Editing Citizens band radio (section)

===United States===
{{Main|CB radio in the United States}}

====Origins====
[[File:QSL KHI-6261.jpg|thumb|right|A QSL card issued by a US CB station in 1963]]

The citizens band radio service originated in the United States as one of several personal radio services regulated by the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC). These services began in 1945 to permit citizens a radio band for personal communication (e.g., radio-controlled model airplanes and family and business communications). In 1948, the original CB radios were designed for operation on the 460–470&nbsp;MHz UHF band.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.retrocom.com/wtcollect/27_megacycle_history_in_the_u.htm |access-date=2010-02-10 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128232848/http://retrocom.com/wtcollect/27_megacycle_history_in_the_u.htm |archive-date=2010-11-28 |df=dmy-all |title=27&nbsp;Megacycle History}}</ref> There were two classes of CB radio: "A" and "B". Class&nbsp;B radios had simpler technical requirements, and were limited to a smaller frequency range. [[Alfred J. Gross|Al Gross]] established the Citizens Radio Corporation during the late 1940s to manufacture class&nbsp;B handhelds for the general public.<ref name=Kneitel1988/>{{rp|13}} Originally designed for use by the public sector, the Citizens Radio Corporation sold over 100,000 units, primarily to farmers and the US Coast Guard.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-06-25|title=Citizen Band (CB) Radio|url=https://www.nowiresradio.com/citizen-band-radio/|access-date=2020-07-06|website=No Wires Radio|language=en-US}}</ref>

[[Ultra-high frequency]] (UHF) radios, at the time, were neither practical nor affordable for the average consumer. On September 11, 1958<ref name=Kneitel1988/>{{rp|14}} CB service class&nbsp;D was created on 27&nbsp;MHz, and this band became what is commonly known today as "Citizens Band". Only 23&nbsp;channels were available at the time; the first 22 were taken from the former [[amateur radio service]] 11-meter band, and channel&nbsp;23 was shared with radio-controlled devices. Some hobbyists continue to use the designation "11&nbsp;meters" to refer to the Citizens Band and adjoining frequencies. Part&nbsp;95 of the Code of Federal Regulations regulates the class&nbsp;D CB service, on the 27&nbsp;MHz band, since the 1970s and continuing today.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://apps.fcc.gov/eas/comments/GetPublishedDocument.html?id=135&tn=472290 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324164806/https://apps.fcc.gov/eas/comments/GetPublishedDocument.html?id=135&tn=472290 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2021-03-24 |series=FCC Part&nbsp;95 |title=Overview |access-date=2011-10-21 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Most of the 460–470&nbsp;MHz band was reassigned for business and public-safety use; CB Class&nbsp;A is the forerunner of the [[General Mobile Radio Service]] (GMRS). CB Class&nbsp;B is a more distant ancestor of the [[Family Radio Service]]. The [[Multi-Use Radio Service]] is another two-way radio service in the [[Band III|VHF high band]]. An unsuccessful petition was filed in 1973 to create a CB Class&nbsp;E service at 220&nbsp;MHz, (part of the amateur radio [[1.25-meter band]] at the time) which was opposed by amateur radio organizations and others.<ref>{{cite news |first=Peter M. |last=Hurd |title=Amateur Radio and MARS News |magazine=Signal |date=May–June 1978 |page=112}}</ref> There are several other classes of personal radio services for specialized purposes (such as [[remote control]] devices).

During the 1960s, the service was used by small businesses (e.g., electricians, plumbers, carpenters), [[truck driver]]s and radio hobbyists. By the late 1960s, advances in [[solid state (electronics)|solid-state]] electronics allowed the weight, size, and cost of the radios to fall, giving the public access to a communications medium previously only available to specialists.<ref name="ind"/> CB clubs were formed; a [[CB slang]] language evolved alongside [[ten-code]], similar to those used in [[emergency service]]s.

