CB Radio Retrospective | The Retro Shed

[@ChartingCourse]

Absolutely fantastic video! I can't say how many times I've re-watched this. I'm 23 and just getting into CB as a lifelong 1970s fanatic. Going to install a Fanon Fanfare 190DF in my vintage camper (making a video about it soon), and I'm eating up everything I can about the incredible world of CB. This video has to be the most perfect intro to CB I've seen around. Thanks for inspiring a young man to get his ears on!

[@TheRetroShed]

What a great comment thank you! It’s a huge shame the heyday of the CB is over (here in the UK!). Back in the 70 / 80s it was a proper buzz. Hopefully there’s some life on the air where you are. Pretty dead here in Worcestershire. Glad you enjoyed the video.

[@Stun-69]

Great days, takes me back to being in my late fathers Ford Cortina with a K40 on the boot and his Midland rig. I’ve been looking at getting one to see who’s out there as it seems CB is coming back, great memories. Thanks for sharing

[@butterbean4195]

great video! ive been in cb since 1968 here in America back in the 23 channel days and had to have a fcc license. i was 8 years old and used my dads license but never used the call sign. only my handle. been active or had a cb ever sense even in the army even hitch hiking across america i had a radio shack 3 channel walkie talkie with the original truckers channel 10 then chl 9 and channel 11 the stock channel from the factory. i`m a ham guy now for about 30 years but always have a CB in my car and home.

[@TheRetroShed]

What a great comment thanks! You’re certainly in the best place for CB - where it all started to. We could have a great chat and a beer. Would love to hear your stories of the early days. Stay safe fella!

[@karlporath8904]

Being a trucker in the US for the last 30+ years I naturally got into CB. Like the old Harley/Indian feud for motorcycles, now you'll have to try the real king of antennas the Wilson 1000. The problem with CB radios is they tend to multiply like rabbits. I have around 50, mostly mobiles.

[@TheRetroShed]

Ha ha. Yeah I have a thing about buying and collecting old classic radios. Need to stop! I’m using a Sirio 5000 at the moment but the Wilson 1000 was on my shortlist. Any good?

[@karlporath8904]

@@TheRetroShed like all bottom loaded antenna's they don't get out as well as a good top loaded like a fire stick. But overall there's a reason the choice of American truckers is Wilson about 10 to 1. As far as that 0.4 low transmitting setting. Isn't that for feeding your illegal floor heater (linear amp)??

[@karlschulte9231]

Best shortened whip is the top loaded fiberglass plastic sheathed type. 6 ft worked almost as well as an 8 ft steel type. Sheath reduces rain static. The antenna has slightly less bandwidth but still allows 40 chan. It does reduce some nearby interference from base stations near the CB band. These signals if very strong/ near can desense (desensitise) the first stage of the radio making it seem as a desired weak signal faded out. Mark Products made them for ham, mil, and CB use. They later added a tuning rod at top as did others when the patent expired. CB version was Firestick. Had a custom 10 ft long, 3/4 inch thick version on trunk and got out on 20m around the world with ease. 73 nice video. Wish chan 9 react would be revived. Was a good public service. WA2KBZ

[@TheRetroShed]

Ah yes the legendary Firestik! Used to see a few of those around back in the day.

[@Sarasdad91]

I used to sit in the parking lot near a Big 5 sporting goods and talk on my Superstar 3900 export radio with a Texas Star 667V amp and Francis 8ft whip antenna and was loud and clear over their intercom. Lol. It used to piss them off. They used to come out and ask me to leave, for which I did. It was back in the 80s, and do I miss those days.

[@TheRetroShed]

The 80s ruled!

[@sootycharlie]

a fantastic overview, thanks good buddy.

[@TheRetroShed]

Cool thanks! Glad you enjoyed it mate.

[@sahhull]

I live in the UK. I got into CB in 1979. Im still on CB in 2022. I never bothered with HAM radio. With my 15w AM,FM,SSB illegal CB. I never caused TVI. I did cause TVI and got a 'busby visit' after I spent my pocket money and bought a 27/81 legal rig. Go figure. I still have my original kit (Audioline 341, Rotel 240, Half breed antenna) and they still work very well. I read 'The CB guide' 9 year old me, knew how to build my own antenna and SWR it. In 2022. CB around here is still fairly active, but its a shadow of how it was in the 80's

[@chrisbennett8538]

Still use mine not many of us left but I love them.

[@Sarasdad91]

There may be more of you soon, as CB radio has found new ground and are making a big comeback.

[@chrisbennett8538]

@@Sarasdad91 yeah out here on rd its way to quiet mile after mile of complete boredom

[@TheRetroShed]

@@Sarasdad91 where abouts in the world are you?

[@TheRetroShed]

@@chrisbennett8538 same here. Utterly dead.

[@chrisbennett8538]

@@TheRetroShed yes sir I am bored to tears out here on rd its basically solitary confinement when rolling no one hardly talks on cb like we once did had a great time laughing cutting up now its satellite radio wich gets so old because most channels play same artist over and over like prime country they play Garth over and over not to mention those damn cameras they say they aren't watching u every minute inside but I don't believe that for a minute because of some of the stories I've heard basically it is a boring mile after mile job out here now.

[@johnnymac26]

Great memories got a sub cheers.

[@TheRetroShed]

Thanks fella glad you enjoyed it! I’ll be doing some more CB stuff as it’s not what we normally cover :)

[@johnnymac26]

@@TheRetroShed love the old gaming stuff also Midlands cb radios My fave rigs.

