Kind of Sad, Dead CB Area or Confusion.

[brownstone101]

So im kind of sad with the use of my CB in my car. it might be my shyness or my confusion of how to go about talking to people, but i pick up the mic.... and put it down with out saying a word.. i can hear far out channels on ch 17 and 6 but, i dont participate in any discussion. like i said, could be me being shy, also could be im DXing and no one can hear me.

what i would like to know is how can i get over the inability to speak to people in my area( if they are in my area, i keep hearing someone from Texas) or make contact with people in my area via CB. i know there out there and every semi or logging truck i see drive by me has 1 or 2 antennas sticking off there mirror's but i still hear no one talking driving down my rural highway which is busy and littered with semis and logging trucks. im running a pretty stock midland 77-888 to a 5' firestick II on my firebird. and all i can hear is the supper bowl or some DX and rarely other contact is made, but my rig is running healthy and clear.

i think in the near future i will be installing at least a 100watt amp to my rig just so i can reach out and touch somebody. and have a higher probable chance of contact.

thank you. make this a pretty open discussion.

 

[T23]

Have you tried to talk and they can't hear you or is it you dont say anything to begin with?

I am experiencing the same problem with my setup...

I am running a Roberts RCB-11 23 channel radio at 60 watts (with the KL-60) and a Wilson "Little Wil" I hear many people I try talking at them but its as if they don't hear me ( this applys mostly to DX ) locally people don't even answer my "CQ" or know what that means for that matter, or some I can't understand clearly enough in order to try there callsighn, most in my area just dont use one, and the truckers just call each other "Driver"...

T23

 

[brownstone101]

ive done some radio checks and they hear me, but its locals. i talk all day on the radio with my friend down the road. but the locals in town only talk when they need too. not just to talk. it is kind of a disappointment in my opinion. my most memorable convo with someone was

breaker breaker can i get a radio check

im recevein yeah loud and clear

whats your 20?

dead down town full building cover

awesome thanks have a good day out.

...........

he was on 19. and all he wanted was a radio check. no one wants to just keep talking. and i can hear locals when they talk. and i know there local cause my meter jumps to about 30db and there loud no static. ch 17-19 and ch 6 is like 1~3 RF even though there louder than hell and running echo mics and from Alabama. and or there local and running amps maybe 50 miles away.

whats that CQ code? doesnt it mean anyone out there basically. i feel like a fool just randomly talking alone saying hello anyone out there? my question is how do you go about "finding" contacts besides hello hello anyone out there?

 

[T23]

Ussaly on AM you are supose to listen for someone calling out there callsighn and say (for example) this is "BillyBob179 trying Big Mouth Joe" and if they hear you and want to talk they will respond in a similar fashion, but on SSB you call "CQ CQ CQ" then your callsighn which on SSB is usually a number, for example I would say " CQ CQ CQ 010 " , now if your trying to work DX you would call " DX CQ DX CQ 010 " ( dont use 010 its my callsighn, just showing an example )

Basically CQ means you looking for some one.

DX CQ means your looking for a long distance contact.

T23

 

[brownstone101]

sounds good little more info.

what REALLY bothers me is a few friends of mine have CB radios too, but they act like idiots on it. or they let there girlfriend or friend scream or talk or be retarded on it when there on with me. and its like dude.. where not the only people on the damn radio, but be respectable. you can talk all day, but its what you say dont be an idiot. then they look at me like im some hard ass about it, or im no fun,
i believe its ok to curse on the radio(sometimes), but in just general chat, the second your being an ass or insulting, i just wana pin there cable and be done with it. it sucks i dont get many locals.

now quick question
if theres an on going conversation on the radio between lets say two people. is it a good thing to join the conversation? or am i an ass for impeding. last night some local guys where taking about cattle and it sounded like a fun topic to get in on but i couldn't bring my self to key the mic and say hello.
they where local too, not DX

 

[T23]

It depends on the conversation... If its one like you said, then yea fine, drop in and excuse yer self and ask if you may join... But if its something important I would not bother them. Also when I ask for a audio check they will gladly respond, alot of people act like idiots on AM, like one time this trucker was singing in his mic and he sounded like a dieing baset hound...I like SSB better there act bit more "Professional".

