CB Radios ~ Pop Culture of the Past

Your handle ~ Nickname of a CB User
Your 20 ~ Your Location
10-4 ~ Yes, ok or an afirmative answer
Back Door ~ the Area Behind a Vehicle
Bear ~ Police
Bear Bait ~ A Speeding Vehicle
Bear in the Grass ~ A Speed Trap
Bear Taking Pictures ~ Police Officer with Radar
Bear with Ears ~ Police Officer listening in on the CB
Breaker 1-9 ~ Letting others know you Want to Start or Join a Conversation
Come Back ~ Answer the Call
Come Again ~ Repeat your Last Transmission
Convoy ~ A Group of 3 or more Vehicles in a Line
Come Back ~ A Request for Someone to Answer or Respond to your Transmission
Disco Lights ~ Flashing Lights of an Emergency Vehicle
Drop the Hammer Down ~ PUshing the Accelerator down to Full Speed
Ears ~ Cb Radio
Flip Flop or Flip Side ~ The Return Leg of the Trip
Front Door ~ Leader of a Convoy
I'm Out or I'm Gone ~ Signing Off from the Conversation
Over and Out ~ Turning Off the CB
Plain Brown Wrapper ~ Unmarked Police Car

And everybody was your "good buddy"


Image from Hotrod.com

Talking to your friends while you were driving

Tell everyone where you are and what you are doing

Checking in when you arrive safely

Getting Directions

Finding out from The Party Animal where the party is tonight

Just having someone to talk to while you are driving

Coded Conversations

Just be careful what you say when anyone and everyone is listening. Remember, Loose Lips Sink Ships!


Image From stuntrev.com

"Following the 1973 oil crisis, the U.S. government imposed a nationwide 55 mph speed limit, and fuel shortages and rationing were widespread. CB radio was often used to locate service stations with a supply of gasoline, to notify other drivers of speed traps, and to organize blockades and convoys in a 1974 strike protesting the new speed limit and other trucking regulations. Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, a phenomenon was developing over the CB radio. Similar to the Internet chat rooms a quarter century later, the CB allowed people to get to know one another in a quasi-anonymous manner. Many movies and stories about CBers and the culture on-the-air developed."

Information Copied from Wikipedia and Image from pdemara.com

CB Radios were so popular that movies, television and recording artists all wanted to capitalize on this fad and that only fueled the craze further.

Popular movies included "Smokey and the Bandit", "Convoy" and "Cannonball Run", followed by the TV series "The Dukes of Hazzard". Of course, each of these shows had music and theme songs that helped boaster their popularity as well as the widespread use of the CB radio.

I remember well how cb radio's changed our lives. Making long road trips suddenly became more fun. We talked on the cb radio instead of playing letter games with road signs or torturing others with "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall." Although, I do remember some fellow getting on his cb and singing once. That was entertaining to us, but it made some of the other folks mad because they wanted to talk and he was tying up the airwaves.

For me, I think the highway became a friendlier place and I wasn't quite as afraid of having car problems on a cold windy winters night. After all, I was surrounded by all of my "good buddies." I felt certain that if I had any trouble, help would be at my back door.

Sometimes I miss those "friends." The cd player just keeps playing and never stops to listen and while the cell phone is wonderful, the person on the other line is usually a long way away, not right there on the highway with me sharing the road. It was neat knowing "Ladydove" had spotted the same deer up in the trees or that "HorseAndPony" was watching the same Baby Bear in the grass waiting to hand out Christmas cards.. By and large it made for a really cool speeding community in what now seems like it may have been in the "Twilight Zone."

Well I'm out for now and I'll catch you on the flip flop! Oh, and for all of you south bound Big Trucks, one of the original "Dixie Chicks" wants to remind you to keep em between the ditches and don't be feeding any of those bears now, you hear?!"

I'm Gone!

Travelin' Man by seashell2
See other trucker hats at zazzle

Moderated by Sylvestermouse
Updated: 2/16/12

Some information from Wikipeda.com