==== {{anchor|Growing popularity in the 1970s|Use in popular culture|Famous users}}1970s popularity ====
After the [[1973 oil crisis]], the U.S. government imposed a [[National Maximum Speed Law|nationwide 55 mph speed limit]], and fuel shortages and rationing were widespread. Drivers (especially commercial [[truck driver|truckers]]) used CB radios to locate service stations with better supplies of fuel, to notify other drivers of [[speed trap]]s, and to organize blockades and convoys in a 1974 strike protesting the new speed limit and other trucking regulations.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1893&dat=19750216&id=qm0fAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZtUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=841,5104091&hl=en |title=The Southeast Missourian |via=Google News Archive Search |website=news.google.com |access-date=8 May 2018}}</ref> The radios were crucial for independent truckers; many were paid by the mile, and the 55&nbsp;mph speed limit lowered their productivity.<ref name="ind">{{cite magazine |publisher=[[The Independent Institute]] |magazine=Independent Review |year=2011 |volume=15 |issue=3 |title="I can't drive 55": The economics of the CB radio phenomenon}}</ref>

Their use spread further into the general population in the US in the middle of the 1970s. Originally, CB radios required the use of a [[callsign (radio)|callsign]] in addition to a purchased license ($20 in the early 1970s, reduced to $4 on March 1, 1975, or ${{Formatnum:{{Inflation|US|4|r=1|1975}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars). However, when the CB craze was at its peak, many people ignored the requirement and invented their own nicknames (known as "handles"). Lax enforcement of the rules on authorized use of CB radio led to further widespread disregard of regulations (such as for [[antenna (radio)|antenna]] height, distance communications, licensing, call signs, and transmitter power). Individual licensing came to an end on April 28, 1983.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/04/28/us/fading-cb-craze-signals-end-to-licensing.html |title=Fading CB craze signals end to licensing |first=Ernest |last=Holsendolph <!-- Special to the New York Times --> |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |at=Section&nbsp;A, page&nbsp;19 |date=April 28, 1983}}</ref>

The growing popularity of CB radios in the 1970s was frequently depicted in film, television, music and books. Movies such as ''[[Smokey and the Bandit]]'' (1977), ''[[Breaker! Breaker!]]'' (1977), ''[[Handle with Care (1977 film)|Handle with Care]]'' (also released as ''Citizens Band''; 1977), and [[Convoy (1978 film)|''Convoy'']] (1978), made heavy reference to the phenomenon, as did television series such as [[Movin' On (TV series)|''Movin' On'']] (debuted in 1974), ''[[The Dukes of Hazzard]]'' (debuted in 1979) and the animated series ''[[CB Bears]]'' (debuted in 1977) helped cement CB radio's status as a nationwide craze in the United States over the mid- to late-1970s. In [[Stephen King]]'s 1978 novel ''[[The Stand]]'', Ralph Brentner's radio signal from [[Boulder, Colorado]] was able to be received over CB.<ref name="TheStandComplete">{{cite book |last=King |first=Stephen |author-link=Stephen King |title=The Stand |date=2012 |publisher=Anchor Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0-385-52885-6 |edition=First Anchor Books Edition; "Complete and uncut edition"}}</ref> The phenomenon also inspired several country and rock music songs in 1975 and 1976.

