What is the Issue with CB Radio / 11m?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ก.ย. 2022
- The problem with CB Radio is that at night, the band more often than not closes and you are stuck with a ton of gear and no joy. Now in MY world, the Ham Radio spectrum, I can flick around all the bands and find something that suits me, from a 50 mile hop on VHF down to say 80m where I can loaf along and talk to someone in Netherlands from UK. Now the very REAL problem is that also folks need to be polite and friendly and I don't care if you are a CB operator, a ham radio guy or frankly just an idiot. We can still all be polite. Enjoy your radio and best of luck to you! Callum, M0MCX.
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Ham operators are nothing but a bunch of nerds and geeks, no thank you, i'll stick with 11 meters.
Ladies and Gentlemen, here is a certified a$$hole :)
Thing is... those nerds and geeks are the sole reason you have access to 11 meters....
Haha, certified nerd here. If you just want to chat with people and not tinker with anything, I always tell people they would be better off on Discord. It's far more reliable.
lol those nerds and geeks are as well on 11m ^^
Mrs calls it speed dating for nerds 😉
I was stuck on 40m for quite a while.....then by a stroke of luck I made contact with IU2MCW on 20m one evening with 100W from South Africa, and it gave me much more confidence to just go on other bands and call cq! It opened up my experiece so much. So to the guys in Europe.....turn your beams our way every now and then , would love to meet you 🙂
Turn South... Copied!
I started out on CB radio at age 12, and I learned a LOT!! about antennas, SWR, DX, Q-codes, 73, 55 and 88 :) I met the love of my life on CB radio - I wouldn't want to miss that. Completely went off the air for about 30 years, only to get a ham radio license this spring after 2 week of studying - because all the knowledge I acquired between ages 12-17 helped me ace the exam. Yes, CB radio is very limiting, but it is by design. And I had many DX contacts as a teenager on a shoestring budget. Lovely times!
Great story!
Similar for me, even taught myself enough to get a job as a radio engineer! CB was for people to speak to each other without a need to know all about how they worked. Far more normal people on CB. All i have met on amateur radio is old men wanting to use it as they probably do with Grindr, always wanting to get young people in to the hobby and invite them over. There were a few sinister people about running bulletin boards.
Didnt we all start, over 50 years old today, with CB?
Yep same
The only people who won't admit to even having a dabble with cb are the ones who think they're some sort of elitist
I started on CB at the beginning of the year, now an M7 as of a couple months ago... a gateway drug!
I have also convinced a couple CB friends I've met to get their license too.
Sure did.
I diddn't.... But I'm relatively new to the scene... Started on 446....
When CB made its hay day, there was a solar maximum and we worked the world with only a few watts. The 1970's were amazing on 10 metres as well.
Yes!
It's Like That Again Now!!! Awesome..
Brilliantly explained Cal. Hit the nail on the head. Just opening up your horizons.
That's it!
Love how you approached it . I will always be on CB and I am a HAM .. loved how you presented it .. best I ever heard !!!
You, Sir, are absolutely right! I started as a kid on 11m, and got my amateur license in 1992. I've been a ham since, and still love to play with 11m. But, there is sooo much more out there on the other bands.
Thank you for explaining this so regular folks can understand the differences.
Good luck, and greetings from Michigan in the U.S.
73s, N8SGM.
Hiya John.. Thanks for the encouragement.
I use CB and i have my intermediate HAM ticket. Like you say, it's nice to have the option of any band you want.
I love being an M7 and limited to 10 w.
DXing at 1k + is like shooting fish in a barrel - you might as well Skype them! QSOs with the artic circle / USA / Canada / Central America at 10 w on a bit of earth wire strung across your attic gives you a sense of achievement.
It's also nice to be pulled to the front of a pile up when you suffix QRP to your callsign when responding to CQ call 😉
As for CB, that's what got me into amateur radio in the first place. Found my old truck driving days FM muppet 40 rig in the attic and popped it in my van. Soon realised there's not alot happening on FM around here anymore, mulled over freeband but took Callum's advice and went for my foundation licence instead. Never looked back.
(I've got 11m open to me if I want to play with freebanding, but never felt the urge)
absolute bullshit . 1kw doesn`t guarnatee contacts its all up to the conditions . you can have 100 kw but ist no good if your signal just goes into space . I agree when conditions are favourable turn the power down as its more relaxed and a better feeling to know its your antenna doing the work especially if you made it .
Cool story, bro.
Absolutely love my cb, occasionally get about 80miles of range on sideband, great dx opportunities lately. That ham exam seems scary but im definitely going to to get it done soon!
Yeah, honestly it's not hard - then you can do both..!
@@DXCommanderHQ Lot more involved and harder in Canada I hear.
Make sure if you go to the effort of passing the exam, you don't get your ham rig opened up and use it on 11 meter's.
That's like passing a driving test and then not bothering to get insurance and ignoring all the road signs.
Pass the test to use the equipment within the parameters of the law.
Or don't bother just get a hf set unlocked and use it on anyband with whatever power you like, be a free spirted freebander, it's illegal to use 27.555 USB anyway and that's where you'll find most ham radio user's..
Freebanding with a licence lol
Be polite!! Brilliant, we need a whole lot more of that in the world!! Studying for my Ham license and looking forward to talking to the polite ones! Subscribed.
Absolutely!
Thanks Calum. Did CB as a kid. Had a ball with the next door neighbor. Oh memories I created those nights with Mason. I like the way you invited CB dudes to the Ham party. Always enjoy your vids. Thanks, N1CLC. P.S. Need to work you one of these days.
