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4 Suopnlement of The Canadian Statesmani, October lSth, 1975 Let's T ake a Look ut CB'and VHF" by [avid Underwood 1 planneci to write about depth sounders this mionth. There couldn't, I thought, be a more miisunderstood piece of equipmnent.. ,I was -wrong . After attencling the recent B3oat Shows, thlere's obviously a greater nieed to unravel the mntricacies f, CB and VHF. So here goes. At one time or another, every boater wxants to co- miunicate with land or with other vessels. For m-rany, this is a tranisitory need, and the y either row ashore of houier. But, for an increasing number of boaters, good commnica- tion is becoming essential - for safety if nothing else - and it is for these that this article is written. We'll try to cover th subject with miin imal references to microvoits, mi]- liamps, and other such jargon ences to microvoits, mliii- arn s and other such jargon so beloved by many of us in the electronies trade. Let's first look at the general characteristics of CB and VHF. CB stands for- Citizens Band. (Pr operly,,this is called Gen- eral Radia Service-or GRS - in Canada, but as mnost people still caîl it CB, so will we.) OR stakes out a section of the radio frequency spectrum within which John Q. Public canuse a radio transmit ter for jt about whatever 0purpose h edesires, with the minimum of legisiative hassle. Buy one at your local store, plug it in, and you're on the air. The set, has to be licensed -tboughi flot its operators - but this isa si mple over-the-counter tran- saction at vour local Federal Department of Commnunica- tions office. (You'll find them in the phone book.) License fee is $10, and good for three y ears. CB sets are small, ightw*eight, low cost, easy to instali and use, and miserly in I ower consumrption. You can ave one on yçur boat, another at your cottage, a third in your car, and a fourth on your power mower if you feel, like it. Speech range is roughly line of sight (but mnore on this later) and 0$ gives you 23 two-way speech channels 'to use. In fact, it's everyma's portable radio telephone sy- stem. VHF stands for Very Highl Freq uency, and often the intils FMýï are added. FM stands for Frequency Modula- tion, the type of transmission used to ensure clarity (thiýnk of commercial FM\ radio sta- ions, compared to the regular AM - or Ampitude Modula- tion - ones). Anr intriguing article 1 read recently in another magazine cautioned boaters to only buy VHF-SSR (Single Side Band) equipme'nt - a statemnent roughly equi.valenýt to urging people to buy only short necked giraffes or cats which bark. VHF does not, repeat, does not corne in SSB flavors, despite what you may have read eslewhere. The VHIF band is split into sections for aircraft, land, and marine operations and is closely regulated by the Fede- Ia Government. Only equip- ment ap roved by DOC may be use , and each radio installation must be licensed, as should eachi operator. Brisk, businesslike voice mes- sages aire standard practice, and conversations mnust be limiited to marine matters. General chit-chat is strongly discouraged. VHF equipmnent is usually bigger, heavier, and uses more power thani OR, and normally costs twice or three times as rauch. Also, white you can have a VHF set in your boat, the other locations mentioned are no-nos. Like CB, range is roughly uine of sight, but while most marine VHF sets have twelve two- way speech channels avail- able, at, least two, and perhaps more, will bie "off-limits" f or continuous conversations. Which Way To Go? You mighit now feel that CB has it alr over VHF, right? Wll, as the zao goes-, it in't and wve'li review these fromn VHF and CB viewpoiLnts. (a) The VHF band is set up to serve marine needs exclusive- ly. CB, on the other band, can fairly dlaim to be the first radio hot !ne. Boaters, long distance truckers, fishermen, h-unters, eiderly ladies, and kids wth too mnuch pocket moniey ail seemn to have OB's. There ar-ean estimated fifteen thousand ORB sets in the Toronto area alone- hence the feeling that the original and very commiendabie - concept of Everybodys Radio) mnay have bee-n just too successful. Because off this congestion, Single Sideband OR sets are now beîng introduced. OB-SSB sets use just haif of 'the OB-AM signal banidwildth, which has the effeet of diou.bliing the numiber of channels available and also impro.ving the range a bit- provided, of course, your recipient also has a OR-SSB receiver to hear y ou. But, as the price of some OB-SSR sets mioves themi towards "Basic" VHF sets (see (hannels and Crystals, later), their advantages bve- corne somiewhat debatable, as points (a) to (e), here appiy equaliy to OR-AM and OR- SSB. (b) On VHF, a 24 hour listening watch is maintained by MOT and US Ooast Guard to provide immediate assist- ance to mariners, with one channel (16) specificaily re-, served for emnergency comn- munications. On OB, it's somnetimes said that everyone keeps a listen- ing watch, if only to get a word in when someone else pauses for breath.