Stupid things seen or heard at a CB shop

[Watergate]

After reading zman's post in this thread http://www.worldwidedx.com/showthread.php?t=139006 and posting one of my own experiences at a CB shop, I thought it might be fun to post some of the dumb things you have heard or seen at a CB shop.

I only have one shop I can get to on a regular basis. I actually found this site after searching the web for help with my 2510 that he had just messed up for me.

These are a few quotes of his.

"The AMC circuit is forced on manufactures by the FCC to keep your carrier under 4 watts"

"Galaxy radios don't modulate properly with a steel antenna, I won't warranty my work unless you run a Firestick"

"The Ranger 2950? Garbage. No resistors in that radio at all."

"I don't use an oscilloscope because all it will tell you is how your antenna is performing. I sell Firesticks. Perfect on the oscilloscope."

"If you have a problem with bleed over, you shouldn't own a CB. They all bleed over the ham bands."

Before I found this site and started educating myself I let him work on my radios. Now I only go there to buy small items I don't have with me on the road. And to mess with him. I challenge his "knowledge" and he always comes up with something to explain himself.

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[Wire Weasel]

Everywhere - it's Buyer Beware. CB shop people got nothing on used car salesmen.

What's sadder is stupid "customers" who fall for this crap and apparently there's plenty of them.

There's not a lot of CB shops around anymore. I bet there are some whole states that don't have a single one. A particular little "shop" around here is on a major Interstate exit and caters mostly to truck drivers passing through. And they weasel (pun not intended) some occasional business from new local operators who stumble in there not knowing any better. The guy charges $60 and more for simple peak outs and sells radios for $100 and more than you can get them anywhere on the internet. And people pay this jerk..... sheeple. Why folks won't do a little research and looking and asking around before paying way too much.....oh well, it's their money.

 

[TonyV225]

Its nice to see someone get something from this wonderful site we have here and learn and catch on to the BU!!$H!+ Tthat alot of these radio hacks throw around. Its funny because these people that say this crazy stuff as what you just posted is purely fabricated in their own minds because I can assure you they were not told this from anyone else and they should know better if they have a business in this field!!!

All in all this is extremely sad and I for one have helped several people on this forum with a few things and I cant tell you how many power supply failures Ive helped resolve after a shop told someone its junk and they need to sell them a new one or fix it for a rediculous price!! Ive also received help here throughout my years of being a member. This is a great site and we have alot a great knowledgable members at your fingertips

 

[Mudfoot]

I havn't been in many shops. I always got what I needed from Radio Shack (back in the day) and Universal Radio. My dad worked for Rockwell International (Boeing) in Columbus, Ohio and pick up what I needed. Other stuff, I got off of locals or mail ordered from Universal.

There's a shop at St.Rt. 37 and US-70 in Ohio that hawks their services on CH-19. When I heard him hollar, I asked him how much a certain Astatic mic was, he said stop by, the prick don't give out prices on the air. He wants to lay eyes on you and price according to your looks, intelligence and thickness of your wallet. I must look rich, cause he priced the mic about 25 bucks higher than the web. Piss on him.

He was/is a big fat bastard that rolled around the shop in a chair with wheels.

I guess he was the most stupid thing I ever saw in a CB Shop. You'll have to guess which shop this is, there's 3-4 in that area with only one BFB.

 

[Needle Bender]

A friend once had me go with him to a local CB shop which had a so-called 'Technician' hiding in the back while his GF took care of the register.

My buddy had a grip of cash burning a hole in his pocket and wanted me to help him pick out the best "Big Black radio", so we looked at, and listened to, the 2517, Galaxy Turbo, RCI 2995, etc.

Not knowing much about them I asked, "How many IF stages do these Big Black radios have?" She said, Just a minute, I'll ask the tech."

So we waited a minute or so until she came back with the 'Techs' answer,

"He says there's no such thing".

 

[iceman78]

I was observing this at a shop once. A man walked in to buy a new radio' bought a Uniden 78 or something, don't remember. Anyhow the conversation went like this:

Owner: Would you like this radio peaked?
Customer: Yes please
***CLIP***
Owner: That will be $35 please

 

[mackmobile43]

People actually walking into a "CB" shop

 

[psycho]

I don't spend much time, if any, in CB shops but I did hear this one:
Customer "I am interested in this Texas Star 400, why are there 4 power stages on them?"
Salesman "The low stage is for talking local and the 2 high stages are for talking skip. The medium stage is a good compromise between the high and low stages".
Then again, these fellas were running the shop.

 

[Watergate]

People actually walking into a "CB" shop

We all have to start somewhere Mack. I used to think CB shops were the place to go for radio issues. But then again, I used to think that upper and lower sideband gave you 80 additional channels. I was a very casual cb user. I've spent the last three years lurking on this sight, and learning about this hobby. The knowledge I have gained I use to mess with this guy at the shop. I'm not his favorite person.

I still have to go to that shop for some supplies. Radio Shack's parking lot and the monstrosity I drive don't get along.

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[TonyV225]

People actually walking into a "CB" shop

It gets better than that!! I know where you can go to buy an amplifier where the owner is most likely lying on the floor and he will hold himself up after slowly emerging to his feet with a whiskey bottle under his arm while leaning on the counter as he sways back and fourth he will say " Will that be a peak and tune (hickup) or will you be buying some big power today? (hickup)"

Its not this guy but close!!!!

 

[rabbiporkchop]

A cb shop in north Carolina told me that all antennas told me that all antennas come pretuned at the factory including my home made antenna. He told me that even though my swr was 3:1 that all I had to do was let him tweak my radio with needlenose pliers for 10 bucks, and that would fix my swr problem on my peterbilt 387.
Another shop in wells Nevada told me that antennas with stainless steel whips including aluminum base antennas cause mosfets to spontaneously self destruct for no apparent reason, and that the only solution was to use a firestik antenna, which is all he had in stock. He also told me that a stud with a characteristic impedance of 35 ohms, and a 7 foot piece of rg8x as an impedance transformer was better than using a 50 ohm stud with a null cable.

 

[Watergate]

Another shop in wells Nevada told me that antennas with stainless steel whips including aluminum base antennas cause mosfets to spontaneously self destruct for no apparent reason, and that the only solution was to use a firestik antenna, which is all he had in stock. He also told me that a stud with a characteristic impedance of 35 ohms, and a 7 foot piece of rg8x as an impedance transformer was better than using a 50 ohm stud with a null cable.

I see you have met the guy I'm talking about.

He gave me a deer in the headlights look when I asked him if he checked the bias on a 2510 after he replaced the final. Then told me they were set from the factory and didn't need to be adjusted.

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[psycho]

This truck driver took a big chance of running a superwackpacked truck stop radio into an AMPOWER 5 pill.


The MythBusters blow up a cement truck! - YouTube

 

[Needle Bender]

This truck driver took a big chance of running a superwackpacked truck stop radio into an AMPOWER 5 pill.


The MythBusters blow up a cement truck! - YouTube

That's the way they like it, you don't even SEE the A-10 in the video :laugh:

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Man, after reading some posts in this thread I am SOOOO glad I never had to deal with "techs" like that. Dealing with the dolts at Radio Shack is bad enough but at least I can have fun with them as the manager knows me and he knows what I know versus what his employees do not.