The Big Net 2016 - 35 Years of Legal CB!

It's almost that time of year again! - The Big Net 2016 celebrating an incredible 35 YEARS of legal UK CB radio 2nd November 2016.

The main net will be on ch35 UKFM (27.94125) with SSB calling on 27.275* USB and AM calling on 27.125*

* Please QSY once contact has been made.

NEW Superstar 3900????

A new website has appeared online for Superstar CB radios: www.wearesuperstar.co.uk

It would appear that they are re-launching the Superstar 3900 as a new EU Legal radio.

The Superstar 3900EU will come with the standard legal 40 mid band 4W AM/FM + 12W USB/LSB but of course can be modified for export purposes!!!!

This may explain the reappearance of the radio on the Nevada website as reported on this blog yesterday.

Nevada list the price of the radio as £169.95

Previous versions of this radio have been plagued with problems affecting frequency stability so it will be interesting to see if these problems have been sorted out in the new version.

We shall wait and see..... 

UPDATE: Full technical analysis of the radio CLICK HERE

CB Radio: German Duplex Repeater

I've often heard a duplex repeater on channel 40 on the mid band (27.405) and wondered where it was located. With thanks to Reiner who spoke to me on-air via some amazing propagation, I find that this repeater is located 805m above sea level near Ochsenwang (QTH locator JN46RN) in Southern Germany.

Currently the repeater is using a fully legal Midland Alan 48 radio with 4 watts output. The transmitting antenna is a Sirio 827 with the receiving antenna being a Sirio Super 12.

Being a duplex repeater you need to transmit on an input frequency and listen on the output frequency. 

The input frequency is 26.565Mhz with the output being on 27.405Mhz. Please note that the input frequency is not legal in the UK and many other parts of the world but is legal in Germany being on their channel 41.

So why not take a listen when the conditions are right?

If you do decide to use the repeater please make sure you operate in a responsible manner and remember that this repeater was set up to improve local comms in a mountainous area and priority should always be given to local stations. 

The repeater group also has a Facebook page which you can see here: LINK (Closed group, you will have to ask for permission to join)

President Grant 2 Installation

Video: YouTube/James Fletcher

A video by James Fletcher showing a vehicle installed President Grant 2. The radio looks quite at home in the dashboard and James has made a good job of it for sure. 

The Big Multimode Nets 2016

Just a reminder that on Monday 27th June 2016 stations across the UK (and Europe) will be on the air to celebrate 2 years of legal AM and SSB. 

It's hard to believe that 2 years have passed by already. SSB has proved to be very popular in many parts of the UK especially on the many 'Midweek DX' nets but I must say that AM is still very rarely used so here's your chance to get on the air and make some contacts!

AM calling will take place on Ch14 - 27.125MHZ

SSB(USB) calling will take place on Ch27 - 27.275MHZ 

Please remember to QSY from the calling channels when contact has been made. 

Sugar Delta Group Adopt UK SSB Calling Channel!

With thanks to Roy (104ET001) for the information that the Sugar Delta Group has adopted the same SSB calling frequency as the UK:

Posted on the Sugar Delta Website:

"Hi All

After much debate with many of the HQ in the Group after what is still an on going problem in many divisions with the Radio Authorities regarding out of Legal band transitions we have decided that we should move the calling frequency to within Legal bands.

The new calling frequency for the Group will be: 27.275Mhz

This will protect our Members from prosecution in the divisions concerned and allow our family to operate and continue to enjoy the hobby.

The fight for the Frequencies we love so dear will continue with cooperation from ourselves with all other entities that are fighting to legalese what has become known as the free band and 555 frequency.

We can only do this as a Group if we are following our country authorities rules and regulations.

The Sugar Delta Group has always stated that we use our radios & equipment within the Legal Bands and to the countries laws and regulations and will not be responsible for our Members transmitting out of Bands that are deemed Illegal.

As from this day any future 0 /DX/IOTA or SD Group sponsored activity will ONLY be on Legal Frequencies, Calling from 27.275 and QSY.

With the Cycle being at its lowest and having no conditions for the DX i think that this is the right time to make a big change, at the end of the day if we advertise the frequencies we transmit on people we come if they want to work us.

One thing is for sure if we do nothing we will lose our most wanted and lose many members from the 11mtr community of which will be even worse for our hobby.

Look forward to see your feedback on this subject



Regards all"




Link to original page: CLICK HERE

CB Radio - The Big Multimode Nets 2016

Just a heads up that The Big Multimode Nets will take place on Monday 27th June 2016 between 6-10pm.

This event is to celebrate the legalisation of AM and SSB in the UK and this year takes on a special role showing that CB is alive and well following news from the ECBF that CB frequencies may be under threat if operators don't make good use of the allocation spectrum - See: LINK  

AM and SSB modes have proved popular in many parts of the UK since legalisation and a number of 'Midweek Nets' have sprung up. I would suggest that for one week only any groups running 'Midweek Nets' could change days and have their weekly net on Monday 27th June, thereby increasing the number of stations on the air at the same time. It would be helpful to keep a log of all the stations who take part in the event so we can show that there are still plenty of CB radio users here in the UK and across Europe.

AM calling will take place on 27.125Mhz - Channel 14

USB calling will take place on 27.275Mhz - Channel 27

PLEASE REMEMBER TO QSY FROM THE CALLING CHANNELS ONCE CONTACT IS MADE

All net activity will take place on the LEGAL Mid Band.

LET'S KEEP CB RADIO ALIVE - USE IT OR LOSE IT!

