CB Etiquette: Motorcycle CBs are notoriously under powered. If you can
"reach out" for a mile you are really lucky. The CB has become an inter-bike
method of communication; they work well for short distance talking. However anyone
with a decent mobile radio will "walk all over you" if they are close by. A base
station will "blow your windows out", even if you don't have any windows. Around
town they can become a real nuisance what with big base stations blasting away.
For good to excellent communication while driving down the highway,
CBs can't be
beat; they're better than hand signals. The dealer installed models, fit right in that
little nook or cranny, and integrate right along with the radio, tape player and
intercom.
Setup: On the Gold Wing, most installations are handled at the dealership. But
no one checks the SWR (that's one of those neat little CB terms that means
Standing-Wave-Ratio). On most auto or home installations, a ratio of 1:1 is ideal.
However, on a motorcycle most of your communications are completed within 200-300 hundred
yards of each other and a ratio that flat causes the radio to over-modulate
(garble your speech). So, we adjust the antenna to about 1:1.5 to 1:2 SWR,
and try it out. In most cases, it actually makes
everything sound a lot better.
Now we have the thing all set up. It worked in your garage, between some "good
buddy" in your neighborhood who gave you a radio check and certified that you were
"hitting him with 10 pounds", or something like that. So, just how do we
communicate? No, riding down the road, we don't ask for a break on the channel when riding
motorcycles. First of all, you'll be lucky if anyone other than the group you are riding
with even hears you. Go up on channel 19 sometime and listen to the intellectual
conversations between some of the "good buddies". One theory is
when you give
some one a CB radio their IQ drops at least 50 points, effective with them plugging
it in. Not so with a motorcycle CB When no one in your group is talking, just
call out a name, "Hey Joe, you by the channel?". If Joe has his turned
on, he'll reply back with something.
To Transmit: First key the mike. But wait just a second or two for the radio to
come up to power. It's not like a telephone with a two way conversation. They call the
CB a two way radio, but it only works one way at a time. So, key the mike, pause, now in
a normal tone, or better yet, lower (deepen) your voice just a hair, and talk plainly.
Enunciation is the key to good clear radio speech
- just like the man on the five o'clock
news. Speak slowly and plainly, use simple terms that are easily understood.
Remember there's wind noise to contend with, especially with open face helmets. Your
passenger, just may be talking at the same time, and you know your priority. Hold the key
for just a second when you are finished, then release it. Don't try to "quick
key", or key just as soon as someone else lets off their key. Allow a little time in
between transmissions. When two people are conversing, don't try to jump in with some
smart comment, most of the time you will "double" with them and nobody
understands anybody.
Try listening to other people, using the helmet speakers and then with the fairing
mounted speakers. I find that the fairing speakers are far superior, when I am wearing my
open face helmet. After all, these speakers are about 5 times larger than those little
bitty ones in your helmet.
The microphone in a full face helmet is usually the best, after all, you don't have the
wind noise quite as much as with an open face helmet.
Try talking to the bike right ahead of you, and then the farthest bike away. You may be
surprised to find out that the guy who is the farthest away hears you the best.
Don't try to talk over a real powerful station that is talking at the same time. It
just does not work. Physics and all that stuff. One problem is called skip, or DX in radio
lingo, these are really powerful stations transmitting hundreds of miles. To cut them out,
just turn up your squelch, that's the other knob on your radio. Some times you hear DX,
some times you don't. It has to do with sun spots and weather conditions. The squelch
control cuts out all of the low powered noise.
Normally, in a group ride there are times like first starting out and coming to rest at
a gas or food break, we give up the CB to the Group Leader and his Tail End Charlie.
It's just a matter of safety. After all, we are coming to a stop and we can take the
helmet off and talk like real people.
