How Do You Operate A CB Radio?
Using a citizen’s band radio properly takes only a few minutes to learn and will make a new operator sound like a seasoned professional. Over the course of several decades, the local use of radio communication has developed into a social network complete with its own jargon and language. Tune in a channel with “traffic,” or people already talking on the channel. CB’s have had 40 channels by default since the late 1970’s, but some early equipment could only carry 23 channels. Channel 19 is the most popular, used primarily by truck drivers. Turn the “squelch” knob on the radio all the way to the left, or counter-clockwise, causing the channel’s static to become louder. This expands the radio’s reception range. Wait for a break in the conversation, then press the microphone’s transmit button and say “break” in a loud and clear voice. This is to let other radio operators know that someone wants to use the channel. Once clearance is obtained, press the microphone button again and speak. It