 

President Grant 2 (Non-Premium): Amazon Offers

Looking around Amazon I find a couple of dealers who are selling the non-premium Grant 2's at a discount.

MFL Qualtech: £165.95 - LINK

Amazon: £167.43 - LINK

Both sellers offer FREE postage. 

In my mind this is the sort of price they should have been sold at from the start. £200 plus was always too much for this radio which has it's lovers and haters. In low noise environments they perform extremely well but many have reported high noise levels on these radios when operating from home. If you fancy a legal SSB radio and maybe want to use it mobile, this could well be the one for you. 

 

UK CB Radio: Single Side Band (Mobile)

Video: YouTube/Steve Stevens

In this video Steve shows us the advantages of using SSB even in flat conditions. Starting a chat with one other station and by the end of the video he has quite a nice little net going with stations in Luton, The South Downs, Peterborough and London.

SSB activity has increased dramatically in many parts of the UK since it was legalised in 2014 with many weekly nets springing up. Steve's video shows that a call on the UK SSB Calling Frequency (27.275 USB) can lead to some great contacts even in poor/flat conditions. 

So why not give it a try? Give out a call on 27 Mid Band (27.275 USB).

HEX (Hill-toppers and Extreme) Ground Wave DX NET

05/03/2016 - 27.405 USB

"Once again the chance to head for high ground and ping some signals around the Country, this is a contact / DX Net for those wishing to log as many +100 mile contacts ( as seen on the placement card ) as possible in a controlled environment .

It's all about the receive and power is not the issue , if you can't hear them_ you can't work them !
Hoping for better weather and Tropo conditions than in December and although I think we all had a great time with some cracking results it only ever reached around 25% of its potential in my opinion . 

QRM from Europe may be a problem and the Net(s) may have move to different channels at times around the mid-block on USB. 

I will be calling out from the Mendip Hills Somerset , at around 6pm on the 5/3/2016 and hope to make contact and be able to pass around as many as possible.

73 & Good DX
Kevin 26CT1685"

Source - Discussion thread on the Charlie Tango Forum: LINK

New CB Radio - CRT2000

A new radio has appeared on the CRT website - The CRT2000

The radio will be supplied with the AM/FM European Multi Norms but can no doubt be modded for export purposes.

CRT WEBSITE: LINK

CB Radio Featured In The Press

I came across this great little article about 40 years of CB radio in the North East of England. Not much to it but good to see CB Radio featured in the local press. It would be nice to think that people might read it, dig out their old rigs and get back on the air.

FULL ARTICLE: CLICK HERE

CTX January AM Net

The CTX Team have announced their latest AM net, which will take place on Saturday 30th Janaury 2016

    (Click Image To Enlarge)

"The latest in our series of the increasingly popular AM Nets!

6pm until 9pm (18:00-21:00 GMT/UTC)

We will call on Ch14 Mid Block (27.125Mhz) with a QSY channel (which we will pick on the night based upon band conditions), but our preferred net channel is Ch10 (27.075Mhz) - if Ch10 is not usable on the night, we try to stay on the lower part of the Mids (we don't use Ch9, Ch14 or Ch19 to hold the net on though)."

CTX Facebook Page: LINK

President Radios With 'muRata' Filters - Any Point?

Following on from the President Grant 2 Premium which includes the much talked about 'muRata' ceramic filter, it would appear that President are adding the filter to other models in their range with the President Teddy and President William apparently getting the upgrade treatment. 

But is this just a marketing ploy to repair their damaged reputation following several recent gaffs?

Do these 'muRata' filters actually make any difference?

Looking at the Grant 2 Premium there does not seem to be much difference in the way the radio handles noise compared to the non-muRata 'standard' Grant 2. The Grant 2 Premium certainly continues to suffer noise problems so the filter is by no means a wonder cure for a noisy receiver.

Anyway time will tell I guess, videos will no doubt appear on YouTube in due course.

So, muRata Filers - Good idea or just a marketing ploy? Let me know what you think!

President Grant 2 ONLY £99.95 - Nevada BOXING DAY Special Deal!

Nevada are selling the President Grant 2 (NOT PREMIUM) for only £99.95 - Limited to only 20 pieces so first come first served!

http://www.nevadaradio.co.uk/cb/cb-radios/president-grant-ii

The 'HEX' - SSB Net!

    (Click to Enlarge)

'Hilltoppers and Extreme Ground Wave DX'ers Winter SSB Net!!!!'

27.405 (Ch 40 mid band) USB from 18:00 hours on 19/12/2015

More info on the Charlie Tango Forum: CLICK HERE

President Grant 2 ONLY £149.99 - Nevada Black Friday Deal!

Predicted by many as a possible Black Friday deal and here it is - Nevada have the President Grant 2 (Not Premium) on sale for only £149.99.

You can see this deal along with others on the Nevada website: CLICK HERE

Martin Lynch and Sons Cheeky BLACK FRIDAY Video!

Charlie Tango Extreme AM Net Saturday 28th November 2015

Those intrepid guys from Charlie Tango Extreme have announced their latest AM net. Taking place on Saturday 28th November from 18:00 - 21:00 hours.

Calling will take place on the UK AM calling channel - 27.125Mhz Ch.14 Mid Band then QSY to a clear frequency.

Give a shout! Nice bit of AM, just like the old days!

President Grant II Premium with DSP!

Video: YouTube/Klaus R.

So here we have a President Grant 2 Premium with a DSP board fitted. An interesting idea for sure but as the cost of the radio plus the cost of the DSP unit plus time and cost of having it fitted comes to about the same as the price of a Yaesu FT817 I can't see this catching on!