Very cool!
Got into cb about 5 years ago, got my M7 in 2020, still use cb more than the amateur bands. Much more chilled for day to day mobile use.
Oh my. I have had CB Radios here in the US since 1969. I have had friends over the years that were HAMS but at the end of the day they took their higher priced and higher powered radios and you guessed it they were using them on the 11 metre band. I know a guy who was an Extra Class that ran a Yeasu FT 101 out of his car. He had a quick disconnect on his antenna ball mount and had about 5 separate antennas for each band. I could have easily gotten a HAM ticket many years ago but gear tends to be expensive.. I am happy with my President Lincoln II+. I live in an area with mountains that top out over 4000 feet that are easy to reach and park on top of. To be honest I haven't heard much on the 10 & 12 metre bands. There more going on here in the US between Ch 1-40 as well as over CH 40 on SSB. Although FM is now legal to use not many people are ditching their Cobra 19 and 29's to go FM. As far as I know President is the only company selling 40 channel AM FM radios.
73's
Exactly btw look at the anytone 6666
Greetings from G1YFR. Well said I was a CB long distance HCV/PCV. Driver. Listening to radio while I was away. I took my amateur ticket certainly broaden my horizons. Go for it get your ticket. Thank you for posting.
Nice one Henry!
started on cb in 1976...kahu-6717 was my call in the us...we all have been 11 meters. i broadened my horizon....i am an extra now, 46 years in the hobby of radio. still loving it. if not for radio i would be a nut in a cage someplace....keep up the good work callum. love yer channel.
Yep, keeps you sane!
I was a CB'er in the '80s, and like most CB'ers I was fixated on more power. Yesterday afternoon I had a nice 2,300-mile 5&9 phone into Asiatic Russia with just 5 watts from a battery-powered FT-818. Band access... that's the real power!
That is impressive.
I need to getbmy ham ticket
@@RicArmstrong I spoke to hams in Hungry, San Marino, Slovenia, Lithuania, Slovak Republic, Belarus, and Asiatic Russia (close to Kazakstan border) yesterday afternoon on 14MHz, on a tiny rig powered by 8 "AA" batteries. I love this crazy hobby!
@@2E0RME
That's great. I live in a high elevation of the Appalachian mountains and look forward to experimenting with how far I can get out.
@@RicArmstrong You'll crack out! 👍
I find once stations find you're QRP, they're interested in seeing how low you can go on the power with incremental decreases.
I've worked Southern Germany from Bournemouth and got down to 1w with a 5,7 report before now.
Spot on. I learned the code on channel 14 with one of those kids 100 mW base stations, beeping to my buddy 3 blocks away. I am sure that everyone was impressed with tone CW on CB.
Fabulous!
That's exactly how I practiced Morse code back in the day. Tone oscillator into a SSB CB radio on the lower side of channel 1. It got a lot of attention since on an AM CB radio it just sounds like a carrier being turned on and off rapidly. Seems to be it was an SBE Sidebander III radio; one of the best CB's ever back in the day.
Very fairly put . I enjoy both . I finally upgraded to General Class after 10 years . I really enjoy both CB and Ham .
Great video DX Commander ,, 73’s to you
Hey thanks.. and good luck!
My dad was a CB radio guy. We had the Tram D201 tube radio along with a D300 solid state which I still have. These were paired with a Moonraker 4 antenna and a ground plane which I do not have. I grew up loving talking and logging all my contacts on CB upper and lower sideband. I've always wanted to get into HAM radio but it is expensive. I hope to take my Technician and General at the same sitting. Love your channel and all your videos. I will most likely buy a DXCommander from you when the time comes. Keep up the great work!
Great memories!
I knew a 7 year-old girl with her US Technicians Class license. In the USA that authorized her to design, build and operate a 1500 Watt transmitter with an antenna array on a 200 foot tall tower. She had to take the test orally because she didn't know how to read yet. Her 14 year-old sister was a (20 wpm CW) Amateur Extra.
Wow!
This is precisely the reason why I went in for my foundation licence. I was only lucky enough to speak to about 4 locals, if that - when the skip was dead. Now I've got all sorts of bands to play with, and I can even use repeaters to get around gaps in my groundwave coverage on 2m/70cm.
Great!
If your local repeater had IRLP, then you can "tunnel" your radio transmission through the internet and pop up at a remote repeater which then transmits your communication to others within range at that location. Available to Australia foundation licence holders, possible the same for entry level licences elsewhere
Never got into an HT. Went to General a month after getting Tech. Got addicted to DX'ING straightaway. Studied hard and earned my EXTRA before the year was out. I confess, I was 11 meters before that, but it was SSB, not AM.
Cheers and 73.WW5MB
all our local repeaters are digital now, might aswell use skype :)
I love your honesty! It cracks me up since it matches my thinking so closely... Love it..
😊 thank you
First video I've seen of yours and I subbed. I have a GMRS here in the US, but will try to get my ham license soon.
Hello and WELCOME to you.. Enjoy the ride!!
My two-penneth on a subject close to my heart: getting a licence definitely broadens possibilities and horizons. Personally it also inspired me to get into antennas and enjoy experimenting and modelling. I know some guys on 27 MHz see the ham guys as snobs.. Of course there are some (fall into the ass-hat category as a result), but if anyone is actually put off by this then there are problems outside the scope of the hobby they need to address. Most likely though, anyone who claims to be put off doing their licence because “hams are snobs” are probably flying a kite to mask something else, maybe an insecurity about the learning for the exam? Maybe a degree of insecurity and a lack of self confidence socially? Who knows? It’s up to us who are licenced to be approachable and mentor and encourage. 99% of ham operators are friendly, approachable and grateful to hear new blood. That mirrors the good guys:ass-hat ratio in society for sure.
