I got this CB Radio 2. Years ago and I just got the ANT. for it now.

I found out nothing I do works and I think there are no CB Listeners around me.

I payed $ 153.00 US but I do not want to Trash it.

How can I Sell it does anybody know of a place for things like this?

 

Ebay..

 

Cell phones have killed CB radio and damaged HAM radio. I hear some traffic but not much.

 

Eh, 10-4 good buddy. Used to be CB radios were as thick as bugs on a bumper. Now-a-days truckers are using some other form of truck to truck communication - if they are communicating at all. I'm not a trucker but I used to operate CB. KTR-3063 was my license number. That was before they went over to using a person's initials and zip code for the numbers. And I paid $4.00 for my license. I haven't heard for sure but I think they stopped charging for licenses. But what do I know!?!

I doubt truckers use cell phones to "ratchet-jaw" back and forth, they're very target specific for communications. I'd be curious to know how they communicate these days. Back in the day it was channel 19. Channel 9 was "React" monitoring services, which I never found anyone actually monitoring that channel. Plus, with all the hate and discontent being sowed on the airwaves, the radio fell out of favor. I still think it can save your life if you're ever stuck in a dire situation and had no other way to call out for help.

I have a Cobra sitting in the cabinet. Peaked and Tweaked. Has a real nice audio carrier wave to it as well. But it hasn't been plugged in nearly two decades now. I also have a Radio Shack unit, stock and probably less than 4 watts.

Since you "hear some traffic but not much" perhaps it might make a come-back as a means of chatting between vehicles. When I moved to Utah I had my wife drive my truck while I drove the U-Haul and auto trailer. She would turn the stereo up and not be able to hear the CB when I tried to talk to her. It was more of a hassle than anything else.

One night I was out in Kentucky, driving and feeling drowsy. So I picked a fight with another trucker. That lasted for a good hundred miles or more. Kept us both awake and alert. Fun too. The guy's handle was "Peter Pan". When I told my cousin that story he remembered it. Having been called names himself he adopted "ThePanMan" here on AAC. Good guy. Good for lots of laughs when we're together. He's in CA. I really should get out and see him. Been as many years since I've seen So. Cal's beaches. I miss them. Not the crowds, but the smell of salt air.

 

I just noticed post #1 is missing. That's not someone I'm ignoring, is it?

[edit] yeah, that was the case. Don't remember why I did that. Probably very long ago. Or even by accident.

 

Where are you located?
If you go near a highway with long-hall truckers, you might be able to pick up some CB traffic (CH 19 seems to be commonly used).

Doubt there's much of a market for used CB radios.

 

I have some analog TVs. They are unusable to.

 

Try listening at night. CB signals can travel long distances at night.

 

I posted the Radio I use above.
This is my ANT. I use with it.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B097RZZ24D/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I know how to set the Rings on the ANT. and I never can get my SWR Rating under 6 or 5 and yes I know the SWR the Radio tells may not be all that good.

 

I posted the Radio I use above.
This is my ANT. I use with it.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B097RZZ24D/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I know how to set the Rings on the ANT. and I never can get my SWR Rating under 6 or 5 and yes I know the SWR the Radio tells may not be all that good.

If you are seeing an SWR of 5:1 you might just be deaf to a lot of activity happening around you.

 

I have some analog TVs. They are unusable to.

I'm using one as a monitor for a Basic computer and retro games on an Arduino. They also make good laptop monitors with a VGA to AV converter.

 

Doubt there's much of a market for used CB radios.

Most anyone who might want one probably already has one. Or two. I have two.

Try listening at night. CB signals can travel long distances at night.

One night, from Los Angeles to Mobile Alabama I talked to someone. I was in my teens and that was over a hundred years ago. Well, maybe not that long ago, but it WAS back in the early 70's.

If you are seeing an SWR of 5:1 you might just be deaf to a lot of activity happening around you.

Since you "hear some traffic but not much"

Always got my radio's down to 1:1 on channel 19 or 20. And often without the use of an SWR meter. If signal strength is better on the lower channels then your antenna is too short. If stronger on the higher channels then was too long. Just using the meter on the radio I'd tune until channels 1 & 40 seemed to have about the same strength. Upon testing with an SWR meter, which I have, the standing wave reflection was 1 to 1.

 

As a mechanic I noticed for the most part the younger the driver was the less likely they were to have a CB. Probably 70% of the trucks I worked on had radios in them. GPS and navigation apps have replaced a lot of what a CB used to do, but at the same time there's information you are only going to get from a CB.

A lot of what I have seen online these days says the air waves aren't being used anymore the way they were intended and it's almost pointless to some extent.

 

@geekoftheweek You said:

the air waves aren't being used anymore the way they were intended and it's almost pointless to some extent.

Tried to PM you but it seems you have that feature shut off. Hate to ask here, (not highjacking) but share your point of view on why CB's are pointless to some extent.

 

Cellphones, internet, cheap VHF/UHF handhelds, FRS handhelds

 

@geekoftheweek You said:
Tried to PM you but it seems you have that feature shut off. Hate to ask here, (not highjacking) but share your point of view on why CB's are pointless to some extent.

Maybe that wasn't the best choice of words... it's more or less a matter of if you can find intelligent people on the other end. I haven't had one personally in like 30 years so maybe I'm reading too much in to what I have found online with people's habits and abuses of the air waves. If I traveled I know I would have one in hopes that I could still get and share relevant information from time to time.

As far as the PM goes I don't recall ever turning them off... maybe a default setting? I really haven't looked at settings other than basic profile information.

 

The benefit of CB radio communications on the road is that it is available to all. It is great for warnings about traffic backups and road hazards. How many different people can you talk with at one time on a cell phone?? and how can you call somebody ahead of you without their number??
Certainly CB conversations are not private, and that might be an issue on occasion.
So there is a place where there is no substitute for CB, but it is not everywhere. Ham radio is far more structured and able to cover hundreds and thousands of miles, but seldom can a Ham operator tell you about traffic a mile ahead on the interstate.

If a particular radio seems to lack performance the first suspect is the antenna. GOOD connections at every point in the installation, and a low SWR are very important if you want to reach farther than you can yell.