CB/10 meter question.

A standard CB has 40 AM channels and a legal transmit limit of 4 watts.. Those CB's that also have the upper and lower sideband modes included still have only 40 AM channels, but the difference is that you can choose to transmit and receive on the upper or lower portion of the AM channel frequency when you are in side band mode. This is a more efficient way to use the transmit power and a sideband signal will go farther for the same amount of transmit power.
The 10 meter Export radios are not really CB radios because they are not legal to use on CB channels, since only those radios that are approved by the FCC as CB radios can be marketed as CB radios. To get around the legalities, the sellers market the radios as export or ham radios, but know that most people who buy them will convert them for use on CB.
Power wise there is no difference - 4 watts is 4 watts, whether it comes from a CB or an export radio. However, the export radios typically have more than legal 4 watts transmit power - they have 10 watts, 25 watts, some up to 100 or 200 watts. Since you are only allowed 4 watts on CB AM mode, ( this effectivley is 12 watts when you are in side band mode), the export radios offer more power than is legal to use.
The other issue is that they often offer extra channels - ie, A, B , C, D, which is another way to get around the legal prohibition of only using the allowed 40 AM channels.

 

But the other problem is, that A, B, C, D stuff can put the operator ON the actual 10 Meter band. This is assigned to the Amateur Radio Service and requires a license to operate there. Therefore, you need to be careful NOT to tread on 10 meters. The licensed Amateurs will seek you out and turn you in to the FCC for operating up there. A number of CBers have been caught doing this and found themselves under the stern gaze of the Feds & and getting warning letters NOT to transmit there. There ARE no such things as "extra channels", or channels that are available for anybody to just up and start talking on outside the 40 CB channels! It is the same thing as buying a police transceiver and trying to talk to the cops! It won't end well, trust me! Stay ON the CB band, and you'll have not trouble!


GF

 

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...adio-frequency-question-channel-chart.doc.att

 

that link above came from another post. the TTR member who posted that link was mike5511

 

When you go to the "D" band, that puts you into (i believe) the morse code part of the 10m band. You will stick out like a sore thumb there if you use a voice mode. Channel 40 is 27.405 mhz and the 10m band goes from 28.000 mhz to 29.700 mhz. The gap between 40 and 28.000 is the so-called "extra" or freeband channels. Stay below 28.000 and you wont draw the ire of the hams.

 

Good question, as I have found most truck drivers do not use single side band or even know what it is. Maybe they think "the more knobs/features it has, the more powerful it is"...? Which I personally don't see why any truck driver would buy a SSB rig if he plans to just stay on the regular am band.

I can understand why some opt for exports...because they offer a little more power, and they usually come with truckers toys aka blue lights, roger beeps and echo boards. Yes they also come with the capabilities to operate out of band, but that's treading on thin ice.
What are you implying when the other truckers say to you "we all hang out on 50"?

Also if you see folks talking on their CB's but you can't pick up what channel they're on, it indicates you're not on the same frequency as they are. Chances are they're all talking on an illegal frequency that is not reserved for CB. That's what you need to watch out for. As Gadfly said, flipping the band switch can and will land you somewhere that may be illegal to talk, and there are folks who monitor these frequencies to see if they find any intruders, and if they do they'll use directional finding equipment to track you down, jot down your tag number/truck number, and turn you in.

It depends on what radio you have...my Connex I used to have, D was the citizens band.....but my SS158EDX I used to have, you had to be on the G band for CB.

 

Is there a lot of people talking on side band anymore?

 

There's still some that do single sideband....mostly radio enthusiasts.