Popularity of GMRS with Over-The-Road Truckers?

[Lscott]

Looks like the popularity of GMRS has picked up around the Detroit area here. We have several more open repeaters go active, some with large coverage zones, 20 to 25 mile radius.

I'm curious with GMRS gaining traction with the general public how are the over-the-road truckers doing with it if anything?  I don't expect to see 11-meter CB going away for a long time, if ever, but maybe more truckers installing two radios, CB and GMRS. The antennas are small and allowing to legally run 50 watts on the main channels with access to repeaters it could be attractive.

[Borage257]

Now there’s and idea, a lunchbox repeater mounted on a semi. Antenna up on top of the cab.

[MarkInTampa]

I ran by the local CB shop last October that is part of a truck stop to see if they had a 50ft antenna cable and the guy asked what it was for. Told him GMRS and he said "oh, ham radio". He didn't have a clue as to what GMRS is.

[Lscott]

13 minutes ago, markskjerve said:

I ran by the local CB shop last October that is part of a truck stop to see if they had a 50ft antenna cable and the guy asked what it was for. Told him GMRS and he said "oh, ham radio". He didn't have a clue as to what GMRS is.

And if you asked if he had any "Dave Made" he likely would have asked you how many watts.

[gortex2]

being many trucks don't even run cb I don't see them on GMRS. My SIL drive truck. I asked hm why he had no CB and his comment was I use my phone. 

[KAF6045]

2 hours ago, gortex2 said:

being many trucks don't even run cb I don't see them on GMRS. My SIL drive truck. I asked hm why he had no CB and his comment was I use my phone. 

A cab full of RF... Amateur HT (2m/70cm) to some hotspot (WiFi) to some cell-phone (whatever band those are in these days)... To hit D-STAR REF030C seems to be popular for long haul. While a lot of local (+/- two counties) trucks seem to use the local 2m FM repeater.

CB may still show up on a few long haul trucks going through the prairies, but I don't hear any of them in the city.

 

[nokones]

Most of the Truck drivers do not speak english these days and these drivers that are non-english speaking or english as a secondary language more than likely are not aware that CB Radios are/were used by Truckers.  In your travels look for the antenna(e) on the trucks and you will notice that a majority of the Trucks no longer have a CB or any other antenna hanging on the Truck.  Very few Trucks run with a CB these days.

[Lscott]

59 minutes ago, nokones said:

Most of the Truck drivers do not speak english these days and these drivers that are non-english speaking or english as a secondary language more than likely are not aware that CB Radios are/were used by Truckers.  In your travels look for the antenna(e) on the trucks and you will notice that a majority of the Trucks no longer have a CB or any other antenna hanging on the Truck.  Very few Trucks run with a CB these days.

I'm getting more truckers are using their cell phones instead. So what do they do when out of range of a cell tower?

[GammaRays]

7 hours ago, Lscott said:

I'm getting more truckers are using their cell phones instead. So what do they do when out of range of a cell tower?

Starlink is one option, and then use wifi calling.

[CentralFloridaGMRS]

Remembering the days that you could call out to truckers on Channel 19 CB Radio and they answered. That was fun.  Our trips from Maine to Boston 

[wayoverthere]

8 hours ago, Lscott said:

I'm getting more truckers are using their cell phones instead. So what do they do when out of range of a cell tower?

There's a few that pop up on a couple of the ham networks when they're in range

27 minutes ago, WRPG818 said:

Remembering the days that you could call out to truckers on Channel 19 CB Radio and they answered. That was fun.  Our trips from Maine to Boston 

There seems to be a few still there. If I'm near the big freeways solo I'll usually throw a cb in the truck and try for responses occasionally, especially if there's something interesting going on. Gotten a few coming back in the last couple years on not too many tries, actually.

[WRWD373]

CB is still pretty popular in rural Nebraska.  The majority of the grain trucks run them around harvest time to communicate with the guy in the tractor, or to organize their dump at the ethanol plant or elevator.

