Extreme Radio - 11 meter Citizens Band Radio ( CB radio ) dxing ( shooting skip ) via ionospheric wave propagation station in Worcester, Massachusetts USA.

what is called line of site transmission. Then there is a phenomenon that allows long distance communications that is called Ionospheric Wave Propagation aka “skip" or "DX". It is when solar magnetic radiation emanating from sunspots (magnetic storms on the sun) charges the Earth's ionosphere which is over over 30-250 miles high up in the sky causing it to act like a mirror for radio signals below 30mhz so it is possible for the signals to bounce off the charged ionosphere and end up 100 miles away, or up to 12,000 miles away on the other side of the world. Low power stations in theory can DX/Skip, however with all the high powered radios out there they are usually drowned out by the higher powered stations. Sunspots which cause skip  are on a 11 year cycle, therefore skip conditions go on a 11 year cycle (intensity wise) and in 2006 we are at the lowest activity part of the cycle. The cycle will peak in 2012. "Skip" isn't always happening. Some days it is very strong and you can talk all over the world. Other days there is no skip and you can only talk line of site. It completely depends on sunspot intensity on the surface of the sun. There is no solid way to predict when skip conditions will be present. The only real thing you can do is turn on your radio and see the current conditions for yourself.

Here is a little technical explanation of the difference between AM and SSB. I will try and keep it simple. You see AM radio waves are a combination of a carrier wave and two sideband waves. Picture the carrier wave as a bus and the sideband waves are signs on each side of the bus. Each sign carries half of the total message. CB radios that are equipped for SSB may transmit on either AM or one of the sidebands of each frequency channel. So say you are able to remove the bus and one sign from the picture and the entire message is put on one sign by itself. That is what sideband is. It focuses all of your power and message onto one sideband wave instead of a carrier and 2 sideband waves as it does on the AM band. So in fact a 40 Channel CB radio technically has 120 channels (40 AM, 40 Upper Sideband, and 40 Lower Sideband). Each of the 40 channels includes the AM, Upper Sideband, and Lower Sideband waves. So in theory 3 conversations can be held on the same channel at the same time as long as everyone isn't overpowering each other. Now when transmitting on AM your output power is split between AM, Upper Sideband, and Lower Sideband.

Maximum legal output is 4 watts on AM. The actual output power is 12 watts but is split between the AM carrier, Upper Sideband, and Lower Sideband. But when you transmit on solely one of the sideband waves your entire output power is focused on that particular sideband wave. Therefore you get a total output of 12 watts on the single sideband wave which significantly increases your output range. Although the legal limit for output is 4 watts on AM and 12 watts on single side band most people get their radio "peaked and tweaked" which increases power and modulation output.

Any-who truckers and locals usually hang out on he AM band. I hang out on the Upper/Lower SSB band which is mostly hobbyists. So the stereotypical only truckers use CB's is false. But because of that stereotype many people whom do use CB Radios wont admit it for fear of being made fun of for it.

CB Radio peaked in the 70's. At first you needed a license and the FCC watched over the band like a hawk. But, now however, you no longer need a license and the FCC doesn't pay too much attention to the band and will leave you alone as long as you are not causing interference with anything important.

People ask me how is this fun. Honestly I cant explain it. Maybe the idea that you are communicating with someone without the aid or wires, cell phone towers, or the internet. Just radio waves from your house, car, handheld etc. Its an old technology and not new and state of the art. But, it is very entertaining if you like that sort of thing.

Regarding people whom use the AM band... For some people it is for safety while on the road. Many truck drivers have CB radios in their trucks as well as people whom travel often by car. They use it for an emergency, for directions and local information where the best restaurant is or where they can get a good deal on gas. They also just use it to talk to people on a long drive. People miss their families. On a long drive talking to someone whom is experiencing the same feelings of being away from friends and family can help the drivers feel that they are not alone. Also the police love it because it helps keep long distance or even short distance drivers awake.

As for the SSB band... For some its an attempt to see how far away they can contact someone on the radio or to have a civilized conversation away from the AM band riff-raff. Sure sideband has its own riff-raff but it isn't close to as bad as it can be on the AM band.

For some they just enjoy talking to people that they don't really know, but, however, great friendships can and do happen on the CB Radio. Why do I do it? My #1 reason is for ionospheric wave propagation aka DXing (long distance communications) aka "shooting skip". Secondary reason would be the fascination with talking over radio waves without the help of modern communications technology. You can easily go in a chat room on the net to meet people you don't know, but doing so over radio waves makes it a bit more active, in contrast to, passive hobby that takes a little more effort and yields, in my opinion, greater satisfaction.

My handle (CB Radio name) is "Extreme". I use that when talking locally on the AM band which I rarely do. For DXing (long distance) on the SSB bands I use the three digits "717". In addition, I am in an international CB Radio SSB group called American Eagle SSB CB’ers Club. it is a group of about 900+ people living world wide whom share a common interest. Communicating on a CB radio on the SSB modulation waves. In that group I am known as "AE813". I am in another club called Sierra Fox DX Group and in that group I am known as 2SF1701. That group has around 500 people in it. I am also in a DXing group, with over 300 members, started on the CB Radio Forum and my call-sign is RF717. I am also a member of startup dx group, with only a handful of members, called DX Outlaws Group where my call sign is Outlaw 717. I am also a member of The Worldwide CDX Club which has about 200 members. In addition I am a member of The Quack Shack DX Club which has about 200 members. I also started up my own group called Planetary SKIPshooters “Society for Keen Ionospheric Propagation” on July 11, 2006. In addition I joined the Olde Timers CB Radio Club which has about 50 members. Links to all of these groups can be found in my link section. On Sideband when talking DX, people can send each other what is known as "QSL" cards. QSL means received transmission. It is from a group of "Q Codes" that people use on SSB instead of the usual 10 Codes that are used on AM such as 10-4 which means received or any trucker jargon that they use. Its more like Ham than anything. Ham operators will disagree but the root basis is somewhat similar. QSL cards are like a certificate, business card, or however you want to look at it. Basically it is proof on paper that you did make contact with someone far away. The paper will include call signs, date, time, frequency, and locations.

Well that is CB Radio in a nutshell. If you have any questions pertaining to the hobby please feel free to contact me. I will do my best to answer your question for you, and if I am unable to answer your question for you, I will gladly point you in the direction to where you should be able to get an answer for your question As I know where to find the experts in the field.

73, (best wishes) and I hope to hear you out on the airwaves! If atmospheric conditions are just right you may very well hear me on your radio. My call signs are listed on the “Extreme Radio” section of the website.