What are SSB channels?

Single-Sideband Citizens Band Radios

You may have seen some SSB-type CB radios advertised as having 120 channels. This is marketing hype. CB radios in the United States can transmit AM (amplitude modulation) signals, or SSB (single sideband, with suppressed carrier) signals.

What are the SSB frequencies?

A marine SSB system operates on marine radio spectrums called shortwave, medium frequency and high frequency — 2 MHz-26 MHz. This radio spectrum is shared with hundreds of other radio users including shortwave broadcasts, Ham radio, FEMA, the American Red Cross, and long-range aircraft.

What is SSB on a radio?

SSB radio is used by boats or yachts for communication at sea. The full-form of SSB radio is Single Side Band radio. SSB radios are an essential feature when it comes to important marine radio channels. The SSB radio was first used as a part of the marine radio system after World War II.

What is the difference between SSB and CB?

A CB radio does not require a license to operate. CB service operates on 40 shared channels in an AM mode or Single SideBand (SSB) mode. SSB offers less noise and greater range than AM mode and is usually found on higher end CB radios. SSB has two modes, Upper Sideband and Lower Sideband.

What is the difference between SSB and FM?

Firstly, FM is a constant-envelope modulation, meaning the amplitude is constant. SSB, being a kind of amplitude modulation, obviously does not have a constant amplitude. Consequently, FM can employ a non-linear amplifier which is more power efficient, and thus has a longer battery life in mobile operation.

A Beginners Guide To SSB CB Operation

Who uses SSB radio?

SSB (Single Sideband) is an obscure but very important way to communicate via radio. It is used primarily for two-way voice communication by ham radio operators, aircraft and air traffic control (ATC), ships at sea, military and spy networks. Occasionally some shortwave broadcast stations use this format.

What is the main benefit of SSB?

The advantage of SSB is its narrow bandwidth and higher power efficiency than the other voice modes. The Other Options: The wide bandwidth of FM provides a higher fidelity, while the fidelity of SSB suffers with narrower bandwidth, so option 'A' is out.

Do Cobra CB have SSB?

This product has benefited from the test of time and from modern-day technology. Bottom line, this is a great CB radio, one of the best you can buy. The Cobra 148 GTL CB radio has twelve watts power SSB RF output, which increases the SSB range.

How far can a SSB radio transmit?

SSB (Single Sideband) radio has a much greater range than a VHF (Very High Frequency) radio's typical 35 to 50 nautical miles. Medium Frequency (MF) SSB radio has a range of around 400 nautical miles, but High Frequency (HF) will reach out for several thousand.

Do truckers still use CB radios?

For the most part, CB radios remain in use because they are the norm for truckers who have been working in the industry for the last 10 or 20+ years. While some truckers have resorted to using trucking apps on smartphones to communicate, more advanced radio systems offer a more ideal route.

Are SSB radios still used?

As satellite communication equipment becomes more reasonably priced, more reliable, and more compact, we often hear sailors raise the question, Are single-sideband radios even relevant anymore? As Lanier points out, the question is easy to answer: Yes, absolutely.

What does SSB mean on a CB?

CB radios in the United States can transmit AM (amplitude modulation) signals, or SSB (single sideband, with suppressed carrier) signals. An AM signal consists of two redundant sideband signals that each contain the operator's voice, along with a so-called carrier signal between them.

Is SSB the same as ham radio?

Hams use the same type of SSB but on ham frequencies. The Coast Guard uses SSB, mostly on marine channels, but in an emergency they can also call out to all ham radio operators on ham frequencies.

Is SSB FM or AM?

What is SSB? Single sideband is a special form of amplitude modulation (AM). What's so 'special' about it? Besides just encoding voice information with variations in signal amplitude, or power, SSB consumes a little less than half the bandwidth of a full “double band” AM signal.

What is SSB and CW?

SSB is a mode. AM is a mode. FM is a mode. CW (Continuous Waveform aka Morse Code) is a mode. RTTY (radio teletype) is a mode.

What is the difference between VHF and SSB?

While nearly all boats carry a VHF, its maximum range isn't more than about 25 miles. This is because VHF radio waves travel in a straight line or line of sight. In contrast, waves from marine single-sideband (SSB) radios travel up to the F layer of the ionosphere, 75 to about 250 miles above the Earth.

What is the best CB radio for long range?

Best Long Range CB - The Cobra 148 GTL

The person you're trying to talk with will need to have an SSB radio as well to understand you. Our favorite SSB equipped radio is the Cobra 148 GTL. If you read the description of the Cobra 29 series above, much of why we like the 148 GTL will sound familiar.

Which CB antenna has longest range?

The type of antennas with the greatest range are the stainless steel 102" whip antennas, which may not be practical for parking in garages, under trees, and so forth. The single center load antenna also has about the same transmit and receive range as the whip.

What is the smallest SSB CB radio?

Uniden PRO520XL - One of the smallest mobile CB radios we have with RF Gain & PA. Can be mounted in/under the dash or floor mounted.

What is the best CB radio on the market?

Is CB radio in 11 meter band?

CB Radios operate on the 11 Meter Band around 27 MHz with 40 channels. Unlike the 10 Meter Band, access to these frequencies are unrestricted by the FCC, hence the name "Citizen's Band".

What are the disadvantages of SSB?

Why is SSB not used for broadcasting?

When carrier is shifted to bandpass, this one sided bandwidth becomes 9 MHz. This is nearly ten times as large as the total bandwidth occupied by all the channels of the AM radio. Use of SSB modulation would cut this in half but SSB is not used for video signals because of the complexity of the SSB receivers.

In which situation SSB modulation is used?

Single sideband, SSB, modulation is used in many voice applications. It is used for HF communications, but forms have been used for analogue TV broadcasting. Single sideband modulation is widely used in the HF portion, or short wave portion of the radio spectrum for two way radio communication.