Does anyone give radio checks anymore.

Yes, it's well known that I'm quite the wit.

 

Tandems dump all have CB radios and use them daily. Most of the day they stay on the Rock or Ashpalt channels that they are hauling out of so you have to scan a bit to find them. Many times the loader at rock quarry's will be on a separate channel from the scale house if its a real busy quarry.

If a bunch of trucks are on the same haul and they're talking a lot all day they all flip over to an agreed on channel soon as they leave the quarry. We use ch8 many times in instances like that.

 

I just did a little unofficial test at my home. Base station Northpoint export with A99 just above 2-story roofline. Mobile in passenger car: Anytone AT6666 with Little Wil centered on big steel roof. Terrain: North GA hills but more or less flat.

I set up a voice-activated recorder next to the base and shouted from the mobile every mile marker for about 5 miles. Boomed in nice and loud and clear every time. To be honest I couldnt tell any difference from the 1 mile check to the 5 mile check. I was just goofing around. I'll try to think of a chore farther than 5 miles next time.

 

Money orders or cash

 

I normally ask for a bear report and start a short conversation with the responder until I ask for there location and how well my radio is coming in. Usually get more responses that way around here.

 

Having a cb in a truck is important but less drivers use them now days because alot of the new company trucks are not set up for em, and........ drivers dont understand the importance of them.

 

Most people just ignore radio checks. People just abuse it so much it's not even worth responding to.

I can't count how many times I've been running in the same direction as someone asking for radio checks. They just ask for a check anytime they hear someone on the radio. They don't want a conversation, no other questions, just "radio check".... "radio check"... "radio check"... ... ... "radio check".


Never ask for a radio check. Ask what time it is, or where a good place to stop is, or if route-23 is an ok truck route.

Radio check = instant ignore
Not that people make an effort to ignore it, it's just after a few years of BS it becomes natural. Just noise filtered out by the mental noise filter, not even a conscious effort.

I think there are still alot of people with thier radios on but they don't say much, unless it's "important". Maybe they/we are a bit jaded.

Try asking different questions. "I'm out of hours in two hours where can I stop?" "Where is a good place to eat around here?"

 

Most drivers don't run radios anymore. They don't know what a CB is, the trucks now aren't made to accommodate a CB antenna without some type of SWR issue (fiberglass instead of metal) and the rest hung up the mic when they couldn't "get out" during the last skip cycle. And now skip is dead and the airwaves are silent.

 

CB radios must still be selling or the truck stops would use that valuable display space for something more lucrative. Like big fancy Bowie knives.

 

Ironically, the no-skip cycle can be the best time to use a CB for highway-emergency situations in the immediate vicinity.

At least you don't have to fight interference from some guy in Hong Kong trying to sell his NBA tickets cheap.