Official/Unofficial GMRS Road/Travel Channel

[WRQL525]

Channel 19, simplex, no tone, highest available power.  Then if contact made, coordinate a channel of preference.

Just my 2c.

 

[Blaise]

12 hours ago, WRQL525 said:

Channel 19, simplex, no tone, highest available power.  Then if contact made, coordinate a channel of preference.

Just my 2c.

19 can't be used by the something like 20% of US citizens who live above Line A...

[RevCyberTrucker]

On 10/12/2023 at 8:55 PM, WRUU653 said:

16, already using it for off road and I can't be bothered to change the channel  

but seriously even though I'm no where near line "A" I would not choose to exclude them so if I had to choose I'd say 20 but does anyone really use a road channel for GMRS?  Add me to the scanning category. 

I do. Channel 19 would be a good bet since us truckers are used to locking our radios to 19 anyway. 

[nokones]

There's no reason why Ch. 19 can't be the National Truckers' channel. The truckers can choose whatever channel they want, and there is no reason why Ch. 20 can not remain as the National Highway Travel/Calling Channel.

In my opinion the travel channel should be CSQ on receive but if a tone has to be associated with this channel, 141.3 should be the National Travel Tone, just keep the receive side CSQ.

[Hoppyjr]

I don’t recall CB having any “official” channels except 9 for emergencies.

People just started using 17 & 19 for “road comms” and it stuck. Of course, we didn’t have cell phones back in the 70’s either.

No amount of discussion on any Internet forum is going to establish anything resembling an official or unofficial travel channel. Heck, with cell phones everywhere the use of GMRS is pretty much down to us radio dorks, outdoor enthusiasts, and off road folks.

I think scanning and calling where one hears activity is about the best you can hope for.

[nokones]

CB Ch. 11 was also designated as a channel for commercial businesses back in the 60s and very early 70s. 

[AdmiralCochrane]

I never heard of this.  Designated by who?  

[AdmiralCochrane]

11 hours ago, nokones said:

There's no reason why Ch. 19 can't be the National Truckers' channel. The truckers can choose whatever channel they want, and there is no reason why Ch. 20 can not remain as the National Highway Travel/Calling Channel.

In my opinion the travel channel should be CSQ on receive but if a tone has to be associated with this channel, 141.3 should be the National Travel Tone, just keep the receive side CSQ.

No reason except for Line A

[nokones]

12 hours ago, AdmiralCochrane said:

I never heard of this.  Designated by who?  

The FCC originally set aside the 27 MHz freqs for CB Class D operation with 23 channels and the intended use was for business radio service back in the 60s. The FCC designated Ch. 11 as the calling channel for making the initial contact than you were required to move to an approved channel channels 1-8 or 15-22 if it was communications with an intra-station as part of your business. Channels 12-14 were designated for communications with inter-stations that were not part of your business.

Channel 9 was designated for highway emergencies and channel 10 was designated for highway non-emergencies west of the Mississippi and Channel 19 was designated for the non-emergencies east of the Mississippi.

Most CB radios only had access to 22 channels with some CB radios having channel 22A thus, the 23rd channel. The CB Class D freqs were mostly used by business class operators such as carpenters, plumbers, tow truck operators, etc. 

That was the channel plan designated by the FCC back in the 60s for the use of the CB radio. Of course that plan didn't last long and the license requirement also went away in time.

[back4more70]

[nokones]

The Trucker channel came about because of the old CB rule for the use of the 22 channels back in the 60s. Ch. 10 was designated for highway comm west of the Mississippi and Ch. 19 was designated for highway comm east of the Mississippi.

Apparently, Ch. 10 bleeded over onto Ch. 9 from the Truckers that were using Linears so the Truckers traveling west would just stay on Ch. 19.

Ch. 19 was not used by the Truckers on the West Coast and I don't recall why.  Truckers coming west into California would switch from Ch. 19 at Barstow on Interstates 15 and 40, and at Rocklin on Interstate 80. 

