Is CB Radio Dead?

In this era of advanced technology where new discoveries are being churned out daily, CB (Citizens Band) radios may seem like something obsolete from a bygone time.

Everything we need is only a few taps away on a smartphone, be it food, conversation, transportation, and traffic information, or education.

So, are CB radios completely dead to the people of the modern decade? Or are there still some who hold them dear? We are going to find that out now.

The Main Users of CB Radios

Traditionally, truck drivers have always been the most faithful users of CB radio, along with the police, and anyone who is just looking for someone to talk to.

While truck drivers use channel 19 (due to its middle position in the bands which ensures the best connection), channel 9 is for emergency uses. The latter channel is monitored by federal agencies, highway officials, first responders, etc.

CB radios reached peak popularity in the mid 1970’s due to them becoming a sort of fad. However, this meant that millions of users were hogging a limited number of frequencies, which made communication quite inefficient for those who really needed to make use of the CB radio.

Thus, this immense popularity also became the downfall for CB radio as hobbyists who had bought into the charms of radio conversation opted out as well.

Should You Get a CB Radio?

Well, in the isolated society of smartphones that we live in now, a CB radio in your vehicle could act as sort of a refresher. Because the conversations you hear on it will be live and not simulated or pre-recorded.

There is also the added bonus of stumbling upon new information without asking for it. This could happen when the frequencies of your CB radio accidentally match up with other passing frequencies in the area and accidentally pick up their connection, letting you listen, briefly, into other people’s conversations.

You may think that this is a bit creepy. But it’s really not. These cross-connections are very short-lived and serve only as a memory of a time in the past when communications were not so quick and perfect but yet, reliable. If anything, it will make for quite the nostalgic ride for you.   

If you feel joyful at the sound of that, then of course, you should get the best CB radio on the market. You can get them in antique stores and in big electronic stores that have been in business for many long years. Just look around or look it up on the internet.

There are plenty of people who still have sources for CB radios.

How CB Can Radio Benefit You

If you ever find yourself deserted somewhere and your smartphone has run out of battery, you could always get help from anyone close by using a CB radio. Though, there is the possibility of no other CB radio user being around, given how much their popularity is diminishing.

However, if you can afford it and feel some curiosity about how it all works with this radio, you could always purchase one, along with a CB antenna, and set them up.

It will be a rewarding hobby to take up, as there is something quite nostalgic about going through the troubles of setting something up by yourself and then to use it to get information from any person who picks on the signals. Now that we think about it, this seems to be quite thrilling as well.

Needless to say, CB radios come in extremely handy during roadside emergencies, or – depending on the terrain – emergencies in places where cell towers are scarce, and the internet connections are weak.

CB Radio Is Not Just for Emergencies

Using CB radios could also be a great activity among friends. You and your friends could each buy a CB radio and antennas, choose a channel that is not crowded (or one that is not required for emergency services, such as channel 9 or channel 19), and speak to each other on there.

Some of the prime appeals of CB radios in current times are usefulness, versatility, reliability, and of course, nostalgia. Talking to a stranger (or even a close friend or neighbor) on a radio, even while using certain codes, can feel much more intimate than tapping on a screen repeatedly.

We are so used to the ease and efficiency nowadays that the analog feeling of using CB radios would be quite a refreshing change for us because it makes us feel more productive, and more involved with the workings of the machine.

FAQs

Conclusion

CB Radios aren’t dead yet. They are being kept alive by those of us who like to keep a souvenir of a time when technology wasn’t threatening us with the pace of its development.

They are still in the markets, but not for use. Primarily, for keeping the sense of nostalgia. There is a special love for things that require more human involvement than the machines of today. And this will always have its appeal in human hearts.