Who 'members the CB radio daze?

walkin jack

walkin jack

US Veteran
Platinum
Joined
Jul 22, 2012
Messages
8,641
Reaction score
24,225
Location
Whitesboro, Texas
How many of y'all got caught up in the insanity of the CB radio craze? I was right smack dab in the middle of it. Me and my Cobra were on the air quite a bit during that time.

What was your handle and call numbers? I was "Mongoose" KCR-6795. I can't remember what I had for dinner last night but for some reason I CAN remember that. :confused:

Here's a few terms and phrases from the day. See if y'all can think of any more:

. Bean Store
. Choke-and-puke
. Rockin' chair
. Smokey bear
. County Mountie
. Local yokel
. Seat Cover
. YL
. Ex YL
. Hammer down
. Haulin' a load of sailboat fuel
. You shake the trees and I'll rake the leaves
. Front door
. Back door
 
Register to hide this ad
Plain wrapper (unmarked patrol car)
Evil Knievel (motorcycle cop)

CB's are pretty dead now. Even long haul truckers seldom use them. It was a fun time.
 
Walkin' Jack said:
What was your handle and call numbers? I was "Mongoose" KCR-6795.
Click to expand...

Now that's just weird! My handle was Mongoose too! (Different call numbers, but darned if I remember what they were.) I always had to explain to everyone what a Mongoose was...they thought it was some sort of Big Bird.
 
Still have one, in fact just upgraded it
2013-01-29_18-47-14_924.jpg
 
Damn Yankee said:
Coming in wall to wall and tree top tall.

What are those call Numbers you speak of.

Uncle Charlie
Click to expand...

Most people probably didn't bother but the FCC required that all radio operators get a license. These "call letters" were your number and you were required by federal law to identify yourself when you signed on and off. Never heard of anyone getting busted or having any kind of problem for not having a license.
 
I remember being able to buy booster amps and I knew a couple guys that were putting out hundreds of watts of power. Some guys you could hear for over a hundred miles. I remember cars driving around from the FCC or something that would bust these high powered guys by homing in on their signal.

A guy 50 miles from here used to power up every night around 8pm and hold his own little talk show. He'd walk all over us even though we were that far away.

The cops in our little town thought they'd be smart and they started monitoring channel 19 for trouble... We didn't disappoint...

I'd radio my buddy asking if he was in place.
He'd say yep I'm at the park by the trash barrel now.
I'd make like he screwed up and say 'Shhhh don't broadcast your location dummy!! Just light it and get the heck out of there!!'

Next thing we'd see the cop go zooming by to the park figuring he'd catch us in the act of lighting a trash can on fire, but we'd really be on the other side of town putting those plastic pink flamingos all over the police department front lawn.... :D

I hope none of my wonderful law enforcement officers are members on this forum now... I think they were so embarrassed they'd still be willing to lock me up for a night. :p

What is the statute of limitations for pink flamingo planting?
 
When I got mine ('79?) the craze was so big that they run out of three-letter call signs. You had had to buy a license, but now the license was free, although you still had to apply. Your "temporary license number" - until your regular one arrived - was K, your first and last initials, and the last four of your social.

Then mine arrived. Hot damn, I was official. KBLP-7350

I think, within a year or so after I got mine, you didn't even need a license any more.
 
Oh Yeah! If I remember correctly, I was "Crazy Horse". Because of my '72 Mustang(351 Cleveland 4 bolt main, Competition Cams RV grind, HUGE Quadrajet)fun times. Lost Lake's post reminded me of a guy in the Tulsa area called Crazy Luke. He had some big base station, & periodically he would key up & announce:"Crazy Luke's going to shut you down...Agitation, aggravation incorporated!" I swear. I guess he'd get liquored up & decide to play king of the airwaves.:D:D
 
KZR-4912, Hawkeye was my fathers handle. I still have his old Cobra 129LTD 29 channel single side band radio in storage. He had a group of about twenty or so buddies that hung out on channel 7. One family I remember very well, grandad was Rusty Pipe, his son was Copper Pipe, daughter Shiny Pipe, and her son was Litt'l Pipe. They owned a scrapyard and towing service.

