Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss
Posts: 6,247
|
Post by Sandbagger on Mar 10, 2019 21:25:33 GMT -5
Not sure why I bothered getting a call sign since no one used them and no one wanted anyone else to know their call sign for fear of being identified publicly or outed to Uncle Charlie. Since many of us were somewhat obnoxious youths back then, we didn't want others to know our real names or addresses unless they were friends or people we trusted. Of course, the reality was something different. The FCC had very thin resources even then and were more or less only reactive in their CB enforcement. If you were stupid enough to interfere with someone or something important, then you might get a letter or perhaps a visit. Teenagers with smart mouths and loud mics may have been a nuisance to some people but didn't register a blip on the Chicken Man's radar screen. The bigger threat was pissing off some adult who'd had too much to drink and decided to come looking for you. Ahhh, the good old days! I remember having my call sign printed on a pin-on badge along with my handle. I had it made at the Gilbertsville coffee break and put it on right there, so that may have been the only time my call sign was ever used for anything. I don't think I ever wore the badge or used my call sign again, but oddly enough, I still remember it. The Shadow KIZ-3841 Norristown, PA Hello Mitch..... Welcome to the best old time CB radio forum.....
|
|
|
Post by whiskeycharlie242 on Mar 12, 2019 18:29:57 GMT -5
Thanks, Dave. Seems like this place is a bit deserted judging by the timestamps. What's up with that?
|
|
Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss
Posts: 6,247
|
Post by Sandbagger on Mar 12, 2019 20:59:34 GMT -5
Thanks, Dave. Seems like this place is a bit deserted judging by the timestamps. What's up with that? I wouldn't say it's deserted, it just doesn't have the huge volume of traffic as some of the CB pages on Facebook. But it's also a quality over quantity thing. But it's true that the volume of posts here has dwindled down somewhat in the last 10 years or so. Competition from other social media outlets is the most likely cause. Forums like this used to be the big thing, but people move on to the next "big thing". Then there are people like me who resist change and like to hold on to what works. Plus I did make a promise to Grumpy before he passed on, that I'd do my best to keep the show going. The funny thing is that almost every day I see new people signing on, but only a fraction of them ever post. I have to scratch my head over that one. Oh well, it is what it is. Nothing lasts forever. I recently was made aware that Captain Coleslaw has passed away. So not even I can keep the past alive forever.....
|
|
|
Post by 321 treeclimber on Mar 13, 2019 6:29:27 GMT -5
In the time ive been part of this forum, and its not been very long, ive made great contacts, bought and sold parts and equipment and got help from so many guys to repair my mighty fleet of obscure cb stuff that i hope this place lasts forever ! You do a great job keeping things going. I'm thankful your here. 321 treeclimber
|
|
|
Post by whiskeycharlie242 on Mar 13, 2019 13:00:51 GMT -5
Thanks, Dave. Seems like this place is a bit deserted judging by the timestamps. What's up with that? I wouldn't say it's deserted, it just doesn't have the huge volume of traffic as some of the CB pages on Facebook. But it's also a quality over quantity thing. But it's true that the volume of posts here has dwindled down somewhat in the last 10 years or so. Competition from other social media outlets is the most likely cause. Forums like this used to be the big thing, but people move on to the next "big thing". Then there are people like me who resist change and like to hold on to what works. Plus I did make a promise to Grumpy before he passed on, that I'd do my best to keep the show going. The funny thing is that almost every day I see new people signing on, but only a fraction of them ever post. I have to scratch my head over that one. Oh well, it is what it is. Nothing lasts forever. I recently was made aware that Captain Coleslaw has passed away. So not even I can keep the past alive forever..... Yes, forums like these tend to be smaller, more focused groups of people because the bar to participate is a little higher. I also follow one of the CB groups on Facebook but it's a zoo. Some of the people there are decent, knowledgeable and friendly, but many, many others are clueless wonders, and sadly, some are scammers out to take advantage of others. But it is quite busy, with a constant flow of traffic. Like you said, it's a quality vs. quantity thing. However, I do enjoy all the photos of rigs and equipment from yesteryear as well as learning about the more modern rigs that became popular long after I had departed the scene. In fact, the newest rig I own was made in 1977. Speaking of rigs, I am entertaining getting something more recent or perhaps a more "fully featured" rig from back in the day that has better signal processing capabilities than what I have, if you catch my drift. ;-) The airwaves out here are so sparsely populated that local traffic is what we used to think of as long distance ground wave. Once I get things set up on the boat, my outlook may change as the marina is more centrally located with respect to the population density and my antenna system will be reasonably efficient, so I expect it to be much better at pulling the ducks from the mud so to speak. At home, my antiques are struggling due to my limited indoor antenna options, although my home brew antenna making skills are improving. But back to the topic, I'm just starting to explore the many threads here, which are interesting, but dated in many cases. I hope to be able to use it as a resource, since my working knowledge of classic radio issues and repair skills are woefully limited. But compared to what I thought I understood back in the day, I'm light years ahead. Of course, we didn't have the advantages back then of the internet, where a primer on virtually any topic can be had instantly as long as you are smart enough not to believe everything you read. BTW, how did you hear about Coleslaw? Did anyone ever find out his real name and QTH? There were so many stories about that guy that I'm not sure anyone ever knew for sure what the truth was.
