CB Radio Etiquette

30 Million Americans Discovered CBs 

in the Mid-1970’s

It's no secret that a great many ham radio amateurs - “hams" - take a dim view of CB radio. Some of their resentment is understandable. After all, hams must pass a rigid exam to qualify for a station license. CBers need do no more than pay $4 and fill out an application form containing little more than name and address. But most of the bitterness is unwarranted.

Amateur radio enthusiasts can build and operate sophisticated, high-powered rigs capable of reaching around the world. CB is for short-range personal or business communication. There's a definite limit to how much hardware can be added to a CB rig and remain legal.

I was once a ham, and very proud of it. Why did I drop out? Ham radio is a time-consuming hobby. You don't turn on an amateur receiver in the family room and just copy the mail. It requires total involvement and minute attention not because it's that complicated, simply because it's a very demanding hobby.

I also discovered CB radio. For me and obviously for millions of other Americans CB is more practical. Because of the limited range that comes from the maximum 4-watts of power, CR tends to be a lot closer to home than amateur radio. As I write this, a base station on Channel 15 just broke for volunteers to aid in the search for a missing 7-year-old girl. The air is filled with CBers who are grabbing flashlights and heading into the night to help.

I can travel anywhere in America and, by turning on my CB radio, instantly know of road and weather conditions ahead. Certainly, we CBers could learn a lot about airwave courtesy from the hams. But they've been around since radio communications first began. We're just now finding our niche

There are an estimated 30.000,000 CBers in America. crowded onto one tiny band of frequencies. Converse ly, there are only about 250,000 hams who have nearly 10 times the airwave room. I'd like to see how they'd function under similar circumstances. Has the Federal Communications Commission made CB too easy? That's a question many responsible CB users are asking as they try to cope with the growing congestion and misuse of available channels.

For $4 and nothing more anyone over the age of 18 can become a legal CBer. With the interim licensing program, the greenest novice can go on the air immediately, bypassing the several-week license delay that was intended to keep neiphytes silent while they waited for their Class D ticket. Most spent at least some of this time listening and learning. I'm not necessarily for tighter CB licensing restrictions. But there is a clear need for a better understanding of the CB rules and procedures. This might be handled a couple of ways.

First, the FCC permanent application form could be expanded to include a brief multiple-choice test covering such basic things as what is and is not a 10-33 emergency, the proper use of Channel 9, the misuse of linear amplifiers, over modulation, and the requirements of Part 95 of the FCC's rules. The FCC may argue that such a procedure will overtax its undermanned, under- financed agency, but a computerized program could solve this quite handily.

What's important about such a test is that it would force new applicants to familiarize themselves with the rules of the air. CBers are by law required to read and possess a current copy of Part 95 of the FCC code. Having applicants take a brief examination would indicate that they at least read some of the lengthy FCC rules hopefully the important ones affect limited air time.

Furthermore, CB clubs and organizations ought to get involved in cleaning up the channels by sponsoring training classes and seminars aimed at inspiring proper airwave etiquette. Radio amateur hams have done this admirably for years. That's one of the big reasons hams so ably police their own bands. The seminars and classes they sponsor instill a solid respect for the airwave rights of others. CBers could do well to follow suit.

Q & A

CBers from across the country have a lot of questions that have been filling up our mailbag. Here's a sampling of the letters we've been getting that might be of general interest:

Q: Which state has the most CBers and which state has the least? - T.H., Denver, Colo.

A: Texas has the most, with 256,968 licensed Class D operators as of the first of the year. Other big CB states include California, with 167,828, Ohio, 167,158, Pennsylvania, 153,476, and Illinois, 139,732. The state with the fewest CBers is Vermont, with 4,730. — By Mike Wendland for Gannett News Service, 1976

🍽Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia