CBs - Citizen's Band Radios
At one point during mein time on our beloved Kenton Bar Estate a new craze came into town...CB radio...I meinself was swept up by this craze and recall I purchased a 'binatone 5 star' CB which cost £100 which at that time was a tidy sum...suddenly CB arials were everywhere, easily put up due to the flat roofs...anyway, here are the only 'handles' I remember:
Charlie Golf 189(m)
Taurus Girl(f)
The Colonel(m)
Uncle Fester(m)
Black Earl(m)
Leggo Legs(f)
The Widower(m)
Italian Stallion(m)
Golden Girl(f)
My handle was'Baden Powell'(me being a sensible 9th Gosforth Cub Scout )...
anyone remember any other 'handles' or CB memories?
Charlie Golf 189(m)
Taurus Girl(f)
The Colonel(m)
Uncle Fester(m)
Black Earl(m)
Leggo Legs(f)
The Widower(m)
Italian Stallion(m)
Golden Girl(f)
My handle was'Baden Powell'(me being a sensible 9th Gosforth Cub Scout )...
anyone remember any other 'handles' or CB memories?
There were a couple of radio hams on the estate as well. I think one of them lived on Gunnerstone Grove.
ReplyDeleteso what was the difference between 'radio hams' and CB enthusiasts?
ReplyDeleteRadio Hams had to pass exams and also follow strict rules about what they could or could not say. The Ham frequencies were entirely different to the CB Band.
ReplyDeleteHowever, they could also make their owen radios as well and weren't limited to short range communication.
I was in Coventry when CB took off but I was already a Ham and the signal to noise ration on CB was poor. (i.e. there were a lot of dickheads with rigs, legal and illegal).
thank thou Shades, most informative as ever...
ReplyDeleteincidently, what could these hams not say then?...
You couldn't swear, advertise, discuss contentious subjects or play music. You also had to give your callsign and were expected to follow protocol (not hog the hailing channel etc.)
ReplyDeleteI was G6BXG in the early 80s. That was a Class 2 license which meant that I couldn't transmit below 30 Mhz, effectively constraining me to VHF (144 Meg/2 Metres) and UHF (432 Meg/70cm). To get a class 1 license you had to pass a morse code test!
Dont forget BARRACUDA a very nice fellow who lived at the top of kenton Bar....Bomb stick,Bellboy,Eskimo,Blue Larda,Double D,and a well known Bucket mouth from Newbiggin Hall Gudaffi....
ReplyDeleteHa! now I remember! Barracuda was Britt(posh kid from up the top end-the posh end of the estate...
ReplyDeleteJust remembered another...'Mean Machine'...remember him oh mein master?...
ReplyDelete