Tim, how well you articulated that.. Nice.
There's plenty of snobbery and it manifests in many ways, not just radio. You see it right here on TH-cam, little cliques of people that clump together to insult anyone not in that clump. It's human nature but ham radio gives you several thousand miles of range and TH-cam covers the Earth.
But a lot of it is just comfort zone. My ham radio club has over 200 members, about six of them are friendly and approachable to newcomers and I work at being one of them. The rest have talked to each other for 40 years and it is comfortable. They really have nothing to say to a new guy and don't really want any input anyway.
Part of a problem with ham radio is the vast realm of bands and frequencies; what is the chance that someone is listening when I want to talk? Pretty low. But with waterfall displays this isn't quite the problem it has been since the beginning; since I can see a signal pop up and tune it instantly by just touching the screen.
But that kind of radio is expensive. CB is cheap. So, have both!
As a Ham myself, I've met some snobs! About 99% of the Hams I've met since getting my Technician Plus in Sept. 2006 have been nothing but condescending snobs - and assholes!🤣
They loved it when I came to the 2-meter band and thought they thought they had a know-nothing newbie, like fresh meat in the 9th grade in Junior Highschool; they thought I wouldn't know what the term "Working Conditions" meant. 🤣🤣 But I proved 'em wrong.
I'm SUBSCRIBED to YOUR CHANNEL as well!
KD8EFQ/73!
@@charleswoods2996 When I first became Technician, I joined a repeater club in Hawaii. Small in number, 25 or so members, buy-in wasn't all that cheap. The people were friendly, committed to public service and the repeater was top quality and well sited. I worked many parades and even a horse riding dressage thing. The Alona Week parade was a big deal helping with that; stay up all night providing security for the people building floats and then all morning directing floats, about 110 units in that parade. I have T-shirts from all those things. The president of that club is still there and apparently still alive.
But in my current location, the club has over 200 members and there's just two or three that I routinely greet when I hear them on the radio and they in turn greet me. It isn't really snobby so much as people have lost the art of making friends. This guy talks to that guy and that's what they've done for 40 years, and pretty much every day it is the same exchange.
I sometimes or usually operate 2 meters with an ICOM I-705, that's WAY overkill for 2 meter conversations but it has the huge advantage that the waterfall display also reveals FM deviation. Talking too loud increases bandwidth and too soft the waterfall stays narrow and is hard to hear. So it is easy for me to help someone else adjust how far they are from the micropone by simply looking at the waterfall and this also increases confidence by new operators knowing they are getting an excellent signal out. Or not so excellent; maybe their antenna needs help.
@@charleswoods2996 There's a tendency, I think, for nerds and geeks that have difficulty with their own sense of worth, to find worth in ham radio but it is an external worth measured by your brand of radio, model, antenna and so on. Any challenge to anything is perceived as an attack or maybe just a disrespect.
My first radio transmitter included a coil of wire wrapped around a toilet paper tube, a dual ganged variable capacitor and one transistor. It had about 36 milliwatts, I don't remember how I calculated that probably based on the voltage and current consumption of the little oscillator circuit. It was for Morse code practice.
I don't actually talk much on the radio. I love the technology of it and find radio fascinating, but sitting there listening to HF radio can really put one to sleep waiting for an opportunity to talk.
Oh yes, then there's the Culture Police. Ham Radio cultural practices change grandually but people think the current way is the only way and has always been. For instance, on HF if you want to talk, to have to annonce it, "CQ this is me" and is there anything wrong with doing that on 2 meters? No, but you can practically bet on someone "correcting" you with whatever is the current fad. So sometimes I do it just to punk the Karens.
Conversely, sometimes I hear a callsign. Just a callsign. No indication why someone announced his callsign. Is he testing? Is that the callsign of someone he wishes to speak TO?
There is some utility in "callsign, monitoring" which isn't a request to talk, but if YOU want to talk, this person is listening.
So a CQ is a request, I want to talk with someone. Monitoring is just a courtesy so that the thousand people that have been waiting all day to talk to you, know they can now attempt it.
Then there's the "break" customs. If an HF conversation is happening, you are supposed to allow a brief pause between switching who is talking, so that someone can "break". That means I want to join this conversation and whoever is next to speak should usually be the one to be net control, to admit the breaker to the conversation. If you hear "break break" that's an emergency and you are supposed to immediately allow that person to speak. This works on 2 meters just fine but apparently around here they've decided on different semantics and protocols. Some people even use the word "break" to indicate the completion of speaking or "break for reset" since there's a timer on the repeater and it means "Even though I am releasing the key, I am not yet done speaking."
Amusing redundancies exist; "CQ 40 this is me" -- on 40 meters. You don't need to SAY 40 meters because that is where you and your listeners ARE. On the other hand, if you said "CQ 40" and you are on 20, you have just exposed yourself to some embarrassment.
Homemade phonetic alphabets -- Lions and tigers and bears oh my. "This is Lancaster Yokohama Mexico" say what?
Well that's getting into CB territory ;-)
Very similar to a Technician licensed in the US, all they need to do is look at the printout of the ham bands to see that taking the general test really opens the hobby up.
