Just wondering

the radios with the 10 meter frequencies in them are illegal per FCC rules. that does not mean you cant get them, but in a nut shell, they are non certified by the FCC for operation on any frequency. if you are dead set on wanting one to have the extra channels, i suggest looking at a Galaxy 959. when you have it modified, it will become illegal too. my rule is keep your mouth shut on what you run. the 959 is easily modified for extra channels, and they have the frequency counter that will help you navigate around. be warned, if you are caught transmitting anywhere in the 10 or 12 meter range, your asking for trouble. your call on what to do though. there are some for sale on Ebay. simply search for Galaxy in the search line, and go to radio communication listing. good luck!

 

The problem with buying anything but a legal CB radio is getting the "export", or 10 meter, radio converted and tuned properly. Many shops convert them where they will transmit on the CB band, but don't realign them to receive on the CB band. They still receive on the CB band, but not as good as a legal CB or a properly aligned "export" radio, because they come aligned for the 10 meter ham band. Many of the shops that do "realign" the receive do it by ear and not with the proper equipment. If you do go the 10 meter radio route, stay in the legal CB band until you understand a little more about it, just to be on the safe side. By all means, don't transmit in the ham bands.

 

think of a cb radio as a mustang. you just dont go buy parts and slap them on without tuning and adjusting and hope for the best. by all means steer clear of those mobile CB shops. there is one guy who prowls the flying J, loves and the petro in carlisle pa. i think the same guy runs around the roger wilco/hess at the 293 in virignia too.

3 shops around the US i recommend is Mountain City Electronics, "Cigar Man". he is in dandridge TN at exit 412 off I81 on the EAST side of the interstate. dont get fooled by that joker at the loves also at the 412. Cigar man has been selling and servicing radios/amps for 60 years. he is a licensed Magnum/stryker dealer and the man knows his stuff. he charges 25 bucks for a full radio alignment and he uses the oscilloscope and the proper tone generator and dummy loads. Cigar man is open from 9a to 1p mon - fri.

DBT Radio in Carlisle PA, exit 52 off I81 on the west side of the interstate. the street address is [FONT=Arial, Helvetica]1257 Harrisburg Pike, Unit B, Carlisle, PA, 17013. [/FONT]he is closed on wed and sun, and he is a factory certified warranty repair tech for galaxy radios. this guy will not butcher a radio by any means, i had him do the schottkey receive mod on my galaxy 99 and man the difference is amazing. http://www.dtbradio.com/

and the third one is CB City in tyler texas. great place and its one of the biggest CB radio shops in the US. www.cbcity.com

 

oops. i copied and pasted the address and when i edited the post the text was big lol sorry.

 

LOL, Dude -- I thought you were just really, REALLY happy with their work
73,
Handlebar

 

The difference is, citizens band (or "CB") runs on the 11 meter band, aka 26.965 MHz to 27.405 MHz.

10 meters, is actually an amateur band, that runs on...well, 10 meters, or 28.000 - 29.700 MHz.

Now, per the FCC rules, CB is limited to 4 watts of power, while amateur radio you can use up to 1500 watts of power.

Most anyone who runs a CB, feels the 4 watt rule is not a rule that they can live by, for whatever reason....it could because "everyone else is doing it so why not me"...or it could be "I need the extra watts because I can't/don't want to run the correct antenna for the 11 meter band on my truck"....thus want more watts as a result.

Since the FCC said CB is limited to 4 watts of power, but amateur radio is not, and because 10 and 11 meters are so close together, some companies have decided to cater to those who "want" more power out of their radio.

So to skirt around the FCC rules, these companies build radios that are aimed towards the 11 meter CB crowd, but instead make the radios work on 10 meters, so they can legally sell them as a 10 meter radio. Because if they tried selling these radios (that do more than 4 watts of power) as 11 meter CB's, the FCC would fine them.

The idea is when you buy the 10 meter radio, you will open up the radio and perform a modification that allows you to use said 10 meter radio on the 11 meter citizens band.

The problem is, if you do not know the radio well enough, you can accidentally flip a switch and land in the wrong frequency, and if you are caught on this frequency illegally (i.e. requiring a license to use said frequency) you can face some serious fines from the FCC.

My suggestion, if you want to run a 10 meter export, so be it, but don't transmit anywhere in the 28.000 MHz area, and avoid using any frequencies above 27.405 or below 26.965. Otherwise you should be fine. Also as posted, get a frequency counter or buy a radio with one, to ensure you don't go off frequency.

Yes it's that easy to get busted, for an accident.

 

All things being equal, a converted 10 meter will out perform a stock CB all day long and twice on sundays.

I like the output of my 10 meter export rigs. They get over the fluff that a regular CB would get lost in. When out in the country, nothing beats a converted 10 meter unless you are running an external amp.

But here is the thing, if the other person, that you are trying to get out to, is only running a 4 watt CB then the chances of him getting back to you are slim and none. Especially if there is alot of noise in the air.