Non Standard

Well sounds like he is talking ILLEGAL ten meter export radios or 10 meter radios. Most are illegal to buy and can not be picked up at your local truck stop. heck even some radios shops won't even carry them anymore.

I am not sure but the connexs I have had did not have sideband. They had a 10 k switch which is not the same as sideband. Galaxys have side bands so you have to be sure if they are planning on running side band as the connex won't work if that is the plan.

As far as getting the radio required, it is going to cost some change. You are going to have to search for online shops that sell them.

Oh and just to warn you, there are hams out there that do nothing but monitor the common non CB bands. They activly search out these people using friends and some equipment, they will report the truck and company to the FCC or whatever.

What I would tell your boss is to run down tot he local hunting supply store, pickup some handheld two way comunicators. They have some nice ones that come in packages of two with all the charging equipment etc for less then 80 bucks US. That comes out to less then 40 bucks per truck.

They have alot of channels along with privacy codes for private truck to truck comunications.

I am starting to see alot of places using these, especially those that haul over dimensional loads requiring pilot cars. I have seen the drivers carrying them in their trucks so they can hand one over to the pilot car and I have seen pilot cars carrying them and giving one to the driver.

I worked for an excavating company and we had some that we carried. We could easily talk over 10 miles with these things. I was more then 16 miles away on a parts run and was talking to the foreman of the site and could hear him clear as a bell. He forgot about some parts he needed and wanted me to pick them up also.

We have used these things many times when out hunting also. Just so we can keep tabs on were everyone was at.

The thing is that a decent 10 meter export radio is going to run you a minimum of a couple hundred dollars. Soe of the higher end ones will run over 300-400 dollars. You are then going to have to upgrade your antenna system to operate on the non CB frequencies. Meaning you are not going to just beable to plug this radio into your current CB antenna and use it without possible harm to the radio.

 

I'll bet you don't need side band. Too difficult to get everybody tuned in while driving down the hwy. Probably talking about a export radio like a connex or galaxy. Our company channel is down below channel 1, thus everybody runs an export or a normal CB with a channel kit in it (not the best way to go (channel kit)....get an export radio)

 

There's no such thing as a multi band CB radio. A CB is only designed to run on frequencies 26.965 MHz to 27.405 MHz. That's it.

Those radios that you're referring to are called exports. They're not a legally certified radio for U.S. use. Those are the ones I was talking about that can get you in trouble with the FCC if you land on the wrong band and start talking. The fines can get pretty steep, upwards of $10k or more I do believe. Just trying to warn you. And yes as Rat pointed out, some people with directional finding equipment do monitor the bands for unauthorized people, then track them down and turn them in, even if you're mobile.

Did your employer say why he does not want to use the citizens band to conduct business?

 

One of the few groups the FCC has gone after is trucking companys that run out side of CB ..... mostly above 28 mhz ....

As for van loads of HAMS with DF antennas nice thought but not likely ....

 

He is right though. Mostly in the north eastern states. I have read the letters at fcc.gov like the one where hams DF'ed a 'big company' truck and turned it in, prompting an investigation. Ended in the 'big company' (think package delivery) getting a big fine. There are a large number of them who go looking, mostly out of boredom I think.

As bad as it is for the trucking industry right now and considering how hard jobs are to find, I think this guy is not wise painting himself and his company a target with this thread.

 

I can see it now ......

My Corolla going down the road with a 12 foot dish rotating looking for that 18 wheeler ....

 

I had a 12 inch loop for 10-11M mounted on my car run by a servo motor, with an adjustable attenuator used when I got close to the source. I used op amps to make it track the S meter signal and home in, and had a giant S meter on the dash to easily see while I drove. Put an RCA jack on the back of my Ranger connected to the AGC voltage in the radio, which I used to run my toy. When there was no signal the loop slowly rotated which got a lot of looks driving from Phoenix to Verde Valley up I-17 one day. Also had built a home made TDOA using PIN diodes for 2 meter FM which worked even better. I could replace the HF loop with the VHF loop by simply stopping a minute and swapping assemblies, also moving the RCA jack to my ICOM. Was a lot of fun fox hunting but it worked so well it pissed the other hunters off.

 

Yep I have a DF loop I built 30 years ago someplace out in storage they work great .

 

So guys, help me understand one thing a little better. Is side band legal for non hams? Can I buy a radio with side band, talk on it, and not run the risk of getting fined? Or should I just stick with the basic 40...