An Old Hobby

[Swamp Critter]

Hey guys, this has pretty much nothing to do with hunting or fishing, but I thought I'd throw it out here and see how many responses it gets. Before the internet and cell phones, there was CB radio! Every once in a long while, I dust off my old (I mean it. OLD! 23 channel!) base station radio and fire it up. It's so old, I have to crank it with a handle like an old Ford Model T! LOL! Anyway, I dusted it off today and sure enough it still works like a champ. Back in "the day", about 20 years ago, I used to talk with several guys regularly near where I lived, and sometimes talk "skip" several hundred or even over 1000 miles away when conditions were just right. I never had an amp for my base radio, but sometimes I'd get way out there once in a while. The old radio's nothing special, but I have a good desk type powered microphone that sounds crystal clear, and a good base antenna roughly about 48 feet up in the air on an old TV antenna pole. So even without an amp it sounds like a "big" radio, at least within about 15 miles or so. After a while the chatter gets sort of annoying and you get some goofballs out there, but for a while it's fun to play around with. Sort of like a trip back in time to the days of Convoy, Smokey and the Bandit, and The Dukes of Hazzard. I guess I'm showing my age. I was a kid back then, but I remember CB's were big time in those days. I know they've still got a following now, although not nearly as many people. Any other old CB'ers out there? I'm not old, but well you know what I mean. "10-4" and "catch ya on the flip-flop." Going "10-7" now. Bye Bye!

[Chris Havoc]

i still have my old one too....not hooked up or anything.....i have a 23 channel white face johnson,with a d104 lollipop and had my antenna in the top of a pine tree till katrina. i spent many a nights talkin back in the day

[Ray]

20 years ago??? How about 30 to 35 years ago... LOL

[eman]

Was bigtime into cb radio back in the day.
Was one of the out law stations .
Kinda like tim the tool man . Every thing was better w/ MORE POWER!

[Ray]

There were stilled used in the late 80's and early 90's for deer hunting with dogs.

[longsidelandry]

Originally Posted by Ray

There were stilled used in the late 80's and early 90's for deer hunting with dogs.

I remember my grandpa and them having some on their 4wheelers and in their trucks so everybody could talk while running dogs on our deer lease. We had a big base unit in our main camp so whoever was in the camp could hear what was going on. Also was the only way for communication back then.

[Swamp Critter]

Yeah Ray, It was more than 20 years ago when they were the big craze. Mid 70's when I was a child. I just grew up and turned 40 on March 3rd. Whoopee! Anyway, what I meant by that is I got into CB's about 20 years ago. My dad had one long before that in the 70's. I went to Florida with my wife and her family and borrowed my dad's old CB for the trip. Well, I had fun with it so soon afterward my wife bought me one as a Christmas gift. Not too long after that , I bought my old base setup I have now. I grew up in Eunice and in the late 80's and early 90's they sort of "came back" for a while. There was a group of us with base radios and mobile ones in our vehicles and we talked fairly regularly. Sometimes we'd "shoot skip" and get someone in California, Nebraska, Florida, etc. Lots of fun. I told my daughter recently it was our "My Space" in the old days!

[cmdrost]

Me and all my buddies had them in our trucks in high school. Talked every morning. Man that was some good simple times.

[spoony123]

i have a friend thats looking to buy one if anyone wants to sell theirs

[muttmechanic]

I've got one installed in my truck. Guess I'm showing my heritage. I use it to find out what's going on in traffic to talk to truckers. I tried to get some friends to get em too but cell phones seem to work a little faster and don't have a range.

[Swamp Critter]

I'm just wondering, does anybody still talk on base radios? I've had mine hooked up for a few days and all I seem to hear locally are truck drivers. In fact when I talk to them, they often call me "driver", then I explain I'm talking on a base setup. I hear them from a way off, usually 2 rigs talking to each other rolling down Hwy 90. They probably have their linears on, and squelch turned up so they pretty much can't hear anyone far off, only hearing who they're traveling with. I could get their attention with a linear, a little "fire in the wire" if you know what I mean. I'd like to find a linear somewhere, not so much to talk to local truck drivers, but to talk skip to "DX land" once in a while. I figure that with a modest linear it probably wouldn't interfere with the neighbors. I'm not going to spend a big chunk of change, after all this is just something to play with. Anyway, y'all know where I can find one with a power supply on the cheap side around New Iberia? I don't care if it's used. Just an Idea I'm kicking around.

[eman]

Don't know about used but if you buy new exspect to pay around a dollar a watt.

[Swamp Critter]

Things must have gone up. I bought one in the early nineties for my truck radio I had back then. It was a White Tornado 225 Plus. Peak power was about 230 watts. I bought it from a guy I knew who was a ham operator. He ordered it and I paid him his cost. I wish I'd kept it, but it went with the truck and the radio when I sold it. I don't remember what it cost me, but I know it wasn't $225.00. I was too broke in those days. Maybe $100.00 tops. Of course this was just the amp, and no power supply. I connected it directly to the battery. Well, I guess outlaw CB gear has gotten more expensive since then.

[eman]

$1 a watt is for base amps .i don't know if mobiles are the same or not.

[Swamp Critter]

Where do I find one? I've been looking online and it's kind of hard to find. Maybe I should be searching for Ham radio amplifiers? Is this the same thing? I don't mind if it's even garage sale stuff, as long as it works. I know people get rid of those things regularly. I'd like to come across a deal like that.