Magnum S-3 Nitro Express

Red is over. I haven't noticed letters lighting up, just the light itself. It will be green or red.

 

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What he is trying to WARN you about is talking ON the actual 10 Meter band. This band is assigned to the international amateur band which requires a license! Without that license, you WILL get into deep trouble because the actual USERS of that band (often called "Hams") will track you down for it, record your information and turn you IN to FCC! The fines range up to $10,000 and don't think for a minute that people are not getting turned in for it. If you don't think so, go to www.fcc.gov/eb and look in the left side border for "amateur enforcement actions". You will find that plenty of people have recently been warned of this by the Feds! Some have RECEIVED fines for doing this, some are pretty recent. It is a bad idea to get all "CB Rambo" about it and think the Feds can't really tangle you up over this because they CAN, and they WILL. All LICENSED services receive protection from incursion by outlaw operators whether it be the amateur operators or the police!

The radio you propose to use is ILLEGAL to use for CB and it may NOT be used by unlicensed persons on those other "extra" channels. There ARE no 'extra" channels for CB, and any radio that purports to cover 6 or 8 "bands" of so-called "channels" is illegal to start with, and illegally permits unlicensed persons to go on frequencies they are NOT to go on. Think of it: What if you just bought a police radio and started talking on their frequencies; they would track you down and file charges. Go onto the ham bands; they, too, will hunt you down and turn you into the authorities. And mobiles can be found JUST as easily as a base can; make NO mistake about that.

Now I am not trying to scold you or anyone.................but I can assure you that talking on 28 MHZ thinking you are on "channel 19" will surely get noticed and infuriate the hams! You are the one to make the decision, but if it were ME, I would NOT be talking out of band because, contrary to popular CB myth and legend, the hams WILL track you and they are GOOD at it. That's one of the reasons they take tests to learn RF theory! Only YOU can decide if $10,000 is worth the risk!!!!! Since 2001 over 200 truckers and CBers have been warned to stop operating on 10 Meters, and trucking companies have been required to force their drivers to REMOVE the illegal and so-called "10 Meter 'amateur'" radios (they are no more "amateur than my #####, but a channelized CB attempting to slip into the country on a technicality!!!!_

GF

 

A valid warning. But a bit of bravado as well. They're not that good at it.

20 plus years and counting....still waiting on that letter.

 

You wouldn't want to talk to those operators on the 10M band anyway. They all badmouth cb users and then they get on the cb and do exactly what they pizz and moan to each other about us doing. As long as you stay off the 10 meter channels you'll never have a problem. And as danc has mentioned you'll soon get extremely tired of the BLUE lights and will want to get them dimmed with a switch. Any good shop can do a dim switch for you. Nice radio too you'll likely never go back to a plain jane radio again.

 

It is a GAMBLE! You may nor may not ever receive "the letter". BUT the risk is there just the same IF you are in the USA. If you are in Canada, their laws apply, however the 10 Meter band (28 MHZ) is still assigned to the amateurs and yapping on those frequencies without license is JUST as illegal. Whatever your take on it, I would assume that if the amateurs file complaints, Industry Canada would respond accordingly. Inside the USA it is FCC, and it has a dedicated "Special Counsel for Amateur Enforcement" whose job it is to respond to complaints.

To those who scoff, don't be too sure that "amateurs aren't that good at finding outlaw CBers! Almost ALL those busts from 2001 forward were the result of hams quietly riding along and observing truckers happily yapping away on 10 Meters. What you don't realize in your ignorance of the way 10 Meters works is, part of the band is set aside for digital modes and morse code. Not even the hams themselves are permitted to use voice in certain parts of 10M. To a CBer, "ratchetjawing" away on AM is like his bread and butter. BUT on 10 Meters, it stands out like a sore thumb! THAT is why when a CBer ventures up onto 10 Meters, it seems "empty" as if no one is using it. Again ignorance of the way the band is legally used! So, just for an example, lets say Mr. Trucker is just as happy as can be motoring along and he spies a car with multiple antennas and/or this HUGE antenna with a center coil (often covered with a Lexan weather cover). Mr Trucker shouts out, "OH look! There's this car coming by me with this HU-MONG-OUS antenna on the bumper!!! I bet he can get out to China (guess what--------he CAN!!!!!) Also guess what! Mr Trucker is nailed without him ever KNOWING it!!!! The ham will never say a word to that driver: it is ILLEGAL to knowingly communicate with an unlicensed station, but he can, if he chooses, operate RIGHT OVER THE TOP OF THE ILLEGAL STATION DISREGARDING HIS PRESENCE using the proper mode of transmission (such as Teletype). This will usually cause such havoc to the illegal station he will be forced to move!

Anyhow, in the case of the truck that has been discovered filching 10 Meters, the ham simply copies down the truck's info such as location, direction of travel, company name, tractor number, date, frequency of operation, and turns this in to the Special Counsel (if he is in the USA, of course). The Special Counsel then writes your employer advising them that 'Information has been received that one or more of your drivers was observed operating on such 'n such frequency, such 'n such a date. Be advised that operations on 10 Meters requires a license, and you are responsible to see that your drivers comply with FCC regulations You are required to call me at XXX-XXX-XXXX with 20 days of this date to discuss this matter".

The companies have been VERY eager to comply with these instructions, and when they call, they are told that the so-called (and junk) "10 Meter 'amateur' (yeah, right) radios" are against the law to sell by dealers, against the law to USE on CB, may NOT be used to transmit on the amateur bands. They MUST be REMOVED from your fleet of trucks or face
up to $10,000 in FINES for each day they are not removed after that date!
Often it causes the company to pull an inspection on all trucks, have the outlaw radios REMOVED, then issue a memo to all drivers that they must not re-install illegal radios or face firing. This happened to UPS drivers and Fed Ex, for a couple.

YOU, on the one hand may think you are the cleverest thing that ever hit the pike, but on the whole, there is huge ignorance in the CB world because they have never been exposed to Radio theory, or how to locate a radio signal using even the simplest tools. You must realize that those hams often spend years honing their skills after taking some VERY complicated electronics theory tests.

All the hams want is for CBers to respect their frequencies and not show up without authorization. There is no such thing as a "freeband", and those so-called "channels" you think are empty are assigned to other users including the military (again if you are in the US this is a matter of concern.) What YOU think is 'just some noise' may well BE someone communicating; it's just not "that 'air ratchetjawin'', but digital signals such as Pactor (or packet= short bursts of sound that contain information). It may even be Morse Code.

Your mileage may vary. You may get caught; you may not. While CBers may believe that the hams "aren't that good" at finding them, the evidence points in the opposite direction. MOST of the truckers that have been caught were found BY hams. MOST of the ones you see on the internet----R & L Carriers, UPS, United Van Lines, JW Randolph, Sferra Metals, Tennessee Steel Haulers, almost the whole list were caught by hams!!!!
WE simply want you to stay OFF 10 and 12 Meters because you don't belong there. That's all.


GF

 

CB Radio's with chicken lights

 

Just add him to your ignore list and you really dont have to see his lectures
This is all I see,
This message is hidden because Gadfly is on your ignore list.