CB, a dying truck driver tool, what y'all think??

I still broadcast reports just like the good ol' days ("eastbound you got a bear under the bridge at the 169!") and if I don't get a reply I'll say "negative contact on the eastbounders"

 

Squawk box saved me today... Nasty pile up on I-90 near Madison, Ohio that I would have been stuck in for hours.

 

I was coming across the southern Appalachians a couple of days ago and had forgotten about two “skinny bridges” on that highway. But oncoming warned me. At 74k loaded that morning it would have been ugly.

 

Had forgotten to use that. Works well.

And then start mumbling like you forgot to turn off the mike. That works better (cause somebody’ll step into your kitchen with that).

 

I wish I could think of a way to encourage rookie drivers to possess and use a radio. The truck stops have big, pretty display cases for the radios and I see the ads in the truck stop flyers but is that enough advertising? I can't imagine truck stops devoting that much retail space if radios were not selling

 

Yes.

Today’s radios are just fine. Not the problem.

Today’s trucks have built-in cubbyholes to mount Radio and a mic holder. 15A dedicated circuit. Built in external speaker. Not the problem.

Today’s truck antenna systems are more the problem. While some have otherwise nice, the coaxial cable is atrocious. No excuse for it.

Still other trucks have so-called “hidden antennas” which are flat terrible. And the bad coax.

Saw a thread on another forum where a man technically proficient in these and Amateur Radio made the comment that one can’t make a living with a CB shop. For the most part.

Drivers could really use techs who were good. Plenty of them.

Another comment — and maybe more important — is that men nowadays aren’t interested in acquiring skills.

Where a book on CB radio that covered a fair amount of information, and then showed demonstrations of that (becomes knowledge) should be a popular recommendation.

I’d bet any book titles are forty years old now. They’d be good to have, but the examples would be of pre-computer cars & big trucks. More steel than plastic, too.

Some knowledge of terms would be the big difference. Basic radio vocabulary.

But if it isn’t in a video, forget it.

Tell a guy it’s worth spending $4-500 on a quality system, and most balk. Hell, they won’t even spend to wash the truck or get some fuel additive once in a while.

So I guess that’s where a video could come in handy:

1). a crappy Cobra with stock equip versus a

2) Uniden SSB unit plus DSP speaker and a tiny amp. Better antennas.

No tech work. All DIY. Demonstration near a road with some traffic. A friend out at a distance. A set of demonstrations.

Explain the advantages of antenna tuning, and how to use SSB. Why SSB is valuable. A bit on microphones. A pep talk on set-up for personal vehicle and a base station.

Some truckers think themselves gun experts. “Better to have it than not . . . etc”. So some words on the importance of comms in a breakdown of Net & cell phone outage. Same kind of thinking.

Then maybe step it up with clean power. Better coax. Chokes & filters. Say another $100 or so. All done right. A better radio and move the first one to house or pickup.

A foam-lined carrying case for the gear, and some rigid tube to hold antennas. Complete the package. Move into a truck, and move out of a truck.

Such a video needs a plan. A script. All the non-scripted vids are poor. Not worth referring. NO ONE is any good without a plan.

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Just got my first CB. I’m stunned at how useful it is. It’s now on all the time.

 

Timin

I disagree about the advertising being the issue. I would more so look towards the technology that has taken over in our society. Drivers are more interested in their Satelite radios, texting, apps, gaming systems, and so forth. The other reason for the decrease in C.B usage, is the misuse of the radio as it was intended for. The amount of radio rambo's, ignorance, stupidity out there in the industry. This has also impacted the radio usage of our society.

 

Oh no we agree about the influx of technology. That's why I advocate using several different navigation tools along with a radio. The frustrating part is not being able to communicate road hazards etc. Tried to tell a guy yesterday re headlight burnout. Silence. Tried to tell a guy today about a marker light out. Silence. Oh well I guess the DOT will tell them

 

The sad part is they are the first ones to start bi***ing , and whining when they run into a traffic accident, construction slow downs and so forth. It has become a technology driven society, and us older drivers still live on the old school rules. I have seen some videos of drivers in some real s*** situations due to the technology they relied upon. It seems to me that society as a whole, rely upon technology, apps, and electronics to run their lives. Look at public schools that have taken cursive writing out of the schools, because e-sign is the new way of making society even more stupid than previous generations. It amazes me that people refuse to use the most important computer in the world (their brain).