range.
CB as a true citizens radio has totally changed technology, but those that want to use the old system cannot ever expect the fifty plus year ago system to work because it worked by weight of numbers, not technology. When somebody invents a Facebook/X interface you can talk to when driving, CB will return. “Anybody on highway x near ABC?” And the system finds somebody for you it will be great for drivers, or if you’re lonely at 2am, you can find a stranger to talk to. No typing no technology, just a voice from your phone or computer. The old CB or ham radio will never return, people have moved on.
Truckers still use CB in the US. I have listened in on long drives on major highways out west and hear CB traffic. It doesn’t seems as busy as during the 70’s but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I worked in the power industry for years where we depended on fuel deliveries 24 hours a day. The power plant itself used UHF handhelds but our scale house had a CB. When the drivers left the main highway to access the plant the drivers would switch to the channel our delivery receipt guy was on. At that point they would be advised where they would be unloaded after weighing. As far as I know they still use that system.
Unfortunately, this assertion is patently untrue. CB radio usage is in fact on the rise in a big way. COVID 19 helped accelerate this uptick as people sought out alternative communication in the event of Cellular outages, but it was happening anyway.
Sales figures stand out as the most undisputable evidence. Walcott Radio, the biggest online retailer of radios has said they have been having difficulty keeping certain radios and accessories in stock due to demand. Further, as Radios themselves go, More new models of CB radios have been coming out than models of Ham or GMRS combined. Manufacturers would not be investing time and money in product development if no one were buying them.
Local use of CB in the USA is very low to nonexistant. Truckers rarely use them now as many companies forbid them.
CB is a wasteland of distance-talkers with overmodulated, illegal amplifier driven ■■■■ boxes. Locals are drowned out.
I find it surprising that manufacturers are even making new models. Perhaps, they are putting their money on FM creating new life.
Well, being new to this forum I hate to be the bearer of Bad news, but you couldn’t be more wrong.
Local CB Use in the USA is FAR from low or non-existent. CB usage is in fact, on the rise. CB Radio never really went away. Contrary to your assertion, Truckers still use CB Radio on a daily basis. Most loading docks, still use CB’s to contact the drivers to direct them where to pull in to load. I live in NYC and even in that urban area flooded with Cell phones I talk to truckers on 19 all the time. I speak with fellow CB’ers on 6, 28, 11 as well as other channels. In manhattan, the Triboro Bridge & Tunnel Authority broadcasts a height warning for the Queens Midtown Tunnel for truckers on channel 19 and 21 on CB. Obviously they would not be doing this if they thought no one was relying on CB Radio for this sort of information.
CB Radio Sales are increasing with an estimated annual market of $273 Million Dollars and this is expected to rise with a Compounded annual growth rate of 2.7%. During the COVID 19 outbreak CB sales rose sharply as people were locked down. Many retailers including Walcott Radio (the largest online retailer of radios ) reported that they had difficulty keeping CB Radios and accessories in stock.
Alternative Radios such as Ham, GMRS, MURS have nowhere near the User base of CB Radio. There are approximately 850,000 licensed Hams in the U.S. and approx. 100,000 GMRS licenses in the U.S. This pales in comparison to the 3.5 Million Truckers who still use CB daily as well as a large number of non truckers who love radio, but simply prefer the anonymity of CB. An estimated 30 - 40 million CB Radios were sold inn this country from the 1970’s until today and many of them are still operational.
Several prominent Youtube channels have done videos on this and proven it. One such person took a 600 mile road trip with both GMRS and CB installed in his vehicle. He was never able mot raise anyone on GMRS with helpful road or traffic info. He WAS able to do so on the CB band, much of the information coming from the truckers.
CB Radio is still the dominant form of two way radio communication in this country. Both the Sales and licensing figures bear this out and cannot be denied. When one digs deep, invariably the people who most loudly proclaim the death of CB usually wind up being Ham or GMRS operators who for whatever reason, have an axe to grind with CB.
Hey if you’re a Ham or GMRS operator and you are happy with them, more power to you, but don’t try and tell the rest of something that is patently untrue, simply because you don’t like it.
