As part of a new series that will get into some of the more advanced parts of CB radio, Today we will cover the once popular "freeband" experience and talk about the hows and whys this once took place.
Пікірлер: 108
@robgibbsofficial5 жыл бұрын
Hi Erik - Greetings from the UK! Love your videos on CB radio - keep up the great work! Rob
@indridcold84334 жыл бұрын
Greetings from Saskatchewan, Canada. I have heard that the UK has two citizen's bands. One is from 26.965 megacycles to 27.405 megacycles with AM/FM and SSB. Then there are the original UK channels of 27.60125 to 27.99125 in FM only. You guys are lucky! Here, we have 26.965 megacycles to 27.405 AM and SSB. For some strange reason FM is not allowed. We also have a UHF, "CB," in the 462 megacycle range FM, and a new VHF 151 megacycle, five channel radio service called, "MURS." That allows SSB, AM, FM, and digital. I guess the UHF CB called FRS, here, is equivalent to your PMR446 radio. Do you have a VHF public radio service in the UK?
@mr.somewhere26785 жыл бұрын
Glad you’re still putting out cb content. You’re videos have really helped me sort out my dads old gear I inherited over the past year or so. Nice to see your farm has 14k. Good work man
@FarpointFarms5 жыл бұрын
Thanks man! I'm glad I could help. The CB stuff will always be a part of the channel. With spring coming, homesteading and tractor stuff will pickup a bit, but CB is a passion and will always be.
@timhood69705 жыл бұрын
Too easy now days to just buy an export radio thats had 11 meters (CB) opened up in it to worry about having to add channel kits to one.
@bro.weaver12825 жыл бұрын
I agree, the internet has really changed things, used to you needed the "tech" books from Copper to tweak your radio! Now a search will show you.
@FarpointFarms5 жыл бұрын
Very true.
@paganphil1004 жыл бұрын
Tim Hood: Most "export" radios in the UK / Europe now come pre-programmed from 25 - 30 mhz in all modes. SSB and FM are the most popular....not many people here use AM mode any more.
@UDX-215 жыл бұрын
MCBRGA=Make CB Radio Great Again.
@FarpointFarms5 жыл бұрын
I made a shirt with that logo!
@UDX-215 жыл бұрын
@@FarpointFarms COOL, I should get one made, I wish you wold wear it on one of your Videos, but let them know, DD21 was the originator, LOL
@UDX-215 жыл бұрын
I will wear one on my videos for you to sell, but I don't have anyway to make any myself. Just gift one to the Diaper--LOL
@spresc21805 жыл бұрын
Here in SE Massachusetts and the region local cb talk is very close to stone cold dead. Skipland is 98.5 % of what I hear. My drives to and from NE North Carolina just might get 4 or 5 truckers briefly chatting, thats it. I see trucks with antenna's but the ratio of antenna's to traffic is skewed greatly. Have truckers by and large moved to freeband or elsewhere? Which frequencies should I scan to hear truckers?
@FarpointFarms5 жыл бұрын
I think that a lot of truckers listen and wait for road trouble, but rarely talk. Next time your on the road, key up and tell a good joke, that usually gets them to talk.
@setherton253 жыл бұрын
I really do enjoy yor videos! thank you for continuing sharing the knowledge that you have on the subject.
@FarpointFarms3 жыл бұрын
Glad you like them!
@charlestonbytheglass75105 жыл бұрын
We used to listen to the truckers on the CB on trips to PA with my dad as a kid, I always wondered if they still used that! Great video!
@jodeluna625 жыл бұрын
Very Interesting!
@danielkinsman19645 жыл бұрын
I'm a licensed ham but will never get rid of my CB. Before I got my ham ticket I bought a Uniden PC 122 XL with upper and lower SSB. I had a tech in Buffalo, N. Y. add extra channels uppers and lowers to it and he peaked it up. with a power mic SSB does 30 watts and I talked all over the world on it.
@danielkinsman19645 жыл бұрын
I live by the ocean in Connecticut and I can shoot great skip across the water
@FarpointFarms5 жыл бұрын
Great little radio. My old boss had 3 of them. 1 as a base, and 2 more mounted in the company cars. Worked great for keeping in touch.