* [[C. W. McCall]]'s [[novelty song]] "[[Convoy (song)|Convoy]]" (1975) climbed to #1 on the [[Billboard (magazine)|''Billboard'']] [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]] in January&nbsp;1976 and to #2 on the [[UK singles chart]] during the spring of 1976. The song inspired the 1978 [[Convoy (1978 film)|film of the same name]] directed by [[Sam Peckinpah]]. In the UK, [[BBC Radio One]] DJs [[Dave Lee Travis]] and [[Paul Burnett]] covered the song with altered lyrics, released as "Convoy GB" under the moniker ''Laurie Lingo & the Dipsticks''. The cover peaked at #4 on the UK chart in the spring of 1976. McCall also recorded "[['Round the World with the Rubber Duck]]", a sequel to "Convoy". It was released in the late spring of 1976 and peaked at #1 on the ''Billboard'' [[Bubbling Under Hot 100]] chart.
* [[Dave Dudley]]'s 1975 novelty country song "Me and ol' CB" peaked at #12 on the ''Billboard'' [[Hot Country Songs]] chart and at #8 on the Canadian country chart.
* [[The White Knight (Cledus Maggard song)|"The White Knight"]], a novelty [[country music]] song, was written by [[Jay Huguely]], who – recording as ''Cledus Maggard & The Citizen's Band'' – enjoyed a brief run of national popularity with the song when it became a hit in 1976, peaking at #19 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.<ref>[https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/latimes/obituary.aspx?n=james-wesley-huguely&pid=126585591 James Wesley Huguely=Cledus Maggard] Retrieved 9 February 2021</ref>
* "[[One Piece At A Time]]" by [[Johnny Cash]] peaked at #12 on the UK charts in the early summer of 1976.
* The lyrics to [[The Outlaws (band)|the Outlaws]]'s country rock song "[[Breaker-Breaker]]" capitalize on the fad. The record peaked at #94 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the spring of 1976.
* [[Teddy Bear (Red Sovine song)|"Teddy Bear"]] by country singer [[Red Sovine]] charted at #6 in the UK in the late summer of 1976.
* Country singer [[Rod Hart]]'s "C.B. Savage" is a gay-themed country novelty song about truckers plagued by a mysterious effeminate CB aficionado.<ref>{{cite news |title=Gay ballad is joined by "Savage" |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ryQEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Rod+hart%22+%22cb+savage%22&pg=PT52 |access-date=11 October 2023 |publisher=Billboard |date=September 13, 1976}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Adams |first1=Greg |title=Rod Hart - Breakeroo! |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/breakeroo%21-mw0000880699 |website=Allmusic |access-date=11 October 2023}}</ref>
[[File:Citizens Radio License 1972.jpg|thumb|Image of Citizens Radio license 1972 issued by the United States Federal Communications Commission]]

[[Betty Ford]], the former [[First Lady of the United States]], used the CB handle "First Mama".<ref>{{cite news |author=Tweed, Michael |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/31/us/31betty.html |title=Back in view, a First Lady with her own legacy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161216222605/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/31/us/31betty.html |archive-date=2016-12-16 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=31 December 2006}}</ref>

Voice actor [[Mel Blanc]] was also an active CB operator, often using "[[Bugs Bunny|Bugs]]" or "[[Daffy Duck|Daffy]]" as his handle and talking on the air in the [[Los Angeles]] area in one of his many voice characters. He appeared in an interview (with clips having fun talking to children on his home CB radio station) in the ''NBC Knowledge'' television episode about CB radio in 1978. Similar to Internet [[chat room]]s a quarter-century later, CB allowed people to get to know one another in a quasi-anonymous manner.

Originally, the U.S. had 23&nbsp;CB channels; the 40&nbsp;channel band plan was implemented in 1977. Two more channels between 22 & 23, commonly referred to as 22A & 22B, were available. Several people had 22A, but few had 22B. In the early 1970s Radio Shack sold a "base station" CB radio that contained a crystal for each of the 23&nbsp;channels, two extra slots existed, and one could order the 22A & 22B crystals for an easy plug-in. Channel&nbsp;9 was officially reserved for emergency use by the FCC in 1969.<ref name=Chiltons1977/>{{rp|12}} Channel&nbsp;10 was originally often used for highway travel communications east of the [[Mississippi River]], and channel&nbsp;19 west of the Mississippi; channel&nbsp;19 then became the preferred highway channel in most areas, as it did not have [[adjacent-channel interference]] problems with channel&nbsp;9. Many CBers called channel&nbsp;19 "the trucker's channel". The FCC originally restricted channel&nbsp;11 for use as the calling channel.

The original FCC output power limitation for CB radios was "5&nbsp;watts DC input to the final amplifier stage", which was a reference to the earlier radios equipped with tubes.  With solid state radios becoming more common in the 1970s, the FCC revised this specification at the same time the authorized channels were increased to 40. The current specification is simply "4&nbsp;watts output (AM) or 12&nbsp;watts output (SSB)" as measured at the antenna connector on the back of the radio. The old specification was often used in false advertising by some manufacturers who would claim their CB radios had "5&nbsp;watts" long after the specification had changed to 4&nbsp;watts output. The older 23&nbsp;channel radios built under the old specifications typically had an output of around 3.5 to 3.8&nbsp;watts output when measured at the antenna connector. The FCC simply rounded up the old "5&nbsp;watts DC input to the final amplifier stage" specification to the new "4&nbsp;watts output as measured at the antenna connector on the back of the radio", resulting in a far simpler and easier specification.

