CB Radio (Citizens Band Radio) (11 Meter) never fully disappeared, it just went from a massive 1970’s cultural craze to a practical niche tool that is still used today, especially by truckers, off-roaders, rural users, and emergency-prep folks.
The Boom (1970s)
CB radio, introduced by the FCC in the late 1940s/1950s as a short-range personal communications service (around 27 MHz with 23 channels, now 40 channels), exploded in popularity in the mid-1970s. Key drivers included:
• The 1973 oil crisis and trucker strikes, where drivers used it to coordinate fuel stops, avoid speed traps (“Smokey”), and share road info.
• Pop culture: C.W. McCall’s hit “Convoy,” the movie Smokey and the Bandit, and the trucker outlaw image.
• Affordable gear and (eventually) no license requirement for most users.
By the late 1970s peak, estimates put licensed users around 14 million, with total radios in use possibly 20–30 million. Channel 19 became the highway chatter channel, complete with handles, 10-codes (“10-4”), and slang. The FCC expanded it from 23 to 40 channels in 1977 to ease congestion.
The Decline (1980s–1990s onward)
Several factors ended the mass fad:
• Overcrowding and abuse: Channels filled with noise, interference, profanity, and poor etiquette, making it less fun for casual users.
• Better alternatives: Cell phones (and later smartphones), GPS, and the internet offered private, clearer, longer-range communication without static or shared channels. Business users shifted to licensed VHF/UHF bands.
• Novelty wore off: Once everyone had one, the thrill faded. The national 55 mph speed limit’s repeal in 1995 also reduced one common use (spotting speed traps).
• Licensing ended in 1983 because the system was costly and ineffective.
By the 1980s–90s, mainstream interest collapsed. Home base stations came down, and many mobile units went into boxes or scrap. It became largely associated with truckers and hobbyists.
Status Today (2020s)
CB is not dead. It’s specialized and still relevant where cell coverage is poor, one-to-many broadcast announcements, or infrastructure fails. Key points:
• Truckers still use it widely (estimates are around 50%+ of drivers, higher among owner-operators). Channel 19 remains the go-to for real-time traffic, accidents, construction, weather, “bear” reports, truck-stop info, and yard communication. It’s free, works without towers/subscriptions, allows hands-free-ish multi-user chatter, and isn’t tracked like ELDs (Electronic Logging Device) or apps. Some report a modest resurgence as drivers seek community and independence from corporate telematics.
• Other users: Off-road/4×4 groups, RVers, rural/agricultural operators, preppers (it works in blackouts), and hobbyists (including DX “skip” contacts during good solar conditions).
• Modern gear: Radios from Cobra, Uniden, President, etc., remain available (often $30–$200+). Features include weather channels, better noise reduction, Bluetooth, compact designs, and since ~2021 FCC approval, FM modulation alongside traditional AM for clearer audio and less interference. Single-sideband (SSB) options exist for longer range. No personal license is needed; radios just need FCC certification and must follow power limits (4W AM/FM, 12W PEP SSB).
• Market size is modest (hundreds of millions of dollars annually, low single-digit growth in some estimates, with sales in the hundreds of thousands to ~1 million units range in the US. It’s a stable niche rather than boom.
Phone apps that mimic CB chat exist but do not interoperate with actual RF CB radios. They’re internet-based and useless offline or for true short-range vehicle-to-vehicle use.
In short: The wild, freewheeling social phenomenon of the 1970s is mostly gone (replaced by social media and phones), but the practical two-way radio itself endures as a no-infrastructure, low-cost tool. “Breaker one-nine” still gets answers on many highways.