As stated above in the link I gave.. even intentionally using "skip" is illegal according to the FCC. CB was meant to be a "local" method of communicating. Skip may be a natural phenomenon, but using it to your advantage is not allowed
As stated above in the link I gave.. even intentionally using "skip" is illegal according to the FCC. CB was meant to be a "local" method of communicating. Skip may be a natural phenomenon, but using it to your advantage is not allowed
In reply to mad_machine:
Yeah but somebody playing with skip on a otherwise legal CB rig is not going to be noticed or cared about. Why you'd bother when an amateur license is so cheap and easy to get these days, I don't know.
Swank Force One wrote: 775 Busy Bee here in the corrrrnnnnn fields of Indiana, i can heaarrrrr yewwwww real good Ghost Rider 606 down in th' Carolinas sure can. 775 Busy Bee here working the ground waves blah blah blah I'll do an FCC report tomorrow, thanks gents.
If that is what you're hearing, its a CBer. Both CBers and HAMS can get excited over distant contacts. I was pretty damn excited when I contacted a guy 750 miles away when I was running a radio that usually maxes out at around 20-30 miles over a repeater.
HAMs can run many bands. Some will reach line of sight and others around the world or bounce off the moon. If it is HAM, there is a possibility they are running legal and still interrupting your equipment. If that is the case, you must comply with part 15 of FCC code. AKA, can't do E36 M3. I find this unlikely. I did have a family member who was interfering with a neighbor's sub-woofer. When the neighbor complained, my family member told him how to stop the interference. HAMs are in no way obligated to cease operating unless the equipment is not in compliance. If it IS a HAM and you DO find out where/who he is, it is very likely he will work with you to take care of the problem. We're nice guys.
I would put money on this guy being a CBer running sideband on with an amplifier. He could be stationary or in a vehicle with a nice size antenna on it. You could do the old pin in the coax trick or whatever. Yes, it will fry him out, but he'll be back on the air.
My suggestion would be to contact both the FCC and the local HAM operators. It will give those old guys something to do. Have the HAMs find where he is operating from and give the info to the FCC. In the past, they were only reacting where operators were causing physical damage such as damaging radio and TV receivers in the area. Now they are getting picky and fining people who are operating illegally weather it be over-powered, cussing on the air, or failing to use their call sign when needed.
Feel free to hit me up if I can help in any way and good luck.
wbjones wrote:Knurled wrote: I shudder to think how overboosted a CB would have to be in order to reach Florida from Indiana.I had a pure stock CB (yrs and yrs ago) and picked up highway chatter about I 70 traffic … the closest point would be St. Louis to Columbus to Wheeling … it was explained to me as "skip"
Staying at the in-laws one night, not three miles off of I-70 in Ferguson, MO, a boosted/skpped signal took over the TV, Radio, and flickered lights. A skip is possible, but it wont persist especially for a CB.
A skip happens when atmospheric conditions are just right. Storm systems come through and one LEO agency may complain to another due to frequencies interfering. It will last just a short while in that case. I've had good luck when the lower level of the troposhpere is awkwardly cooler relative to the upper. To understand it more, research skywave propigation.
Wait so this dude could also be causing my lights to flicker like they randomly do a few times a week? I got a massive "event" today that i'm pretty sure would have caused some damage if i didnt have a huge UPS/power conditioner hooked up.
I will be seriously pissed if this yahoo killed my berkeleying amp.
In reply to Swank Force One:
High power radios can cause major damage. I knew a guy that had to replace quite a few TVs. He had the only antenna in the neighborhood bigger than my dad's.
As others said, yep–he's an idiot with a CB. Not a HAM.
Definitely reach out to your local radio club. They love "fox hunts," which basically means "get together and geek out with fancy gear to find the jerk operating illegally." They also hate people who threaten to mess it up for the rest of us.
N Sperlo wrote: In reply to Swank Force One: High power radios can cause major damage. I knew a guy that had to replace quite a few TVs. He had the only antenna in the neighborhood bigger than my dad's. Online complaint form
Tried to do this, shocker, a government site that doesn't work. 
In reply to Swank Force One:
I'm not surprised. It was years before I was able to get all my E36 M3 registered on the FCC website.
I had the address and phone number to do it old skool. I'm sure it would just take a quick search. It will be at a snails pace, of course. It would probably be quicker to get the local HAMs involved. Contact one of these guys: http://www.indyradioclub.org/ They look like they are a rad bunch of dudes. Maybe they can even give you one of those sweet IRC patches.
Walk around your neighborhood and look for an antenna similar to this
It is going to be pretty visible, they are big. The one on my neighbors El Camino makes this one look small. It must have a 18" long coil around the base and the whole thing was 12-15 feet tall. Absoludicrous.
My neighborhood has streets named "Hacienda," "Pappas," and "Gringo Drive."
Not even kidding.
I'm not sure if i want to just be walking around looking for things. 
Swank Force One wrote:Dr. Hess wrote: What makes you think it is a Ham operator?Because he's using call codes and attempting to reach all areas of the US and chatting to people about how he is so happy to have reached Florida this morning and blah blah blah.
Most CB'ers make up their own callsigns. If he's excited about talking to Florida he's probably not a ham. You can look up info on most hams on the web (qrz.com). You'll find me as N1GUT. If it's really a ham they will most likely want to resolve the problem as much as you do.
In reply to Swank Force One:
It won't be hard to spot, look for the guy with what looks to be a broadcast tower in his backyard. It'll probably have one of these on top:
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