Early CB Radio, BEFORE the "good buddy" explosion (pre-1976), memories.

[radioman148]

Re: Early CB Radio, BEFORE the "good buddy" explosion (pre-1976), memories.

I reckon pretty good distance!

I would imagine so.
Back then I got 50 miles out of 10 watts & a 3 element beam at 35 ft.
I can only imagine what Jay got.

 

[Jay Walker]

Re: Early CB Radio, BEFORE the "good buddy" explosion (pre-1976), memories.

We typically got a solid "arm chair copy" fifty mile coverage day in day out with no propagation enhancements. The Viking ran a good 100 watts of AM to the antenna. If we could hear a station we could work them. Stations with similar setups were worked as far as 90 miles ground wave. Pretty much the limit "line of sight".

In my home town of Wichita the station was usually 20 over on any S meter around town. In Wichita there were some real hard core ops on Ch.6 that were running Trams/Browning Eagles with a firetrap known as the D&A Electronics Phantom 500 amp (12 sweep tubes!!!) into Avanti Moonrakers at fifty feet, talk about e.r.p..

Because of the antenna system we used, it was "assumed" we were running close to a full KW LOL.
Now I do recall one op with the handle of "K-250" who was running an old Collins KW-1 and man that was a sweet sounding rig.

DX (skip) was a dream, usually only one call was needed to generate a pile up. We had a ball with that station.
But then the CB boom happened and the band went down hill, so I got the ham license...

 

[radioman148]

Re: Early CB Radio, BEFORE the "good buddy" explosion (pre-1976), memories.

We typically got a solid "arm chair copy" fifty mile coverage day in day out with no propagation enhancements. The Viking ran a good 100 watts of AM to the antenna. If we could hear a station we could work them. Stations with similar setups were worked as far as 90 miles ground wave. Pretty much the limit "line of sight".

In my home town of Wichita the station was usually 20 over on any S meter around town. In Wichita there were some real hard core ops on Ch.6 that were running Trams/Browning Eagles with a firetrap known as the D&A Electronics Phantom 500 amp (12 sweep tubes!!!) into Avanti Moonrakers at fifty feet, talk about e.r.p..

Because of the antenna system we used, it was "assumed" we were running close to a full KW LOL.
Now I do recall one op with the handle of "K-250" who was running an old Collins KW-1 and man that was a sweet sounding rig.

DX (skip) was a dream, usually only one call was needed to generate a pile up. We had a ball with that station.
But then the CB boom happened and the band went down hill, so I got the ham license...

Did you have TVI problems with that setup?

 

[Jay Walker]

Re: Early CB Radio, BEFORE the "good buddy" explosion (pre-1976), memories.

The Johnson Viking Transmitter was really clean and the Drake low-pass filter helped out.
Not having a Channel 2 TV station in market was a plus.

The best part, our nearest neighbor was several miles away...

We took pride in the signal and did our best to keep the modulator current within range to avoid splatter and used minimal amounts of mic gain preferring compression to increase the talk power. We had a neat home built feed forward type compressor that would really increase the RMS value of the audio.

You can hear Vikings/Rangers/Valiants on 75 meters AM still to this day. I can't speak for the guy that was running the KW-1 Collins, but I know he lived "in town" and was very active...

 

[radioman148]

Re: Early CB Radio, BEFORE the "good buddy" explosion (pre-1976), memories.

The Johnson Viking Transmitter was really clean and the Drake low-pass filter helped out.
Not having a Channel 2 TV station in market was a plus.

The best part, our nearest neighbor was several miles away...

We took pride in the signal and did our best to keep the modulator current within range to avoid splatter and used minimal amounts of mic gain preferring compression to increase the talk power. We had a neat home built feed forward type compressor that would really increase the RMS value of the audio.

You can hear Vikings/Rangers/Valiants on 75 meters AM still to this day. I can't speak for the guy that was running the KW-1 Collins, but I know he lived "in town" and was very active...

You're lucky you lived out of town. I ran much less power, but had a local channel 2 & lots of neighbors.

 

[Tom Wells]

Re: Early CB Radio, BEFORE the "good buddy" explosion (pre-1976), memories.

I have an 11m "early" Ranger and used it a year or two ago, talked to Florida and Arizona on good skip days.
Homebrew antenna's broken now, but I'll fix it this summer.
I don't dare turn it up, neighbors are VERY close, I can touch my house and theirs at the same time.

 

[radioman148]

Re: Early CB Radio, BEFORE the "good buddy" explosion (pre-1976), memories.