|
|
|
Post by whiskeycharlie242 on Mar 13, 2019 13:06:29 GMT -5
In the time ive been part of this forum, and its not been very long, ive made great contacts, bought and sold parts and equipment and got help from so many guys to repair my mighty fleet of obscure cb stuff that i hope this place lasts forever ! You do a great job keeping things going. I'm thankful your here. 321 treeclimber Sorry if you misconstrued my question. I wasn't being critical of the work that goes into keeping something like this going or the value that people get from it. I was just pointing out to my oldest friend (I've known Sandbagger since about 1965) that it seemed like the traffic on the site was noticeably falling off over the past few months. 73s.
|
|
Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss
Posts: 6,247
|
Post by Sandbagger on Mar 13, 2019 16:02:40 GMT -5
In the time ive been part of this forum, and its not been very long, ive made great contacts, bought and sold parts and equipment and got help from so many guys to repair my mighty fleet of obscure cb stuff that i hope this place lasts forever ! You do a great job keeping things going. I'm thankful your here. 321 treeclimber Sorry if you misconstrued my question. I wasn't being critical of the work that goes into keeping something like this going or the value that people get from it. I was just pointing out to my oldest friend (I've known Sandbagger since about 1965) that it seemed like the traffic on the site was noticeably falling off over the past few months. 73s. I blame Facebook. Seems like everyone and their mother sets up a CB related page or group. I have been invited to close to a dozen of them. Many are pretty much redundant, so I only peruse the unique or interesting ones (Vintage radios are at the top of the list). I tend to stay away from the all knobs to the right crowd and the banter that goes on there. But with all the groups on FB, a lot of people stop using dedicated forums. But the traffic here is somewhat sporadic. There can be a flurry of posts (which usually happens when I'm away) and then a week can go by with nothing. Not much different from activity on the radio....
|
|
Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss
Posts: 6,247
|
Post by Sandbagger on Mar 13, 2019 16:13:06 GMT -5
I wouldn't say it's deserted, it just doesn't have the huge volume of traffic as some of the CB pages on Facebook. But it's also a quality over quantity thing. But it's true that the volume of posts here has dwindled down somewhat in the last 10 years or so. Competition from other social media outlets is the most likely cause. Forums like this used to be the big thing, but people move on to the next "big thing". Then there are people like me who resist change and like to hold on to what works. Plus I did make a promise to Grumpy before he passed on, that I'd do my best to keep the show going. The funny thing is that almost every day I see new people signing on, but only a fraction of them ever post. I have to scratch my head over that one. Oh well, it is what it is. Nothing lasts forever. I recently was made aware that Captain Coleslaw has passed away. So not even I can keep the past alive forever..... Yes, forums like these tend to be smaller, more focused groups of people because the bar to participate is a little higher. I also follow one of the CB groups on Facebook but it's a zoo. Some of the people there are decent, knowledgeable and friendly, but many, many others are clueless wonders, and sadly, some are scammers out to take advantage of others. But it is quite busy, with a constant flow of traffic. Like you said, it's a quality vs. quantity thing. However, I do enjoy all the photos of rigs and equipment from yesteryear as well as learning about the more modern rigs that became popular long after I had departed the scene. In fact, the newest rig I own was made in 1977. Speaking of rigs, I am entertaining getting something more recent or perhaps a more "fully featured" rig from back in the day that has better signal processing capabilities than what I have, if you catch my drift. ;-) The airwaves out here are so sparsely populated that local traffic is what we used to think of as long distance ground wave. Once I get things set up on the boat, my outlook may change as the marina is more centrally located with respect to the population density and my antenna system will be reasonably efficient, so I expect it to be much better at pulling the ducks from the mud so to speak. At home, my antiques are struggling due to my limited indoor antenna options, although my home brew antenna making skills are improving. But back to the topic, I'm just starting to explore the