Sunday 22 June 2014

Legal AM/SSB CB Radio in the UK

Finally after over 30 years of waiting AM and SSB modes in the UK will be legal to use from the 27th June 2014. Ofcom announced this final decision on 17/06/2014 with the following document:
 
 
Many people that campaigned for AM CB radio back in the 70's and early 80's have sadly passed away or have moved on to other hobbies such as amateur radio. But there still is hard core CB operators that will take up the new modes and will breath some life into a slowly dying hobby.
 
The frequency range will be 26.965 to 27.405 MHz on FM/AM/USB/LSB on the band commonly known as Mid/EU/FCC/CEPT. The power output will be the maximum of 4 watts AM/FM and 12 watts pep SSB. Ofcom has put a limit on the amount of effective radiated power (ERP) from the antenna. This means that if the maximum power from the radio is fed into the antenna without losses, than the antenna can't be longer than a 1/2 wave.
 
But what about CB operators with commonly used 5/8 wave antennas? In reality there's a small loss in the coax cable and the antennas matching coil, so replacing your 5/8ths Sirio would be a silly thing to do. Plus there isn't a huge gain over a 1/2 wave antenna.
 
Reading forums and talking to people on-air, many see this as an opportunity to use their old classic equipment, mainly imported rigs (radios) designed for the American market. Though this will probably be illegal due to the question mark over these rigs as they may not comply to Euro specifications.
 
My personal opinion is if the old classic rig has a clean output and has no EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) issues, we might as well use them. They are a part of radio history and better to be heard on-air than sitting in a glass cabinet. Even obsolete 23ch AM rigs could be used again.
 
Here's an example of an old Johnson Viking designed for the American market from Mark in Essex:
 
 
 
But for those wish to be strictly legal or wanting to purchase a new rig, there are several models on the market:
 
Albrecht 2990 (Handheld)
Albrecht AE5890
Albrecht AE7500
President Jackson 2
President Grant 2
 
Also there's the Midland 8001XL if you can source one, and several models from the past that may be legal:
 
President's Jackson (mk1) ASC, Grant (mk1), George
Superstar 3900 if it has a certificate of conformity stating EN300433.
 
Will the legalisation of AM/SSB, and with the already legal use of FM on the CEPT band, see the withdrawal of the UK (CB27/81) FM band? Reading Ofcom's documents the UK band will still be available. This is good news as we in the UK have a 80 channel system, giving greater choice to CB users.
 
I will be on the air the weekend of the 27/28/29 June and see who's on. My location will be in Glastonbury that weekend with the call signs 26CT052 / 26TM552. Catch you on the air!
 
73 from Dave the Pixie
 
PS This isn't a guide to legal CB radio in the UK. If you are concerned about the law and the latest legislation, refer to www.ofcom.org I take no responsibility for your use of non-conforming equipment.