@danielkinsman19645 жыл бұрын
I had the work done by Doc's Electronics in N.Y. Best CB tech I ever saw. One switch on the side of the radio did it all for channels
@danielkinsman19645 жыл бұрын
I hit Scotland from my home in Connecticut using my Uniden PC 122 SSB
@Dallas-Rife-UDX-347-Tennessee5 жыл бұрын
The sunspot cycle has really killed the mood for a lot of folks , and I do miss the days in the mid 90's when they were 20 different local groups on various channels. For some it was a fad, to others who really enjoy it, like Joe Dirt says,,, "Keep On Keepin On" . Share what you know , learn from others who know more, and encourage the locals you know to get back on the air and form a local net . Good video Erik , have a good week and look forward to the next video .
@FarpointFarms5 жыл бұрын
I do my best to make folks around me aware that CB is still a thing. It helps that all my vehicles have big antenna's on them. People will ask what they are for and I lead that into a talk about CB. I had the new radio on ALL weekend and other than the locals on channel 20 the skip was DEAD for literally the entire 20 hours I was outside. So bummed that it's been this dead here. I want to make some long distance DX contacts with all this power!!
@jamescrowe39055 жыл бұрын
Great explanation. I am really digging this channel.
@FarpointFarms5 жыл бұрын
Glad you like!
@jamesbuttery20075 жыл бұрын
I recently ran across you channel and I have been enjoying your videos on cb radios. I've wanted to play with radios for years and my radio bug has been sparked again and I will be picking up a cobra 29 later this week. Years ago when I was a young teen I had taken a ham radio class but never passed the test, I think I'm going to go for it again and I hope to get into the radio community here soon. Thanks for the info in your videos its helpful. I'm still looking into figuring out options for a home base antenna.
@JimN5QL5 жыл бұрын
Wow! What Memories! Back in the late 70s I had an SBE mobile rig with side band and I got the plans for expanding it. I ordered the switches and other parts and when I was finished you could not tell it from stock because it had an ABCD switch or something. I never could figure out where I was!
@jamesgardner95832 жыл бұрын
Good explanation.
@FarpointFarms2 жыл бұрын
Glad you think so!
@caveman55795 жыл бұрын
Thanks good video
@scottw75375 жыл бұрын
Is that a Uniden 980 that is scanning the channels? If so, how do you like it? Thinking of getting one considering how dead the channels are, it would be nice to be able to scan.
@tonyvlx5 жыл бұрын
Here in the greater Toronto area, CB is completely dead. Lower Sideband ch38 had bit of traffic in the past but has died off. Recently started getting 8 S-units of static on my base to further kill the Hobby.
@darrinlong80382 жыл бұрын
Did you make that song at the ending of video?
@etzow2 жыл бұрын
As the solar cycle is slowly coming back to its max I recently started to hear more and more SSB stations from the 'latidudal' center of Europe, France, North Italy and some from UK and Ireland, but mainly on the upper band above 27.415 MHz here in NW Germany. And last weekend I also heard some stations in FM on the official CB band from southern Germany. To me it seems as there is a new upcoming interest in CB radio (and freebanding ;-). Maybe the current energy- and political situation also gives it a little kickstart (from the prepper's perspective). There are some new interesting radios out there now that also support working relais on CB and 10m, like the Albrecht AE6290, Team VX-2412, Team TS-11vi, et. al. What's the situation in the US nowadays?
@mcribs78113 жыл бұрын
Hey Eric, really been enjoying your content. I noticed in this video you have an RCI-2950 gen 1 or 2. IMO THAT was what did away with “the switches”. I had that radio in 1991ish and that drove my local shop that had been around since the mid 70’s out of business and into the early days of online sales in 1998. When all that was involved was, move jumper 1 to slot 3 to expand the frequency range was all that was needed then the repair shops were on their way out. Btw, great rig and still keep it in-line. Sadly, trying to use it for 10m ham, as I am licensed is a nightmare because the majority of those radios seem to be 2kc’s off.
@starman86235 жыл бұрын
Hey Erik, this brings back memories! I was a member of a cb club in the late 70s called the United Sidebanders... formed in Stockton California. We all used to catch up “upstairs” band was crazy here in Australia then... and at one point we had 18 legal channels only.... we got the USA standard 40 in the late 70s I think. Take care mate cheers Anthony
@FarpointFarms5 жыл бұрын
Great times! Thanks for sharing.
@9mmARman5 жыл бұрын
I used CB a lot in the early 90's and got back into it, mostly because of your channel, again about 2 years ago. I've tried emailing you several times with no response, so I'll ask here. I'm looking for a used SSB CB and you've mentioned several times that you sell CBs online. Where can I see what you have for sale?
