Back to Ham Back to Shack Back to Home

CB Radio

                                              Outbanding and Freebanding

        Freebanding, or outbanding, is the practice of setting up a radio to transmit outside of the frequencies for which it was originally designed. The term can also be used to refer to a radio operator transmitting outside of the bands authorized by the license held. Though it has a number of different applications, these days it is mostly associated with CB radio, and the so called export radio, or with the modification of standard gear. The practice peaked during the big CB craze of the late seventies and early eighties, though it is still quite common today. It is a practice that is rarely engaged in by serious amateurs; but this was not always the case.

        Though it seems very established and traditional to most of us, radio has only been around for a bit over a hundred years. Marconi is usually credited with the invention: but the exact date and inventor is a matter of some dispute. Regardless of who you believe, the invention of radio occurred sometime in the 1890's. The initial users were the Navy, scientists, engineers, and a loose band of  experimenters who called themselves radio amateurs. These categories were not mutually exclusive. For a number of years, radio was wide open, unregulated, and unorganized. This all changed after a few high profile accidents at sea.

        The wireless ship act of 1910 required all ships with over 50 passengers, traveling beyond 250 miles from the coast, to carry radio gear.  It placed no restrictions on other operators, nor did it require any licensing or training in radio operation. Even so, this was a definite beginning of government involvement in the new science of radio technology, and it was clearly now only a matter of time until restrictions were imposed. It was also a beginning of the congestion of the airwaves, and an excuse to organize and ration this resource.

        Amateurs were not happy about this, and they fought it.  False distress messages were sent, as well as fraudulent naval orders. Jamming attempts were made, as well as interference in communications by other government and commercial services. At the time, there was nothing illegal about any of this. These activities had just the opposite of the desired effect, and after a couple of years of this, the government struck back.

        The Radio Act of 1912 was where the gauntlet was thrown down. It required amateur radio operators to be licensed, limited their transmitter power, the frequencies on which they could operate, and the hours at which they could transmit. The airwaves were put under the control of the Department of Commerce and Labor. Though restrictions would eventually ease, initially the relationship was strained and adversarial. With the start of restrictions, came the start of their breaking and the introduction of outbanding, bootleg radio, pirate radio, and various other types of underground radio operations.

         The Radio Act of 1927 created the Federal Radio Commission, which now had authority over the airwaves in place of the department of commerce. The Radio Act of 1934 put in place the FCC, which still exists today. With these two acts came the closure of the majority of active commercial radio stations, due to new licensing requirements, and a great curtailment of experimental and amateur radio. This was when the band allocations began, which separated the various parts of the radio spectrum into public, private, commercial, and government sectors. This was also the beginning of pirate radio, outbanding, bootleg radio, and clandestine radio.

Pirate Radio

        Pirate radio stations are unlicensed stations, broadcasting on the commercial bands for reception by the general public. They tend to be low powered, short range stations, and are very transient. The FCC actively seeks and closes such stations down. The original pirate stations were literally at sea, broadcasting from ships in international waters, and beaming their signals in, primarily to a European audience. Today's pirate usually transmits from a warehouse, hilltop, or even from a private residence. Though some of the larger, more popular pirate stations may have turned a profit through advertising, most are just looking for a voice.

        Setting up a pirate station, outside of the possible legal difficulties, is easier and less costly than you might think. HLLY and similar companies make FM transmitters that broadcast on the commercial radio frequencies. These are legal to use, as long as power is kept under certain levels. Most pirates will use higher powered versions, or hook them up to amplifiers. Real estate agents often use the low powered versions to transmit sales pitches from houses for sale. Using a half watt of power, such a transmitter might have a range of a few hundred feet, to a few blocks.

        For those with a bit more technical knowledge, it is also possible to retune Ham, commercial, or public service radios to transmit on the broadcast bands.  This costs less, and gives access to more powerful transmitters. Occasionally, surplus or obsolete gear from commercial stations comes on the market. With a suitable, transmitter, a microphone, a CD player, and perhaps a turntable or two, you can be on the air as a radio pirate - until the FCC catches you.