Actually I am correct:
1: users are mostly illegal amplifier jockeys talking distance. Local communications don’t exist.
2: Are these Part 95 approved CB radios or “10 meter” radios being illegally converted.
3: It is very rare to hear truckers on CB. Many companies forbid drivers from having radios in their vehicles.
4: I never mentioned ham or GMRS in my comment, I’m not concerened about them in this thread.
5: Doubtful. Like I said, all the skip shooters have made CB unreliable as a communications medium.
Sure, I’m a ham… but I’ll give my opinion like anyone else here.
If you wish to delude yourself into believing you are correct, that is your privilege. The owner the Two Radio shop himself admitted in a podcast that CB Radio is not dead. President makes a number of CB Radios ( dedicated 11 Meter Radios. yes they make some Export Radios, but they are always upgrading and coming up with new CB models). You also, obviously do not spend time on CB or you would not make the fallacious assertion that it is rare to hear truckers on CB. I speak to Truckers practically everyday CB. I mentioned GMRS and HAM only to illustrate that despite the media coverage they get, their usage numbers pales in comparison to CB numbers. I can cite sales figures and can post links to verify these numbers. You on the other hand, offer nothing, but Conjecture. I would say opinion, but even an opinion requires some facts and you have none.
As far as trucking companies banning CB radios, a few companies have done this, but not because of a deficiency in the CB band and not because they favor another type of mobile radio like GMRS of Ham. It is because they feel that ANY radio might be a distraction for the driver so they are worried about liability especially now that the state of Mass has passed a ban on using the handheld mic on a radio. However, VOX works around this problem. In the final analysis, the majority of Truckers still use CB Radio Daily. This has been borne out in server after survey.
Watch yourself, you are bordering on becoming insulting. And insulting a moderator puts you on thin ice.
I’m well aware of new CB models coming out. I actually own two recent Radioddity models.
It is rare that I hear truckers on CB. I am right next to I-71.
. As I type, my CB is on channel 19 and it has been totally quiet for at least two hours. Scanning only has skip shooters showing up. Fortunately, my radio has scan lockouts and the more popular degenerate channels have been locked out.
All polls and survery can be skewed to support whoever’s position.
I state Facts in keeping with my screen name. I do not insult. Instead, I would venture to say you are simply put off by my pointing out facts and taking a position contrary to your own. And I do not make threats as you have. Threats are illogical.
Threats are illogical. Warnings are not. There is a difference. I see no facts stated, only opinions as I have given.
Facts. Below are links to respected websites showing the sales figures and projected rise in CB Radio sales. There is also a link on the decline of Ham Radio.
I think I am done with this topic. It does not warrant anymore of my time.
There is a lot of good information to digest in those sources. This may lead to another podcast on the topic. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Rick. I listened with great interest to your podcast on the subject. It was a very good show. I don’t think your moderator is very fond of the subject however. He seemed very offended when i pointed out that his assertion of CB Radio being dead were not supported by objective evidence. I found his reaction particularly strange given that you yourself had done a podcast stating that CB Radio is not dead. He should learn to govern his passions. They will be his undoing.
Mr. Spock is absolutely correct. As a former trucker I know of no company that prohibits cb in cabs. And even if they did they couldn’t do anything about it. I have 4 radios, a handheld and three mounted units of which one even has fm. I worked for a major carrier and no one ever said to me and in the 4.5 years I was a trucker I had was given three trucks all of which I installed cb’s in. Now they didn’t provide you with a cb but if you had one they couldn’t prevent you from installing it yourself. As a matter of fact the shop helped me install the first one in my first truck because the it had faulty wiring and one bad antenna installation. Cb is a safety tool just like e everything else in a truck. I used it to figure out which lane was open in a traffic jam or to thank a fellow trucker when he let me merge. You hardly ever heard chatty Kathie’s on it. When it would go off it was due to problems on the road and truckers helping one another out. All vehicles should have cb’s. I believe it should be mandatory; if you’re on the road you should have a cb.
Wal-Mart is one company. Companies have these policies supposedly for insurance reasons.
Insurance reasons are often spoken of, when the reality is it’s an excuse. Imagine it’s not a truck or car, but a boat. Having a device that lets you call for help, or just chat to others in the middle of the night, does not increase insured risk, it reduces it.
