Expand it to what it is everywhere else 76-108 MHZ and open up more space.
Is there any place else other than North America where it's 88-108? I think in Russia it's 64-108 if not mistaken.
Mark
Only problem would be with TV Service, although I do wonder if its possible to squeeze something in the white spaces. IIRC DTV takes less bandwidth.
Maybe a narrow-fm type service, does narrow FM have enough bandwidth for quality broadcasts?
mighty1650 Said:
WHY would they ever even WANT to expand CB? If anything they could drop it back to the original 23 channels and be totally fine.
MrBruce Said:
Perhaps, but in the hey days of CB radio when many movies and television programs had CB radios as the primary communications device, CB radio was popular.
Some examples are: Smoky and the bandit movies and the movie "Handle with care" Some television shows used a CB radio as a prop, such as an episode of "Momma's Family"
The problem with CB radio is because the spectrum was so cramped and many owned and operated base stations, it was common to have several local CB stations interfering with each other even though those stations had no more than 4 watts to the final stage on AM.
CB radio was basically rendered unusable because of the 11 year sun spot cycle causing serious skip propergation, legal stations could contact stations thousands of miles away using a 3 watt transmitter.
mighty1650 Said:
Also FWIW, there is no such thing as "Free Band" all the spectrum is allocated to some service or another. Excluding anything under 3khz.
MrBruce Said:
Call it what you want to call it, but the hobby and publications geared towards CB operation in the 26.000MHz to 27.995MHz spectrum call it the FREE BAND when referencing 26.000MHz to 26.965MHz and 27.401MHz to 27.995MHz spectrum.
Don't ask me why or the history of why it is called the FREE BAND, because I never felt the need to question the chosen name.
Besides, I am not currently active with CB, haven't been since I sold my Uniden HR2510 in 2003. I still have parts from old modifiable 40 channel CB radios and I still have a RCI2950 transceiver stored away, it goes from 26.000 to somewhere around 32.000MHz.
Bruce.
I can't see 46 Mhz being used for Hobby Broadcasting but I could see somewhere in the SW band and expanded FM.
I remember the FREE BAND and there were some nice FM STL's that did skip. Especially FLA stations. One was actually WFLA. So yes I think there is potential for an audience even at 5 Watts down there.
As I orginally stated, your comment about "greedy hams" wanting 45 to 50 mHz is rubbish. You invented this. That area of the spectrum is of no value to the amateur radio service or any other for that matter.
I've been a broadcaster since 1977, a ham since 2009, and I wouldn't want 46-50 MHz as a birthday gift, even if President HRC herself signed the official order giving it to me.
All the real Amateur action (and fun) is happening in the GHz range these days.
Part 15 Rules
15.229 Operation in the band 40.66-40.70 MHz
1,000 microvilts/meter at 3-meters;
15.235 Operation in the band 49.82-49.90 MHz
10,000 microvolts/meter at 3-meters.
In West Virginia Tha Dood has used 15.235 for Studio-Transmitter-Link and it worked perfectly.