        Up until the early seventies, those who wished to transmit commercially, but who could not get an FCC license, had the option of becoming a Border Blaster. A Border Blaster is a station near a national border that beams its signal primarily to the bordering country. There were lots of Border Blasters in Mexico, until an agreement was reached in the early seventies, between Mexico and the United States to try and moderate such operations. Often, the border blasters were former U.S. station operators who had been shut down by the FCC, and simply moved south a bit. In other cases they moved south in order to utilize power levels that would not have been permitted from American based stations.

        The most famous Border Blaster was XER (latter XERA), which began operations after its owner, John Brinkley was denied a renewal for his Kansas based station, KFKB. Station XER started out at 100,000 watts, and then upgraded to 500,000 watts. Many others followed suit. There are still a few Border Blasters left; but the practice is disappearing.

Outbanding

        For those with a bit less ambition, there is outbanding. This is the practice of modifying a radio so that it will transmit on frequencies other than those for which it was originally designed or certified. This is generally done for purposes of private communication, and is not usually attempted on broadcast bands, except by pirate broadcasters. It is notorious in and around the CB bands, though ham operators and electronics experimenters have also been known to engage in the practice. The more the restrictions laid upon an operator, the greater the temptation to outband. While ham operators are allowed to transmit with up to 2kw of power, and have a variety of bands and frequencies on which to operate, users of CB, GMRS, and FRS are laid under a number of restrictions, which is why outbanding flourishes on these services. In particular, CB radio is a fertile field for the practice. This would probably be a good place to warn that such practices are illegal and are subject to fines and various other legal actions.

 

Modding

        The easiest way to outband on CB is to purchase a CB radio that lends itself to the practice. There are a number of CB radios that can have mods applied to make them work on bands above and below the regular CB band. The bands are usually given letter designations, some of which are listed on the tables below. CB radios have to be type certified to be sold in the US, and the FCC carefully looks at radios before giving approval. In a number of cases, radios which had once been allowed for sale here were subsequently banned from importation after it was discovered they were being easily modified for out of band transmission. This is why a number of Cherokee and Northstar radios are no longer commonly sold or imported.

        A radio transmitting out of band, due to mods, requires either a sharp operator, or a means of knowing what frequency is being used. Most of the commonly modified radios have a frequency counter, or a band indicator. The display of the Cherokee radio, shown to the right, has a letter C indicating that it has been modified for multi band operation, and is presently using the C band. More common is a direct frequency display, as is shown in the Galaxy radio in the section below.

        Modding is possible because most manufacturers produce a number of standard components, including circuit boards. As an example, Maycom produces the AH-27 (no longer sold in the country), which can be set internally for use on the standard American 40 CB channels, the UK 80 channels, or up to as many as 200 channels for other regions. Different internal jumpers or pads are connected, for different capacities.

        Modding can also be done on radios that were never meant to be used in any other configuration, but which use certain  processors or chips to generate their operational frequencies. Depending upon the chip or PLL unit used, jumpering certain pins can increase or decrease frequencies by certain set amounts. Connecting these jumpers to switches is common, with the switches mounted outside of the radio case and toggled to short the pins and give extra channels. By shorting certain pins or combinations of pins, a number of different bands may be accessed. Such mods were pretty common on Cobra and Uniden radios of a generation or so ago. Modified radios can be easily recognized by the toggle switches hidden under or on the sides of the case. technically, such radios are illegal; but FCC enforcement on the CB bands is spotty at best, and such radios are commonly sold and used.

        There are some radio techs, and even a few radio shops that specialize in doing such modifications, but they risk fines and legal action, as there are is no way to even put forth the fiction that such radios are legal. A less risky, and more elegant way to outband is through the use of export radios.

 

Export Radios

        Export radios are generally illegal to use, though they may be legally bought and sold. For outbanding on CB, most are sold as 10 meter radios, though they would be poor choices for ten meter operation. Such radios are usually sold with warnings that an FCC license must be in possession of the user before transmissions can be made - though in truth it would never be legal to use such a radio on CB bands due to not being type certified. These radios can be sold because their operation on ham bands by licensed amateurs is completely legal. In appearance, these radios greatly resemble standard CB radios, though they are somewhat more expensive. Popular export radios are the Galaxy, Connex, Northstar, and Ranger brands. Note that the Galaxy radio in the photo to the right is shown on band D (CB band), on channel 19, with a frequency of 27.185, which is the frequency of CB channel 19. Such operation is illegal.

