Non Standard

The only radio you could see with a single selection for sideband were double sideband (DSB) radios. While they did exist you are not going to see one, especially in someones truck.

 

AH .....

The old regency range gain DSB radios you still see one once and a while .. I remember a few PUSH-PUSH amps that would turn your AM transmiter into DSB .....but it was more problems that it was worth ....

 

Not exactly. The frequencies just outside the citizens band (CB) I believe are assigned to the U.S. government. So even then unless you're authorized to use these frequencies, you're still an intruder and a complaint will yield Uncle Charlie after you. Just sayin.

Also if you want to double your pleasure and fun, you go study for amateur radio.

 

It is a popular belief that "them extra channels" aren't used and that it is OK to filch them. A number of government, military and civilian agencies DO use those frequencies, especially below CB channel 1. Due to my connection to one of those agencies, I am not at liberty to reveal what these frequencies are. One agency is heavily involved in air search and rescue as well as ground search and disaster relief. Interfering with a live search---even a proficiency practice or training exercise--is enough to get a CBer into much difficulty. Moreover, some of the radio transmissions are not even ON voice, but use digital modes such as Pactor, Packet, and RTTY. You are not going to HEAR a lot of voice activity below 27 MHZ for a number of reasons, BUT interfering with their activities can carry some severe penalties. Again, I cannot reveal specifics, but a number of CBers have been fined for operating near or ON these so-called "freeband" frequencies. There is NO SUCH thing as a "freeband"----that is, a band of frequencies that are not assigned nor used by somebody. It doesn't matter if they are used daily, weekly, yearly or not at all; they are still assigned and are there to be used as the incumbent sees fit. It is the equivilent, legally, of me waltzing into your house, popping open a beer, making a sandwich and watching your TVn while you are gone. The law regards it the same!

The boss that is telling a driver to get a "non-standard" radio is leaving himself wide open for a huge fine--even jail time if they want to push it! It is NOT 'just those grumpy hams" that will push for punishment, but the other agencies and their communications officers as well that will cause trouble for the intruder that goes onto the so-called "freeband".

I would stay away from "them extra channels". CB radio has 40 AM channels, plus 2 sidebands for each frequency! While the actual total IS still 40 channels, the additional "space" yielded by using those sidebands makes for utilization abilities to expand to the equivilent of 120 channels, tho, techically, one is still on the same channel. That is plenty without filching frequencies from other users and agencies!

GF

 

"the additional "space" yielded by using those sidebands makes for utilization abilities to expand to the equivilent of 120 channels"

This is completely erroneous. Especially if the implication is they should not need more frequencies because they have 120 on the 40. There are 40 channels only and dual use with differing modes is just not possible. This is obvious to anyone who has actually used the band for the last few decades. To anyone using SSB on a channel the heterodyne between an AM signal and their carrier oscillator renders the channel too annoying to use. This idea of 120 channels by virtue of three modes has been the most misused fallacy in advertising by CB manufacturers for decades. Likewise the incessant garble to anyone on AM by SSB users renders the channel too annoying to use for them. This is the reason the 'gentleman's agreement' was created, channels 15 and 16 for SSB in the 23 channel days and then 35 to 40 for SSB after the 23 channel era.

The problem is by the late 80's there were far too many using the SSB area for AM who had no respect for the band (or other users), that drove the creation of the outband modifications on an ever increasing scale. Before this there was a small number of outbanders popularized with the introduction of the Siltronix VFO's and a few mods to radios here and there.

Much of this could have been abated by even a small amount of civic responsibility on the part of all the newcomers to CB. Mainly beginning with alterations to the 148 GTL, to allow dedicated skip shooting sidebanders channels (concentrated around CH 55 to 65) thus allowing them to again enjoy their radio fairly interference free. By the late 90's Mexican AM skip was taking over even this area as they grew their numbers in the US, while desiring a cheap means of talking to their families back in their home country. This has started to taper off somewhat with the increase both here and down south of Cell coverage and price reductions in per minute use since phones give them clearer and more reliable communications.

At the same time easy access to export models combined with increasing numbers of truckers preferring 'private' meaning interference free AM use on the frequencies below CB has increased the use of these areas. Whether or not any of it is legal does not deter from the 'facts on the ground' in terms of explaining 'what is', as opposed to 'what is legal' or 'approved'. Being a typical government operation the FCC did a poor job in creating the band in the first place, giving no thought to the future. They should have gone from 23 to 50 channels, removing the skips for obsolete RC use, and dedicated the last 10 or 15 for SSB use exclusively. As well they should have removed the distance limit for the SSB channels giving room for the great increase in 'skip shooting' as a hobby. This would have reduced the amount of traffic on non legal frequencies provided the FCC actually had a budget to enforce the mode restrictions. Because they created the band with less thought than a chimpanzee is capable of and less outlook to the future than an elephants memory, in effect they drove people dedicated to their 11 meter fun into these non allocated areas. This is an explanation of what is. Little time is needed scanning and listening to the spectrum to see this is so. If you have been in the industry since the beginning you already know this is true.

 

Have to call out on this one. I still have some older RC stuff that uses them frequencies.

I know alot of stuff has jumped over to spectrum but I am still living in the old days and running non spectrum RCs from ground based to air as are many many other RC users.

That reminds me, sure wish the wind would quit so I can fly some of my stuff before winter.

 

Not hard to change the TX, RX components to go to modern digital control. You would have better range and your plane would not fly off out of range as you lose control, when someone running a splatter box with a linear drives by while your flying, boating or whatever. Your lucky they did not apply the same legal criteria to forcing you to change as was used to outlaw 23 channel radios. Come to think of it one of your RC channels is a popular diathermy frequency so I would not fly around hospitals either. I should also add if they were smart why did they not merely add 5 RC channels below CB? And why allow diathermy in the same range? Failure to think which is so all typical of government operations.

 

Yawn............................

 

Another mistake the FCC made was not to set aside a block of new channels for FM .....

 

Why yawn at him? He posts the truth.