80m Amateur Radio AM on a CB Radio PART 1

[jesjammin]

Just stumbled across your video after checking into the DX-60 net on 3.880 AM. Lots of the AMers on there are home brew enthusiasts. When I saw that you were able to receive 75 m am phone I thought, "Wow! I need to try that." my ISP can't locate your web page. I'd really be interested to see your schematic for the frequency converter and how it hooks up to the cb. To have one in the living room for those nights when nothing is on TV. I could see if any of my pals are on in the am window. - Mike

[W6CSAhamradio]

I am impressed. I wonder if you can do it for 6 meters as well being that 6 is the second harmonic of 27 MHz. Very good job and seriously I am impressed.

73 de W6CSA Get your license and I will be glad to hear you on the air.

[SoccerDJRob]

ok um like who uses cb's now? what do boats use? like what is the diffrence between a cb and a uhf vhf marine radio things? what should i buy, what is what? what is the uhf vhf who uses them?

[emerald48]

@SoccerDJRob - CB is used by anyone that needs to use a license free radio. More CBs are sold today in Europe than in 1978. Boats use VHF at 156 - 161MHz CB uses 27MHz. VHF is better for short range comms and uses smaller aerials. Buy whatever you need. CB is great for mobile up to 10 to 15 miles. Marine VHF needs license and is only for boats (mainly emergency). UHF is even higher in frequency and great for handhelds like PMR446. Go and learn some then you know what you need.

[SoccerDJRob]

@emerald48 so if i buy a vhf in off the webb it wont work like i wont be able to her boATS?

[freakzilla10]

@emerald48 who says you need a Marine VHF licence??? i have a handheld and use it all the time when we go boating on the Mississippi River and the last time i checked, i didn't need a licence!

[emerald48]

@freakzilla10 - Indeed it appears to be the case that you in US can use a marine VHF radio for recreational boats without a license. But here in UK, we have a requirement for a marine radio licence along with fairly strict operating procedures. A short course needs to be taken first (usually run by a RYA training centre), and if passed a licence is issued by Ofcom.

[DrMotorDude]

@SoccerDJRob emerald48 is correct...the best thing to do is join a local or online amateur radio club. You'll learn what frequencies are limited to which purposes. IE: CB is AM and Marine VHF is FM - each has it's own advantages and disadvantages. Which is "better" will be determined by what you want to do.

[umpalumpa101909]

i have a cb radio wich has a am/fm switch.. can i listen to Amature radio with the AM Toggle?.. im new to this

[emerald48]

@umpalumpa101909 - No. AM, FM or SSB is just the mode that is used to add your speech to the radio frequency, you are still on the same frequency (Channel). Amateur radio operates in different frequencies and mainly uses SSB mode for speech. Go to RSGB or ARRL to find out more information.

[K9FON]

You just cant beat the older CB rigs from the 1970s. They were made in Japan and not China, and made to last unlike the junk out today.

[emerald48]

@K9FON - Most 70's /' 80's CB's in Europe were made in Korea or Hong Kong. The old rigs were well made, but badly designed by today's standards. Poor RX blocking, wide IF's + wide modulation (nice audio - but bad practice!), poor image rejection (many with only single conversion IF's) barely passable harmonic suppression. This was a problem in UK cities in the late 1970's due to station proximity, but less of a problem today with few stations on air. I find many of todays CB's much better.

[monty1067]

Why would you want 5 watts of crappy CB AM audio on 80?

[emerald48]

This is a receive converter and will work with any SSB rig not just AM. (I don't have an SSB rig)

But - How is the stable PLL, high level transformer modulated AM from a 1980's CB any worse than the drifty, tinny, distorted and under modulated AM of some of the vintage gear on 3615 ?. In the 1970's and 80's, all the AM CB's I used produced a good transmit audio of 75 - 90% modulation depth and without splatter (unless some idiot adds a power mike). The newer European radios are very good.

[emerald48]

Please note that I fully support the restoration of vintage gear and it's continued use, regardless of the audio quality, and that also includes vintage CB gear, especially the old tube rigs. Unfortunately, here in the UK we have to modify them for bands where AM mode is legal - unlike the CB band which is FM only in the UK.

[urbex2007]

it is an RX convertor, not TX.

[KC8YOQ]

What mod? Where is it!

[emerald48]

Its the board behind the radio. You see it better on the second video.