I've been a ham radio hobbyist since January of 1984.
That makes me an "old timer." I originally sought getting my
ticket for survivalist purposes, but soon discovered I liked
playing with electronics. Liked it so much I got a job in high
school at my local TV shop as a clerk, soon became a bench tech
there, and have been working in the field ever since. There was
a time, however, when I didn't have my ticket, and when my
fellow co-conspirators were non-hams and we still needed to
talk.
My dad was one of the founders of the hometown's local
REACT group in 1974, so I grew up with a CB in the house,
usually tuned to the Emergency Channel, Channel 9 (it still is
according to FCC regs). In 1983, the license requirement for CB
stations was lifted, acknowledging the free for all that CB had
become. Not that there was as much non-trucker activity as
there was in the mid 70s. The mid 1980s had us approaching the
bottom of a sunspot cycle.
Handheld CBs were big, bulky affairs with long cumbersome
telescoping whip antennas that required a handful of batteries.
They also transmitted for miles, and anyone with a CB could
hear your activity. Then I read the Survival Radio column of
the November, 1983 Issue of Pop'Comm. I didn't have a nearby
electronics store that sold Regency or Maxon radios. What I did
have was a Radio Shack which sold their version, the TRC-500.
These radios only needed a 9V battery, gave an actual
1/2 mile range, had VOX, and operated on frequencies that were
pretty quiet except for the occasional cordless phone or baby
monitor. if you were in a residential area. They also operated
under Part 15. Great little tactical intercoms for evening
adventures before the advent of FRS radios. IN 1989 Radio Shack
started offering a 5 channel model that covered all the
frequencies which are 49.830, 49.845, 49.860, 49.875, and 49.89
MHz. What was even cooler however was the "Audionic" TRC-504.
The range on the TRC-504 was not as long, only 4 1/2
football fields, but unlike the TRC-500s with their boom mic
headset and whip antenna, these rigs were almost invisible when
in use. They were only on one channel, but the reduced range
meant you were less likely to encounter a nearby baby monitor
or cordless phone on the same frequency.
The 49 MHz. band was the clandesdine nighttime
adventure band of choice for many people until FRS radios
showed up on the scene. Ham operators even got ahold of them
and converted them to 6 Meters. (See also Frank and the FMLA.)
Most radio users are now running FRS radios or Baofengs
on MURS or wherever. Cordless phones and baby monitors are
running DECT 6.0 at 1.9 GHz. or FHSS at 2.4 GHz. Except for the
very rare old-school baby monitor still plugged in somewhere,
the 49 MHz. Part 15 frequencies are quiet for the most part.
Last summer I was at Target (you get a higher tier of
low-life there versus Wal-Mart), and they had these 49 MHz.
walkie talkies in the seasonal merch shelves for like $5 or $10
a pair. Bought them for my younger daughter to play with. Turns
out both Target and Wal-Mart still sell 49 MHz. walkie talkies
in the toy department. The run AM however, not FM. You can get
them in your choice of cartoon characters and superheroes.
In Frank and the FMLA, Frank makes a skip contact with
a young radio hobbyist who had modified a 49 MHz. baby monitor
to get on the air (See FMLA XXVII - Dauntless Douglas). Some of
us do maintain a watch on the 49 MHz. band. They are part of
the SETI (Search for Entry To Interzone) pool of frequencies we
monitor looking for fellow travelers. IYKYK. So, if you're at a
hamfest and don't hear anything on 147.510 MHz, try a handfull
of frequencies just below 6 Meters.