[@TheRetroShed]

@@johnnymac26 we should be right up your street then. I was given a Midland 3001 in the mid 80s from a chap who’d given up on the hobby. He handed me a box and there were 2 antennas, a Midland 3001, Communicators CB, meter and cables. I used the Midland for many years until I got hold of a Uniden 200.

[@johnnymac26]

@@TheRetroShed 4001 I had fm sharps am my 1st rig lovely wee set.

[@SlippsUK]

Had a Hygain V back in the day , best cb out there 😃

[@edgeeffect]

I remember at school, I always wanted to be in with the CB kids, but I was poor and although the school provided computers, there weren't any CBs... so I was always playing with the computer kids instead. Although being poor wasn't so bad, I picked up a lot of useful skills taking old tellies apart.

[@TheRetroShed]

I can relate to that! I learned a lot by pulling old tellies and radios apart. Great fun! But you gotta be very careful with old CRT sets. They take no prisoners when you don’t know what you’re doing!

[@edgeeffect]

@@TheRetroShed there was only CRT sets when I pulled tellies apart.

[@TheRetroShed]

@@edgeeffect absolutely. We use 3 or 4 still for retro gaming. By far the best screens for older consoles and computers. I did a repair video on a Philips monitor a few years back if you need an open CRT heart surgery fix :)

[@DAVIDGREGORYKERR]

If only You were allowed to use Long Wire End Fed with a 16:1 UNUN to match the Long Wire to the transceiver.

[@ericmoeller3634]

Cw means continuous wave not carrier wave the u use the carrier wave to carry the single through the radio wave and FM on the cb radio will go farther than am its the same frequencies just different modulations the reason why it will go further is because fm is less prone to noise

[@TheRetroShed]

Yes you’re right. My bad! :)

[@rasherbilbo452]

Was going to post same but figured I'd check comments first. I'd venture the slide for FM vs AM diffraction was from a simple physics book and was referring to the broadcast bands. +1 for getting it right.

[@DAVIDGREGORYKERR]

I had the Starduster Antenna.

[@TheRetroShed]

That’s a classic! Wish I still had my original Sigma 4. Best performing vertical I ever owned!

[@kingduckford]

Why do you keep referencing to CB in the past tense? It is still alive. Far past its heyday, but still popular and still around. That Cobra 29LTD you show is still in current manufacture.

[@androsmorin]

Cobra 29 are now made from Uniden in china, as well most Midlan radio too (i am electronic tech, now officaly retired, still never so busie as i am now), its probably ten years the last new cobra or midlan i see that was made elsweyre than china...exep tthe case, uniden case from australia but board made in china. midlan case made in mexico but same inside than cobra and certificat sticker in chines inside,

[@RoastMasterUK]

UK - we had a 27ft avanti sigma 4 in the 80s sadly by mid 90s the UK cb scene was dead but for 20 yrs it was a lot of fun

[@TheRetroShed]

Exactly the same here. The Siggy 4 was (is) a great performer, the best antenna I've ever had on a home base. CB was buzzing with people until around 93-94 for me. - pretty much died around here in Worcestershire then.

[@davidthompson8989]

Keep looking truckers use all the time especially the 8 wheelers we be lost with out them tomorrow from Carl Wright haulage a plant Kirkby in Ashfield notts com on 😎

[@TheRetroShed]

That’s good to know mate! I do sometimes see trucks with whips but not that often.

[@mred3660]

If the serial numbers are read the same in the UK as here in the State’s the first number is your year it started back over at 0 in 1980 the difference between the seventies and eighties radios was the color of your power connection on the back of the radio went from white in the seventies to black in the eighties not sure about the difference between the eighties and nineties radios I believe it was new models It looks like you’re uniden is a 1981 from what I see on the back

[@TheRetroShed]

Great information thank you. So not a bad purchase for the £30 odd I paid for it. Had to re-wire the mic and take care of the PTT switch but apart from that it’s been mostly unmolested. :)

[@keithweiss7899]

I’m one of the original CB guys in the US from the 1960’s. We had an interest in CB here in the old days. But lots of radios used vacuum tubes back then. I have several Browning Labs base stations in my collection. The Tram XL-100 was a tube type mobile that was excellent. As far as the K-40 antenna goes, I will disagree with you. The company was famous for making outlandish claims. They bragged about their magnetic mount antenna being good due to “magnetic flux harmonics”. 🤣 The best mobile is the full-length stainless steel whip. But most people didn’t want to mount one in the center of their roof, where their pattern was the best. The Avanti Mobile Moonraker was the next best choice. The problem with the K-40 is that they had a hollow area inside of the coil that would fill with rain water and cause high SWR. In addition the water would freeze in cold weather and bust the coil.

[@khrispy]

Great video...brought back some great memories, I got into CB in 1982 in NE Engand. Got to know loads of people through it and used to go out with mates in the car and get chatting to people in other towns. I went through a few rigs...and ended up with a York 863 and Binatone 5 Star (same thing underneath the cover). Happy days!

[@TheRetroShed]

Thanks. Generally that seems to be most people’s experience of the hobby back then. Cruising around with mates in cars - or static on a hilltop! And meeting people from all over. I’m still mates with many on FB today and met on the CB. They were good times.

[@stuartmccloud307]

I just dusted off my old harvard base unit and Harrier mobile and an old DV27 of god knows what vintage from the loft. yep there is no one on, but that aint stopping me. This video is absolutely brilliant, well done my man. You have captured a decade in 25 minutes. Love it.

[@andrewfishpool89]

Really informative video. I was late to the CB party, only getting mine around 1990 and was active on it to around 2000. Met some interesting characters on there. I still have 2 sets which I must dust off again soon.

