Citizens band radio

Citizens band radio (also known as CB radio) is, in many countries, a system of
short-distance radio communications between individuals on a selection of 40 cha
nnels within the 27 MHz (11 m) band. Citizens band is distinct from the FRS, GMR
S, MURS, and Amateur Radio Service ("ham" radio) systems. In many countries, CB
operation does not require a license, and (unlike amateur radio) it may be used
for business or personal communications. Like many other two-way radio services,
citizens band channels are shared by many users. Only one station may transmit
at a time; other stations must listen and wait for the shared channel to be avai
lable. It is customary for stations waiting to use a shared channel to broadcast
the single word "Break" during a lull in the conversation. This informs people
using the channel that others are waiting.
A number of countries have created similar radio services, with varying technica
l standards and requirements for licensing. While they may be known by other nam
es, such as the General Radio Service in Canada,[1] they often use similar frequ
encies (26 to 28 MHz), have similar uses, and similar technical standards. Altho
ugh licenses may be required, eligibility is generally simple. Some countries al
so have personal radio services in the UHF band, such as the European PMR446 and
the Australian UHF CB.
Origins[edit]
A QSL card issued by a US CB station in 1963.
The citizens band radio service originated in the United States as one of severa
l personal radio services regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FC
C). These services began in 1945 to permit citizens a radio band for personal co
mmunication (e.g., radio-controlled model airplanes and family and business comm
unications). In 1948, the original CB radios were designed for operation on the
460 470 Megacycle UHF band.[2] There were two classes of CB radio: "A" and "B". Cla
ss B radios had simpler technical requirements, and were limited to a smaller fr
equency range. Al Gross established the Citizens Radio Corporation during the la
te 1940s to manufacture Class B handhelds for the general public.[3]
Ultra-high frequency (UHF) radios, at the time, were neither practical nor affor
dable for the average consumer. On September 11, 1958[4] the Class D CB service
was created on 27 Megacycles, and this band became what is popularly known today
as "Citizens Band". There were only 23 channels at the time; the first 22 were
taken from the former amateur radio service 11-meter band, and channel 23 was sh
ared with radio-controlled devices. Some hobbyists continue to use the designati
on "11 meters" to refer to the Citizens Band and adjoining frequencies. Part 95
of the Code of Federal Regulations regulates the Class D CB service, on the 27 M
Hz band, since the 1970s and continuing today.[5] Most of the 460 470 MHz band was r
eassigned for business and public-safety use; Class A CB is the forerunner of th
e General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS). Class B CB is a more distant ancestor of
the Family Radio Service. The Multi-Use Radio Service is another two-way radio s
ervice in the VHF high band. An unsuccessful petition was filed in 1973 to creat
e a Class E CB service at 220 MHz, which was opposed by amateur radio organizati
ons.[6] and others. There are several other classes of personal radio services f
or specialized purposes (such as remote control devices).
During the 1960s, the service was popular among small businesses (e.g., electric
ians, plumbers, carpenters), truck drivers and radio hobbyists. By the late 1960
s advances in solid-state electronics allowed the weight, size, and cost of the
radios to fall, giving the public access to a communications medium previously o
nly available to specialists.[7] CB clubs were formed; a CB slang language evolv
ed alongside 10-codes, similar to those used in emergency services.
1970s popularity[edit]

