Bearcat 980 Tuning

Yeah, I googled it and have a basic understanding of it. I still don't see how it's suppose to "give the radio 80 extra channels" though. I think that the driver I bought from was full of it.

Does anyone even use the upper and lower side bands anymore?

I really like this radio over my previous radio even if I never use the sidebands. I do plan to finally use the good antenna given to me by a friend a year ago. Don't remember the name of it, but it's a 9ft whip. Then have a cb shop time everything so it's all working together like it should. But, for now, it's wired to the stock antenna (if you can call it that) on my Cascadia Evo.

 

What didnt you like about the pc787 besides the fact that the layout is so different.

 

I liked it just fine. Just took advantage of upgrading the radio on the cheap.

 

Ok so the 787 isnt a bad rig, i was thinking of picking one up on amazon for about 80 bucks. As far as sideband usage i never hear truckers use it unless maybee 2 of them are running together its mostly used by base stations for long distance transmissions, especially during times when skip is running. I know there are sideband clubs or groups that regularly hangout on lsb38, it is not normal cb format, which can be a plus, because they frown upon echo, overmodulated radios and bad airwaves behavior, and they are pretty formal and well behaved, like i said can be a good thing compared to what we are used to.

 

Yeah, the 787 worked just like it should. I keep mine on, but rarely talk. Have it for weather, road conditions, shippers/receivers ,and in case another driver needs to inform me of something.

I don't do the whole you gotta a bear sitting at whatever yard stick thing and the coop is open/closed thing.

 

MachoCyclone you have 120 choices. 40 am, 40 USB, 40 LSB. you can call it 120 channels if you wish or call it a 40 channel AM/SSB radio. Whichever pleases you.

 

While you don't often hear truckers using SSB, it can be a useful mode for truckers, same as anyone else. Better overall range and less noise due to narrower bandwidth can help you reach out when AM isn't doing it. Whether talking to another driver, who happens to have SSB cspsbility, or using it to reach another CBer when you need help and can't get a response on AM, it is good to have, even if you rarely use it.

 

I totally agree i wish more drivers would use it, get away from ch19 hash and trash, cb rambos, I aint got no panties, shut up stoopid and all the clipped, overmodulated, distorted, too much echo pos radios that pollute the am airwaves.

 

Keep in mind, though, that a typical AM transmission will contain the carrier frequency and both the upper and lower sidebands. So if *everyone* used just single sideband, and no one ever keyed up on AM, then the 80 total sidebands (40 lower, 40 upper) can co-exist happily. BUT as soon as someone keys up on, say, ch 16, his carrier will show up as a strong beat note on receivers tuned to 16 LSB and 16 USB (because SSB receivers have to reinject a BFO [beat frequency oscillator] to reconstruct the missing carrier when SSB is transmitted). So an AM transmission on any channel will likely wipe out folks using either of the sidebands on that channel, between the heterodyne from the carrier, and the AM user's voice on BOTH sidebands.
FWIW, ch16 LSB was the sorta-official SSB channel back in the pre-1977 days of 23-channel radios. These days it's more likely 35-39, and for reasons unknown to commercial SSB users and hams, LSB is usually used on CB. On amateur bands, it's usually LSB on 160, 75, and 40 meters, and USB on the higher bands.

Did that help, or did I just confuse things even more?
73

 

Helped alot but there have been times when two drivers running together were using ch19 lsb and it sounded like bleedover.