What no Stories

I cant believe that none of you have at least 1 story to tell

COME ON GIVE IT UP

Dave
AE001

I cant believe that none of you have at least 1 story to tell

COME ON GIVE IT UP

Dave
AE001

I'll add one about my first CB rig.  I got my FCC license for Class D Citizens Band in the early 60's, cost $ 5.00 as I remember for 5 years.  The first rig was a Realistic something or other, built from a kit.  It had an all metal case and front, obviously tube type, operated on 120 VAC or 12 VDC, came complete with three crystal controlled transmit selections (one channel 11 crystal provided) and a tunable receiver.  After assembly, it worked fine, but I never had the money to add the other two crystals.  However, most of the locals used 11 as their calling frequency, so it worked out OK.

It was about the size of a base RCI-2980, but the old '55 Chevy had plenty of room to mount it under the dash (all steel, no problem drilling mounting holes) over the center hump.  Antenna was a 102" whip installed on a bumper mount trailer hitch (back when cars had strong, real steel, chrome plated bumpers) with the ball removed and the antenna mounted where the ball went.  It probably didn't provide a proper ground for the antenna, but who could afford a SWR meter back then?  We used to have to stop at the local gas stations after they closed and drain the gas hoses so we could get enough gas to go to town.  I think gas was 19.9 cents a gallon back then.

"Radio Red" in the nearest "big" city of Texarkana, TX. sorta organized a CB radio club in the area - but with no member ID's, certificates or cards (everyone had FCC issued call signs back then) .  He was a local TV service man that got into CB and sold Johnson CB's.  He was kinda crude, but it was a lotta fun to drain the gas hoses and drive to his shop at night and sit around and talk about CB's.  Cheap entertainment too, since we didn't have money to do anything else.  He always had the CB on in his shop and the locals would often stop by to shoot the s*it.  The coffee pot was always on.

Obviously I didn't have a watt meter, so I don't know what the power output was nor what the SWR was (the old tube types were pretty forgiving, though).  Made many contacts locally back then on AM (SSB wasn't allowed).

Other than some illegal tube type transmitters we had built (that's another story), that was my start in CB.

Sounds about the same as I had started with my first radio but mine was an old tube type that took crystals on the Xmit and Rec  it only had 3 spots for Xmit and Rec but you could change them out  but all I had for an antenna was an old steel pipe 20 feet long nailed to a big old pine tree with a rubber inner tube to stop it from grounding out on the tree about 60 feet up try that today with a new radio lol POOF the old tube type were great in their day some still are

Dave
AE001

hmm none i wana put up know what i mean

I see holding out on the good ones


Dave
AE001

 

Back in the 70's. There were a few  "BIG" radios in this area. They used to like to go channel to channel, chasing all us little guys off. Then one night, an older gentleman, known as "The Shadow" made his presence known. He had a Ford F-350 truck with a "box full" of  "goodies" ! He just patrolled the area at night, and gave the big boys a taste of their own medicine.  In one case he actually backed into one operators driveway, hooked up a chain, and tore the guys chimney, antenna and everything right off the side of the house. He was around about 5 or 6 months, then dissappeared as quickly as he had appeared. I often wonder just who it was. If anybody knew, they never told us.

lol  ive heard about other stories like this

My story is that I met my son's mother on cb radio, it was back in the 70's and we were both 19, , today my son is 31 and  a sheriffs deputy with a wife and two daughters. he  and i share a intrest in cb and I guess it without cb radio his mother and I would never have met and the two grand daughters I have would have never been.