What are your friends doing if I may ask? Are they harassing people/truckers or just shouting random things on random channels or what?

T23

 

[brownstone101]

gotcha, and yeah, i hate hearing stupid people on DX. have you heard this guy? i forget his call sign, but every time he stops talking he goes

this is ***** king of the south god damn.

hes loud and annoying when hes DXing.

but, next time i will definitely try and "get in" to the next conversation i can come across

now when it comes to using an amp. i dont care about the legality of it because the FCC hasn't done there job for the past 30 or so years why should i care. i cant hear because they let company's cut corners and produce ungodly amounts of static that impedes on my ability to use my radio.

anyways if you install an amp like a 100watt is that RF power in the scene of RX and TX. like i will hear more people locally... and if i key up they can hear me farther away but if they go to talk back they cant? my question i guess is. do you need two amped rigs to talk farther distances OR one amped rig can send and receive farther and communicate with a 4 watt rig 30 miles away?

 

[T23]

Well you will actually need one for each radio yes, but if you are also looking to hear out farther you need a preamp or an amp with a preamp inside it, And yes if there is no DX happening you will need an amp on each radio otherwise he can hear you but you can hear him ect.

T23

 

[brownstone101]

will a 100watt amp help with shooting skip? also running an amp will let me comunicate with other people with amped rigs correct?

 

[T23]

You can shoot skip with no amp just fine, it will help some, but most definitely will help locally. And yes a longer distance can be acheived when both parties are using an amp.


T23

 

[hotrod]

[

anyways if you install an amp like a 100watt is that RF power in the scene of RX and TX. like i will hear more people locally... and if i key up they can hear me farther away but if they go to talk back they cant? my question i guess is. do you need two amped rigs to talk farther distances OR one amped rig can send and receive farther and communicate with a 4 watt rig 30 miles away?[/QUOTE]
1]yes a amp will help with transmit
2]yes amp will work with recieve [must have a pre amp]
now a pre amp is ok however usually they bring in more noise than
signal. if ya really wanna hear better that starts at your antenna.
a wilson 1000 mag mount is a great choice

 

[brownstone101]

yeah i got a good antenna 4' fire stick II and 18' fire flex. i hear so many more people.
i made contact today with a trucker today, truckers are using ch 17 around here not ch19, he was on the same road and hill i was on, that was more fun than hearing king of the south god damn 30 times from DX

 

[wavrider]

yeah i got a good antenna 4' fire stick II and 18' fire flex. i hear so many more people.
i made contact today with a trucker today, truckers are using ch 17 around here not ch19, he was on the same road and hill i was on, that was more fun than hearing king of the south god damn 30 times from DX

Do not get discouraged from King of the South, you will hear all sorts of junk on the radio, amateur bands included.

Just enjoy the hobby and have fun meeting new people both on the air.

 

[mackmobile43]

So im kind of sad with the use of my CB in my car. it might be my shyness or my confusion of how to go about talking to people, but i pick up the mic.... and put it down with out saying a word.. i can hear far out channels on ch 17 and 6 but, i dont participate in any discussion. like i said, could be me being shy, also could be im DXing and no one can hear me.

what i would like to know is how can i get over the inability to speak to people in my area( if they are in my area, i keep hearing someone from Texas) or make contact with people in my area via CB. i know there out there and every semi or logging truck i see drive by me has 1 or 2 antennas sticking off there mirror's but i still hear no one talking driving down my rural highway which is busy and littered with semis and logging trucks. im running a pretty stock midland 77-888 to a 5' firestick II on my firebird. and all i can hear is the supper bowl or some DX and rarely other contact is made, but my rig is running healthy and clear.

i think in the near future i will be installing at least a 100watt amp to my rig just so i can reach out and touch somebody. and have a higher probable chance of contact.

thank you. make this a pretty open discussion.

May I suggest this guy, he helped me get over my shyness on the mic, yes that's actually me on the couch..

YouTube - R. Lee Ermey GEICO Commercial - Therapist Sarge

 

[brownstone101]

ahaha that was great. yeah i been talking more locally with people. i discovered that truckers are using CH17 to move about in my area. and i had been on 19 constantly waiting for contact, and there was none. second i go to 17 i can pick up local truckers on the freeway so now i know.