[@robertusa1611]

You should hook it up not to many people on but most of the idiots got board and are gone , 193 long island ny waving a hand and hope to catch you out there

[@RaymondJones-kh6pp]

Hi there great video l am 72 years old been on cb radio since 1969 l used a lafayette H E 20 base station with a lafayette half wave base antenna l have many radios since the best one was the uniden 144 side band 40 channel and the uniden was great on skip l still love c b radio and l am still on the radio after all these years the skip conditions are getting better now my call signis oscar bravo 101 and l am from melbourne Australia

[@TheRetroShed]

Great to hear from you! Thanks for the comment. Glad you enjoyed it. I wish there were more people on the air where I am but it’s pretty quiet at the moment. Take care!

[@chetsjug]

I am really happy to hear this version of the CB radio story from the perspective perspective across the pond. Growing up a teenager with a neighbor that had a CB radio in his pickup truck that he used on construction sites I really like to listen to it when he was parked in the driveway. By the time I was fifteen I had to have one. Even before I drove a car I had a CB. I kept trying to borrow money from my mom to get one from several garage sales I visited and she kept saying no. That's because she had bought me one for Christmas of 1976 because the CB radios were 23 channels. And the law was January 1st 1977 they were to go to 40 and you were not allowed to sell the 23 channels so everything hit rock-bottom price to get rid of the stock before Christmas LOL. I've had a TV in every car and I've also been an 18-wheeler driver for 40 years but I always had a CB because I liked it not because I was a truck driver.

[@TheRetroShed]

Thanks for sharing fella! Always good to hear other peoples stories of how they got into the hobby. I had a radio before I could drive also. First thing I fitted into my car was a CB!

[@nbookie]

Made a lot of noise in the 90's on cb. The first time i heard signal from someone other than my brother I was shocked. We thought the 3 channel radio shack walky was point to point only. A few days later we heard two guys talking on channel 12 from Dayton Ohio US to Jamaica and South Africa! A few days later I purchased an HR2510 (president lincoln) and ranked to wester Europe. I was hooked!! My brother left it behind but I have made a career out of radios. Amatuer radio, Telco repair, built many telco for everything from military to units now used for the Mars rover to oil fields and UAV. That 1 random call from a guy in Dayton Ohio to 3 channel crystal cb changed my life. Thanks "Woody"!!!

[@TheRetroShed]

That’s incredible! Thanks for sharing. :)

[@dktr2]

It was also very popular in Poland, a base antenna on each roof, and all channels were also busy. We used channel 28 as the calling channel.

[@RadioMalopolska]

Right

[@twoheart7813]

I had a Uniden that looked like your 200 but had SSB and AM. I used it at my cabin on weekends in the early 80's with an inverted V antenna, talked skip all over the country on 4 watts, great fun.

[@TheRetroShed]

Sounds like you may have had the original President Adam’s rig. Nice radio that was and still fetches a bit of money today for a decent one.

[@alanslade2319]

Hi love all cb and more, love that you had a good look at some of the rigs, I come from LUTON and my Handel is Nightowl , i have mostly been watching Fred in the shed don’t know if you have heard of him or spoke with him, but he worth a look 👀. Thanks again love it cheers take care AkA Nightowl from Luton 🍺👍

[@TheRetroShed]

Hey there. Yes I’ve seen a few of Freds vids in the past. It’s pretty dead on the standard FM here where I am but I keep a listen out still. Take care mate!

[@richards1191]

Cb is very popular here in the upper midwest. Probably a few thousand of us within a 500 miles of here

[@TheRetroShed]

It seems to be slowly growing in popularity here in the UK as well. Since lockdown there’s been more people on again.

[@d.s7741]

great tool for truck drivers. Have a Galaxy in mine, and when you're out on the road in below zero weather or a snowstorm it's nice to communicate with other truckers. Also like to let 'em know if there's if there's a "rolling microwave" on the road

[@TheRetroShed]

Back in the day most trucks here in the UK had them. You could always grab a copy off a trucker. Hardly any now at all.

[@MauriatOttolink]

AM CB interfering with a bloody kettle? Some mindless journalist (And there are many) making it up to fill out his copy!

[@MattyStoked]

This was _awesome_. I was born a bit too late for this, I knew nobody into CB growing up. I think some of the older kids in school were still into it but I missed out. And I love old bits of tech. This video has made me want to get into it to see who's about in my area!

[@TheRetroShed]

It was a fabulous time - long before the age of mobiles and internet. I made some life long friends on the radio that I keep in touch with today. Your comment echoed a few in our Facebook group - a few have gone out and bought some new multimode radios to have a play with during lockdown!

[@francismcclaughry3794]

from what I understand they are supposed to open up F M for the U, S

[@androsmorin]

from january 2022 canada and us permit fm modulation on 27mhz band. and yes they sell like hot cake.

[@keithweiss7899]

Back in the 1960’s in the U.S. we had some business channels that were between channel 22 &23 and just above 23. They allowed more power to be used than the class D CB, so manufacturers like Browning Labs sold those radios and legal linear amplifiers for them. That is why you can find a lot of linear amplifiers that were made by very legitimate manufacturers. Browning, Courier, Johnson and many others. The Johnson one radio was a commercial unit that they put a resistor in to reduce the power to 5 watts input to the final amplifier tube. That was the specifications back then. The old guys like me used to jumper across the resistor and adjust the modulation back to the commercial levels. It was much easier to violate the rules back then!🤣 I wish a book was written about he history of CB radio. But I guess most people don’t care anymore.

[@TheRetroShed]

Thanks for sharing fella! Interesting stuff. The thing is - I bet loads of people would be very interested. This is my second most popular video ever - and it’s not even my usual subject. I only did it because I have an interest in radio and people asked me to do it! I’d love to read the history of CB right from its beginnings to its use today.

