Most young people who are familiar with FM radios, are unaware of the seventies phenomena called the citizen band radio, or CB radio. Here is some information that will help you familiarize yourself with the CB radio:
History of the CB radio: The citizen band radio service originated in the United States during the sixties to enable people to communicate using a CB radio frequency. Although it was originally intended to be used by the military, it gained popularity with taxi cab companies that used it to communicate with their drivers as a two-way radio. The seventies saw the popularity of the CB radio really explode, as it gained popularity among long-distance truckers. It was primarily used to warn fellow truckers of speed traps that were set up by the police to catch speeding truckers.
Use of citizen band radio: Unlike the ham or amateur radio, a CB radio can be used for both personal and business purposes. It can be shared by multiple users, although only one station is permitted to transmit at a given time, as stations must wait for available channel space. Although a citizen band radio legally requires a license, many users don’t bother to get one.
The citizen band radio club is very much alive and is now more a hobby group. It is believed that thousands of people use the citizen band radio frequencies every day. The CB radio is still widely used by truckers and is very handy in rural areas where phone lines are either not available or not too reliable.
Citizen band radio community today: Even though the Internet and cellular telephones are currently very popular, the CB radio community is an active one with many people still spending a lot of time chatting on the citizen band radio. Like the Internet, CB radio enthusiasts have developed their own slang and jargon.
Emergency utility of CB radio: The citizen band radio is also an invaluable communication tool during emergencies, as it requires no cell tower and is easy to use. In fact, one of the channels, channel 9, is assigned only for emergencies to provide assistance for people in danger.
Citizen band radio in other countries: In many countries, citizen band radio is defined as a system of short-distance cb radio frequencies or communications between people on a selection of forty channels limited to CB radio frequencies in the 27 megahertz or 11 meter band.
CB radios, two way radios, and CB radio antennas that were all the rage in the seventies are still available and can be found in any satellite communication or CB radio shops.
© Newsmax. All rights reserved.