@FarpointFarms5 жыл бұрын
I'm sorry I've missed some of your messages. I currently don't have any radios for sale, but I am going to Hamfest April 20th so I will try and find you a nice one. The only radios I have now are ones I don't want to part with.
@9mmARman5 жыл бұрын
Farpoint Farms - I appreciate it. I'm always concerned buying a unit online after getting burned on a Cobra that only works intermittently (weather works all the time). There's nothing for sale locally, so I'm out of luck. You can contact me at Hawgleg44@comcast.net. Thank you very much!
@kimmccarl10895 жыл бұрын
Thank You
@DJLunarImpact3 жыл бұрын
If I were to buy a 10 meter radio (if/when they become available on CE again) and have it modified to also run on 11 meter cb frequencies, would it have access to these freeband channels? I have been considering going this route to have CB that I can talk on but also be able to listen to the 10 meter frequencies. I plan on getting an amateur license once the covid restrictions are gone and he local ham clubs start meeting again. Also I want to have access to be able to listen in on as many frequencies as possible for in case a catastrophic event were to happen so that I can gather info and decide whether I am safe to stay put or if I need to bug out and also what routes are blocked between my current location and wherever my bug out location may be.
@tufftrucker402 жыл бұрын
I recently purchased a cobra 148 with the switches and also my uniden Washington has 2 switches. I know what they do but was unsure if these extra channels were used much. I will play around with them for a while and see what happens.
@johnfugate34325 жыл бұрын
Still got three radios with uppers and lowers oh for the good old days that was good information for people that didn't understand it
@FarpointFarms5 жыл бұрын
I was trying to explain it to those that were not around back then or had never heard of it so if they come across one they will know what it is. I'm glad it came across right.
@TheDudeVT5 жыл бұрын
I have a Cobra 142 base with 4 extra switch's on the back. Never really messed with them though.
@trs80model145 ай бұрын
First exposed to the outband when my friend circa 1992 had a killer base station and was talking with someone. They agreed to “take it all the way down” , I had to ask what that meant.
@FarpointFarms5 ай бұрын
The lingo no a days can have a totally different meaning than what it did a decade ago.
@jamesthompson99995 жыл бұрын
Did the same thing back in the 90's. If I remember right, channels above 40 were mostly for ssb and below channel 1 was mostly am. Quite a few of us operated on 27.400 in between channel 39 and 40 on lsb. Still technically illegal but it wasn't out of band and we figured no one would get caught.
@t.c.27768 ай бұрын
The Midland 75-822 40 Channel CB has a jumper that if you remove it you can get full 40 upper and lower for a total of 120 channels... now, it's only 4W output so have no idea how actually useful it would be, especially if not many of today's radios do it without modification... and some of today's radios sold in the U.S. are now allowing both AM and FM channels.
@FarpointFarms8 ай бұрын
That is a good tip for those who might want to mess with it
@Dragon11653 жыл бұрын
I know some that stayed "in between" when driving long trips, when it was a few trucks on the same load, back in the day.
@marktiger46135 жыл бұрын
Thumbs up again
@williamghost15162 жыл бұрын
the Midland 75-822 can be easily converted to High / Low by jumping 2 pads on the front of the board which then gives you 40 low / 40 high and your normal (legal) 40... it might be very useful in a SHTF situation?
@nickl38722 жыл бұрын
Thanks farm point, I just got an old connex 3300 that has upper and lower channels
@FarpointFarms2 жыл бұрын
Nice 👍
@TomMarsteller4 жыл бұрын
Just returning to CB. Is there much traffic on freeband radio anymore?
@danielkinsman19645 жыл бұрын
I have a Uniden PC 122 XL with upper and lowers added. Peaked up
@bro.weaver12825 жыл бұрын
Wow, I still got my PC 122 XL STOCK, and let me tell you, that is one small radio to have SSB!
@trs80model145 ай бұрын
I had the TRC465 which internally is the same radio, sorry that I sold it!
@danielkinsman19645 ай бұрын
@@trs80model14 I still have a TRC 465
@darrinclements5 жыл бұрын
Treebeard up here deep in the forest of Ontario Canada. Got my CB coming in and when winter finally lets up( getting slammed again today} I will proceed with Antenna build. With that being said I got turned onto SDR radio. Have you seen this? If not I recommend checking it out. The cool factor is up there.