[@keithweiss7899]

@@TheRetroShed I’m a licensed Extra Class Amateur radio operator. But I still keep my CB station going. One of the funny things from those old days was when the Swan corporation, that made ham radios, decided to get in on the money being spent on CB. Swan came out with the 1011 Amateur radio. It had complete 10 meter coverage and also received the 11 meter CB band. It used to be assigned to the hams anyway. But with a jumper wire, you could easily make it transmit on CB as well. It had SSB and also a.m. on it. It had a receive filter for it that was good for SSB, but a little narrow for a.m. reception. Anyway it became popular with CB operators right away. It had VFO and put out about 20 watts on a.m. But the hams took notice of it right away and formed a boycott of Swan radio corporation. So Swan quickly ceased production. But they set up a new company called Siltronix to make them. They had the 1011B, 1011C, and 1011D as time went by. The D radio had only a small part of the 10 meter band on it. They made a fortune selling those radios to CB operators! They also came out with a series of VFOs just for CBs. Many other such products were made with the Siltronix brand and they profited the Swan company. Hams ended their boycott of Swan and they continued to sell ham radios. But their real money was made selling products for illegal CB operation. When CB popularity dropped, the Siltronix/Swan corporation went out of business More useless information!🤣

[@hackbyte]

Nice video.... Right now, CB is more or less burning. Just today, using utwente websdr i could hear stations from Boston and Alabama USA... ;)

[@-CT-SODBUSTER]

I was entertained from beginning to end I've been on the Cb radio since the late '80s and you did a lot of Justice to the hobby brother. It was nice to see the UK aspect of it. cheers from across the pond 73's! Looking forward to the sideband video

[@TheRetroShed]

Lovely comment thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. Stay safe and take care fella. :)

[@karlschulte9231]

Oh ham since 1958, RSM/ Ch Warrant Signal in US Army ( ret) and Motorola sys engr. Worked with Mark Products for years solving special comms on HF with their products.

[@danek8493]

Very interesting and brings back memories. My friend's parents had a CB radio in the late 80s. The kept it in the room where we played the C64. They had another unit in the car. It was for them like a mobile phone today.

[@TheRetroShed]

Same here! Most of my mates had home bases and rigs in the car - we were always on it. Great times!

[@dalethelander3781]

Yank here. Got into CB in 1976. American Antenna K40s were manufactured in my old hometown of Elgin, IL. Once, I neglected to remove my K40 from the base and it was pinched (I think you call it). I had a friend who worked at American Antenna who got me another one. Loved the 1/4 turn to remove/replace. I just got lazy one day.

[@TheRetroShed]

Hi fella. My favourite antenna for many years! I used K40 since the 80s and always loved them. Yes that quick release 1/4 turn was just brilliant. I bought a K40 again for the 3rd time in 2019. The base plastic crumbled away within a year. The coil plastic (with the red K40 slogan on) came off too. Sadly the quality of the antenna is nowhere near what it used to be. I think it’s manufactured in the Far East now and is nothing but a pile of cheap rubbish. Such a shame. But yeah the original K40 is legendary! Great to hear from you and stay safe!

[@derekheeps1244]

@@TheRetroShed I still have my original two K40s from the 1980s

[@creakybones2407]

Wow does that bring back memories! I was Mega into CB In the 80's Had a York jcb 863 back in the day. Had it for years till someone knicked it out of my truck. Also had a Cobra 148 gtldx. Actually met the wife on the rig and been married 28 years! Ain't it funny how time slips away lol

[@TheRetroShed]

UK CB was 40 years old last week. Loads of people came on for the one evening - and it was really good to speak to so many new people. Unfortunately is pretty much dead again (where I am) now. They were good times indeed!

[@Piltdownpaul]

Ts570D fine bit of kit, had mine a year now,very useful indeed.

[@Stealthmodeactivated-h8w]

Really enjoyed watching this video well produced and thanks for the trip down memory lane. Was on cb from 1978 with a jaws mkII then binatone 5 star 81….and many others including the 2830 and Lincoln I had both.

[@TheRetroShed]

Thanks! So glad you enjoyed it. :)

[@murraysville1]

Hi, I got back into cb about six years ago got 22 rigs in my collection now and there's quite a few on in my area(South Yorkshire).

[@TheRetroShed]

Sounds like a great collection - would be great to see what you’ve got. :)

[@indiana146]

My daughter has bought me a ss9900 i got advice and folk said it was top notch

[@TheRetroShed]

@@indiana146 they are a nice radio. Don’t run it on full power - they can get really hot and if your SWR is not spot on they can cook their outputs!

[@indiana146]

@@TheRetroShed yes ive heard that fm gets very warm but you dont need loads of power im at top of a hill 800 ft above sea level that should help Thanks id heard from a few about hot so yeS ill wind it back im remember from cb days about swrvcheers

[@ronalddaub7965]

Cool I have around 20

[@benpatsy2076]

I've never heard relays and a cooling fan on a Uniace before. 😉

[@WILDDAGGERTV]

CB radio ...is still taking the UK by storm ..everyday new breakers come on ...

[@2Steppa2]

I have one of these in my collection and used to have the Realistic version; TRC-2000.

