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Freebanding for Beginners


It's frequencies that aren't part of the Amateur band or CB. This of course is illegal operating.

The CBers with export radios generally run AM below 27 MHz and SSB above CB channel 40.
 
It's frequencies that aren't part of the Amateur band or CB. This of course is illegal operating.

The CBers with export radios generally run AM below 27 MHz and SSB above CB channel 40.

Do export radios come with this capability or do they need their frequencies expanded?
 
26.915 is a popular frequency below the CB band. They run AM there. I know a group of old men that use 26.955 in central Texas. Im sure theyll be happy to talk to you just call for BBQ Man or Bartender if skip is rolling from there to wherever you are. There are a few others around there as well. 27.415 LSB through 27.515 LSB are popular. 27.555 USB is what some call an international call frequency. I haven't heard any activity there in quite a while now that we are at the bottom of the skip cycle. But I have heard plenty of activity there a few years back.
 
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Do export radios come with this capability or do they need their frequencies expanded?
Export radio's only need a conversion mod that's usually simple to work on the CB band only. They will receive on CB but no TX.

Most of them can TX between 25 and 28 mhz while some go down to 24 MHz up to 32 MHz but no CB until the conversion.
 
Exports are equipped for those freebands then modded to work on the cb band.
 
Watching:

I was into CB real heavy all of the 70's and most of the 80's, then life got busy with wife and kids. Worked (Played) at getting a ham ticket about 2000, and life got busy again. Just got back into radio and like @Riverman71 I see the term free-banding all the time. In looking it up I do not find any reference to it prior to 2003. And there is no real information.

Thanks @Riverman71 for asking the question. and I hope you get real detailed answers
 
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This was the only informative and intelligent explanation of what freebanding is that I could find when I googled it several months ago.

"Freebanding" is the act of operating HF equipment illegally on an 11-meter frequency, usually in SSB, and primarily in or slightly above the Citizen's Band (26.965-27.405 MHz). "Freeband" also refers to the band itself, just above the CB and below the 10-meter amateur band (28 MHz)." (eham.net Nov 5, 2003)

As I do enjoy listening to radio activity out there anyplace that people talk has a interest to me, even if it is on a band that I can not transmit on.
 
Adding "illegal" frequencies was the most-popular modification requested when there were only 23 channels.

After the band was expanded to 40 channels in 1976, the technology used in 40-channel radios made it easier (and cheaper) to expand the channel coverage than the older 23-channel radios.

The tremendous crowding on the legal channels was the biggest reason at the time.

Fast-forward forty years and the crowding problem is not so big a deal. But people still want more channels than the law allows a legal 40-channel radio to cover.

Glenn Frey called it "the politics of contraband" in his tune "Smuggler's Blues". Create a restriction and people will want to circumvent it.

73
 
Export radio's only need a conversion mod that's usually simple to work on the CB band only. They will receive on CB but no TX.

Most of them can TX between 25 and 28 mhz while some go down to 24 MHz up to 32 MHz but no CB until the conversion.

I think this is a typo, after a conversion they will receive and talk on 11m no problem. That's the reason you have an export converted in the first place.
 
I think this is a typo, after a conversion they will receive and talk on 11m no problem. That's the reason you have an export converted in the first place.
I think you read it wrong.

I'm saying these export radios need converting to tx on cb. Ootb, they can rx on cb but only tx on their intended range such as 25 to 28 mhz for most of them with cb band excluded til converted.
 

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