| Author |
Message |
    
Megahurts
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 10, 2002 - 2:00 am: | 
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Here's my story..... About 8 or 9 years ago, I found an old 23 channel cb in dear old grandads junk bin. I had not heard much about cb in years, but I thought I'd hook it up and see if anyone was there. I stuck a coat hanger into the coax conn. and wired up a 500mw wal wart. I turned the unit on and was in shock. People were everywhere!!! several small groups and a few bigger groups. Some obviouly BIG stations were out there in friendly competition. There were also many smaller stations, as well as "dozens" of mobile guys, all in a very small community. I was hooked! I listened in as I heard about things like beams, d-104's, galaxies, alpha tangos, and phantom amps. Within a year I to had a big base with tower and all. It seemed that everyone was upgrading to big stations. We would get together and help each other with "putting up the beams", or running coax. Several huge cb parties were thrown, (one with 100 + people). It seemed that everyone in the community was in on the act. You could drive down the major roads and count the antron 99's poking up! I estimate tHAt there must of been over 1 hundred regulars, not including the big stations in a big near by city, that were always on the air. Several rag-chewing session could be heard every night going on until 3 or 4 in the morning. If you left the radio off for more than 4 hours, it was like you were out of the loop! Anyway, I got the r/c helicopter bug and sold all the radio stuff about 7 years ago. Recently. I had been thinking about those good times and, bought another radio. I hooked it up that night And turned it on?????? Is this thing defective? I went the entire night with dead silence. The next day I stuck the antron up a little higher than that 10 foot pole, and did get alot of skip. But, the next night was dead silent again. On the third night, A small group of 4 or 5 was on the air, with the foulest language you could image, and the weren't to friendly. This is very depressing as I have just purchased a 600.00 radio. I should have tried with a moble first. This is nothing like the last time I turned on that radio 9 years ago. All those exciting people and "personalities" are history. Dhe radio is just dead 5 days out of the week and sucks even when active! BUMMER! I hear there are cycles of cb activity in my community, and now we are in a lull. BUT, the last great burst of cb activety was just before the internet really hit big. I'm wondering if this is really just a lull locally or a more serious condition caused by the internet? Will those great times return, or will this become a radio for DX use only? I'm crossing my fingers! |
oldguy
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 10, 2002 - 9:23 am: |
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Well you are sorta right!! Most of the ppl that in radio today are the dedicated "hobbiest" They like to tinker with thier radio to make them the best they can. Some are still around from the late 60ties when you had to build you own radios!!
We still have a CB coffee break every year here . Last year we had over 400 ppl attened!!! It was great!!
So dont give up and you will find those that are still "into CB" |
HoosierCardinal
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 10, 2002 - 12:40 pm: |
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Think thats bad? were i live there are probably about half a dozen locals that talk anymore and CH 19 is infested with loseers that only want to argue and get in fights!!!
I get on anymore to talk skip. The local chit chat is not worth my time.... |
de
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 10, 2002 - 2:07 pm: |
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9 years ago...
I still had most of my hair left on the noggin.
I was still fairly attractive to the built for speed belle femmes.
My favorinte watering hole was still open and thriving.
My ability to stay up all night was still in top form.
TODAY 9 years later...
A lot of hair has vanised, taken captive by aliens in flying saucers.
The good looking build for speed ladies are looking at men 10 years younger than myself.
And my favorite watering hole is now extinct as I once knew it.
:-)
A lot of changes can take place in 9 years.
:-O |
MickeyDee
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 10, 2002 - 3:00 pm: |
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I think there are two cb phases and two different groups that enjoy them. The two phases are caused by the sunspot cycle.
High Cycle : During this time the skip can be rolling in so bad that you can't talk to your next door neighbor. This high cycle is good for people who want to talk to other countries. Many who like to talk locally leave the hobby during this phase.
Low Cycle : During this cycle skip is low and local conversations are again possible. You can have regular group talks with people in your area. The local flavor of cbing returns. Your cb actually becomes useful for things that you use a cell phone for now.
If you fit into both of these groups it's no worse than the changing of the seasons. But if you don't then you may leave for a few years because things just aren't what they use to be. You used to talk to all your buddies and now all you hear are Mexicans and loud mouths with big amps. Stick around, the high cycle is waning and you may find your old friends getting back on the air as they discover that they can communicate locally again. |
Megahurts
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 10, 2002 - 11:34 pm: |
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Well, I do enjoy international DX quite a bit, so not all is lost. Also, things really can change in 9 years I guess. I sure hope the great local activity will return. Perhaps I can act as a catalyst of some sort to revive the hobby here? Could it really be a temporary down turn locally or did the internet kill this wonderfull pastime? I'm not talking the 70's here, it's was the early to mid 90's and cb was booming here. If cb was thriving here after the age of the yuppie, I see no reason for it not to return now. The story i've just heard is that after I had just left the hobby, Some tough guy ruffians turned up on channel 12. They did not gel well with the friendly first group. Soon after arguements turned into manhunts, beatings, and fist fights. It seems that most then backed it in, and got a cell phone or computer. that was about 7 years ago, and all is still dead. Maybe I can make some calls and force everyone to plug there junk back in...hehe |
2600
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 1:54 am: |
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Yeah, man you got it pegged, for sure. I call the "skip-only" guys Sunspot Babies. They disappear when solar activity falls off and show up again five years later when the sunspot count gets back over 100.
73 |
Scrapiron63
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 10:05 am: |
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Megahurts, it's run in cycles like that the 30+ years I've been on the radio, I like the 'low-skip' cycles much better, but everyone to his own. If you can find a friend or two, and start talking at night, you will be surprised at the people that will 'tune in' and soon start talking. Lots of people will run the channels, if they hear nothing, just turn it off again, but if they find a conversation, they are likly to join in. I bet you'd have some 'breakers' the first night. The computers and cellphones have made most younger people lose interest in radio, but lots of the oldtimers are still around. |
bruce
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 11:40 am: |
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Well in 9 more years as fast as things are getting smaller your watch will be your c-phone and cb set and when you walk around the mall talking to your hand no one even will notice...
Cb has been dead here in Tampa bay for 20 years when our groupe gets on ch 20 in the morning its just 3 or 4 of us and a few truckers on ch 19 use to be 6 even 10 channles going hot and heavy at 6am no more. |
dale
| | Posted on Thursday, September 12, 2002 - 5:12 pm: |
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you guys talk skip cycles low cycles and high cycles.as long as i been on the air i always had alot of skip.just the last 2-3 years been really bad here.i was wanting to know if anyone knows when the low cycle will begin.ive heard its coming. thouhts |
HoosierCardinal
| | Posted on Friday, September 20, 2002 - 10:22 pm: |
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yeah it used to be fun here to get on about 10;30 pm or so and find a few guys local to talk to and stay up until 3 am (LOL! i used to do it when i was still in high school and i got myslelf in trouble with the folks staying up late on a school night!) but anymore its kinda dead besides i work a quasi 2nd and 3rd shift so when i get home theres never anyone on that late so my "junk" almost never gets turned on anymore.. |
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