[@clarenceswope3026]

I originally started on CB because of Dad and then Dad got into ham radio then I got into ham radio because of Dad when dad passed away I got his old call sign and as long as I'm still breathing I'm not going to turn loose that call sign N0SPW is my call sign here in the US I still use a CB and I also have a ft991 alpha it was my first brand new all band all mode radio and yeah I could go in and modify it but I'm not going to it is exactly as it came out of the box

[@TheRetroShed]

Great to read your comment mate! Good to see so many US viewers watching this :)

[@derekheeps1244]

Nice video , and nostalgia indeed . I'm sitting here with a Uniace 200 , exactly the same as the one in the video , classic set and a clone of the Audioline 341 ; I also had a Uniace 100 and Audioline 340 which were the smaller version , and I still have an Audioline PT-342 which had the transceiver box you could hide away with all the controls and the channel display on the mic ; all still work . I also have my original Binatone Breaker Phone , which was a CB that looked like a car telephone , and a spare one I bought later . Like so many others I had an Amstrad 901 , various Midland Rigs , a Binatone 5 star , and a few 'naughty' ones like Ham International Multimode II and Concorde II , a Stalker ( model forgotten ) and briefly a NATO 2000 .There were no doubt countless others . As for aerials , I had the original Thunderpole at home , at work I had a Shakespeare Big Stick , and for mobile use I had numerous antennae ranging from DV27s through a 'Bullwhip' , which I still have , and a couple of K40s .

[@kkteutsch6416]

I own a Cobra 148 GTL taiwan made, a Cobra 19 DX IV, a Midland/Maxon MCB60 A and a brazilian made CCE CB 7000 am 60 ch that I'm needing a service manual to fix it - a schematic diagram I already own...

[@karlschulte9231]

If no one talks but all ony listen NO ONE KNOWS ANYONE IS THERE! You are so right. As a novice on 15m CW listened, heard Nada. Then called CQ and got a QSO and then band went nuts! Try setting up local clubs, neighborhood watch, and wake up CB!

[@Patrickjdee66]

What a class video, loved it, I’m back on after buying a handheld last Christmas, then another handled President Randy 3, then a Sirio 5000 antenna, have a President Richard en route, you know how it is, we all go crazy with our hobbies and slow down when you realise you have too many radios, I have a Ham licence (thanks lockdown) but my heart is in CB even though as you said it is usually 40 channels of static , cheers mate, all the best.

[@TheRetroShed]

Great comment thanks. I know how you feel! The 5000 is a great antenna - I use one on my car. CB came alive last Tuesday being 40 years old. It was brilliant! Spoke to lots of people on the UK 40. Reminded me of the old days. :)

[@Patrickjdee66]

@@TheRetroShed yes it was , happy 40th Birthday, I got my first CB in 82, was a Maxcom 4e and used a magnum 3 antenna in the garden , what great times, but yes lots of idiots wanting to do spoil it, channel 40 here in Southend on Sea was quite busy on Tuesday which was good to hear, I’m holding back on anything else even though Knights have so much good stuff it’s always tempting, the President Richard has been bought for it’s look and power, i love the retro part of it, but it’s a Christmas present so the wife has already told me than when delivered tomorrow it gets wrapped (spoil sport)

[@TheRetroShed]

@@Patrickjdee66 I normally avoid the muppet channels because we get a lot of idiots pushing power who are a mile apart south Birmingham way but you do get some proper decent people to speak to. From that aspect - it hasn’t changed much!

[@kkteutsch6416]

In 1982 I started at cb hobby with a use 23 ch Am GE radio and next with a new Cobra 146 GTL...

[@joatmon6132]

Convoy had nothing to do with popularizing CB radio. It was a terrible movie that came out ostensibly based on the song Convoy by CW McCall, which had a whole lot to do with the popularity of CB. In fact Convoy was such a awful movie it was worse than not just Star Wars VII by it was even worse than Smokey and The Bandit III.

[@Jim-xz1ew]

Ham radio is about both. Talking to others and making friends. Also the technical side for the advancement of the hobby. I can hear the relay keying in the amp when you were using the am rig. Shame shame. LOL !

[@lensmanonline]

This brought back some happy memories of using CB radio, I had a couple of Audioline 341 which I believe had the same Internals as the uniden, I also had a uniden 300 homebase. The mobile rig were hooked up to several twigs over the years, DV27, modulator, rebel 500. The homebase rig was hooked up in the beginning to a wotpole, then I had a 5/8 wave on a pole can't remember the make. The last rig I bought was a thing called a tristar it had 80 AM/ FM upper & lower sideband over 3 blocks, it was pushing out 12 Watts.

[@TheRetroShed]

Good times fella. I knew a few people with the Audioline. Nice rig! I once tried co- phasing a couple of DV27s to my old Cavalier. Never could get it tuned properly so abandoned the idea and went back to my K40. Good antenna back in the day - cheap Chinese made crap now sadly.

[@HarryBunnGRVOTV]

Grasshopper here! That uniden is gorgeous, takes me straight back to CB club in 1984!

[@TheRetroShed]

Copy that Grasshopper San :) yep I love the Uniden. It’s so… classic CB looking.

[@derekheeps1244]

I have one exactly like it right here ; had it from new . Also the Audioline 341 which was its clone .

[@garrydealey1968]

Great to see the cb I come on cb in the late 70s and still have 3 back all so on amateur radio great video

[@richardhetrick4770]

I have ranger 29 70 in my trucks the regular cb not many people have them on the telephone has taken over k40 is cars trunk or boot lid but truck I use Wilson 1000 the phone more reliable. Alot of people dislike people using other English or cb in us french was 12 Spanish was on 15 but you have Russian Polish and hindise and mandarins I like to go below ch one

[@buckshotaaa]

Wow, looking at this video brought it all back to me from the early 80's when a bunch of us had a big network running all over Lincolnshire and beyond whilst we were in our "muddy wheelers". My rig was a Colt 295, a pretty basic set up but worked extremely well in the tractor with a "modulator" on the roof. Also i had a home base set up which was a Murphy 1500, while it was a basic "bleed over" machine it dragged in from all over with my "silver rod" twig mounted on a telegraph pole extended by a scaffold pole way up in the clouds! Living in the country i didn't suffer from "bleed over" at all and with a 200 watt "burner" modging with other counties was not a problem if conditions were right. Ahhh, happy days.