What has gotten me into GMRS (just got my lisence) is a big local farm operation who owns the section in front of my house went GMRS.  They regularly block my road (I live on a dead end country road), and now I'll be able to tell them I'm coming home/leaving.  This summer/fall was a PITA when I couldn't reach them on cb and they'd be bailing hay and have a semi on the road.

I suspect we will be seeing a lot more small operations going business band or GMRS in the coming years.  The elevator about 6 miles down the road has ALL of their traffic (semis, tractors, weigh station) on MURS 151.94(?) around their property.

I just drove into Sioux City tonight, and there was still quite a bit of traffic on cb 19.  So CB isn't dead yet...but from what I keep hearing it might be heading that way if widespread FM adoption doesn't occur.

 

[marcspaz]

CB is still on fire in the DC metro area as well as down in high-traffic areas of Florida. Have to say though, many of them sound like they would fit into the 50+ YO demographic. 

I have a couple younger friends of mine who own their own tractor and they all seem to have zero interest in radio. Only one of them has a CB, and he said it's only because 1 very old-school depots he goes to frequently still uses them for traffic control and to call tractors in to a specific bay when it's time. 

I've been on GMRS daily for years. I only talked to 1 truck driver, and that was on a repeater back last summer. He said he was regional and was looking for repeaters to use as he traveled throughout the area.

 

 

[WRQC527]

This is one direction CB radio has gone. I think this is what is missing from the GMRS world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PjjL9WmFsc

 

[marcspaz]

I have no idea what I just watched.  LOL

[WRQC527]

8 minutes ago, marcspaz said:

I have no idea what I just watched.  LOL

Lol you just watched a bunch of folks who probably have no idea what all that RF wattage is doing to the gene pool. They're running multiple alternators and megawatt amps. Basically two guys line up, aim their mobile beam antennas downrange, rev up to several thousand RPM, key up, and each yells a different word. Someone five miles away reports back which word they heard better, that guy wins. Etcetera, etcetera, ad nauseum.

[Blaise]

On 2/11/2023 at 1:36 AM, WRQC527 said:

a bunch of folks who probably have no idea what all that RF wattage is doing to the gene pool

What exactly do you think RF does to the gene pool?

[Lscott]

21 minutes ago, Blaise said:

What exactly do you think RF does to the gene pool?

Judging by what you see in those key-down videos the people there are well past the point of having to worry about it.

[SteveShannon]

21 minutes ago, Blaise said:

What exactly do you think RF does to the gene pool?

From the CDC:

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/repro/nonionizingradiation.html

If you are pregnant, exposure to nonionizing radiation is usually not hazardous to you or your unborn baby. However, there are some specific workplaces using nonionizing radiation that could increase your chances of having a baby with a birth defect or other reproductive problems. 

[Blaise]

8 minutes ago, Sshannon said:

From the CDC:

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/repro/nonionizingradiation.html

...there are some specific workplaces using nonionizing radiation that could increase your chances of having a baby with a birth defect or other reproductive problems. 

From the link: "Nonionizing radiation can cause internal body heating, which can be hazardous to a developing baby." - Which doesn't affect genotype, only phenotype, and only in a developing baby...

[WRQC527]

9 hours ago, Blaise said:

From the link: "Nonionizing radiation can cause internal body heating, which can be hazardous to a developing baby." - Which doesn't affect genotype, only phenotype, and only in a developing baby...

You must be a riot at parties.

[axorlov]

In other words, RF radiation is doing good to human gene pool, be creating a selection pressure that makes babies of aforementioned individuals less likely to survive. Not by the direct effect. Cool!

[Blaise]

13 hours ago, WRQC527 said:

You must be a riot at parties.

You must not understand the topic.

[WRQC527]

1 hour ago, Blaise said:

You must not understand the topic.

That's because I'm a wannabe comedian, not a wannabe genetic researcher. Lighten up a little. 

[Blaise]

2 hours ago, WRQC527 said:

I'm a wannabe comedian

Got it.  So we *know* you're no riot at parties...