@FarpointFarms5 жыл бұрын
I just ordere a wide band antenna for a SDR I picked up. I can't wait to play with it.
@Wheel-15 жыл бұрын
Great video ! The RCI is very easy to convert . Most of the older radios can take first set of lowers ./ uppers with a crystal swap . But many people that did these conversions had a stack of radios beside their bench / table because of the " Golden Screwdriver " effect . Plain & Simple if you have no idea what you are doing let someone with verifiable / reputable experience do the work or buy one that has already been done .
@FarpointFarms5 жыл бұрын
There was a guy back in Raleigh that could make magic happen inside your average CB radio back in the late 90's he worked out of a small metal shack right next to his house and had strange hours. I had my Realistic TRC-444 tuned by him when I needed to have it repaired. He managed to make it put out about twice what a stock one did. He also did freeband conversions, but I couldn't afford it back then so I only had it on my Washington base station.
@Wheel-15 жыл бұрын
Farpoint Farms Thanks for the quick response. Those guys in their sheds are few and far between anymore, most all that I knew have passed. Most all channels in my area very quiet . Going to build a dipole antenna & see if I can pull in any skip. Have a good 1 . Thanks for being down to earth Great channel
@Heezy20235 жыл бұрын
how to i tune a 102 inch steel whip bought it on amazon i have a swr meter i previously had a fire stick with a adjustable tip any help would be appreciated
@FarpointFarms5 жыл бұрын
Make sure you have the spring attached at the bottom as it makes the antenna complete. If you still need to tune it, you can add a thin washer, or trim just a hair off the threads.
@StevieB-jj9fz3 жыл бұрын
What is a lescomm kit?
@terryclark96032 жыл бұрын
C B ing in Alabama is on the comeback more and more people getting on air every week a new c b Handel to learn. I have even seen c b bumper stickers on automobiles .let's get everybody talking. 10 x 4 73s
@FarpointFarms2 жыл бұрын
That is awesome to hear.
@policeofficer655 жыл бұрын
First time using CB ever, I recently purchased one new Cobra hh35 and one pre owned GE 5980A. Do I need to tune the stock antenna? Because I have not! And I can receive just fine but when I transmit no one responds. I tested both radios and both receive and transmit together. I did one radio check and one guy said it sounds like I am talking with a coat hanger. Are those people talking ignoring me?
@FarpointFarms5 жыл бұрын
I would certainly check the SWR reading on that antenna. A poor reading means that out of your 4 watts, maybe only 1.2 watts is getting out. That may explain why no one can her you.
@roger552fl55 жыл бұрын
Very good informative video.. did you already have the CB giveaway yet???
@FarpointFarms5 жыл бұрын
Yes, Mitch Henderson was the winner.
@matthewdavies20575 жыл бұрын
Before the internet finding information on "funny" or extra channels was very tough and expensive. A lot of shade tree/truck stop tech's made their living altering radios and they did not want you knowing how they did it. Old timers didn't want new CBers on their quiet funny channels so they wouldn't talk about the subject. Export radios were kept under the counter and out of sight at radio stores. Not to mention the very high price. There was even a popular series of technical books called Secret CB that shared the arcane ways of altering for more channels and higher output power. The internet changed all of that. There are dozens of How To web sites all about CB radios. Right when we don't need to alter your radio...
@FarpointFarms5 жыл бұрын
So true! In the age of instant info, no one needs to make these mods. I don't think I ever saw an "Export radio" until I was at a genuine truck stop. Until then it was almost always Cobra, Uniden and Realistic.
@matthewdavies20575 жыл бұрын
@@FarpointFarms When I was 15 in 1980 I heard of a Cobra 148 DX but it cost more than a used car and wasn't for sale anywhere I knew of. Times sure have changed.
@paganphil1004 жыл бұрын
Matthew Davies: In the UK and mainland Europe almost everybody uses "export" radios now......they usually have continuous coverage from about 25 - 30 mhz and have various power outputs and all modes. Most people here use SSB or FM.....very few people use AM mode these days and the main international "calling channel / frequency" is 27.555 USB. The UK still has their original 40 (FM only) channels but Midband (the same frequencies as USA) has now been legalised for use in all modes.