[@TheRetroShed]

They were great times. Glad the video brought it all back :) ah yes the good old Modulator. I had a centre loaded modulator for a while. They made a base load and an enormous twin modulator with two loads on it. Pretty much impractical unless you where static!

[@hendrikvandermerwe3970]

Very cool video. Well i got into it now for the first time. You mentioned that in the UK you dont need a license. Here in Namibia you still need to apply for a license. Greetings 74SD777

[@parksmush]

Beautiful machines you've got there sir.... Great vid, loved it. 😁

[@jameslester3861]

Our family got into CB in 1970. We had two 5 channel Johnson Vikings, 1 mobile,1 base. We later got a Johnson 223 base station. Quite a few of the businesses in our town used CB for deliveries and their customers could also call them. Once or twice a year there would be a CB Jamboree that was a lot of fun. Most towns or parishes(Louisiana here) would have CB clubs and they would sponsor these gatherings. There would be drawings, door prizes, raffles, live entertainment and of course all kinds of great food. My Dad won a Cobra Cam 88 base station at the first one he and my Mom attended. Great times. I still have most of our old radios and the CL-R2 base antenna.

[@LA-SAR]

Me and my brother use to own the airways with our tuned Galaxy DX33 it would talk on about 30+ watts if I remember correctly. Those were mainly trucker radios and would out talk just about anything stock other than some ham rigs. We got a Galaxy Saturn base station with a modified Varmint 150 super modulator and a Antron 99 antenna and it was the boss in our area could talk to bases AND some mobiles over a 150 miles away in another state...lol Good times wish they would make a comeback. My friend threaten to hook his 33 back up the other day told him if he does then I will fire mine back up too!

[@TheRetroShed]

I bet they were great times. It’s interesting looking at the range of comments here. They go from “CB is dead!” to “CB is thriving here!” It’s definitely a question of where you live.

[@DAVIDGREGORYKERR]

That Looks Like a President McKinley CB transceiver but mine didn't have the FM mode.

[@scummyinoz]

Gday nice i still got my GE model b and a kemtronices a rebranded Pace Sidetalk 1000M and some others cheers

[@DaveRepairs]

That felt like a full guide to CB

[@black5f]

If we don't use it we will loose it. And yes, we used to drill holes in our cars to mount an antennae ha ha. Great video! I still have a working York JCB and a little Midland from the 80's, but purchased a new cheap one and it is really good, back into the hobby.

[@leonolanofficial4581]

Between Convoy, Dukes of Hazzard and Smokey and the Bandit they revived CB

[@jemhidiahssj4114]

Get on a cb in the US the last couple months and you will see it’s definitely not dead.

[@AnthonyJones-vk6xq]

Excellent video, watching this made my saturday evening.....the first rig i played with is in your video @7.06, a channel master !!! After that i was hooked, i cannot remember how many rigs i had, Hygain Vs, Tristars, Midlands, Channel Master, Formacs 88 + Formac120, Amstrad, Yorks, Rotel......... Even now i have a Superstar 360 a Midland3001 and a Belcom 102 which i use on the 10m band !!! Good luck with getting your amateur license, the TS570 you have is an superb radio, virtually all my amateur gear is Kenwood for HF and VHF/UHF/SHF. Catch you on 40m or 11m/10m soon i hope. 73.

[@TheRetroShed]

Are you Redditch Tony Jones?

[@alzeNL]

lovely video, was like going back in time seeing all those gorgeous radios. The Lincon was really nice to see in particular, I hope it gets more use. Enjoyed hearing a C.B. operator and the difference in termionlgy used (Swaaaar, vs S.W.R.) fun. For diclosure - I have both CB and a full range of Amateur radios, C.B. got me into Amateur radio, and yes I come from a technology background :) - good founded assumptions hehe. Edit - lol, love the LED lights on a christmas tree, looks pretty, i bet they are producing a ton of local interference (QRM) on HF.

[@TheRetroShed]

Hey thanks for the comment! It’s always good to hear from strangers out there who were into the hobby. Yes the Lincoln is a particular favourite of mine. Beautiful radio - they don’t make them like that anymore. The new one is not a patch on it! Speaking of LEDs - I’ve recently made an RGB LED matrix display powered by a Pi (you can see it in certain shots in the latest video on the 3DO). That needs to be powered down to use the radio for sure! You can hear it across a lot of frequencies - sounds like the Russian Woodpecker! :)

[@alzeNL]

@@TheRetroShed Ferrites.. Ferrites on everything.. and RF chokes on power. QRM hunting and elimination is a never ending battle. Thanks for the lovely response as well. Hope to get you in the log book - 73 2E0FWE

[@andycarless9069]

I started Cb back in 1978 with a Commtron 4 and then moved to a Cobra 148 mk 2 and i still own them to this day . Even now i'm Amateur Licenced now they are still working and on display in my shack. Great review 😊👍

[@TheRetroShed]

Thanks Andy glad you liked it. It was a great time back then. Not so much now, especially on the muppet 40. Usually the same fools with the same echos pushing as much power as possible talking to their mate across the road. But that aside there are still some great people to talk to. It’s just finding them! :)

[@andycarless9069]

Totally agree i also forgot to say i still own a stalker 9 mk2 sweet looking mint radio

[@francismcclaughry9851]

yea that radio you are using is a 590 com the mobile that is old. it looks like bran new

[@AEZAEZEL-187]

Those are really good radios back in the day but i am more for the newer radios like the President MC Kinley EU and President Lincoln II+ or the CRT SS 7900 v turbo and also the CRT SS 9900 v4 which all are fantastic amateur radios!! İ highly recommend them!!!

