WHEN CB ONLY HAD 23 CHANNELS

Alright - alright, I know it, you know it, and I know that you know it - I've been coasting on my postings and haven't given them my complete attention, so here's some NEW original content.

"SCOTTY" - "DON'T BEAM ME BACK, I'M IN A STRANGE DIMENSION WHERE THERE'S 40 CB CHANNELS....FORTY SCOTTY... 40!!

WHEN CITIZENS BAND ONLY HAD 23 CHANNELS

Growing up with CB was a blast. For me, it started with a used Lafayette Comstat 23 until a year later when I realized single side-band was where I wanted to be. But before we get to ME, let's put a wide angle lens on this perspective...

When the FCC allotted 23 channels to the Class D Citizens Band radio service they really hadn't counted on how big it would get.

In the early years CB transceivers had a small number of fixed transmit & receive channels, with some (like the Sonar "H" on the left) having one transmit and one receive socket on the front panel allowing the operator the legal right to change out those crystals on-the-fly (so to speak). 

THIS LAFAYETTE CB FEATURED A VFO RECEIVER

Changing the internal crystals (two per channel) was time intensive as well as illegal for the average Joe. As a licensed CB operator, you could not make any changes or adjustments inside of the radio itself - they could only be legally done by a licensed FCC technician. 

Manufacturers quickly got creative with their higher tier transceivers by having 1-12 crystal controlled transmit channels and a variable (VFO) receiver. This was a cost saving measure on the Manufacturer end as crystals weren't exactly cheap, so, by having a receiver that covered from channel 1 to channel 23 (and everything in-between) it saved the radio manufacturer some money as well as the CB radio owner/operator. Now he (or she) only had to fork over their hard earned cash for one crystal per channel!

Somewhere in the mid-60's manufacturer's developed a frequency synthesis for the 23 channel band which cut down the amount of crystals (via mixing one frequency with another) required to allow all 23 channels in one radio, and this is where I came in...
 

LAFAYETTE COMSTAT 23 MARK V

As I've often told the story before, my parents bought me a second hand Lafayette Comstat 23 from a neighbor down the street (the Joker). He had just upgraded to a Tram Titan and needed a little extra room on the kitchen table (I'll stick a link to my "origin" story when I find it).

MIDLAND 13-880 (2nd generation "B" model) 10w SSB CB

In the course of under two years I managed to swap'n sell various rigs to have a little extra money for a BIG rig, but it was my summer of working in the tobacco fields picking leaves that enabled me to purchase a used Midland 13-880b am/ssb base station. CB's in the early 70's and more importantly the ones that had sideband were pretty pricey. The low end of single-sideband capable transceivers (base station) started at about $300. The big brother to the 880b was the 13-885 and they looked identical with two differences: 1. The 885's panel lights were round, while the 880b's were square, and 2. The 885 was rated at 15 watts while the 880b had only 10.

MIDLAND 13-885 15w SSB (ROUND LIGHTS)

To the uninformed, that 5 watts made a big difference with buyers, when in reality, you or your friends would never notice it. One of my CB friends, "Fuzzy" called me up via the good 'ol Landline to say that while he was doing a sweep of stores who sold used gear in Springfield (MA) he ran across a used 880b for well under $200. He used the phone to tell me because he figured that anyone listening on the radio would hear it too, and it was possible the radio 

 

TV-RADIO REPAIR SHOPS OFTEN JUST HUNG A SIGN IN THE WINDOW

would be bought up before I could get there. Fuzzy offered to drive me up there but I hadn't finished my tobacco picking duties so my cash supply wasn't quite there yet. I decided to contact the bank (my Dad) who always seemed happy to fund my expenditures with my "marker" for the debt, and this was no different except I knew that he'd want to see it first. That Saturday we went up to Springfield and found the TV repair shop where Fuzzy had seen it.

In my area there were no dedicated CB stores to be found exept for RadioShack or Lafayette. Many CB users became mini dealers, selling equipment out of their garage or basement while TV repair shops began to  clear a corner of the shop to buy & sell radios and related radio equipment. Usually these shops didn't bother to change the store name or yellow pages advertisements. They simply hung a sign in the window that said "CB Radios Buy-Sell-Repair", and this shop was no exception.


This is the part of the story where I end Part One at my Segway from AMer to SSB operator.. (Part Two will follow soon)



'NUFF SAID,

WOODY