Fantastic video Callum, so true ! i'm glad i got my Novice here in Holland 2 years ago, and still do 11 meters along the side, why not, a vhf/uhf dual band in my work-bus, and the repeaters take my signal around the nation during the daytime job, i do whisper and FT8 as a psk reporter and soon i will start with FT8 myself if i get the right cables and stuff to hook up my qrp Icom-FT 703..just what you mean by "stick to the cheese menu, or get a taste of everything on the menu" it so diverse! expand your hobby by getting a license is one of the best thing i decided to do 😀 Keep up the good work Callum, 73's PD4GB, Geurt , Nijmegen NL
CB is what got me into ham radio. The old fella who ran our local CB shop back in the 90s was a ham, and would always try to talk me and my buddies into getting our tickets. And it worked.. he won me over with his stories of being a radio operator on a tiny atoll in the pacific during ww2.. I still love 11 meters, just the other morning I made contacts to the UK, Ireland, Germany, Denmark, Holland and Portugal, from central Florida.. Even tried getting into the UK on 27.781fm which is your channel 19.. But no joy lol. As always, love your video sir. 73 for now.. cheers.
Lovely story.
While fundermentaly I agree with everything you have said ,
If I could have all the same people good and bad that I was coversing with back in the mid to late 80s I would give up everything ham and go back to CB like a shot.and I've been licenced ham since 1985.
Thanks for a good, level headed analysis. I see from the comments that CB Radio for many people was the gateway to ham radio. Some never took it any further, others did. Not everyone who buys a motorcycle enters Moto GP. Nothing wrong with either.
Good point!
Ahahahahah, great video bro I love your explanation, am a cber from Jamaica west Indies from in the 70s, an I still use cb up to this day, I love it so much !!
Yes Peter! You enjoy it friend - and why not :)
Great video Cal. The foundation license is the best thing that has happened to amateur radio in recent years. In terms of the 10W limit, lets all be honest with ourselves, its similar to driving a car with no speed cameras. As you say Cal "you can kinda tell". All the very best with the house move chap.
Correct!
I was a CB er for years and was encouraged to do a Ham foundation course so I joined a club and passed the M3 course.it wasn't long before I realised that foundation license holders just aren't respected on the Ham side and found that I was ignored on the band's and even heard full licensees slagging myself and other foundation license holders off on the HF bands whilst I was tuning around the band's one day.
I used to love going to radio rallies and I would wear a waist coat with all manner of CB and Ham radio badges all over it only to find that the Ham radio stalls were turning their backs on me once they saw the CB badges making me feel like I shouldn't exist...anyhow after years on the radio I decided that the hobby was not for me anymore and won't ever go back...the Ham community never supported me especially the club I joined and I realized that I was just a number to that club so that they could say that they had X amount of new members who had passed the foundation course.
If you get pleasure from the hobby then good luck to you and anyone else and happy DXing.
Paul, I have noticed, certainly in the last 24-36 months, this totally fuk-wit mentality of the old-timers has almost (not totally) gone. I had it myself back in 2004. I just told them to fuck off and grow up. It has become less, I promise you. There are SO MANY M3, M6 and M7 now that "we" (I class myself as an original M3 so I know) are more than "them". The other point is your awful club, I know they exist. I don't use a club any more because I'm not good with more than about 3-people in a group. Just doesn't work. But I hear you.
I agree with Cal on this Paul, there has been a marked reduction in that type of operator over the last few years.
It’s a shame that you had that experience because everyone I have met and spoken to has been really nice. Without exception.
Perhaps give it another try? 👍🏻
I may have gotten lucky. When I was first licensed I used 20m only, making minimal contacts. When I went onto “local” 80m the first group I found with a strong signal had familiar voices and they turned out to be people I already knew from CB the previous summer 🤣.
My first 2m contacts were both new, with one having sat his exam on the same day as me. Funny old world.
Yes,those people won't be around to long "died suddenly",know what I mean?!
I would say they are respected, you just chose the wrong company - they will always want to dominate you as they have nothing else in their life. If they didn't do it through amateur radio it would be somewhere else.
I worked with radio engineers that had absolutely NO interest in amateur radio, but would pass any exam without trying.
I started on CB when I was 9, AM mid band, then got a legal one and started to learn about aerials and how to modify and update radios. We all did the variable capacitor in series with the 10.240 to get 2 channels above 40, or fitted a roger beep, or even put a bigger output transistor in... that's what learning was about. A few G1 stations used to join in and we would learn loads.
I then built pirate transmitters, taught myself how to etch PCBs using a Tandy kit when i was 13, later moving to stereo encoders.
It was only after all this I took a class B test, two city & guilds exam papers and after learning morse with a G0, I took a Class A test.
Not all amateurs are tw**s! A lot of them are, so are a lot of CBers.
I speak to everyone. The ones to avoid are the people that have their callsign as a numberplate. OMFG.
This is true from a HAM perspective, for sure. The same could be said of PMR446 (don’t laugh; it’s true!) but DX is one of the best things about radio as a general hobby. It’s the equivalent of only being allowed a cheese pie but sneaking bacon on the side haha! I’ve never been into CB, but I do love the informality of it, the Wild West of the hobby!
Great CB memories...Cobra 148, 007 hand Mike and a 3 ele beam on a 20 foot pole. Worked all over the place on 12 watts ....learned a lot and helped me to get my ham license.