I have an 11m "early" Ranger and used it a year or two ago, talked to Florida and Arizona on good skip days.
Homebrew antenna's broken now, but I'll fix it this summer.
I don't dare turn it up, neighbors are VERY close, I can touch my house and theirs at the same time.

Yeah the closeby neighbors are the same problem I had years ago.

 

[W2TXB]

Re: Early CB Radio, BEFORE the "good buddy" explosion (pre-1976), memories.

Started in CB as a kid with a couple of WT's, then we had aJohnson Messenger II that we borrowed for a month or two. The next radio was a Courier 23 with a Hy-Gain CLR2 antenna (we had "snob coax" (RG-8/U) for more "talk-power", dontcha know!).

One day, my uncle Al (who worked for WHEC for many years) stopped by and suggested I get into real... a ham license and equipment. In 1968, I did just that. Never told him I got a license until a while later when I heard him on 75 meters and called him after he finished his QSO. I gave my first name and location, and then said, "Hi, Uncle Al!". I think he darn near fell over at that point.

After he died, I applied for and received his call sign, as he was the one who got me started in ham radio. All of that was what got me into broadcasting in the Elmira area in the 1970's.

 

[radioman148]

Re: Early CB Radio, BEFORE the "good buddy" explosion (pre-1976), memories.

>>One day, my uncle Al (who worked for WHEC for many years) stopped by and suggested I get into real... a ham license and equipment. In 1968, I did just that. Never told him I got a license until a while later when I heard him on 75 meters and called him after he finished his QSO. I gave my first name and location, and then said, "Hi, Uncle Al!". I think he darn near fell over at that point. >>

What a great story!

 

[Jay Walker]

Re: Early CB Radio, BEFORE the "good buddy" explosion (pre-1976), memories.

Indeed a great story about your uncle.
Even today 11 meters is still the "gateway drug" to amateur radio LOL...
It is a shame however that the bias to no-code ops exists. It seems to me that a lot of the "smoking jacket crowd" as I refer to them have forgotten the fine art of "Elmering".

I suffered the 20 wpm code test and failed numerous times, but it chaps me to no end when I hear some idiot operator berate some recent 2X3 no code new comer who may slip up and say 10-4 on a repeater.

When that happens. I usually jump in and take the 2X3 down to simplex and have a fine QSO just to show him/her that all hams are not jerks. In fact I take a lot of them under my "wing" and help them through the setup of their stations, dispel myths about amplifiers versus antennas, that perfect SWR doesn't really mean much etc etc. As I tell them perfect SWR is achieved on a dummy load, but you don't "get out" very well HIHI.

The best dollar for dollar improvement is the antenna system not an amplifier and that only the first 500 watts are important and the rest is just bragging rights.

Some of the worst ops I've heard are 20 wpm Extras, and some of the best ops I've heard can't recognize their own call on CW. I'll tell you this, I've gotten more from the hobby than I'll ever be able to give back, but as long as I can I'll keep trying to give back all I can whenever I can.
73

 

[radioman148]

Re: Early CB Radio, BEFORE the "good buddy" explosion (pre-1976), memories.

Indeed a great story about your uncle.
Even today 11 meters is still the "gateway drug" to amateur radio LOL...
It is a shame however that the bias to no-code ops exists. It seems to me that a lot of the "smoking jacket crowd" as I refer to them have forgotten the fine art of "Elmering".

I suffered the 20 wpm code test and failed numerous times, but it chaps me to no end when I hear some idiot operator berate some recent 2X3 no code new comer who may slip up and say 10-4 on a repeater.

When that happens. I usually jump in and take the 2X3 down to simplex and have a fine QSO just to show him/her that all hams are not jerks. In fact I take a lot of them under my "wing" and help them through the setup of their stations, dispel myths about amplifiers versus antennas, that perfect SWR doesn't really mean much etc etc. As I tell them perfect SWR is achieved on a dummy load, but you don't "get out" very well HIHI.

The best dollar for dollar improvement is the antenna system not an amplifier and that only the first 500 watts are important and the rest is just bragging rights.

Some of the worst ops I've heard are 20 wpm Extras, and some of the best ops I've heard can't recognize their own call on CW. I'll tell you this, I've gotten more from the hobby than I'll ever be able to give back, but as long as I can I'll keep trying to give back all I can whenever I can.
73

CB was my stepping stone to my ham ticket also. I've been a ham for almost 30 years, but I've never used CW. Nothing against it I just prefer SSB.

 

[calstymes]

Re: Early CB Radio, BEFORE the "good buddy" explosion (pre-1976), memories.

Mr. Jay Walker, you are very eloquent and bravo to you for trying to continue giving back to this wonderful hobby!