@jbilletz4 жыл бұрын
27.555 Usb still gets use at times.
@christophersmith11555 жыл бұрын
PEOPLE STILL USE THE UPPER FREQUENCIES TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE UNITED KINGDOM AND BELOW CHANNEL 1 FOR GERMANY, AUSTRIA AND SO FORTH 27.5550 USB/LSB IS STILL POPULAR WORLD WIDE
@freebird14735 жыл бұрын
What are the best ham radio taking a class to get my amateur liscence
@FarpointFarms5 жыл бұрын
Man, that is a tough one. Some will tell you to get the best radio right off the bat, and others will tell you to just get a 2 meter or 10 meter radio to start. There is really no right answer.
@I..cast..fireball5 жыл бұрын
I recommend joining a local club and learning as much as possible before buying anything.
@marktiger46135 жыл бұрын
I missed dirty diaper 21 Saturday night again is he near you
@JasonCooper-em4gt10 ай бұрын
Good one days
@FarpointFarms10 ай бұрын
Right? It felt like I was part of some super secret club the first time I flipped the switch on my modded Washington and heard voices on the uppers.
@tchiggz92065 жыл бұрын
Back in the 80s I had a modified cobra148 gtl. I still have the radio but lost my chart.
@FarpointFarms5 жыл бұрын
Oh gosh I forgot all about "the Sheet" My uniden Washington had that sheet with all the channels listed. Good times!
@JREACHER19545 жыл бұрын
Have 2 Midlands (77-285) that are 40 channel radios with upper and lower. Never really had anybody on them as sideband was more popular.
@FarpointFarms5 жыл бұрын
I haven't had a "freeband" radio in years, but even back in the day there were only a handful of guys on them at any one time.
@CueBallRacer3 жыл бұрын
I have a Midland (77-115) that is 40 channel upper and lower.With solder mod
@stevenstockman68945 жыл бұрын
Cb is doing good Michigan.
@HerbWalker5 жыл бұрын
Mine has 12 Bands of channels
@FarpointFarms5 жыл бұрын
Nice!
@thevacuumtubejunky97745 жыл бұрын
I recall taking a early to mid 80's Cobra 148 Gtl before the I.C. was revamped tapping off the 8+ pins that weren't used and making that radio slide all over and in between 10 and 11 meters, the frequency availability was damn near endless. One of the dumbest things that the FCC has ever done was to allocate a non licensed Citizen bandwidth in between 10 and 12 meter Ham bands, and to top it off, CB radios have non variable "Channels" that are locked on specific frequencies which in turn raised the curiosity factor with the CB operator to start "Modifying" their radios which in the eye of the FCC was illegal even though those people doing the modification were only accessing the frequencies by sliding a few kilohertz in between two locked channels that was still within the "Allocated 11m CB Bandwidth", does any of that make any sense besides the fact that I can't explain what iam trying to say???...lol Thanks for sharing your story! Kind Regards, Eric Dee
@FarpointFarms5 жыл бұрын
It's human nature to tinker with things. It was just a matter of time before someone figured out how to mod these radios. Then they realized that there really was a need for it as interference was strong back then. I can only imagine how ticked the HAM users and the FCC were back then.
@thevacuumtubejunky97745 жыл бұрын
@@FarpointFarms : lol...I'll tell you what, my father was a licensed ham operator dating back to the 20's when you submitted your own call sign to the FCC, He always complained about CB operators "Splattering" on the 10 meter band. He wore his heart on his sleeve when it came to that stuff...
@TalmidAndy5 жыл бұрын
It is more difficult to bring new people into CB, just as it is difficult to bring them into ham radio, due to the plethora of other distractions and communication opportunities. in some ways this is a positive as it keeps some of the less desirable off air. However, it does not help to see equipment being sold for multiple hundreds of dollars, even older low quality items, as this puts people off getting involved. If we want to bring people back into CB we need to stop asking ridiculous prices for the equipment and start showing a positive of CB radio and CBers - ham radio operators do a good job of this so maybe CB operators should follow the example.
@FarpointFarms5 жыл бұрын
Great point. I think Ebay has caused prices to rise to the point where the only way to find a good deal is randomly in the wild.
@MrBrian8749 Жыл бұрын
I have a Cobra 142GTL with Expo kit installed. I've had it since the Early 90s. I have to disagree with you, I talk all around the world with it. Believe it or not there are dedicated Freebanders still active to this day. I don't use the old lady as much, as I have a Yeasu FT 450. I'm a pirate operator and always have been. I don't like regulations. The Airwaves should be free to all who can receive them, I do respect commercial regulations although. I have met some really nice HAM operators but most butthole elites who want to control the Airwaves.