Fabulous
Well said. Thank you for another great video. On the west side of the Atlantic there is no shortage of impolite people - on any radio service - in the main, though (in my short time with a U.S. technician license) most interactions I have heard have been just as they should be. Keep up the great work.
i have a proposal .. i think the space between CB mid-band (PR27) and the UK/81 channels so 27.415 to27.590 Mhz which most of the world use as a free band for DX should be purposed as a ham 11m band and CBers allowed to use as well, as they do now, and many Hams have 2 hats and use it anyway...
this would bring hams and CBers to talk together and encourage CBers to go to the dark side and get the foundation license rather than hams keeping that the fact they are a ham a secret..anything that encourages folk into the hobby must be a good thing ...the Hams that think its a bad idea can just tune past 11M ..hams will still use their license conditions when it comes to power and so do CBers...and i think hams should be able to put the free band country division numbers in front of their ham call sign if they want as i believe most will be CBers on the band when the skips in as when the skip is rolling in I hear more activity on 11M than 10,12,15,and 18M put together it will make life easy so Calum would become 26/m0mcx when on 11M.....THUMB THIS UP IF YOU THINK ITS A GOOD IDEA
I think they already talk together or at least are on the same band. I hear many people talking on CB (38LSB e.g.) that I'm pretty sure have ham licenses. You can tell the ones using the ham lingo.
@@timtaylor8557 Without doubt. I’d say at least half are HAMS in my experience on SSB especially. Some regulars I talk to on the U.K. 40 are also HAMS and they are on PMR as well.
I think people will generally go where there is activity on the radio spectrum.
It used to be 6.6MHz AM when i was younger. People used that as a CB band.
I took your advice in 2020 and took the foundation exam. You said that it was just a "form filling exercise" I believed you as well! I passed as well and surprised myself. PS It's now great to have options and I still meet some very nice polite people on CB. Thanks Cal. 73 Rob
Yeah, good man Rob. It's only options - and why not.
I only had time in the evenings to get on the air and looking back on it I've spent a couple of decades on 80m talking to the same people the whole time. It's a wonderful hobby. Made a lot of friends and met all of them in person.
Yes, I spent a few years stuck on 80m. Actually I loved it!
Thanks for the video, I completely agree with your main message, Callum!
To me there is another important reason to be licensed. It's one of the many radio schemes that guarantee you many contacts in little time (you're the DX). In my case it's SOTA (Summits on the Air), but there are many other ones (IOTA, POTA, GMA, Flora and Fauna, ...). Like that I can combine two hobbies that I like: amateur radio and hiking/outdoor. But beware, it's addictive 😉
Great point!
If you like CB Radio you will love Ham Radio. Get your ticket!
It’s the best thing I ever did and the two are not mutually exclusive.
Go on, you know you want to ;-)
Well explained why the Ham bands are more versatile, instead of being stuck with a one item menu. I used to be a CB'er back in the 1970's. I never became a Radio Amature, because I have problem with spelling words in my head & have problems spelling for the Morse Code requirement . So I felt discriminated by the Ham radio requirements, so to this day I hold that as a grudge against getting a license today even though there is no longer a code requirement.
Don't hold the grudge, and spelling doesn't matter either.. 26 tick-boxes and you are away :)
@@DXCommanderHQ Thank you for the encouragement. I do not hold grudges against radio amateurs:), but against the idea of past requirements for knowing Morse Code :(. I do listen in on the Ham bands sometimes. Today it's easy to communicate online, which takes away from the need to be a ham radio buff.
I was fascinated with radio as a boy, but I didn't have the means to become a Ham. After I was grown, during the CB craze ca. 1976 I had a CB and the means and decided "there is more to this and it's for me". I got my novice, pecking out CW, then my General and Advanced (never got Extra 'cause of the 20 WPM test). Loved it all!
Then I had a pause in middle life where other responsibilities in life overshadowed all that. But I'm back now, lighting up the bands daily. I tune down and listen to 11m sometimes, IDK how I could start a conversation with the people that use it now (at least here in USA).
But it is a good recruiting ground for the percent that want to go further.
Indeed. Good comment!
Great video, I wish Ireland had the same system as the uk but we have to pass our full exam which I have and failed by a very small margin going to retake it soon hope to take to you one day on the air.
Oh heck.. So it's big slam into the hobby.. Someone needs to give out 100W tickets or something.. Netherlands has a good method I think.
Good video, thanks Callum :) as both a Ham and 11m DXer, i would like also point out that some people just prefer 11 meters. this is the same as Hams that prefer just one band. you know the types i mean, the 6 meter elitists or the 2 meter EME dxers or the ones that only do ATV. some people are just happy on CB/11M and don't feel the need to upgrade to ham bands, although they are smart enough to do it. we are all individuals and have our own reasons for using the bands we do. i love the higher HF and low VHF bands, and for me, i make no distinction between HAM and 11m, as it's all higher HF. 73 :)
Good points
Yep.. But as I said, when the band is closed and nobody is around, it's fun to drop down to 40m with a simple wire and carry on playing radio..
Like you, I am both a ham and CBer and while there are quite a few more bands to use with an amateur radio license, when it comes down to it I prefer 11m 😉
well said best thing i ever did was getting my ham radio licence.
i should of done it years ago but fast cars and women then kids got in the way. lol
In that order? Usually. 😂
Lol, isn't that the truth. Woman, the downfall of us all ...
I completely agree getting a license extends the radio hobby so much more , I worked states on 10w using AM on 15m this week , power isn’t everything, conditions are , great video Cal cheers
What great fun that must have been! Great!
Bravo! Absolutely nailed it. I don’t think anyone could have put it better!
