When was CB at it's peak ?

[Buick Mackane]

I remember it still being very active in the mid - 90's, Some say the peak years for legal CB Were 81 - 83, Others say legalisation killed CB and it was far more active pre-1981, I came on the CB scene around 1984 and it was buzzing with activity, Not a clear channel to be had.

[LondonCbRadio]

Around 1999 in London i remember going through the UK40 channels and remember half the channels being used. I didn't have the best of setups and i wasn't up high so i can imagine being at a high point back then and hearing almost all channels being used.

[Buick Mackane]

I'm not really set up for CB as i'm using a horizontal EFHW, But all i hear is a couple of guys on CH-16, static on the rest of the channels.

[LondonCbRadio]

Shame isn't it. Not sure who is buying all the CB Radios on ebay but they sell not a problem.

[Buick Mackane]

Shame isn't it. Not sure who is buying all the CB Radios on ebay but they sell not a problem.

Sure is, But it was just superseded by modern technology, That's always baffled me too, Must be somebody somewhere building up a CB Museum.

[NightProwler]

85 I first came onto CB and it was impossible to find a clear channel and I was only using a DV27 indoors, The 90's were really good too where I was living at the time. I went off air around 1999 and came back on about 2011 and in that time it's gone dead. The people buying them off Ebay are people like me who think "I always wanted one of them...sod it I'll buy it" then when it arrives it spends most of the time sat on a shelf in the shack gathering dust, Then it gets sold on Ebay. Shortly after I think "why did I sell that lovely radio" so I will look for another. It's a nasty disease that has no cure.

[Buick Mackane]

85 I first came onto CB and it was impossible to find a clear channel and I was only using a DV27 indoors, The 90's were really good too where I was living at the time. I went off air around 1999 and came back on about 2011 and in that time it's gone dead. The people buying them off Ebay are people like me who think "I always wanted one of them...sod it I'll buy it" then when it arrives it spends most of the time sat on a shelf in the shack gathering dust, Then it gets sold on Ebay. Shortly after I think "why did I sell that lovely radio" so I will look for another. It's a nasty disease that has no cure.

Hit the nail on the head richy, Nostalgia, A few times iv'e been tempted to buy an NOS Amstrad 901 that popup from time to time on ebay, Couldn't afford one back in the day, But like you say end up tucked away in a drawer, All down to folk trying to re-live their youth etc

[NightProwler]

Yeah like a few weeks ago I bought a Mustang 1000, 2000 and the 3000 just because I really like them. They make lovely ornaments.

[lambrettadave]

I came on around 1989/90 and the channels were well used in some cases they would be shared as well and yet the cept had only a few net's on the evening.
Our club channel moved to 33 on midband for peace and quiet from the kid's

[The Collector]

'82 - '83 I reckon personally.

Christmas '81 was busy and people had had a CB as a present, but as it was still a new hobby, it took a few months for it to catch on properly.

From about '85 there was a slow decline.

[cb4ever104]

The first CB I ever saw was in 1980. By the time I got round to buying one it was 81 , so it had just been made legal. I was active from that time until about 89 , when I moved to Canada. Between 81 and 89 it was pretty nuts over all the channels. Can't really comment on the 90s , as I wasn't around much during that decade.

[Transwarp]

UK CB will have been area dependant regarding peaks. In the Yorkshire area the peak was - imo - 1983, because not only were many high street retailers selling rigs and accessories but even large fuel stations were selling them. Almost every other house had a twig on it and even rigs like Uniden's and Audioline's couldn't cope with the channel bleed over on evenings, weekends and school holidays.

UK CB popularity and the peak of are two different things really, it was the most popular from 82 to around 94 and it started declining after that from my observations experience with.

[The Collector]

Perhaps someone can find a record of the CB licences issued each year? That may be an indicator, although obviously a lot of people didn't bother with one or used naughty equipment anyway.

[Transwarp]

Perhaps someone can find a record of the CB licences issued each year? That may be an indicator, although obviously a lot of people didn't bother with one or used naughty equipment anyway.

A rough indicator at best because as you say many didn't bother with a licence.

UK CB in its day was what mobile phones and the Internet are today. All we had then was home landlines and public phone boxes, CB connected people of all ages and was truly social. There was downsides to it of course, as there is with most things, but it was fun for the younger end, company for the alone, and a link to the outside and others for the house bound. For mobile operators it was like a sat nav come road and traffic information system, and also an emergency / help summoning tool. It was then the social media / Internet / mobile phone of its time really.

[original45]

Black country ,Dudley West Brom Walsall wolvo and surrounding were quite busy in late 70s on a.m. Many clubs too.
Fm in 81 many just changed over asap and as memory serves you may have had at least 2 conversations on 1 channel sometimes more as it was so busy and several taking part in chatting not just pair.

Was fun in a way however a.m had less idiots music bad language