[@TheRetroShed]

I’ve used the Lincoln II+ and I found the buttons too small for my fingers but it’s a great radio. The SS 9900 was also good - I’ve had two of them but had issues with fuses and outputs cooking on both. But on whole the new radios are very good.

[@DouglasTitchmarsh]

Great overview of the CB radio👍

[@bobcatcomms]

Things I've caused interference on through the years, Bank Alarms, Garage forecourt pa systems, car alarms, television and commercial radio, wireless telephone handsets, Still on radio, thankfully no longer causing tvi etc, great video, 73's 29TM063 Dublin Ireland

[@TheRetroShed]

Oh yes. Back in the day we had some fun! Great times. Yes no TVI anymore but I must say LED lighting is a pain in my shed. :)

[@drsysop]

UK can now use 27 MHz CB like US, Canada & EU. That Lincoln 1st gen was same as our Uniden HR-2510.

[@sahhull]

Yeah. They gave us what we wanted... After it was too late to make a difference

[@dirtycaty]

a lot of old Ham operators have moved up the ladder to CB radio

[@sahhull]

HAMS on CB are easy to spot. They will illegally use their ham kit on the CB band. They cannot resist carrying on their HAM conversations on CB.... eg. Hello can I have a radio check? Then they moan about something not working right or gloating that they fixed something else. End of conversation. All Hams are the same.

[@simonwalters4842]

Well done on a great informative video

[@mattcurtis3019]

I had a Lincoln and I have a 25ft Shake Sphere that cost £299 back in 2000s Made in the US I'm about to set up it up 1st time it ever seen day light can't wait to get back on the Air I'm looking at the Alinco DX 8 is it, Thank you Great video

[@TheRetroShed]

Sounds great! Whereabouts are you based?

[@anthonygallo3576]

Great video . Even u guys in the UK hate the stuff made in china!. K40 went the way of the D-104. I started in the 70's with the original cobra 29. On and off for decades. Im 60 now and still in the hobby .i have one modern radio and the rest ,like u Vintage. Also in the ham bands. Tell u one thing,like u said way more fun than facebook and yes ,the idiots are still out there

[@TheRetroShed]

A lot of original gear manufactured to high spec and tolerances were cheaply offloaded to Chinese companies. Doesn’t seem to matter where it originated- UK, US etc. Once it’s made there, on the whole it becomes poor quality. Interesting though that a friend of mine just bought a Tesla. The sales chap said the ones made in China are of a much better build quality than the US ones! Just goes to show eh?

[@furzkram]

The qrm noise floor is terrible meanwhile. PLCs, solar panel rectifiers, ... Not fun working from home anymore. Impossible in most cases, actually.

[@TheRetroShed]

You’re right. LED lighting, laptops and Wi-Fi access points. Better off going mobile and getting some height.

[@CocoaBeachLiving]

Really great video sir. I was a kid when I got my first 23 channel Radio Shack 'base station' (lol) with a big fiberglass whip antenna mounted outside my bedroom window.. I got my friends who lived nearby to get radios and we were gods..or so we felt like lol.. I love hearing about UK CB history! Very cool. I didn't know you guys use FM. I was always working the squelch knob.. Lot of great times

[@TheRetroShed]

Thanks fella. Great to hear from you! Everyone used to moan about the FM here in the UK. Most people wanted AM and have always said it wasn’t as noisy. FM modulation sounds nicer but there’s more background noise for sure!

[@Aron102]

Great video thanks for sharing. I do miss my old cb radio days. Was still good in 93/94 here in Surrey.

[@TheRetroShed]

Thanks mate. Glad you enjoyed it. More to come on the CB subject I reckon! ;)

[@tac73]

I enjoyed your video! I got my first CB radio (a Realistic Mini Six, from Radio Shack) when I was 17, back in 1972. It opened up a whole new world for me. I met some really wonderful people. I became a REACT monitor, got to help people on the road. My interest in electronics peaked, which led me into a job as an electronic engineering technician, working on satellite hardware. Then, I became a HAM, and so it goes... But, it all started with CB.

[@TheRetroShed]

Great comment thanks. Yes they were great times! I miss them :)

[@argy111]

Well I now know what I'm doing in the spring...

[@TheRetroShed]

Let’s see your setup once it’s up and running. :) get your twig nice and high and get on SSB. Let’s see if we can copy - you’re not too far away I don’t think?

[@chrisbennett8538]

Yeah me to my base will be going up.

[@TheRetroShed]

The time has come. Let’s see your setup then?!!

[@ferretlover712]

CB is mainly on the used in the winter around here at least

[@chrisbennett8538]

@@ferretlover712 I'm putting my 102 on puck up soon.

[@Pedro8k]

The trouble with CB was it was unregulated a good idea if used properly but you then got the jammers music players and bad language I don't know if anyone still uses it anymore a lot went and did the Rae courses and took the exams to get a amateur radio licence but the two are very different more formal and technical

[@TheRetroShed]

Absolutely. But that was the point wasn’t it? It was supposed to be licensed but no one I knew bothered with that. It was like the Wild West and that was part of the fun. Yes you always had idiots keying music with lots of wattage but all we did was move to another channel. They didn’t affect us as we lived pretty close together and happily talked over the top. :)

[@zukispur5493]

Thoroughly enjoyable watch. Top work mate. What I'd like to know is where have all these radios gone?