Tnx
Well said Cal, we get them in all walks of life. Isnt it wonderful how those who complain, their lives are so perfect until you show them theyre no different to the rest of us. Some people just like to complain for no reason and are happy to watch the world burn as long as its not them.
Yep.
What CB really lacks is band police! Someome to jump in and tell you off for minor operating errors from time to time.
HAHA Simon!
Spot on Callum! I'm surprised that companies like Rig Expert dont include the 11 meter band in their analyzers to draw in the CB crowd . I know it's not necessary but it is marketing and marketing is money. Keep up the good work Cal I enjoy your work and information 73 K2RSF
I didn't know that..
All my Rig Expert analysers have 11m. So you can measure there. What they don’t have is 11m identification on the software or built in as a pre - set so that would be a good move.
I love your videos DXCommander im 52 years old i used to have Cobra 148's , Amstrad Midland etc back in the 80's 90's , Ive just decided to go for ham radio license and just contacted a local Amateur radio club to set the wheels in motion 😁
Ah! Keep in touch and let me know if they respond OK..
@@DXCommanderHQ Will do sir , Ive just ordered Yaesu FT DX 10 Should last me a few years
73 👍
Love your videos Callum, you remind me of Jim Davidson you tell it how it is, keep up the great vids mate Regards M1DXA
Thanks 👍
I started on CB radio when I was a teenager and I did it for almost 15 years. I learned how to build antennas and enjoyed dxing with multiple countries. I took the exam for Ham radio back in the 90s when Morse code was a requirement to pass and I got my license. But for some reason, not sure if it was the new technology (internet and mobile phones), but HAM radio didn’t stick with me and I dropped my license to expire. I always returned to radio, because I love listening to distant stations. Last year, I started to read about CB and HAM radio again. A year into refreshing concepts and learning of new modes. I am convinced that SWL and the science of making antennas is my thing. I may pursue to get a HAM radio license again just to test antennas, but listening to radio is my passion. 73s
Luis, in most countries, you can re-apply for the same license..
I came from CB in 1977, back then on 10watss you could work anywhere with a full wave dipole, mine was in my attic of a 3 story block of flats with the highest asl . the results were amazing. so it got me thinking and a lot of cb boys got together and we jioned the local college night school did the RAE got my B license worked 2mtrs with great results and passed the morse exam and used Heathkit radio for years, as you said there are a holes all over. ham radio on the whole is great fun, we are not all nerds. ive been full gw4 since 1982 recently come back on air , radio has changed so much ive got a lot of catching up to do thanks Callum i enjoy your chats cheers n beers
Mike, welcome back.. Indeed, mucking around with RF and the relative science and engineering that encourages ut is GREAT fun.
I've got an antenna just a few feet above my roof that works best for DXing, and not nearly as good for the local stuff. I prefer it that way. I'm am a skip chaser. 38 LSB is my world!
Great Video, I’m just getting started and looking to set up a mobile rig, I keep getting told by my Off Road group to get a Thunderpole because they are already pre tuned to their aerials, and that it’s difficult to set up something like say a Superstar 3900 Expanded
I've played with CB since the 90s. I now have a base at home but doesn't get as much use as I'd like. I appreciate the videos and appreciate radio communication. I just like the idea of talking without a computer or repeater. I understand the advantage talking through a repeater or computer but to me it's kinda like cheating.
I have been thinking about getting my license and I'm also looking into GMRS.
I had friends that were hams and half the time if they were yacking on their radios they were talking about their PC's and when they were on their computer's talking about their radios.
Direct and straight to the point. Great video!! I was raised to be courteous and polite to everybody until they show me they don't deserve it. That is especially important in digital communications where you lose voice inflection and body language as indicators. And yes, there are enough a$$holes around everywhere that if y'all are short a few in the UK we will send you some. 😁Jack K5FIT
Nice one Jack!
DX commando I got your notification man yeah another great video what the heck is going on 🏆
All good in the hood Joe!
Here in the US, the main draw for CB is being able to talk far, be anonymous, and have zero interaction with govt agencies. You can run 2000W on 11 meters here, and as long as you're not out of band, or splattering all over the entire spectrum, ain't no one going to pay you no mind. It's different on ham radio. You can't be one person one min, and another the next. So that's the main reason why so many people go CB here, and now even GMRS, though a bit less so. Lack of skip, and a bit more focus on licensing when it comes to using the repeaters and being a "regular", keeps the wild side tame.
Ah.. the "wild" ones :)
I really love the cbradio band. Because in my place we can use FM and with no license.
good evening Cal, I'm thinking about taking my ham ticket i have watched your videos and you are right about radios i us a ft840 which we all know will do 100 wats, I was listening to you on 80 meters down in Torquay
Dave
Dave, have a go mate.. You'll fly through!
When I got back into ham radio, after about 20 years out of the mix, the first antenna I put up was my 11m dipole. I get a kick out of the sheer nonsense that goes on, especially on channel 6 here in the states. Those dudes are having a ball and not hurting a soul.
And why not.. My local pub is full of guys like that at 11:00 at night :)
Been an Amateur Extra for 20 years, but I've never forgotten that 11m was where it started for me.