many threads here, which are interesting, but dated in many cases. I hope to be able to use it as a resource, since my working knowledge of classic radio issues and repair skills are woefully limited. But compared to what I thought I understood back in the day, I'm light years ahead. Of course, we didn't have the advantages back then of the internet, where a primer on virtually any topic can be had instantly as long as you are smart enough not to believe everything you read. BTW, how did you hear about Coleslaw? Did anyone ever find out his real name and QTH? There were so many stories about that guy that I'm not sure anyone ever knew for sure what the truth was. Well, last things first, We have a local here who grew up in the same general area as Coleslaw and was particularly enamored with him, or at least was in awe of his station. He was able to confirm that Coleslaw moved out to California some time ago. But evidently he was killed in a motorcycle accident a couple of years back. Granted this is all word-of-mouth reporting so that's all I have. So what kind or radio are you looking for? A Chinese-made "export" or maybe an HF Ham rig? There are several routes you can go. Honestly, I am really disappointed by the receiver performance of these newer "CB"/Export radios. They are sensitive, but seem to have a ton of white noise along with it. My old tube rigs are just as (if not more) sensitive, and they're quieter. So you might be better off with a ham rig. Something not made in China.
|
|
|
Post by 321 treeclimber on Mar 13, 2019 18:40:43 GMT -5
Breaker, hey whiskey, what radio do you have from 77? If you don't mind me asking. I run a kris xl-50 from 1977. 321
|
|
|
Post by whiskeycharlie242 on Mar 13, 2019 20:30:33 GMT -5
Breaker, hey whiskey, what radio do you have from 77? If you don't mind me asking. I run a kris xl-50 from 1977. 321 No worries. I have a Royce 639 mobile SSB rig, manufactured in December 1977. I purchased it used in early ‘78 IIRC and have had it ever since. I have a Turner JM+2U mic on it that I also got at the same time. It’s been a great radio over the years. I used to work a lot of DX with it in the mobile using an Antenna Specialist’s center loaded whip. Wish I still had that antenna, or a car that would accommodate it. 😀
|
|
|
Post by 321 treeclimber on Mar 13, 2019 21:23:25 GMT -5
Yeah 10-4 i have an old kraco deluxe ssb 23 channel base that i love but its starting to really drift on sideband now. I also have a pearse simpson cheetah mobile ssb rig,my favorite.are you looking at new radios? If you are,hands down the rci 2970 n2.
|
|
|
Post by whiskeycharlie242 on Mar 13, 2019 21:44:49 GMT -5
Yes, forums like these tend to be smaller, more focused groups of people because the bar to participate is a little higher. I also follow one of the CB groups on Facebook but it's a zoo. Some of the people there are decent, knowledgeable and friendly, but many, many others are clueless wonders, and sadly, some are scammers out to take advantage of others. But it is quite busy, with a constant flow of traffic. Like you said, it's a quality vs. quantity thing. However, I do enjoy all the photos of rigs and equipment from yesteryear as well as learning about the more modern rigs that became popular long after I had departed the scene. In fact, the newest rig I own was made in 1977. Speaking of rigs, I am entertaining getting something more recent or perhaps a more "fully featured" rig from back in the day that has better signal processing capabilities than what I have, if you catch my drift. ;-) The airwaves out here are so sparsely populated that local traffic is what we used to think of as long distance ground wave. Once I get things set up on the boat, my outlook may change as the marina is more centrally located with respect to the population density and my antenna system will be reasonably efficient, so I expect it to be much better at pulling the ducks from the mud so to speak. At home, my antiques are struggling due to my limited indoor antenna options, although my home brew antenna making skills are improving. But back to the topic, I'm just starting to explore the many threads here, which are interesting, but dated in many cases. I hope to be able to use it as a resource, since my working knowledge of classic radio issues and repair skills are woefully limited. But compared to what I thought I understood back in the day, I'm light years ahead. Of course, we didn't have the advantages back then of the internet, where a primer on virtually any topic can be had instantly as long as you are smart enough not to believe everything you read. BTW, how did you hear about Coleslaw? Did anyone ever find out his