subject: The Five Simple Things You Need To Know About Cb Radio [print this page] The service known as CB radio uses a radio waveband around 27MHz. There are 40 channels available.
1. Channel 9 is only used for communications regarding some form of emergency. Although there was no thought to reserve channels for specific purposes when CB radio first started, Channel 9 is now used as the emergency channel, You should not under any circumstances use this channel for any reason other than emergency.
Some CB radio sets have a channel 9 priority button whichchecks automatically for traffic on channel nine and will allow that to come through if found. There are groups who monitor this channel throughout the country and as a result provide useful assistance to emergency services. These groups are especially useful at times of natural disaster.Note: channel 9 is not the designated emergency channel in other countries.
2. Chanel 19 is the travelers channel in the USA and is used by long distance truckers. In terms of frequency, Channel 19 is right in the center of the CB band at 27.185 MHz. While channel 9 is officially the emergency channel, there is no official designation of channel 19.
3. Shooting Skip. Although CB radio is very short range, all radio frequencies between 3 and 30 MHz can 'bounce' off the upper part of the earth's atmosphere when there is a high degree of ionization, as happens during times of high sunspot activity.
The radio waves can then travel long, sometimes very long, distances, even going most of the way around the globe and CB radio enthusiasts can find themselves able to hear users in far off countries. It is important to remember that in the USA, unlike the rest of the world, communicating at a distance of more than 150 miles using CB equipment is illegal.
4. 10-codes are often used when speaking on CB radio, so it is useful to learn what these are.
Here are some examples
10-1 I can't understand you/signal is weak
10-2 Signal is loud and clear
10-3 stop transmitting
10-4 Received and understood
10-9 repeat last message
10-10 Transmission complete, standing by
10-13 Advise weather/road conditions
10-20 location
10-27 Moving to channel
10-28 identify your station
10-33 emergency traffic clear the channel
10-73 speed trap at
10-100 restroom stop
5. Cb Lingo. Spend any amount of time listening on CB radio and you'll discover a whole new language in addition to the '10' codes.While some of this was made famous by songs like 'convoy' and some is (relatively) obvious, there are still terms which can lead to confusion. A bear is of course a policeman, making a 'bear cave'a police station, and a 'bear with ears' a police officer listening in to CB radio.
Other less obvious names include "choke and puke", a roadside diner and Willy weaver; a driver weaving in traffic probably due to lack of sleep or too much alcohol.Various types of transport also have special CB names; a cheese wagon is a school bus, (also short cheese and little cheese) a piggy bank is an armored car, a salt shaker is a snow plow, a fire-chicken is a Pontiac firebird and a roller-skate is a family car or SUV.