        Most Export radios will have a band switch or band dial. usually this will be marked with letter designations A through F, or perhaps a bit higher. Depending upon the radio, the standard CB band would be either C or D. Each band is, by convention 450 KHz higher than the preceding band. In  many cases, these radios are built on the same chassis as regular CB radios, and often use most of the same components. They are channelized, like CB radios, and operate on a series of 40 channel pseudo bands. Many will also have a 10 KHz switch, so that a few odd channels (the so called A channels) used for remote control of models and such can be accessed.

        Another feature that the export radios often have, is increased power. CB radio is limited to four watts, but an export radio operating on the CB band can put out as much as 200 watts, and perhaps a bit more, depending upon the model. Most of these radios put out between 10 and 50 watts. The use of linear amplifiers, and higher than legal power is not technically outbanding, but the two practices often go hand in hand. Export radios have the advantage of eliminating the need to tamper with your radio and possibly doing it some damage. They are also not illegal to own, which is not the case with modified CB radios.

 

Ham Gear

        True ham radio gear can often be easily converted for use on CB, as well as many other bands. This is not often done, for a few reasons. Though such radios have much more potential for power, and generally put out a better signal, they can be more difficult to use than export radios. This is because ham gear is not channelized - it works by frequency rather than channel. So rather than simply tuning to channel 19, the user would need to carefully tune the radio to 27.185. ham gear also tends to be expensive, and very capable. While many amateur radios have a number of memories, and may have enough to program the 40 CB channels (and perhaps some of the outband CB channels as well), this is not a practical use of this very capable equipment. Most users of such gear have little need to transmit out of band, and may use such radios at their full capacity (provided they get a ham license) without risking legal penalties.

        In some ways, modifying ham gear for use on CB and CB outband frequencies is easier than trying to modify CB gear. Part of the requirements for type certification of CB gear is a requirement that the radios be protected against easy modification. This can consist of component selection, special epoxy coverings over boards, or use of parts which have been partially disabled. The FCC regularly monitors such things, and radios which are discovered to be too easy to modify will be banned from importation. Ham radios, in contrast, are quite easy to modify, and amateur radio operators regularly modify, adjust, and enhance their radios.

        In my own case, as an example, my main HF radio can be modified to transmit on any frequency between 100 KHz and 30 MHz, which includes the CB frequencies. This can be done by simply cutting a diode on one of the control boards. This is a Kenwood TS-440 radio, which can put out 200 watts, and can easily hit all of the normal CB outband frequencies. Other ham radios, particularly older models, are not so easy to modify, and may require replacement of crystals or retuning of circuits.

 

 CB radio outbands
A band

1. 26.065          15. 26.235        28. 26.385
2. 26.075          16.  26.255       29. 26.395
3. 26.085          17. 26.265        30. 26.405
4. 26.105          18. 26.275        31. 26.415
5. 26.115          19. 26.285        32. 26.425
6. 26.125          20. 26.305        33. 26.435
7. 26.135          21. 26.315        34. 26.445
8. 26.155          22. 26.325        35. 26.455
9. 26.165          23. 26.355        36. 26.465
10. 26.175        24. 26.335        37. 26.475
11. 26.185        25. 26.345        38. 26.485
12. 26.205        26. 26.365        39. 26.495
13. 26.215        27. 26.375        40. 26.505
14. 26.225
B Band

1. 26.515          15. 26.685        28. 26.835
2. 26.525          16.  26.705       29. 26.845
3. 26.355          17. 26.715        30. 26.855
4. 26.555          18. 26.725        31. 26.865
5. 26.565          19. 26.735        32. 26.875
6. 26.575          20. 26.755        33. 26.885
7. 26.585          21. 26.765        34. 26.895
8. 26.605          22. 26.775        35. 26.905
9. 26.615          23. 26.805        36. 26.915
10. 26.625        24. 26.785        37. 26.925
11. 26.635        25. 26.795        38. 26.935
12. 26.655        26. 26.815        39. 26.945
13. 26.665        27. 26.825        40. 26.955
14. 26.675
C band (Standard US CB)