real name and QTH? There were so many stories about that guy that I'm not sure anyone ever knew for sure what the truth was. Well, last things first, We have a local here who grew up in the same general area as Coleslaw and was particularly enamored with him, or at least was in awe of his station. He was able to confirm that Coleslaw moved out to California some time ago. But evidently he was killed in a motorcycle accident a couple of years back. Granted this is all word-of-mouth reporting so that's all I have. So what kind or radio are you looking for? A Chinese-made "export" or maybe an HF Ham rig? There are several routes you can go. Honestly, I am really disappointed by the receiver performance of these newer "CB"/Export radios. They are sensitive, but seem to have a ton of white noise along with it. My old tube rigs are just as (if not more) sensitive, and they're quieter. So you might be better off with a ham rig. Something not made in China. For modern, I’ve been looking at older Galaxy export bases like the Saturn or Malala. There seems to be some FM action out here on a couple of frequencies, but I don’t have any way to monitor it to see what’s going on. That said, I’m enamored with the classic ham rigs from back in the day. There’s a nice FT-101E not too far from here for a good price, so you never know what might happen. ;-)
|
|
|
Post by whiskeycharlie242 on Mar 13, 2019 21:51:38 GMT -5
Well, last things first, We have a local here who grew up in the same general area as Coleslaw and was particularly enamored with him, or at least was in awe of his station. He was able to confirm that Coleslaw moved out to California some time ago. But evidently he was killed in a motorcycle accident a couple of years back. Granted this is all word-of-mouth reporting so that's all I have. So what kind or radio are you looking for? A Chinese-made "export" or maybe an HF Ham rig? There are several routes you can go. Honestly, I am really disappointed by the receiver performance of these newer "CB"/Export radios. They are sensitive, but seem to have a ton of white noise along with it. My old tube rigs are just as (if not more) sensitive, and they're quieter. So you might be better off with a ham rig. Something not made in China. For modern, I’ve been looking at older Galaxy export bases like the Saturn or Malala. There seems to be some FM action out here on a couple of frequencies, but I don’t have any way to monitor it to see what’s going on. That said, I’m enamored with the classic ham rigs from back in the day. There’s a nice FT-101E not too far from here for a good price, so you never know what might happen. ;-) Malaka, not Malala... LOL. I guess the spell checker doesn’t know much about radios. :-)
|
|
|
Post by 321 treeclimber on Mar 13, 2019 23:02:55 GMT -5
Big 10-4 . I also like the old stuff, tubes are great but require a little gentle restraint and respect. I love the seventies radios best,as i mentioned before but where i live folks are spread out and cb'ers even more so. That means making contact requires a little more power and audio.so ive tried a few of the so called big radios and settled on the rci2970 great radio. But i wont give up my tube rig or my old turner mics! 321
|
|
426
Mudduck
Posts: 2
|
Post by 426 on May 21, 2021 14:24:15 GMT -5
KSZ-0930 1974
|
|
|
Post by hawkeye252 on May 26, 2021 19:07:50 GMT -5
Can you remember your FCC issued call sign? kata 5313 I think, I have a card with it on somewhere.
|
|
|
Post by pattyboy on Jun 2, 2021 3:03:01 GMT -5
KDR-6983. Some time around 76 or so, you were supposed to use a K+ your initials +zipcode.
|
|
|
Post by cbrown on Jun 2, 2021 12:23:09 GMT -5
KDR-3983. Some time around 76 or so, you were supposed to use a K+ your initials +zipcode. That was your 'temporary' call sign until you received your official call sign. It basically allowed you to transmit until you were issued your call sign.
|
|
|
Post by norm9278 on Jun 9, 2021 12:38:50 GMT -5
Anybody remember KDW6076? The USBer's of America voice of freedom...
|
|
|
Post by pattyboy on Jun 27, 2021 14:47:06 GMT -5
Been a long time....KDR6983
|
|
Lonestar
Big Bucket Mouth
Texicanus Irrepressiblus
Posts: 97
|
Post by Lonestar on Oct 18, 2021 4:59:41 GMT -5
Ran under my brother's callsign KART-6244 from 1977 until 1981, when I applied for and was given my callsign KBTB-8663. Good times.
|
|
507
Mudduck
Posts: 7
|
Post by 507 on Apr 11, 2022 20:12:12 GMT -5
KXU-2013 1976 assigned to my dad because I was too young.
Before that I used KMA followed by some made up numbers.
|
|
|
Post by norm9278 on Aug 14, 2023 12:42:33 GMT -5
Anyone remember KDW 6076 ?
|
|
|
Post by Trapper John on Nov 21, 2023 14:38:44 GMT -5
KJT-2716
|
|