The thing that drove them all away from the CB in the mid 1980's was the onslaught of idiots with high power linear amplifiers. Those jerks could walk on every conversation. They also participated in the moronic "Skip land! Skip Land!! 400 Watts skipping 'cross the land from Odessa Texas! Ya'll got ya ears on?"" Ugh.
 
Don't forget "alligators" You know those old retreads that came off and were lying on the side of the road. My dad's call letters began with KKK and the blacks in town used to scream at him when he put the call letters on the rear window. I have one I got at a garage sale that I put in my vehicles when I am on a trip sometimes. Great way to get around traffic jams and find good places to eat.
 
Last edited:
Breaker one nine, this is the Cocked Hammer goin' low and slow westbound on I-10; there's a bear in the air right over Picacho at number 219, and a bunch of smokies playing tag with everyone down here. It's a real bear trap. Two of em just passed my 20 eastbound hammer down. I'm backin' off beatin' the bushes until after I go thru sticker patch. Keep the shiny side up and the greasy side down; see ya on the flipper....

Ah yez, I remember it well...

John
 
Din't matter what my handle was, everybody called me Smokey.
I always felt so loved, because everybody was concerned about my 20. I couldn't even turn around without one of my fans informing everyone of my latest move.

Sure did feel secure during those times as everyone was watchin' out for me..:rolleyes::D
 
Last edited:
The first CB craze in the UK used illegal US equipment. Eventually the UK government gave in and allocated the very top of the 27MHz band for CB use using a bespoke set of frequencies and FM rather than AM. That kicked off the second legal craze.

As for those with big boots and foul mouths, one of those not far from me got his comeuppance one night. He opened his door and was promptly picked up off the ground by somebody using a very large flat bladed screwdriver inserted into Mr Foulmouth's stomach. Folk in the UK may not have many guns but they can still get po'd.
 
Bigfoot, you got your ears on? Bring it back.

Fo sho, fo sho River Rat, you got the Bigfoot

Bigfoot I'm going to stop off at the next choke and puke for some go-go juice and a 10-100.

10-4 River Rat. 'll back it up to the double nickel and keep my ears on.

Copy Bigfoot I'm 505 and clear...

I miss my CB! LOL!
 
I'm just one of the dozens of RiverRats. KSL8114. But I still use my CB even if not the call letters. I just returned from a 2 week vacation in the dessert sun. Jeep rides use the CB as the way to communicate between ends of the line. Or just between vehicles traveling together. Works like a charm.

Way back in the dark ages I even had the elusive and highly illegal Linear Amp. When you get out in the wide open spaces, you can really reach out. The problem being you can also attract unwanted attention. As it is, I'm happy to get information to and from my tailgunner.
 
I got my first CB while I was in college in 1966, KNH8207. That was before 'handles' took the place of callsigns. It was at a low point in the sunspot cycle and there was very little trouble with skip, so most of the conversations were very well mannered and friendly. I worked part time at a two-way radio shop and had a tube-type Courier 23 base station set up in my college dorm room for a while and a Courier solid-state unit in my '64 VW. By the time I got home from the Navy in 1972 the CB craze was getting into full swing. I was dispatching for the local SO and one of the deputies and I would pretend to be truckers..."Ain't seen no bears since I crossed the Big Muddy, you be clean & green all the way back to the Island, so put the hammer down & the pedal to the metal. I got your back door..."
 
Sabu, KBGZ-2233. I had a perfectly legal old 23-channel that for some reason put out a phenomenally clean and powerful signal. I have a very, very deep bass voice. Used to get called by all kinds of women. Met a few, and when they saw what I looked like they swore off CB...
 
Having grown up with Amateur Radio operators in the family, who had to take a test and be able to send and receive morse code we called CB childrens band. I loved when they would say yeah 10-4! Wanna be Hams!
 
Yep was slowhand back in the 70's,80's and 90's.Ran a set of"screamin eagles".1000 watt tube linear.30' moon racker on a 45' tower.Talked any where and any time I wanted.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top