Usenet 1993 July/InfoMagic USENET CD-ROM July 1993.ISO/answers/radio/cb-faq/part1

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From: [e-mail] (Ian Kluft)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.cb,rec.radio.info,rec.answers,news.answers
Subject: rec.radio.cb Frequently Asked Questions (Part 1 of 4)
Keywords: FAQ RADIO CB
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Date: 22 Jun 93 09:42:01 GMT
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Posted-By: auto-faq 2.4
Archive-name: radio/cb-faq/part1

Rec.radio.cb Frequently Asked Questions (Part 1: Introduction)
--------------------------------------------------------------
[Last modified 4/29/93]

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.

The FAQ cannot always prevent people from posting repetitive questions.  But
even if hundreds of questions get posted, it saves you from having to answer
them hundreds of times.  Also, a friendly pointer to the FAQ in your first
answer can help that person refer to the FAQ in the future.  That is when we
can begin to get a real savings of network bandwidth.

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 before posting any articles.

Table of Contents
-----------------
Dates indicate last modification.

Part 1: Introduction
* Table of Contents (2/93)
* Notes about adding questions & answers to this list (2/92)
* Acknowledgements (4/93)
* Notes on "Netiquette" (4/92)

Part 2: Getting Started
* What is CB? (6/92)
* Do I need a license to operate a CB radio? (1/93)
  - in the USA (6/92)
  - in Canada (2/93)
  - in the UK (6/92)
  - in Japan (6/92)
  - in Australia (1/93)
  - in France (4/93)
  - in Germany (6/92)
  - notes for all countries (6/92)
* What are the CB Frequencies? (11/92)
  - in the USA (6/92)
  - in Canada (6/92)
  - in the UK (6/92)
  - in Australia (2/93)
  - in Japan (6/92)
  - in France (11/92)
  - in Germany (11/92)
  - in countries subscribing to the European CEPT conference (11/92)
  - in other countries (1/93)
* What are the common brands of CB radios? (6/92)
* What should I consider when choosing a location for my antenna? (7/92)
* 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? (6/92)

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? (11/92)
* 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? (4/92)
* 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)
* What is GMRS? (6/92)
* 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
[e-mail] so that it will reach all the FAQ coordinators:

Ian Kluft    KD6EUI    [e-mail]     (Santa Clara, CA, USA)
Michael Larish    KD6CTZ    [e-mail]      (Chico, CA, USA)
Paul W Schleck    KD3FU    [e-mail]      (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:

Technical Contributors:
Paul Zander  AA6PZ ([e-mail], Palo Alto, CA, USA)
   - comments and input on the SWR discussion
Bob Myers  KC0EW ([e-mail], Fort Collins, CO, USA)
   - news article on antenna grounding in mobile installations
Bret Musser ([e-mail], Pittsburgh, PA, USA)
   - news article on reduction of engine noise in mobile installations
Benn Kobb  KC5CW ([e-mail], Houston, TX, USA)
   - information on the General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS)

International Contributors:
Neil Robertson ([e-mail], Leicestershire, UK)
   - original info on CB in the UK
Rob Adams ([e-mail], Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia)
   - CB in Australia (operating regulations)
Tetsuo Kobayashi  JH8LEF ([e-mail], Atsugi-city, Japan)
   - CB in Japan
Jean-Marc Bonnaudet ([e-mail], Munich, Germany)
   - CB in France and other Western European countries
   - our "CB-reporter in Europe" (in his own words)
Patrick Wendt ([e-mail], Berlin, Germany)
   - CB in Germany
Martin Grundy ([e-mail], Brighton, UK)
   - sent faxes of UK CB information sheets
   - included summary of CEPT standards and the list of conforming countries
Nick Gibbs ([e-mail], Stirling, South Australia, Australia)
   - CB in Australia (licensing and repeaters)
Jean-Claude Michot ([e-mail], Sevres, France)
   - update for CB regulations in France


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 USA - 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.
* Discussion on any UseNet newsgroup is expected to be within the chartered
  subject of the group - there is no such thing as unlimited discussion here.
  This newsgroup is chartered for discussion of legal uses of CB radio.  Though
  some topics are clearly outside these bounds, use some good judgement when
  talking about borderline cases.  Please take seriously any complaints about
  the appropriateness of a subject.