1. 26.965          15. 27.135        28. 27.285
2. 26.975          16.  27.155       29. 27.295
3. 26.985          17. 27.165        30. 27.305
4. 27.005          18. 27.175        31. 27.315
5. 27.015          19. 27.185        32. 27.325
6. 27.025          20. 27.205        33. 27.335
7. 27.035          21. 27.215        34. 27.345
8. 27.055          22. 27.225        35. 27.355
9. 27.065          23. 27.255        36. 27.365
10. 27.075        24. 27.235        37. 27.375
11. 27.085        25. 27.245        38. 27.385
12. 27.105        26. 27.265        39. 27.395
13. 27.115        27. 27.275        40. 27.405
14. 27.125
D Band

1. 27.415          15. 27.585        28. 27.735
2. 27.425          16.  27.605       29. 27.745
3. 27.435          17. 27.615        30. 27.755
4. 27.455          18. 27.625        31. 27.765
5. 27.655          19. 27.635        32. 27.775
6. 27.755          20. 26.655        33. 27.785
7. 27.855          21. 26.665        34. 27.795
8. 27.505          22. 26.675        35. 27.805
9. 27.515          23. 26.705        36. 27.815
10. 27.525        24. 26.685        37. 27.825
11. 27.535        25. 26.695        38. 27.835
12. 27.555        26. 26.715        39. 27.845
13. 27.565        27. 26.725        40. 27.855
14. 27.575
E Band

1. 27.865          15. 28.035        28. 28.185
2. 27.875          16.  28.055       29. 28.195
3. 27.885          17. 28.065        30. 28.205
4. 27.905          18. 28.075        31. 28.215
5. 27.915          19. 28.085        32. 28.225
6. 27.925          20. 28.105        33. 28.235
7. 27.935          21. 28.115        34. 28.245
8. 27.955          22. 28.125        35. 28.255
9. 27.965          23. 28.155        36. 28.265
10. 27.975        24. 28.135        37. 28.275
11. 27.985        25. 28.145        38. 28.285
12. 28.005        26. 28.165        39. 28.295
13. 28.015        27. 28.175        40. 28.305
14. 28.025
 


Band       A B C              
Band     A B C D E            
Band   A B C D E F G H I J    
Band A B C D E F G H I J K    
CH.
Ultra-Low
Super-Low
Low-Low
Low
"Mid"
(CEPT)
(USA)
High
High-High
Super-High
Ultra-High


UK
(27/81)
NZ
01
25.165
25.615
26.065
26.515
26.965
27.415
27.865
28.315
28.765
29.215
29.665
27.60125
26.330
02
25.175
25.625
26.075
26.525
26.975
27.425
27.875
28.325
28.775
29.225
29.675
27.61125
26.340
03
25.185
25.635
26.085
26.535
26.985
27.435
27.885
28.335
28.785
29.235
29.685
27.62125
26.350
3a
25.195