* In any-- event, neither MOT or USOG monitor OR -j though channel 9 (OR emef-rgenicy) is often morutorL ed by O'ers in mnajor cities. But when, you are out there in the fog, your cal for help could well be received by a coup le of moose hunters deep in tC bush or some good ol' Southern boy roliing his big rig aflong the Georgia State Freeway 'sec Skip, later). And, if you get in toü trouble a t 4 o'clock in the rniing, you may not find anyvone, any- where, totalkto a'bout it' (c) Marine weather reports and forecasts including wave heights, gale warnîngs, etc., are continuously broadcast 24 hours a day on VHF. TheWes no OR weather service, except in answer to such questions as "What's it like up where you are, Fred? (If Fred is a vacationing mneteoroiogist, O.K. Other- whise, watch out).' (d) The nature of the FM design of VHF sets allows oniy one transmission on the fre- quency in use to bc received at one timie, and al. others are cut.out completely. Converse- ly, the AM and SSB modes used in OR ailow you to receive two, three or even more transmissions on the samne frequency simnultan- eously, and this can make conversationdifficuit. (e) Direct connections to Bell Telephone or its local equiva- lent are availabie' through VHF shore stations, and you can then use your radio just as, you would your telephone at home. There 's a nominal fee for each connection, plus applicable charges from the Shore station to the number you cali. There's no phone facility on Citizens Band, although, of course, you can ask people on shore to make calîs f or you. Sound cornes in clshcipes1sizues Once upon a time, if you wanted to listen to the radio, you faced a cathe- dral-shaped rmonstrosity on a table ini the living room. Ani afternoon with the phonograph meant a coGnsole stacked - with 78 rpm idiscs. Fortunately, those days are gone forever. Today, we can take mu- sic with us wherever we go - to the beach with the aid of a radio that. looks like a mod bracelet or a cassette tape recorder small enough to fit In a jacket pocket, on trips in the car thanks to the myr- iad of tape players wit.h or without FMli stereo radios bult-in, walking around town with FÎM stereo built into a pair of headphones, and of course In the corn- fort of our own homes with a stereo compact, a con- sole or modular stereo sys- tem or hi-fi components. And while big sounds usually are associated with big boxes and expensive audio components, you'Il discover that some of to- day's most unassuming tape players, radios and stereo compacts can pro- duce some pretty big sound. On the other hand, some o! the finely-styled deco- rator-designed consoles intended to occupy a prominent spot in a state- ly living room can prolu.e the quiet, delicate sound of a Mozrt Nocturne as well as delivering the full~ impact o! your favorite electronic rock group. Th.e incredible freedom of choice available te to- day's music lover, te select not only from dozens of radio stations but aise to choose playback -equip- ment to match fis needs and budget, would have been incomprehensible onlly a generazion ago. The tranisto,,r, which made today's portability, reliability and compact- ness possible, was little more than a laboratory curiosity then. Today, it forms the basic building block for every audio product - f rom the shîrt-pocket radio through the compacts and modu- lar systems, in tape decks and car tape players, to fine stereo consoles. NEXT, SHOP AND) COM- PARE. Ask for dlemonstrations on how the controls work. Discover similarities in products that appeal to you. Flnd out differences. If you're confused 'by ad- vertising terms, ask ques- tions. Be sure to read and un- derstand the terms of the product warranty., U8e information Then, use all the inf or- mation you have collected and your pocketbook as a guide In making your final selecti(n. aiter purchase, be sure te, become -thoroughly ac- quainted wth your prod- uct through Its operating guide. Sometimes the buyer is requlred ta f111 out and mail In a warranty card packed with the set. Do this as soon as the unit is unpacked. Also, file a*fly the sales slip in case prýof of purchase dateshoulcl be needed. TUNER - The electron- ic- circuit which plucks radio broadca.st signais out of the air. TWEETER - A speaker or horn designed specifi- caliy for the efficient re- production of high-fre- quency audio (trebie' tones. WUNNER AT WULSON'S Here's' a Color TV b y hlp s în a cabinet that's "FURNITURE YOU'LL ADORE. Fu?, 26" Modular 4 Color TV in a Genuinie Oak cabinet with Credenza Base anid Bi-Fold Doors. IT'S A BEAUTIFUL PIECE 0F FURNITURE! WILSON'S IT'S A PHILIPS COLO0R TV! SPECTAL IT'S A LOT LESS THAN YOUID EXPECT! MW- ku J% SENSATIONAL STE REO SAVINGS- Philips and Fleetwood, more than 20 different designs to' choose from, Spanish, French,, Modern, Credenza, Oak, Pine. SPECIAL OCTOBER DISCOUNTS from ~2 99% FREE RECORDS WITH EVERY STEREO SuggestedList $999.00 I FLE ETWOOD BARGAINS, Clearance of eur complete stock of Fleetwood Color T.V. Consoles, Table Mo- dels, ail slashed. Save like. neyer before. From $458 N *74y.vvu STEÉRÉEO COMPON ENTS Several different designs. 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List $170. 00 i 900 SALE PRICE CATALINA Il SmaIl, ightweight and easy to instali, Catalina 11 offers unequa lied performnance and, reliability in a Iow-cost package. Polished chrome face has just three controls for operating simplic'ity, plus modulation and RF indicator lamp. Marine Electronies R.R. 1, Bowmanville Tel. 263-2918