I'll be doing my (foundation) amateur licence in a few weeks and dug out my old CB gear to play with for old times sake. Stuff I hadent used since circa 1994 in east Manchester (Tameside).
Chuckked a mobile ariel in the attic here in Colchester and turned on.
Nothing. Not a saussage, both muppet and mid (UK and CEPT).
So, is there anybody on channel here in Colchester?
I've left the UK rig on ch19 when I've been doing stuff around the house (not dedicated listening) but I've yet to hear anything break the squelch.
In the mean time is anybody here looking at getting an amateur licence here? The nice people at colchester radio amateurs have been very helpful.
A bit off topic but Panteneman.... From your avitar I guess you are a fellow headbanger?
Prefer a bit of Goth myself (even cyber) but find plenty of time for Ozzy,Queen,AC/DC and all the usual suspects :-)
Got out the old CB gear
Headbanging in the Hippodrome - surely not???-
Panteneman
- Top Poster
- Posts: 2421
- Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 20:06
- Location: West Lancashire, North West UK
Greetings ChickenMadras,
By and large, CB activity is very thin on the ground. Guzzy, down in Kent, had mentioned in the past that the channels are buzzzing with activity where he lives. It seems to vary from area to area. But, one thing is for sure, the channels are dead compared to 10+ years ago. Internet and mobile phones have played a large part in the downfall.
You probably might have better luck if you install a decent outdoor antenna, but if you get chattting to someone you will find that they are a good 20+ miles away and not very local. Probably even on the outer fringe of normal CB coverage when the skip is down.
Why I say this, was the last time I checked out Muppets and Mid Band I was static mobile. My original intention was to do a bit of hilltop SSB DX, but had a flick around the channels asI had never tried the rig out on FM up until that day and the conditions were flat.
The stations I spoke to were over in Cumbria, North Wales, Manchester, and at the nearest to my location, Hesketh Bank. Which, I would have normally been able to speak to on a decent outdoor antenna. There is no one, say, 10 miles away on the rig apart from two people in my area.
However, all is not lost seeing as you are going for the M3. There is plenty of 2m activity which you will receive from the GB3MN repeater, and a fair amount of Simplex out there. Not forgetting the HF bands always have acitivity from all over the place.
And yes, I am indeed a Metaller. Liking a wide variety of Rock from Led Zeppelin right through to stuff like Darkthrone (I shall PM you soon re. what I am into music wise etc). Good to see a fellow Metaller like myself on the forum!
By and large, CB activity is very thin on the ground. Guzzy, down in Kent, had mentioned in the past that the channels are buzzzing with activity where he lives. It seems to vary from area to area. But, one thing is for sure, the channels are dead compared to 10+ years ago. Internet and mobile phones have played a large part in the downfall.
You probably might have better luck if you install a decent outdoor antenna, but if you get chattting to someone you will find that they are a good 20+ miles away and not very local. Probably even on the outer fringe of normal CB coverage when the skip is down.
Why I say this, was the last time I checked out Muppets and Mid Band I was static mobile. My original intention was to do a bit of hilltop SSB DX, but had a flick around the channels asI had never tried the rig out on FM up until that day and the conditions were flat.
The stations I spoke to were over in Cumbria, North Wales, Manchester, and at the nearest to my location, Hesketh Bank. Which, I would have normally been able to speak to on a decent outdoor antenna. There is no one, say, 10 miles away on the rig apart from two people in my area.
However, all is not lost seeing as you are going for the M3. There is plenty of 2m activity which you will receive from the GB3MN repeater, and a fair amount of Simplex out there. Not forgetting the HF bands always have acitivity from all over the place.
And yes, I am indeed a Metaller. Liking a wide variety of Rock from Led Zeppelin right through to stuff like Darkthrone (I shall PM you soon re. what I am into music wise etc). Good to see a fellow Metaller like myself on the forum!
Speaking to people in foreign lands, with various configurations of copper wire in various strange shapes - my friends think I'm committing acts of witchcraft...
-
ChickenMadras
- Radio Addict
- Posts: 605
- Joined: 02 Jan 2007, 13:49
> It seems to vary from area to area.
Surfing around the web tells me that this seams to be the case.
Cor!
When I was a kid in the early 90's the channals were full in Manchester. I met my first GF over the CB :-)
> Internet and mobile phones have played a large part in the downfall.
And SatNav / TraficMaster no doubt. I lived near a main motorway and ch19 was always full of mobiles calling '1-9 for directions' or asking if the snake / woodhead pass was clear in mid-winter.
> You probably might have better luck if you install a decent outdoor antenna
Looking around, you dont see that many CB antennas on houses as you used to.
Although my indoor mobile antenna might not be my only problem, I am near the bottom of a vally which wont help. I did expect to hear something though !
> However, all is not lost seeing as you are going for the M3. There is plenty of 2m
> activity which you will receive from the GB3MN repeater
Hope so. I've been into SWL/amateur radio since I was a kid so progressing through the licences should be straight forward for me. I'll have to have a word with the local club when doing my M3 exam and see what bands are busy for local stuff. Though I'm really into HF and DX, I doubt I can set up a decent antenna where I live atm, so 2m/70cm local it might have to be....... Although thinking back, we did work Italy a few times on only 4w *FM* (!) during the early 90's sunspot peak (good antenna though), so maybe some HF is viable after all.
> Good to see a fellow Metaller like myself on the forum!
Us Goths might not take over the world.
However we might be able to suceed in getting it to dress a little better :-)
Surfing around the web tells me that this seams to be the case.
Cor!
When I was a kid in the early 90's the channals were full in Manchester. I met my first GF over the CB :-)
> Internet and mobile phones have played a large part in the downfall.
And SatNav / TraficMaster no doubt. I lived near a main motorway and ch19 was always full of mobiles calling '1-9 for directions' or asking if the snake / woodhead pass was clear in mid-winter.
> You probably might have better luck if you install a decent outdoor antenna
Looking around, you dont see that many CB antennas on houses as you used to.
Although my indoor mobile antenna might not be my only problem, I am near the bottom of a vally which wont help. I did expect to hear something though !
> However, all is not lost seeing as you are going for the M3. There is plenty of 2m
> activity which you will receive from the GB3MN repeater
Hope so. I've been into SWL/amateur radio since I was a kid so progressing through the licences should be straight forward for me. I'll have to have a word with the local club when doing my M3 exam and see what bands are busy for local stuff. Though I'm really into HF and DX, I doubt I can set up a decent antenna where I live atm, so 2m/70cm local it might have to be....... Although thinking back, we did work Italy a few times on only 4w *FM* (!) during the early 90's sunspot peak (good antenna though), so maybe some HF is viable after all.
> Good to see a fellow Metaller like myself on the forum!
Us Goths might not take over the world.
However we might be able to suceed in getting it to dress a little better :-)