Initially, the FCC intended for CB to be the "poor man's business-band radio", and CB regulations were structured similarly to those regulating the [[business band]] radio service. Until 1975,<ref name=Chiltons1977/>{{rp|14}} only channels&nbsp;9–14 and 23{{efn|Channels&nbsp;10–14 and 23, after channel&nbsp;9 was reserved for emergency use.}} could be used for "interstation" calls (to other licensees). Channels&nbsp;1–8 and 15–22 were reserved for "intrastation" communications (among units with the same license).{{efn|The terms "interstation" and "intrastation" appear in the FCC's Part&nbsp;95 rules from that time period.}} After the inter-station/intra-station rule was dropped, channel&nbsp;11 was reserved as a calling frequency (for the purpose of establishing communications); however, this was withdrawn in 1977.<ref name=Chiltons1977/>{{rp|120}} During this early period, many CB radios had "inter-station" channels colored on their dials, while the other channels were clear or normally colored.{{efn|except channel&nbsp;9, which was usually colored red.}} It was common for a town to adopt an inter-station channel as its "home" channel. This helped prevent overcrowding on channel&nbsp;11, enabling a CBer to monitor a town's home channel to contact another CBer from that town instead of a making a general call on channel&nbsp;11.

====Boating and the U.S. Coast Guard====
Since the price of CB was dropping and [[Marine VHF radio|VHF Marine Band]] was still expensive, many boaters installed CB radios. Business caught on to this market, and introduced marine CBs containing a weather band (WX). There was much controversy over whether the Coast Guard should monitor CB radio, but for safety they did so, using [[Motorola]] base stations at their search and rescue stations. The Coast Guard stopped this practice in the late 1980s and recommends VHF Marine Band radios for boaters.<ref>{{cite web |title=Radio Information for Boaters |url=http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=mtBoater |publisher=United States Coast Guard |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614020205/http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=mtBoater |archive-date=2011-06-14 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===={{anchor|Present day usage}}21st-century use====
CB has lost much of its original appeal due to development of [[mobile phone]]s, the [[internet]] and the [[Family Radio Service]]. Changing [[radio propagation]] for long-distance communications due to the 11&ndash;year [[sunspot cycle]] is a factor at these frequencies. In addition, CB may have become a victim of its own popularity; with millions of users on a finite number of frequencies during the mid-to-late 1970s and early 1980s, channels often were noisy and communication difficult, which reduced interest among hobbyists. Business users (such as tow-truck operators, plumbers, and electricians) moved to the VHF and UHF business band frequencies. The business band requires an FCC license, and usually results in an assignment to a single frequency. The advantages of fewer users sharing a frequency, greater authorized output power, clarity of [[Frequency modulation|FM]] transmission, lack of interference by distant stations due to [[Skywave|skip propagation]], and consistent communications made the VHF ([[Very high frequency|Very High Frequency]]) radio an attractive alternative to the overcrowded CB channels.

With these factors in play, CB radio has once again gained popularity in recent years, an uptick not seen since the '90s. Manufacturers report an increase in sales, while social media sites like YouTube show a growing popularity in CB radio content, mainly as a hobby. The technology has also given way to more compact CB radios with far more features afforded in older models.  {{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

The FCC restricts channel&nbsp;9 to emergency communications and roadside assistance.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/citizens-band-cb-service |title=Citizens Band Radio Service (CBRS) |date=4 August 2011 |website=fcc.gov |access-date=8 May 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151204202207/https://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/citizens-band-cb-service |archive-date=4 December 2015}}</ref> Most highway travelers monitor channel&nbsp;19. Truck drivers still use CB, which is an effective means of obtaining information about road construction, accidents and [[Speed limit enforcement|police speed traps]].