Posted-By: auto-faq script Archive-name: cb-radio-faq/part1 Rec.radio.cb Frequently Asked Questions (Part 1: Introduction) -------------------------------------------------------------- [Last modified 4/1/92] This is a regular posting of frequently-asked questions (FAQ) on rec.radio.cb. It is intended to summarize the more common questions on this newsgroup and to help beginners get started. This saves network bandwidth and tries to maintain a good signal-to-noise ratio in the discussions. To keep the size of each article down, the FAQ has been split into 4 parts: Part 1: Introduction Part 2: Getting Started Part 3: Communication Part 4: Technical Trivia If you are a new reader on rec.radio.cb, we suggest that you print and review the FAQ articles. If you are new to NetNews, please also see the news.newusers newsgroup. Table of Contents ----------------- Dates indicate last modification. Part 1: Introduction * Table of Contents (4/92) * Notes about adding questions & answers to this list (2/92) * Acknowledgements (3/92) * Notes on "Netiquette" (4/92) Part 2: Getting Started * What is CB? (1/92) * Do I need a license to operate a CB radio? (3/92) * What are the CB Frequencies? (3/92) * What are the common brands of CB radios? (3/92) * What should I consider when choosing a location for my antenna? (1/92) * Once I hook up my CB and antenna, is the radio ready to use? (2/92) * What are good antenna characteristics and what are some good antennas? (3/92) Part 3: Communication * Which 10-codes are most commonly used? (7/91) * What are the CB 10-codes? (7/91) * Where are 10-codes used? (3/92) * What are some of the more common Q-codes? (3/92) * What are some tips for communicating with others on the CB? (12/91) Part 4: Technical Trivia * What is single sideband? (1/92) * Do I really get 120 channels on a radio with single sideband? (12/91) * What are "linear amplifiers" and can I use them with a CB? (2/92) * Who is "Skip" and why can I hear him all the way across the continent? (3/92) * How can I reduce engine noise on my mobile CB? (3/92) * Where can I learn more about radio? (3/92) Notes about adding questions & answers to this list --------------------------------------------------- We accept suggestions from the rec.radio.cb community. Please consider the following criteria because we will also use them to determine which questions to include. - is it a commonly asked question? - will its inclusion help reduce usage of net bandwidth? - how useful is it to CB users in general? Note that we can't necessarily include every question or every technical detail because we don't want this FAQ itself to become a net bandwidth hog. We have to consider the intended audience - this document is intended to help people get started with CB even if they have no previous technical background with radio. Therefore, it will not have all the technical discussions that one might expect in, for example, an amateur radio newsgroup. If you suggest a question for this list, please include the answer. You'll get credit for your contribution and you'll speed up the process of getting the information ready for distribution. If you feel that your suggestion passes any of the above criteria, send it to cb-faq@uts.amdahl.com so that it will reach all the FAQ coordinators: Ian Kluft KD6EUI ikluft@uts.amdahl.com (Santa Clara, CA, USA) Michael Larish KD6CTZ nomad@ecst.csuchico.edu (Chico, CA, USA) Paul W Schleck KD3FU pschleck@odin.unomaha.edu (Omaha, NE, USA) International readers: when you see something specific to some countries but the information on your country is missing, please e-mail the details to us if you have them. Acknowledgements ---------------- The following people are recognized for their contributions (by e-mail or news) that were included in the rec.radio.cb FAQ: Paul Zander AA6PZ (paulz@hpspdla.spd.hp.com, Palo Alto, CA, USA) - comments and input on the SWR discussion Bob Myers KC0EW (myers@fc.hp.com, Fort Collins, CO, USA) - news article on antenna grounding in mobile installations Bret Musser (bjm@f.gp.cs.cmu.edu, Pittsburgh, PA, USA) - news article on reduction of engine noise in mobile installations Special Recognition to International Contributors: Neil Robertson (conjgr@lut.ac.uk, Leicestershire, UK) Rob Adams (topfm@darwin.ntu.edu.AU, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia) Tetsuo Kobayashi JH8LEF (tetsuo@nttica.ntt.jp, Atsugi-city, Japan) Jean-Marc Bonnaudet (Jean-Marc.Bonnaudet@sniap.mchp.sni.de, Munich, Germany) [provided information on France and other Western European countries] Patrick Wendt (root@chamber.in-berlin.de, Berlin, Germany) Notes on "Netiquette" --------------------- With a growing user community, the rec.radio.cb newsgroup will operate more efficiently if the following netiquette guidelines are used. Please take them seriously. * When posting a followup article, ALWAYS try to minimize the number of lines of quoted material from the original article. * As a general rule when you try to determine whether to reply to someone by e-mail or with a followup article, remember to "praise in public, criticize in private." It's OK to disagree on the content but be careful not to attack the person with whom you disagree. Also, be careful with your use of the word "you" when posting a follow-up article. Many unnecessary flame wars have started that way. * Use a descriptive subject. For example, "Antennas" covers a vary large area so some better choices might be, for example, "Antenna tuning" "Antenna installation question" or "Antenna theory question". Also, if a discussion wanders off the original subject, you should modify the subject of your message to match the new topic. For example: Subject: Re: co-phasing (was: truckers with 2 antennas) or, even better: Subject: Re: co-phasing * Before answering a question, check if the FAQ adequately answers it or if someone else already answered it. If you have more to add, make sure to reference either the FAQ or the related articles. * If a user posts a question which is directly answered by the FAQ, there is no need to post an answer - the information is already available on the news- group. Instead, just send an e-mail message which politely explains where to find the FAQ. They will probably appreciate it if you include the answer to their question. (Don't send a "nastygram" - that would just discourage future participation.) * Pay attention to the size of your audience - use the "Distribution:" header. If you leave it blank, your message will go to every civilized country in the world and occupy disk space in all news systems in all those places. If that's what you intend, it's fine but be aware that CB is not the same everywhere. Otherwise, use a distribution for your continent or country as appropriate for the subject of the message. For example, "na" (North America) "europe" "us" "uk" "japan" "france" etc. can be used similar to the following example: Distribution: usa or substitute your continent or country. Also, this regional distribution works for each state of the US - just use the two-letter postal code for your state (i.e. ca, ne, co, pa, etc.) * If you have an item for sale, please limit the distribution area so that, for example, an article about a radio for sale in New Jersey won't get to California or Europe. If you wish, you may cross-post your for-sale article to rec.radio.swap.