If it wasn't for CB Radio with having my first long distance contact from Vermont to Texas with a cobra 139 and a d104 lollipop mic from my bedroom, mind you I bought this from my gym teacher. And this was after convincing my Mom in letting me install an old Realistic CB Radio in her New Toyota Supra Turbo, and for those car enthusiasts will know what I mean it's not a car you'd exactly put a whip antenna on LOL and yes my Mom could drive very well, she was raised on a farm . I was Ecstatic after that contact. So in the end this motivated me to be and to this day memorized by Radio waves and everything that comes along with that especially antennas . So in the end 34 years latter my love for Radio Ham Radio still !! Thank you so much for all you share Calum and your wealth of knowledge and patience . 73 👍
Jason.. Great story. My first accident was keying the mic and accidentally talking to a guy in Texas.. And I was in the middle of England.. Then he was gone. But I was IN!
How small this world is . A big smile reading about your Texas contact. Many like to call are hobby just that but to me it's a passion for sure through and through. I'm grateful it's has brought us Hams together and many more to come .
Very well said!! 👏 Especially about A-holes being everywhere in life. Definitely less of them on ham radio, though. Usually lots of like-minded people to meet. Funny how many hams have other similar hobbies, too.
Well said!
Started on 11m CB in the early 70s. Got Amateur license in 1978, continuously licensed since. Cheese pie vs. Smogasbord is a good analogy. I still like a taste of cheese pie once in a while!
Lovely!
Enjoyed the video. I used to know a guy that said CB was like going to the bar, and Ham radio was like going to church. I have talked to many fine operators on both, but his point does ring true... although I have heard some awful stuff on the ham bands. Worst one was a guy calling may day on 20 meters. Said his boat was sinking off the coast of Florida, and he had 14 or so passengers. All kinds of operators were trying to help, Coast Guard was sent, and it was a hoax. There was your a**hole. 73, And keep up the great work!
Geez.. Why these folks do that!
In the mid 1970s, a friend and I had mobiles. After skip died down we could talk mobile to mobile 4 Watts AM at both ends. I had end fire mobile array and he had one centered on his car roof all 9 ft. CB radios
Everyone needs to find he's hobby in our radio hobby,mine is DX in FM on CB 11meters,it's just something different and I love it.
Usually with normal power under 10W,sometimes 120W :D
Nice.
Very informative 👏🏽
So glad!
Just starting my Foundation Course and finding your channel very helpful.. Thank you 👍🏿
Very nice talk Cal. Actually if the "radiopolice" didn't visit me 30 years ago....they took my new Pres.Jackson and I got a fine. I decided to get my license after they visited and warned me again 25 years ago and I decided to take my exams after all. I don't regret it at all but 11m still has a special place in my heart. 73, Bas PE4BAS
Nice Bas!
dxcommander do you have any recommendations on a book to read for passing the ham test? The “pass you test now websites” seem hoookie to me. I took a practice test and got a 72 😮
USA test? Sorry, I really don't know.
the words of wisdom! no one wants to eat cheese every day! sometimes ya need a custard ! Cheers from Belfast, Maine USA- awesome video!
So true!
Yes agree, but for the most wanting to transition to ham it's the cost.
G90, bit of wire..?
As a ham you can spend $15,000 on a rig. You can also spend $35 on one.
I started with CB, made lots of contacts on 4W.
Getting my full ham ticket opener things right up, now have loads of fun on 20 and 40m
Nice!
True regarding the A/Holes your get in all walks of life and in every hobby , what I’ve always said is be polite over the airwaves as it doesn’t cost anything , I enjoy ssb modes 11m/ham and always will hopefully , good weekend all
Indeed, some people just don't like being happy though..
Here in finland 11m is open at night quite often, especially in summer but we also have auroral-e openings in winter. Now when SFI is rising I can hear ch6 "super bowl" guys from US occasionally at midnight. I totally agree with you though! :)
Oh wow! I managed to open the NY repeater on FM today on 29.620.. That was fun. But I didn't know openings were also at night. Very good.
@@DXCommanderHQ The funny thing is that many times I dont hear anything on 10 meters when ch6 AM is booming. I dont know is it MUF or just power :D
@@mikkohhh I've noticed the same thing. Every day, from morning to late afternoon, 11m is crackling, but 10m is dead. I don't see how it could be power. Plenty of hams run hundreds of watts, or 1.5 KW, PEP. And that's SIDEBAND, and most of the C-Beasties are AM! Maybe, the MUF has a tendency to cut off just below 10m.
I’m glad I listened to this tonight. I expected something different but this was very reasonable. The thing holding me back is I don’t understand schematics.
Schematics.. I don't either. Don't worry.
I started on Cb in 1978 and still venture there even though I’m licensed.
Cb these days as in 19 27.781.25 is not worth the agro in all honesty.
But,depending where you are in the country there are channels being used by locals wether it be fm usb lsb or am.
If I’m honest I do far more listening at present on 2 metres due to individuals ruining repeater ie GB3fn by recording and playing music.
As said Calum we’ve plonkers all over the radio spectrum but we all manage if possible to avoid them👍
Avoiding them is the key!!
You're very inspiring Callum.
Ah. Nice. thanks.
As a fellow radio lover and guitarist I dig your guitars
CB is still fun. i'm not only opperate in phone. JS8call, ROS, Packet Radio 300Bd/1200Bd and VARAC are also nice to work on. I'm SWL and on CB for 37 years.
Would I still be able to play Punk music somewhere on say 40m like I do on Channel 19, Callum?
Just kidding 😂
Enjoyed the video and some good points made, funny in places as well. 👍🏼
Hahaha
Good job Cal, love the video
Appreciate it!
Good video Callum, spot on.
Thanks 👍
I love my 11m me, NewFoundland & San Paulo have both been recent contacts for me, don't think I'll forget my roots.
