They don't?? It's been a long time since I was an active Ham, and CB was refered to a "Chicken Band", but at the time CB was 95% AM with scattered SSB sets.

I never meant at all, I thought they had mostly switched from AM to SSB like in the 1970's

 

I never meant at all, I thought they had mostly switched from AM to SSB like in the 1970's

It's still 99% AM. I keep a CB radio active in the winter for road condition reports from the truckers in the gorge.

 

Thank you all for your replies. If you have any other links you can share them with me. I would be glad!

 

You asked about using a transformer instead of a low output power amplifier to boost the audio for the AM signal.
Then you do not understand AM radio modulation.
1) Without any modulation then the carrier output voltage is constant, maybe is 10V.
2) When the carrier is AM modulated, the modulation changes its output amplitude (the A in AM is Amplitude).
3) Maximum modulation causes maximum loudness which is when the modulation from the amplifier or transformer causes the carrier peak voltages to reach double (20V peaks) or zero (no carrier output) of the average that we called 10V.

If you want more distance of reception then you increase the carrier power or increase the radio receiver's sensitivity.

Here is the waveform of a modulated AM carrier:

 

I think he was wanting to use a transformer to increase the RF output. No, you can't do that. The details are a bit hard to explain in a short note, but it is maybe simplest to say that a transformer does not increase power - it may increase voltage, but it does so at the expense of current. And it may be able to increase current, but does so at the expense of voltage. I*E in = I*E out.