After this 1973 oil crisis the U.S. government imposed a nationwide 55 mph speed
limit, and fuel shortages and rationing were widespread. CB radio was used (esp
ecially by truckers) to locate service stations with better supplies of fuel, to
notify other drivers of speed traps, and to organize blockades and convoys in a
1974 strike protesting the new speed limit and other trucking regulations. One
leader was able to almost single-handedly coordinate an interstate highway block
ade of hundreds of tractor-trailers in eastern Pennsylvania using the citizens b
and radio in his truck. His name was J.W. Edwards and his "handle" (or radio nam
e) was "River Rat". The blockade began on I-80 and quickly spread throughout the
country, with River Rat's messages literally being relayed from one area of tru
cks to the next.[8] The radios were crucial for independent truckers; many were
paid by the mile, which meant their productivity was impacted by the 55-mph spee
d limit.[7] The use of CB radios in 1970s films such as Smokey and the Bandit (1
977) and Convoy (1978), popular novelty songs such as C.W. McCall's "Convoy" (19
75) and on television series such as Movin' On (debuted in 1974) and The Dukes o
f Hazzard (debuted 1979) established CB radio as a nationwide craze in the USA i
n the mid- to late 1970s.
Originally, CB required a purchased license ($20 in the early 1970s, reduced to
$4 on March 1, 1975) and the use of a callsign; however, when the CB craze was a
t its peak many people ignored this requirement and invented their own nicknames
(known as "handles"). Rules on authorized use of CB radio (along with lax enfor
cement) led to widespread disregard of the regulations (notably in antenna heigh
t, distance communications, licensing, call signs and transmitter power).
Betty Ford, the former First Lady of the United States, used the CB handle "Firs
t Mama".[9] Voice actor Mel Blanc was also an active CB operator, often using "B
ugs" or "Daffy" as his handle and talking on the air in the Los Angeles area in
one of his many voice characters. He appeared in an interview (with clips having
fun talking to children on his home CB radio station) in the NBC Knowledge tele
vision episode about CB radio in 1978.[10] Similar to internet chat rooms a quar
ter-century later, CB allowed people to get to know one another in a quasi-anony
mous manner. As with the internet, CB radio usage sometimes encouraged the worst
characteristics of anonymity.
Originally, there were 23 CB channels in the U.S.; the 40-channel band plan was
implemented in 1977. Channel 9 was officially reserved for emergency use by the
FCC in 1969.[11] Channel 10 was originally often used for highway travel communi
cations east of the Mississippi River, and channel 19 west of the Mississippi; c
hannel 19 then became the preferred highway channel in most areas, as it did not
have adjacent-channel interference problems with channel 9. Many CBers called c
hannel 19 "the trucker's channel". Channel 11 was originally restricted by the F
CC for use as the calling channel.
The original FCC output power limitation for CB radios was "5-watts DC input to
the final amplifier stage", which was a reference to the earlier radios equipped
with tubes. With solid state radios becoming more common in the 1970s, this spe
cification was rewritten by the FCC at the same time the authorized channels wer
e increased to 40. The current specification is simply "4-watts output (AM) or 1
2-watts output (SSB)" as measured at the antenna connector on the back of the ra
dio. The old specification was often used in false advertising by some manufactu
rers who would claim their CB radios had "5-watts" long after the specification
had changed to 4-watts output. The older 23-channel radios built under the old s
pecifications typically had an output of around 3.5 to 3.8 watts output when mea
sured at the antenna connector. The FCC simply rounded-up the old "5-watts DC in
put to the final amplifier stage" specification to the new "4-watts output as me
asured at the antenna connector on the back of the radio", resulting in a far si
mpler and easier specification.
Initially, the FCC intended for CB to be the "poor man's business-band radio", a

