CB Radios?

[yogi]

This might sound like a silly question but are we still using CB radios? This'll be my first RBRR since 1994 and they were fairly common then. I know they're a bit 1980's and it's all Facebook and Twitter now but Facebook isn't going to help you overtake Safeway lorries on the A9. This is where the CB's came into their own but there's no point me fitting one if we're the only car with one.

And yes I know they'll all be Morrisons lorries now.

[jonnyk5614]

They're arround £30 second hand on ebay.
Anyone still using them because I am new to the RBRR!

[Goody]

This may also sound silly, are the UK and US freq's and channels the same?

[jonnyk5614]

In 2006, the same discussion occurred.

http://www.club.triumph.org.uk/cgi-bin/forum10/Blah.pl?m-1095237227/s-15/

Given that they have multiple channels, how hard would it be to work out the frequency of the truck in front of me (who needed a piece of my mind!) say?

[Slimboyfat]

1994 was also my first RBRR. We also used a CB on that event.

The only other entrant that we had semi regular contact with (on the CB) on that event was Chris Allan in his Courier.

As a recall we could only raise them on the CB when we could see them. Anything over a few hundred yards distant and no chance!

On the 96 event I had just taken out a new contract with Cellnet and part of the deal with the new phone was free weekend calls. The only trouble was that phone batteries were that bad in those days I only got about 10 minutes talk time before the bloody thing died.

[ghr630]

The range of the CB set in a vehicle is going to be a function of the antenna installation. These sets (from memory) operate in the 27MHZ band (FM) at 4watts max so the siting of the antenna on the vehicle makes a real difference. A van will be better because the larger area of the van's roof will provide an efficient ground plane. The best place for the antenna for omnidirectional comms would be to site the antenna in the middle of the roof, typically the antenna is installed at the rear of the vehicle which characteristically causes  a frontal lobe and greatest range in the direction of vehicle travel. An aerial clipped to the rear bumper will be worse than useless. The more elevated the antenna the greater the range also, that's why it's better in a truck. The US SSB CB band offered much greater range.

You could try PMR - crap range though.

These are your only unlicenced alternatives I believe.

[Tim Bancroft]

No point in using CBs as everyone has a mobile phone.

The Drivers Packs will have all the phone nos of all the entrants.

We will also have the messaging service in operation.

[thescrapman]

Are CB's not exempt from teh hands free legislation that covers mobile phones??

Police radios certainly are.

Mucho cheaper than mobile calls and more in keeping with the nature of teh event.

Anyway, VOIP using mobile wireless 3G modems.

It's the way to go!

[sparky_spit]

1045 wrote:

Given that they have multiple channels, how hard would it be to work out the frequency of the truck in front of me (who needed a piece of my mind!) say?

Back in the day, Channel 16 was always used as the calling channel, and you then moved to another free channel to continue the conversation.

[Goody]

For me the use of CB radio is prefered over a cell phone.  That said the pnone has unlimited range while a CB with a good antenna will only get out about 10 miles max.  Hills and valleys will affect the range.  If we all stayed together then a CB would be a good cheap way to go.  On the two RBRR's I've done most are spread out too far for CB to be affective.  Now if two or more were to stay toghther then a CB or walkie talkie would work great.  The walkie talkie's I have, have a call button so one does not have to leave it on all the time.  Since their are at least two in a car the cell phone works best as the co driver can see the little and I mean little numbers to dile.  On the last run, a car in front of us had a brake light problem that they were unaware of.  If we both had a CB and on the same channel then all would have been great.  Thankfully they had a cell phone and we used the list to call them, and Bill fixed their car in short order.  (bad return spring)  Last years list also had the reg numbers so you can tell who's car.  My CB's are so old I don't know if they still work anyway.  

[yogi]

1045 wrote:

Given that they have multiple channels, how hard would it be to work out the frequency of the truck in front of me (who needed a piece of my mind!) say?

That wasn't quite how we were using them. We were following a 2.5 PI who had the power to get past these lorries. They would then zoom off ahead and we'd radio them and ask if they'd passed any other cars coming the other way and if they said no you knew it was safe to overtake the lorry. i could then use the superior handling of my FWD ;) to catch them up again before the next lorry. Doesn't matter if the range is only a few hundred yards, that's all you need.

I guess you could do it with mobiles but it hasn't quite got the same image has it? And what is the reception like in the middle of the Cairngorms? Wouldn't be a problem with CB's.

[Slimboyfat]

CB radios?

You'll be telling me next that this years entrants have gone back to using paper maps instead of Satnav.

Luddites.

Burn the witch.

[Deleted User]

Slimboyfat wrote:

CB radios?

You'll be telling me next that this years entrants have gone back to using paper maps instead of Satnav.

Luddites.

Burn the witch.

You'll soon be insisting that the only navigation and communication aids that can be used are the ones that were available when the specific car was new  :X

[Slimboyfat]

KevinR wrote:

You'll soon be insisting that the only navigation and communication aids that can be used are the ones that were available when the specific car was new  :X

I'm glad I'm not attempting it in the Atlas again then, otherwise it might have been sextant, and carrier pigeons for me.

[Velocita Rosso]

Glad the A9 was mentioned earlier. Coming back from the Ecosse last month there were quite a few major roadworks south of Inverness. Hope they will have gone  

[Howard]

KevinR wrote:

You'll soon be insisting that the only navigation and communication aids that can be used are the ones that were available when the specific car was new  :X

Forget CD Radios & SatNavs - I want to see maps banned and the locations of the control points kept secret to make the RBRR a challenge for the real men  ;)

[Goody]

Now that would make for a interesting run.  You get the next control stop at the last one.  
Hummmmm.   With out maps how would you kow how to get their, just the road book?  I can see it now 127 Triumph's lost all over the place.   While some know where everything is and all the roads some of us don't.  

[jonnyk5614]

Goody wrote:

Now that would make for a interesting run.  You get the next control stop at the last one.  
Hummmmm.   With out maps how would you kow how to get their, just the road book?  I can see it now 127 Triumph's lost all over the place.   While some know where everything is and all the roads some of us don't.  

Put a tracker in each one and you have a Big Brother - Triumph Style!

[James]

About 4 or 5 cars had trackers fitted in 2006.

I have a set of PDFs with loads of pages detailing distance, speeds, stop times etc

They are most certainly not going public though.

[lordleonusa]

Petrol being the price it is in the UK, getting (happily) lost doesn't seem to have the attraction it once had, but perhaps 1965 maps and a compass would add to the period feel.

Why not follow that theme all the way through with doing it in period clothing and only listening to pre-1965 music, and how about only carrying food and drink that was available back in the day, marmite sammies all round then.

L  

we did once have to live with no microwave ovens, 3 black and white tv channels - in 405 lines, no mobile phones and no satnav!

L (feeling older by the minute)  

[Goody]

I assume Leon has not done a RBRR.  Will have to send him pictures of what some entrants call clothing.  On the last 10CR I had CD's with pre 60's music.  No one seemed to like my 72min of non stop BANJO's CD.  Can't understand why.  They did like my 60's rock with 26 of the best driving instrumentals.  I can make copy's.