My advice is to keep checking the thrift stores. I went to town to sell eggs, and turned some of the egg money into a single-sideband (SSB) Citizen’s Band (CB) radio ($5), and 100 feet of new 75-ohm coaxial cable ($2.50). I can now get on the air for only for only $8.50! If I land one more of these, then I will consider modifying my Kenwood 830S 10-meter rig to 11 meter. I would then have a 100-watt rig with SSB capability to talk to my mobile SSB CBs. Having SSB mode CB would give me yet another redundant communications system. I want a pile of at least three of these before I do the ‘mod’, as “3 is 2, 2 is 1, and 1 is none.” These old sets may not last in the field, but they are not my ‘primary’. But they could become an ‘alternate’, and are already a ‘contingency’. Some of my friends also have SSB-capable CB radios.
For almost a decade, I’ve been collecting old CBs to hand out to select neighbors to provide for a low power net. Because this a rare find, a CB with SSB is a keeper. This one was produced for Sears by Toshiba, or Sharp around 1972. It is a 23-channel crystal set. It is a high-quality build. It’s exterior appearance is very good. It was stored in conditions, likely a cool, dry, and clean place that is conducive for good operation, later. Perhaps decades later. However, in my experience, only about half the old dusty CBs that I run into actually work. This one had no dust on it.
CBs are usually stored poorly. The ‘dust of ages’ can sometimes be blown out, and corrosion from oxidation removed with a spray. This one would be worth that kind of attention, and work. Fortunately, initial bench testing indicates that it turns on, receives, and transmits. That is a good start. Regardless of how it performs on the air, or doesn’t, as it might prove to be ‘off frequency’ on some or all channels. The price was right ($5). And the P.A. (Public Address) part of the CB may still work. Use one, or two CBs with P.A.s, and you’ve got a one-way, or two-way intercom-telephone system. Crude, but effective for shorter distances. The audio can be amplified with a 12 vdc computer speaker amplifier if need be. We need the audio to be intelligible at the other end. Some CB P.A.s are not as powerful as others, and an amplifier would be necessary. Or, if you happen to have a box of these, then grab another one out of the box.
Even if only the P.A. works, if someone shows up at the front gate and their intent is unclear, we can now ask them to leave, politely, without revealing the location of the Observation Post (OP). If all we had was a hammer, then everything would look like a nail. It would be good to have the means to be able to deescalate the force needed to deter an enemy threat, and avoid the use of a hammer. A bull horn would giveaway your location. There is more than one way communicate, or to skin a rabbit. Sometimes it is better to speak softly before using the big stick.Continue reading“A SSB CB Thrift Store Score!, by Tunnel Rabbit”