nd CB regulations were structured similarly to those regulating the business ban

d radio service. Until 1975,[12] only channels 9 15 and 23[13] could be used for "in
ter-station" calls (to other licensees). Channels 1 8 and 16 22 were reserved for "intra
-station" communications (among units with the same license).[14] After the inte
r-station/intra-station rule was dropped, channel 11 was reserved as a calling f
requency (for the purpose of establishing communications); however, this was wit
hdrawn in 1977.[15] During this early period, many CB radios had "inter-station"
channels colored on their dials, while the other channels were clear or normall
y colored (except channel 9, which was usually colored red). It was common for a
town to adopt an inter-station channel as its "home" channel. This helped preve
nt overcrowding on Channel 11, enabling a CBer to monitor a town's home channel
to contact another CBer from that town instead of a making a general call on Cha
nnel 11.
Boating and the U.S. Coast Guard[edit]
Since CB was coming down in price and VHF Marine Band was still expensive, many
boaters put CB radios on their boats. Business caught on to this market, and int
roduced marine CBs containing a weather band (WX). There was a lot of controvers
y about whether or not the Coast Guard should monitor CB radio, but they did, us
ing Motorola base stations installed at their search and rescue stations. The Co
ast Guard stopped this practice in the late 1980s and recommends VHF Marine Band
radios for boaters.
21st-century use[edit]
CB has lost much of its original appeal due to development of mobile phones, the
internet and the Family Radio Service. Changing radio propagation for long-dist
ance communications due to the 11-year sunspot cycle is a factor at these freque
ncies. In addition, CB may have become a victim of its own popularity; with mill
ions of users on a finite number of frequencies during the mid-to-late 1970s and
early 1980s, channels often were noisy and communication difficult. This caused
a waning of interest among hobbyists. Business users (such as tow-truck operato
rs, plumbers and electricians) moved to the VHF business-band frequencies. The b
usiness band requires an FCC license, and usually results in an assignment to a
single frequency. The advantages of fewer users sharing a frequency, greater aut
horized output power, clarity of FM transmission, lack of interference by distan
t stations due to "skip" propagation, and consistent communications made the VHF
(Very High Frequency) radio an attractive alternative to the overcrowded CB cha
nnels.
Channel 9 is restricted by the FCC to only emergency communications and roadside
assistance.[16] Most highway travelers monitor channel 19. CB radio is still us
ed by truck drivers, and remains an effective means of obtaining information abo
ut road construction, accidents and police speed traps.
Australia[edit]
Before CB was authorized in Australia, there were hand-held 27 MHz "walkie-talki
es" which utilized several frequencies between the present CB channels, such as
27.240 MHz.[17][18] By the mid-1970s, hobbyists were experimenting with handheld
radios and unauthorized American CB radios. At that time in Australia, the 11-m
eter band was still used by licensed ham operators,[19] but not yet available fo
r CB use. A number of CB clubs had formed by this time which assigned callsigns
to members, exchanged QSL cards, and lobbied for the legalisation of CB. In 1977
, CB was legalized with an 18-channel band plan.[20] In 1980, the American 40-ch
annel band plan was adopted. From the outset, the government attempted to regula
te CB radio with license fees and callsigns, but some years later abandoned this
approach.
The first CB club in Australia was the Charlie Brown Touring Car Club (CBTCC)[ci
tation needed], which formed in Morwell, Victoria in 1967 and consisted mainly o
f four-wheel drive enthusiasts. The club used the prefix "GL" (for Gippsland), s

ince "CB" could not be used. After July 1, 1977, the club changed its name to Ci
tizens Band Two Way Communication Club (CBTCC).[citation needed] Other early clu
bs were "LV" (Latrobe Valley) and "WB" (named after Wayne Britain). Members of t
hese clubs are still active, and have also become amateur radio operators.
With the introduction of UHF CB radios in 1977, many operators used both UHF and
HF radios and formed groups to own and operate local FM repeaters. Members of t
he CBTCC formed what became known as Australian Citizens Radio Movement (ACRM) i
n the early 1970s; this organization became the voice for legalization of CB rad
io throughout Australia. After peaking in the 1970s and early 1980s, the use of
27 MHz CB in Australia has fallen dramatically due to the introduction of 477 MH
z UHF CB (with FM and repeaters) and the proliferation of cheap, compact handhel
d UHF transceivers. Technology such as mobile telephones and the internet have p
rovided people with other choices for communications. The Australian government
has changed the allocation of channels available for UHF CB Radio from 40 to 80,
and doubled the number of repeater channels from 8 to 16. This was done by taki
ng the existing wide band channels and going to narrow band. Existing 40 channel
radios without the narrow band capability can potentially interfere by actually
transmitting on two of the new narrow band channels.[21]