[@TheRetroShed]

Thanks. Like anything else from that era - landfill, sold to collectors or just butchered by people I suspect. The few that are left and in good condition fetch mad prices now.

[@technic7762]

I had the k40 back in yesteryear and used it as a base antenna mounted outside on house gutter and it performed great i herd they aint what they use to be pity .I had the 148 and the concorde 2 what were great but always wanted a lincoln there was only 1 gut i knew that had 1 when it i seen it i thought wow it looks good it has a frequency counter covers everything that we were paying to get added to the other radios easy to use said on the screen what you were on instead of channel 53 with being 19 etc and switches doing all sorts of things that there not meant to

[@TheRetroShed]

Sadly the K40 is nothing like the K40 of decades ago. It’s a cheap, nasty thing now. The mag mount broke after less than a year. The base load also came apart in less than a year and the mag mount adaptor plate is badly machined and doesn’t sit as straight as the original. To actually still call it a K40 is a crime!

[@Microblitz]

CB has made a resurgence during covid in our area.

[@TheRetroShed]

It seemed to for a while here in Worcestershire then it died down again. Most days - static! There was some DX taking place over the weekend on SSB.

[@noble_wolf]

I remember having a QSO in Brazil (from England) using a K40 magmount, and a Stalker IX radio (wood effect front panel - cool !). Heard Australia but couldn't get through. Got USA and Canada from home using a horizontal wire dipole (Too much QRM these days on vertical). All SSB.

[@TheRetroShed]

Great work! Yeah the good old K40 was an awesome antenna. Performed brilliantly. Shame the new ones aren’t a patch build quality wise. I’d love an original.

[@davidelrick3131]

I started off with a amstrad 901 n then bought uniace 200 good cb even had fidelity 3000 base station

[@TheRetroShed]

People slate the 901 but I thought it was a great rig. A friend had one. Typical Amstrad - it did the job!

[@sputniksam]

A really enjoyable video that brought back a lot of memories. I got into CB back in the late 70’s using a small Jaws MK2 40ch AM rig. My handle was Throbbing Gristle. In a way CB radio dictated the rest of my life. In the early 80’s I obtained my Amateur Radio License, which in turn lead me to college where I obtained qualifications that granted me a career as a Marine Radio Officer, and later I became involved in R&D of satellite and space communications, until 2014 when I was forced to retire early on medical grounds. I still dabble, mainly with Software Defined Radios, especially with their implementation up to 10GHz, but purely as a hobbyist. I’ve had many of the radios you’ve shown, along with: NATO 2000, various versions of the Cobra 148 GTL DX, Stalker ST9FDX, Ham International Multimode 2 and 3, Jumbo 2 and 3, Concorde 2 and 3, etc. I don’t have any experience of CB in the last 30 yrs but when I started in the late 70’s it was a sub-culture and a way of life.

[@riceytc1]

President Grant..! Excellent radio in the day..

[@stevearowe]

Still in possession of my old Rotel RVC240/SWR Meter/Coax cable. Tempted to obtain a new antenna and see if there is still life.

[@TheRetroShed]

I think it depends on the whole where you are. That’s what reignited my interest at the start of lockdown - but here it’s very quiet. Hardly anyone on and skip is dead this time of year. I hear it’s busy in other places. Make a washing line antenna from wire and see what’s happening locally?

[@paganphil100]

stevearowe: There's still plenty of life.....most of it is on SSB now. charlietangodxgroup.forumotion.com/

[@darrenmurphy6251]

nice nostalga i was into cb in the 90s started with some real dogs: communicator 440dx ,nato 2000, amstrad 901and slowly built my way up to nice gear rotel 240, york 861, superstar 360 finally ending up with the uniden 2630 oops i mean 2830 i was into electronics repair so i was experimenting with and expanding my own kit , got the 360 to go 3low to 3high and uk fm i was one of those idiots with a sadelta echomaster mic and to be really annoying i worked out how to make it do continous echo, quiet meek introvert who now couldnt be ignored! oops sorry everyone

[@TheRetroShed]

Good times mate! Oh the 440DX. That old chestnut. You could always tell if someone was using one - there was this kind of “splat” sound when they keyed. I think it was the relay inside that made that “splat” but I could recognise one anywhere. Can’t beat a Lincoln / 2830. Love em!

[@darrenmurphy6251]

​@@TheRetroShed yea the relay! the only radio i came across that used a relay ! those days were great ,but mid to end of the 90,s as cb died i realised i didnt have anything to say , i got into amiga a500 then pc gaming and that took over.

[@vicky-annedealey479]

The good old days of CB my hand was Blue eyes from Buckinghamshire

[@TheRetroShed]

They were good, fun times. I miss them!

[@andrewfishpool89]

Just shared this in a Radio group I'm in. Expect a few more views ;-)

[@TheRetroShed]

Which group is it? I’m a member of a few on Facebook?

[@andrewfishpool89]

@@TheRetroShed CB Radio UK

[@TheRetroShed]

Spotted it and commented. Thank you!

[@paulb5907]

proper trip down memory lane with the cb radio i still have a late 70's binatone 40 channel unit in the loft havent touched in in 35 years bet it still works like you said ,back in the day you would struggle to find a free channel full p with kids doing home work and chatting all over it , happy days indeed may be i should get back on it

[@TheRetroShed]

Thanks for watching! Yes they were good times. Dig it out and see who is on in your area. Pretty dead in Worcestershire where I am most of the time.