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CB Radio was first introduced into the United Kingdom around 1972. These dates are hard to confirm accurately; certainly early use was known around the airports in the UK, particularly Stansted in 1973. Some claim that a few illegal CBs were in use in the 1960s. These early adopters used CB radios imported from the United States that were illegal to own and use. The usage of illegal CB radio peaked in 1980 and the UK Government was forced to legalise CB Radio. CB became legal in the United Kingdom on November 2nd, 1981; hence the logo stamped on all type approved radios of this era CB27/81 or CB934/81. A licence is required to operate a CB Radio. This was at one time available from most major Post Offices within the United Kingdom but is now obtained via Ofcom. The licence currently costs £15 (although it is free for under-21s and over-70s) but Ofcom has indicated its intention to deregulate the citizens' band from 2007. In the run up to legalisation, some people wanted the old VHF bomber frequency around 220 MHz (unused since WW2) for UK CB. This would have offered much better conditions for CB: nice clear channels without the chronic overseas interference there is on 27 MHz. This interference is often so severe, it even stops local contacts from being made, rendering 27 MHz CB totally useless. However, the vast majority of users were not technically minded enough to realise what a bad slot 27MHz was, and had already purchased American-sourced equipment, so the preferred option for legalisation was the U.S. 27MHz AM system. While technically this was one of the poorest possible choices for a short range person-to-person radio system, and was already allocated for other services, the CB community lobbied vociferously for it. The final legalised service was a compromise - a band at 27MHz was allocated but using FM and offset channel frequencies 27.6 - 27.9 which were incompatible with the U.S. system.
Methods of transmission The modes of transmission used AM (amplitude modulation) and SSB (single sideband modulation). The channels legalised on 2 November 1981 were on two blocks of frequencies: 40 channels on the 27 MHz band and 20 channels on the 934 MHz band, both of which used FM (frequency modulation) and both unique to the UK. The 27 MHz band frequency allocation is shown here: 27 MHz CB27/81 Bandplan. In the 1990s 40 additional frequencies were added, which were ironically the same as the U.S. allocation - but again using FM. Many CB users who witnessed the noisy and unruly conditions on 27 MHz wanted to get away from all that and use the superior 934 MHz UHF CB allocation. In fact, the cost of cutting edge (at the time) UHF radio equipment meant that only the more serious CB operator would use the band, a nice though expensive haven for mature CB operators, and radio hams who didn't like the 'red tape' of amateur radio. At first the range was limited, but as antenna restrictions were lifted and better equipment started to appear, the number of UHF CB operators grew. Sadly, after just a few years in 1988, it was announced that no more new equipment for 934 would be made, the specification was withdrawn and the band was 'frozen'. The 934 MHz band was eventually discontinued by the government on 31 December 1998 due to the pathetic reason that the band had low user numbers, despite the fact that there was more activity on the 1MHz of 934 than the entire 12MHz of amateur bands 2m & 70cms, yet these bands were not shut down. The main reason for the lower user numbers on the 934 MHz band was its cost (up to £500 for a radio), coupled with the fact that by the time reliable Japanese equipment became available in the mid-1980s, most people had opted for the noisy and cheap 27 MHz, or gone on to take the Radio Amateur Exam. There are three channels that have a specific use in the UK: CB users may use the phonetic alphabet and ten-codes. Nowadays it seems nobody wants to use Channel 14 for Calling, Even though Channel 14 was actually intended for homebase users and Channel 19 for mobile users. Channel 9 on the other hand going back quite a few years ago in the 1980's the channel was taken more seriously for emergencies,where as nowadays Channel 9 is just another breaker channel. If anybody was really stuck or maybe in an attempt of being hijacked of their lorry or similar life threatening situation they would call for help on the most used Channel which is 19. The CB craze and legalisation Wider CB usage in the UK started off with a few individuals, particularly truck drivers, importing US equipment and using it illegally. It clearly served a need as the craze grew rapidly, reaching an enormous peak in the early 1980s. At the same time, technically savvy engineers with a certain amount of curiosity about the rumours, started to convert radiotelephone equipment to use on the 27 MHz band. The result was an explosion in the number of users, and a huge growth in the CB culture that accompanied it. Around 1980, companies in Britain started to sell US equipment quite openly, as there was no law against selling or owning accessories, though being in posession of an unlicenceable radio transmitter was an offence. While the number of users grew, the authorities were slow to react, but by the beginning of 1980, a number of police forces decided to take it upon themselves to start clamping down on illegal CBers. The normal authority for regulating the use of radio, the Home Office Radio Regulatory Department, were overwhelmed and could not possibly trace and prosecute every illegal user. The fact that the police weighed in to enforce the law is probably one reason why the craze grew and had a more extended life than it might otherwise have done - suddenly there was a common cause (the legalisation of CB) and a shared sense of persecution around which CBers could organise. As a result, CB clubs sprang up in most towns around the country, and numbers of users went through the roof. As the fad reached its peak towards the end of 1980, it became impossible to achieve more than a few miles range at most, such was the number of users jamming the channels - not to mention the awful congestion that overseas operators cause each other, such is the nature of shortwave. Around this time, a number of CB-related periodicals appeared on the market, and you could buy CB equipment such as antennae in many ordinary car accessory shops. The CB clubs organised a number of national demonstrations in favour of legalisation, including a mass "convoy" to the heart of London, which brought the city to a standstill. In the face of overwhelming support, and the fact that the current situation was unenforceable, the government hastily commissioned a white paper proposing a CB