As of 10w, thats possible, but it would probably be into an amplifier 🙄
My best memory of a conversation running on skip was on my honeymoon in 1990. The new wife and I with a Super Puma running through a magnet mount and a piece of fencing wire talking to my Uncle in Prahran and my mother in Rosebud Victoria Australia. They could not here each other but we could here them as clear as day. Where were we? Driving between Albany and Esperance in Western Australia 2,500 kilometres away!
The skip ran for two hours.
Amazing! Great story!
It's quite generous on CEPT you can use 12 Watts on SSB without a licence
I got into CB back in 1981 on AM, Now i am looking to get into 11M and possibly sitting my HAM test as i am retired now. Unfortunatly UK HAMS do come across as single older know it all NERDS and i really dont know if i want to be like that, CB still seems very REAL like FRED IN THE SHED 😀
*YOUR* Uk Hams Might be like that, but drop in to one of my live-streams, full of enthusiastic, bright bunnies, nothing like your experience.. You have to rememberm culture over last 10 years has turned 180 degrees.
Thank you i might just do that, i hope it has changed. @@DXCommanderHQ
So correct Mate, been on CItizens Band since 1976, Ham Radio since 1989. The rest is history. I still have a CB Radio running everyday ⚓️💯👌
Not sure my message went through, anyhow great video. So I’m just starting up from where I left off in the 80s I’m now 57, question I have is I’m setting up a mobile rig for my off reading but looking to widen my horizons later, the group say to me get a Thunderpole T800 because they are already pre tuned to their aerials, what I actually wanted was a Superstar 3900 2023 Expanded, they say these are difficult to tune. Any advice would be welcome
No idea sorry. Good luck!
I'm in Northern Europe and I'm planning to do the more advanced license exam in 1.5 months. We only have 2 levels here and the exams for the beginner license are unavailable until next year :( So I decided to go directly for the advanced license
Oh wow!
Hello all, I enjoyed that video as I am thinking about doing the foundation course
Been on CB since 79 though AM/FM and many years ducking and diving on 11m.
Can you or your subscribers recommend a book to do some swatting up
Many thanks again
Hiya mate.. Have a look at Essex Ham. It's free. Also, I do a few videos taking you through the Foundation Book.. th-cam.com/video/42ex4aYoPUU/w-d-xo.html
I've only got into CB in the last year or so and while it's a true comment, Ham radio offers a lot more bands, I do like that I can chat to locals at night and know my signal isn't getting out too far because while it's nice to get out on the 40 or 80m band there are times I want to have local QSo's without having to have a round table with half of Europe, don't get me wrong, that's pretty cool, but there are times I don't want to be in a large round table QSO. I do like the Skip on 11m at times too, shame freeband isn't made legal because after so many years who really cares any more ? it's only CB'ers using it anyway so why not just extend the band ?
Callum I agree with you on this I did my foundation using your videos thank you, but I am very disappointed with so many a holes on amateur radio and very seldon now turn it on . John
Oh no!
When Houston froze with the URI Ice Storm, and no grid power, I, with a good 40m dipole and 10w IC703, I could reach Dallas TX, 275 miles to the north, and could do Winlink into the state of Arkansas..
It's a time for everything. I had fun on CB for a few years starting locally and expanding to DX. Even after I got my ham license in 1986 I used to come back on CB and talk to old friends now and then. But in the last decades, it has been 100% HAM radio. If I listen to CB, it is only briefly to check propagations really.
On the HAM bands, you will find so many more interesting challenges. I love propagations that you have to chase and pinpoint in time. 6m using brief openings that last minutes or seconds because they almost defy what is possible, And the same goes for 160m long haul to the Pacific. The most important thing in our hobby is to have respect for others. Don't trample over others on the bands or belittle them, because they use the "wrong" mode or band.
Yes, I think we are either drawn to the "science" - or we are not.. Good comment.
@@DXCommanderHQ Breaker Breaker Breaker!
I've yet to meet another Ham that had never started on 11m originally, I got into CB as a kid early and mid 80's and had a good 25yr hiatus until Covid and whilst cleaning out the garage that March when we got stuck into Quarantine I found an old Lincoln MKII, PSU and looking for something to do with the kids I strung up a di-pole and shouted on 555.
Worst mistake of my life, passed my foundation a year later, middle kid is 15 and a half and intends joining the RAF just to get the knowledge to fix Amateur Radios later in his life as he's noticed a niche.
Youngest daughter (12) studying away for her Ticket. It is a fantastic hobby and locally I've encouraged a few of my local mates to go for the foundation, intermediate and that wan bawlbag who got his full test before me hihi. I will always use 11 for local chats, we'd a good strong wee 40 plus posse weekly but it's died a death recently, I enjoy the rag chewing more than chasing the far flung DX, don't get me wrong, I'll shout for it a few times on 10 watts but If I'm not heard then I'll just retreat to garage with my next Antenna Project while kicking back and watching these 2 kids fight over Element Size, Quarter Wave Height, being nice to Mrs McLaughlin who Chimney runs North South 180 away from our Shack by no coincidence.
Unsure if you'll ever see or reply to this but my Ellen wants to know what sort of Vertical would you use if you live in a concrete jungle with no radial field with your Vert's? we've a wee 2nd QTH Caravan 6m away from the Sea at Malin Head but all waiting for COMREG to give the green light on an equivalent test that side our make believe white line.
Anyhoo, Sig 9 does look the business, hope it works well for you.
73
MI7WPX