CB dead or alive

I don't hear much local action on the CB band and the band still isn't as open as it was in the past but it's definitely improving and I've heard some good skip in the last couple of weeks. But it's really a day time band for skip these days.

Update the thread if you hear them on and I'll listen out, I'm not far from Carlow Town so should hear them.

It's really easy get on air but to be honest so many more bands to talk on day or night on the Amateur bands. Still would be nice to see a revival of CB in Ireland, I'd love to put up a CB for my Two Sons age 6 and a half and 8 to be able to talk to their local friends but even if I tried do that or suggest to their Friends Parents they'd probably think I'm a weirdo. They have a couple of friends within 5 kms be ideal and they'd have great craic but the Parents would have to be on board. Probably rather them stuck to a tablet all day but talking on a radio is weird these days lol.

Don't think my FTDX-10 will TX on the CB band in fact I bet it won't + I wouldn't be able to tune up on my EFHW. But if you want to give a few calls out on 27.535 I'll have a listen out, just let me know here before hand so I'm not wasting my time listening out for you 😁

I'm just thinking, just like for ham radio wouldn't it be better to have a wire antenna for NVIS rather than vertical ? Wire can be good for DX too, I get good DX on the EFHW too in a sort of inv L config. First half is up around 60-65 Feet then slops down and the UNUN is around 3 feet off the ground and I have it grounded there.

It would be good to get the younger folk more involved in Radio, my 2 Sons, 6 and a half and 8 years old love tuning around on the radio, gives them other stuff to do when I don't allow them on screens they have to occupy themselves some other way. They can't just pick up a tablet or the Nintendo but I have to unlock them and at that I have them locked down especially the tablet, there's far too much unsuitable material for them unsupervised even on youtube kids it's a lot of nonsense and they're not learning anything not using their creativity.

Last week the Boys and I built an FM radio together, I identified the components and the Boys took turns putting them on the board and soldering. You should have seen their faces when they turned it on and it worked, no tablet or smartphone can match that!

As for getting the ham license, it's not that difficult, all you need to study for the exam is on the IRTS site, you don't need to go anywhere else.

Best of luck with the CB will it be a base setup or in the car ?

Some FM signals are booming in.

Was just listening via the malahit SDR 2 and the Bonito MA305 with optional longer whip.

For yapping on the Ham bands I got the Yaesu FTDX-10 + EFHW antenna and FT-891 and Chameleon MPAS 2.0 vertical I use from time to time. How about your setup ?

The FTDX-10 won't transmit on 11m, not sure about the FT-891.

40 watt SSB, Should get you to the continent anyway, might need more juice. Local conditions are not great though, too much skip good for DX though.

Think it was around 2 weeks ago I heard a lad from Jamaica come in on 11m.

Those CB antennas, do the have radials ? I know for the Ham antennas they are essential night/day difference to performance especially TX.

It would be good if some of you CB'ers could try out a INV V Dipole or EFHW for better local coverage, I think the low angle radiation is just too low for local CB coverage and so many local signals could be bouncing over our heads.

I have great success using EFHW 49:1 for the Ham Bands, good DX and NVIS in a sort of sloping inv L.

I do know though that on 20, 40 and 17m if I connect up the Chameon MPAS 2.0 and swap between EFHW and Vert the signals are way down on the vert but the DX can be a lot clearer on the vert with just 4 x17 foot long radials. I've even got to Australia on 20m with that and 100w on 20m.

Yeah a dipole and vertical are the way to go, the thing is that most CB'ers seem to be using verticals, I really don't know why because they're not really for local coverage, unless they're only interested in DX, you'd have to be quite close to the other Person I think especially these days on 11m.

Get an amp with good reviews because some of them could be poorly designed and cause a lot of spatter which can really effect people a few Khz up or down from where you're transmitting.

11m hopping again tonight lads, continentals, I could hear that one or two people were on from EI but couldn't hear them at all but the people they were talking to booming in 59+ so as I was saying earlier, EFHW or dipole will probably greatly increase your chances of making local contacts, a dipole as inverted V up around 35 feet be a nice cloud warmer, should work a lot better for local coverage.

The only way you're probably hear locals is through ground wave if your close enough.

I've reading a bit on the imax 2000, screams inefficient with such a wide bandwidth, antennas shouldn't have a wide bandwidth without a dip and increase at band edges.

I read where those using the ground plane kit noticed narrow bandwidth which means the antenna is more efficient.

Low SWR doesn't mean efficient or good.

Let me know if you hear any locals on tonight I'll fire up the FT-891 on the Chameleon MPAS 2.0 and see if I notice a difference vertical to vertical.

I hear them much clearer on the Chameleon MPAS 2.0 17 foot vertical.

I haven't put back up the Bonito Loop Antenna yet but that antenna was better than the Megadipol for locals especially above around 14 Mhz.

So how can you hear them Bassy compared to the above video ?

Yeah very interesting conversation lol.

Seems the IMAX 2000 isn't what it used to be due to it being shorter in length.

No the Chameleon MPAS 2.0 is a portable Ham Antenna, 17 foot tall, works amazing really for it's size, I leave it on the front lawn all the time and connected to the FT-891 in the sitting room, Have got some amazing DX on it especially on 20m in the evenings in the Summer, North, Central, South America and Australia a couple of times all with 100w and 4 radials which is far less than optimal.

I noticed when I added the extra 3 radials performance improved especially on 40 m where it's never going to be a performer anyway, I got it for a right bargain from Martin Lynch a lot less than they usually go for so think it was a mistake.

When I added the radials SWR went up as ground losses were being reduced this is normal,

I hope to add a proper vertical sometime, maybe a hustler 6 BTV or 43 foot vertical but you really need an auto tuner at the feed point or losses would be huge over coax.

I missed your post.

How's the CB bands tonight ?

I'm listening to the Digital modes tonight listening to truckers on D-Star and it dawned on me that there are a lot of Truckers these days on Digital and the CB'ers are probably using maybe Zello ?

It would be nice to see more Lorry Drivers in Ireland on CB but I can't remember the last time I say a CB Antenna on a Lorry in Ireland.

D-Star is purely a digital voice mode, not sure if you can even listen without an Amateur radio call sign.

There is also DMR and Fusion.

On the road these Digi modes are convenient. I just use my Openspot 3 and anytone 878 and I have the Anytone 878 set up so I can, via the Openspot 3 use DMR, D-star and Fusion all from the One radio.

I will try find out if you can listen without a license.

For Digi modes I also use Blue DV for Android and Windows, The Windows version is really good and sound quality via Blue DV is much better, I connect via the DVMEGA Globetrotter which means I don't have to have a dongle connected to each device I use Blue DV on but you can also get the DVMEGA DV Stick 30 dongle.

I just have to find out if you can listen to any of these modes without a call Sign.