At Barstow, the Truckers would run on Ch. 21 throughout Southern California to the Mexican Border. When they travel North on Interstate 5 or US 101 they would switch to Channel 15 at the Antelope Valley Freeway in Newhall and stay on 15 to Lost Hills at California State Route 46 and switch to Ch. 17. On California State Route 99 they would also switch to Ch. 17 at State Route 46 which is north of Bakersfield. 

On California State Route 58 from Bakersfield going east the Truckers would use Ch. 19.

As they travel north from Sacramento in the very early days, they would use Ch.6 but that got changed to Ch. 17 eventually and I don't remember when but I think it was sometime around when the "Smokey and the Bandit" and the "Convey" movies became a hit.

The Truckers used Ch. 17 all the way to the Canadian Border.

[73blazer]

Who's using GMRS on the road to make random contacts?  except to talk to another vehicle in their own convoy or party. I put mine on scan in my car while traveling OH, MI and WI and never heard one person on any GMRS frequency even in Detroit, Columbus, Cleveland, Chicago, Milwaukee. Not one. Well, except when I hit a repeater or two and someone was monitoring and talked back.  I don't think there are many people driving around with a GMRS radio in their car, or even using GMRS to begin with. It's primary use by far is still among a group of people on an outing somewhere, overlanding, hunting groups etcc....or kids playing with FRS radios. Making a contact or raising anyone for info or help on channel 19 or any GMRS frequency on the road seems, all but a futile effort anywhere near me.

[Blaise]

1 hour ago, 73blazer said:

Who's using GMRS on the road to make random contacts?

Since CB died, it sure would be nice if there were a way while driving long distances to put out a call to random strangers to ask how the road is ahead, and warn people about speed traps!

[WRXB215]

@nokones Not sure how applicable it is today but it's quite impressive how you remember all that stuff. 

[WRXB215]

@Blaise I don't think CB is dead, at least not amongst truckers. Other than that, I agree with you. It would be nice to have some king of standard for seeking help on GMRS while traveling.

[nokones]

10 minutes ago, WRXB215 said:

@Blaise I don't think CB is dead, at least not amongst truckers. Other than that, I agree with you. It would be nice to have some king of standard for seeking help on GMRS while traveling.

Well, it's awful quiet on Ch. 19 throughout the Country except for near Truck Stops and highway incidents, and you don't see many Trucks with CB antenna(e) anymore.

[WRXB215]

34 minutes ago, nokones said:

you don't see many Trucks with CB antenna(e) anymore

I guess it depends on where you are. I drive through Houston every day and almost every truck has at least one and sometimes two.

[AdmiralCochrane]

CB is definitely not dead in my area, but there is risk of reduction of IQ by listening for any extended period.  Also suprised by the number of freebanders running amplifiers 

[Lscott]

16 hours ago, AdmiralCochrane said:

CB is definitely not dead in my area

Could be true. But I swear some of the operators might be brain dead.

[AdmiralCochrane]

About once a day a freebander drives past my house on the busy highway yelling "Audio, audio, audio!" coming in on my stereo speakers and TV sound bar. 

[ian3211]

As a trucker myself and an off-roader, I say us truckers use CH. 20 more. Obviously for off-roading is CH.16.

[ian3211]

.

[nokones]

9 hours ago, ian3211 said:

As a trucker myself and an off-roader, I say us truckers use CH. 20 more. Obviously for off-roading is CH.16.

Are the off-roaders running with the travel tone (141.3 Hz) on the transmit side or open squelch on Channel 16? Just curious because I'll be out there very soon stirring up the dust.

[OffRoaderX]

2 hours ago, nokones said:

Are the off-roaders running with the travel tone (141.3 Hz) on the transmit side or open squelch on Channel 16?

I do a bit of off-roading and I dont know of any other off-readers that run any tones, unless/except when in some kind of large event.
Many that I know, myself included not only do not run any tones, but also scan all frequencies in case someone is calling for help.

[H8SPVMT]

CH 19 Simplex only in my book.