service called Open Channel around 860MHz. Among the enthusiasts, there was an outcry, since they wanted to use the 27 MHz equipment they had already invested in, despite the fact that the band was already allocated for model control and other applications. Eventually the government capitulated, and sanctioned both a 27 MHz and 934 MHz band. The CB lobby was appeased, until they saw the fine print – the new 27 MHz band used an odd channel offset and FM modulation, so it was incompatible with the American system. The reason for this was on the grounds of reducing as much as possible the interference to legitimate services. By then it was too late, the legislation had been passed, and the 27 MHz FM system was rushed in. The new system was taken up enthusiastically by all those who had held back using an illegal system, and it was one of the biggest selling gifts for christmas in 1981. The combination of the old and new systems operating on a largely overlapping band rendered both systems more or less unusable, especially in the 6 month period following christmas 1981. With the fight won, albeit with a considerable compromise, and the system practically unusable, the remaining CB clubs gradually dwindled in membership, most disappearing altogether within a year. Nuisance While most CB users felt they were a persecuted and harmless segment of society, there were some notable anti-social aspects to the craze. Many users boosted their signals to very high levels using imported power amplifiers (called "burners" in the CB jargon) and these would often cause interference to local television reception, or cause "breakthrough" on other equipment, such as stereo systems. Even some un-amplified equipment could cause interference in some cases. Harmonics from badly designed or misaligned equipment could cause radio interference to legitimate services; indeed, this was the main argument used by opponents of CB against the illegal users. Imported equipment was of variable quality and certainly never tested to any British standard. Problems were often exacerbated because users were not often technically minded and installations were sometimes very poor. Some enthusiasts erected very large antennas which were considered an eyesore. The band used for CB was already allocated in the UK to radio controlled models. While this was usually little more than a frustrating nuisance for modellers, it did pose a genuine danger for aircraft models, which can easily kill or seriously injure. As a result of the CB craze, it became mandatory to operate aircraft models on the alternative band of 35 MHz. The legalised service left some of the 27 MHz band available for models, but since the illegal American equipment continued to be widely used, most modellers gave up and adopted other frequencies instead. CB culture At the height of the craze, everyone was either using CB or knew somebody who did – it is important to realise that this was a very significant movement, in terms of numbers. While essentially a youth culture and a working class one, CB was enthusiastically embraced by people in all walks of life. The cause of legalisation and the community spirit of beating "smokey" and not getting "busted" was very strong. CBers adopted the ten-code and much of the incumbent US slang, but this rapidly evolved into a distinctly UK-oriented lingua franca. New ten-codes were frequently made up, used for a while in the local area, then fell into disuse. For example, a "10-100" was sometimes used to refer to the call of nature. Most of the official ten-code was ignored, except for basic ones such as 10-4 and 10-20. Everyone was required to have a "handle" - using proper names was definitely out. In addition, at one time the use of slang terms for the most everyday things was considered virtually compulsory. For example, one overheard conversation involved a CBer inviting another round for a cup of tea – after a very long pause with the mike held down following "fancy a cup of....", she finally offered the ad-hoc slang term "mud?" Another typical aspect of the UK CB culture was the low-level of paranoia that accompanied every conversation in light of the fact it was breaking the law. It was forbidden to disclose ones location (or "twenty", after the ten-code), but it was OK to give clues in a semi-cryptic form. Presumably any eavesdropper had the same chance of solving these as the intended listener, so the value of this was moot. Typical terminology included asking another CBer, "How many candles are you burning?" (What is your age?), "Pick a window" (Choose another channel - for example if the current one is too busy for conversation), and, "Do you copy?" (Can you hear me?). The term "Roger" was borrowed from standard radio operating jargon to mean "yes" (even though in fact it means "message received", which is subtly different), and this mutated into other forms unique to CB such as "Roger Dee", and, "That's a Rog". "Negatory", often used to mean "no", borrowed from U.S. CB slang, also mutated into unique forms such as "That's a Neg". There were technical aspects to the culture – for example, very few people had much idea what VSWR (voltage standing wave ratio) was, but most users knew their antenna had to be "swred in" before use. Usually pronounced "swarring", some even referred to this process as "swearing in." The "swring in" ritual was also often part of another huge aspect of the CB culture – that of the "wind up". This involved convincing another CBer to do something on a false premise, usually a form of practical joke. Often this could be witnessed if the victim was within sight of the perpetrator, but was not aware of this. A typical example was to get a newbie to "swr in" his antenna by standing on the bonnet of his vehicle with no socks on, one leg in the air and his hand on the antenna. The perpetrator had to convince the victim that it was enhancing his signal. Fall from popularity The CB channels remained very busy until 2000, when more and more channels became empty as fewer and fewer users were on air. This is due to the rise of pay-as-you-go mobile phones and flat rate access to the Internet. Amateur radio which gained most of its number from CB radio since 1980, is also in decline. And now we also have what's known as VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) where anybody can call each other for free over their very own broadband/dialup connection. VOIP gives people the ability to ring land lines and other users PC's for a very small fee or possibly for free which may of also contributed to the decline of Citizen Band Radio. Also not forgetting the widely used voice conferencing which can be found in many instant messaging programs! | ||||||||
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