25.645

26.095
26.545
26.995
27.445
27.885
28.345
28.795
29.245
29.695
-
26.360
04
25.205
25.655
26.105
26.555
27.005
27.455
27.905
28.355
28.805
29.255
29.705
27.63125
26.370
05
25.215
25.665
26.115
26.565
27.015
27.465
27.915
28.365
28.815
29.265
29.715
27.64125
26.380
06
25.225
25.675
26.125
26.575
27.025
27.475
27.925
28.375
28.825
29.275
29.725
27.65125
26.390
07
25.235
25.685
26.135
26.585
27.035
27.485
27.935
28.385
28.835
29.285
29.735
27.66125
26.400
7a
25.245
25.695
26.145
26.595
27.045
27.495
27.945
28.395
28.845
29.295
29.745
-
26.410
08
25.255
25.705
26.155
26.605
27.055
27.505
27.955
28.405
28.855
29.305
29.755
27.67125
26.420
09
25.265
25.715
26.165
26.615
27.065
27.515
27.965
28.415
28.865
29.315
29.765
27.68125
26.430
10
25.275
25.725
26.175
26.625
27.075
27.525
27.975
28.425
28.875
29.325
29.775
27.69125
26.440
11
25.285
25.735
26.185
26.635
27.085
27.535
27.985
28.435
28.885
29.335
29.785
27.70125
26.450
11a
25.295
25.745
26.195
26.645
27.095
27.545
27.995
28.445
28.895
29.345
29.795
-
26.460
12
25.305
25.755
26.205
26.655
27.105
27.555
28.005
28.455
28.905
29.355
29.805
27.71125
26.470
13
25.315
25.765
26.215
26.665
27.115
27.565
28.015
28.465
28.915
29.365
29.815
27.72125
26.480
14
25.325
25.775
26.225
26.675
27.125
27.575
28.025
28.475
28.925
29.375
29.825
27.73125
26.490
15
25.335
25.785
26.235
26.685
27.135
27.585
28.035
28.485
28.935
29.385
29.835
27.74125
26.500
15a
25.345
25.795
26.245
26.695
27.145
27.595
28.045
28.495
28.945
29.395
29.845
-
26.510
16
25.355
25.805
26.255
26.705
27.155
27.605
28.055
28.505
28.955
29.405
29.855
27.75125
26.520
17
25.365
25.815
26.265
26.715
27.165
27.615
28.065
28.515
28.965
29.415
29.865
27.76125
26.530
18
25.375
25.825
26.275
26.725
27.175
27.625
28.075
28.525
28.975
29.425
29.875
27.77125
26.540
19
25.385
25.835
26.285
26.735
27.185
27.635
28.085
28.535
28.985
29.435
29.885
27.78125
26.550
19a
25.395
25.845
26.295
26.745
27.195
27.645
28.095
28.545
28.995
29.445
29.895
-
26.560
20
25.405
25.855
26.305
26.755
27.205
27.655
28.105
28.555
29.005
29.455
29.905
27.79125
26.570
21
25.415
25.865
26.315
26.765
27.215
27.665
28.115
28.565
29.015
29.465
29.915
27.80125
26.580
22
25.425
25.875
26.325
26.775
27.225
27.675
28.125
28.575
29.025
29.475
29.925
27.81125
26.590
23
25.455
25.905
26.355
26.805
27.255
27.705
28.155
28.605
29.055
29.505
29.955
27.82125
26.620
24
25.435
25.885
26.335
26.785
27.235
27.685
28.135
28.585
29.035
29.485
29.935
27.83125
26.600
25
25.445
25.895
26.345
26.795
27.245
27.695
28.145
28.595
29.045
29.495
29.945
27.84125
26.610
26
25.465
25.915
26.365
26.815
27.265
27.715
28.165
28.615
29.065
29.515
29.965
27.85125
26.630
27
25.475
25.925
26.375
26.825
27.275
27.725
28.175
28.625
29.075
29.525
29.975
27.86125
26.640
28
25.485
25.935
26.385
26.835
27.285
27.735
28.185
28.635
29.085
29.535
29.985
27.87125
26.650
29
25.495
25.945
26.395
26.845
27.295
27.745
28.195
28.645
29.095
29.545
29.995
27.88125
26.660
30
25.505
25.955
26.405
26.855
27.305
27.755
28.205
28.655
29.105
29.555
30.005
27.89125
26.670
31
25.515
25.965
26.415
26.865
27.315
27.765
28.215
28.665
29.115
29.565
30.015
27.90125
26.680
32
25.525
25.975
26.425
26.875
27.325
27.775
28.225
28.675
29.125
29.575
30.025
27.91125
26.690
33
25.535
25.985
26.435
26.885
27.335
27.785
28.235
28.685
29.135
29.585
30.035
27.92125
26.700
34
25.545
25.995
26.445
26.895
27.345
27.795
28.245
28.695
29.145
29.595
30.045
27.93125
26.710
35
25.555
26.005
26.455
26.905
27.355
27.805
28.255
28.705
29.155
29.605
30.055
27.94125
26.720
36
25.565
26.015
26.465
26.915
27.365
27.815
28.265
28.715
29.165
29.615
30.065
27.95125
26.730
37
25.575
26.025
26.475
26.925
27.375
27.825
28.275
28.725
29.175
29.625
30.075
27.96125
26.740
38
25.585
26.035
26.485
26.935
27.385
27.835
28.285
28.735
29.185
29.635
30.085
27.97125
26.750
39
25.595
26.045
26.495
26.945
27.395
27.845
28.295
28.745
29.195
29.645
30.095
27.98125
26.760
40
25.605
26.055
26.505
26.955
27.405
27.855
28.305
28.755
29.205
29.655
30.105
27.99125
26.770
Table from Defprom's Radio Mods band chart:     http://www.radiomods.co.nz/freq.html