Of course, if you are careless when using them, the risk goes up. In the UK, it is an offence, with fines to use a phone - even stationary, in a car park, if the keys are in the ignition, or your pocket and you could use it. Plenty of people sitting in a car park, burger in one hand outside McDonalds, phone in the other have been fined and given points on their licence - 3 or 6 points, and a £200 fine. Serious stuff. However, a CB radio mic in your hand while driving is legal! The only issue is what your driving is like. We have an offence of careless driving (Driving without due care and attention) is available if you had a crash trying to go around a roundabout with mic in one hand. Plus of course dangerous driving, if you did something more serious. Driving talking into a microphone is not a crime here, so I have never heard of insurance reasons. Clearly, if you get prosecuted for careless driving, the insurance company can drop out and you are on your own. If the lorry owner uses a cheapo insurance company who do not understand driving, and have such daft rules, perhaps without even checking with the insurance company - there’s not much you can do.
Thank you Jroussos1 and Paulears for your agreement. I originally posted to refute the assertion that CB Radio is dead, which was in keeping with the opinion of Rick who hosted the podcast episode on the subject. The moderator then replied with certitude that CB was dead which I thought was illogical since by taking that position he was disagreeing not simply with me, but the host of the Forum and podcast on the subject. Further, he offered no proof to substantiate his claim. I then replied with links to several articles pointing the to the rise and continued projected rise in CB Radio sales. I also included a link to an article that explored the decline in Ham Radio licenses. Following Jroussos1 post about truck drivers definitely still using CB, the argument has now pivoted to asserting that insurance liability is the reason why they are banned citing Wal Mart as an example. However, this argument is completely without relevance as it regards the question of whether CB is still popular because if it is true that Wal Mart bans CB radios for liability reasons citing driver distraction concerns, then this ban would apply equally to GMRS, HAM or any other two way radio that required hands on operation while driving. It does nothing to bolster the unsupported assertion that CB is dead. CB is not dead as the podcast correctly points out and as shown by the articles to which I posted links, CB is again on the rise and it is NOT due to the sale of Export radios. Export radios are indeed sold, but the articles and Rick himself pointed to the development and sale of new, bonafide CB models. In the final analysis CB radio is on the rise, Ham licenses are on the decline and these are indisputable facts, that no amount conjecture, apparently rooted bias against CB, can refute.
P.S. on a personal observation note. I attended the Military Air Show at Jones Beach on Long Island NY this Memorial Day weekend. It was a fabulous Show as always and featured the Air Force Thunderbirds. Being right on the Ocean, the conditions were ideal for propagation and I am happy to report that the skip was rolling big time with operators checking in from as far away as the East Coast of Puerto Rico in addition to Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, etc. The airwaves were flooded with traffic on virtually ALL 40 channels. I almost felt like a throwback to the old CB days of the 1970’s and 80’s. This abundance of traffic is proof that these units are out there, in use and in abundance.
My opinions are based on personal experience! I never once said is was stating fact. As such, I need no “evidence” or “proof”.
It certainly does NOT throwback to the 70s and 80s. The 70s and 80s had an abundance of local communications. That does not happen now. The abundance is persons who talk long distance with illegal amplifiers.
I live about 100 feet away from interstate 71 in Ohio. Channel 19 has very little traffic on a consistent basis. All the other channels are silent to local traffic mostly. You’ll get some use; but it’s very sporadic. Yes. I have a CB right next to my amateur HF radio on my desk and I also have one in my car.
Now… the illegal amplifier jockeys and their “skip shooting” jam most channels with extremely high activity. I’m certain this is a contributing factor to the lack of local use.
I concentrate on local use only.
I am an active ham, an active GMRS user, AND I use CB. I don’t know why you keep on emphasizing a decrease in amateur radio licensees. Maybe this is an uncalled-for jab at me because I’m a ham. I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t care in this instance, as it’s not the subject of this thread.
Sales of CB radios are not indicative of their use. I’m aware of new models coming out in probably record rates. For all I know, they are adding an amplifier and contributing to the junk on the airwaves and not for local communications.