Do Truckers have the ability to cut in to your radio frequency? (1 Viewer)

[DeathStar1]

I was driving on I287 through Morristown just about 15 minutes ago, and all of a sudden something happened that spooked the living hell out of me.

I've been following this slow moving car that's been going 50 on a highway where people like to travel 70. I figure he's getting off at the next exit where a bunch old folks seem to get off the highway, and in this case, it's exit 42.

All of a sudden, something that's louder than my normal radio booms into my car, only in the back speakers, and it sounds like a CB radio. It sounded like they said ,' Keep...... that in the lane, would ya?' or 'Keep .... on the road, would ya?' something to that extent.

Then behind me I see a trucker pull out and speed up past us. No Horn honk, no nothing....but it sounded exactly like a CB radio cutting into my radio in the car, and I have no CB equipment.

Is something like that even legal? And could they even target a specific car like that? I'm thinking instead they where complaining a bout the car in front of me...if it was a live CB transmission

 

[Edwin-S]

Somehow, it sounds like you got crosstalk from his radio to yours. I'm not sure how that would occur, since I assume that trucker bands are nowhere near FM frequencies. If his transmitter was drifting off frequency and was close to your FM band, it may be possible that he swamped your band; however, I'm just guessing that that is what happened. Judging from your post, it looks like you were getting snippets of his conversation, so I doubt that you or the car ahead of you were being targeted.

 

[ChristopherDAC]

Under certain conditions, the frequencies produced by CB radio can interfere with the intermediate-frequency of an FM radio, producing an audible punch-in. This is not an effect which can be produced deliberately, and the FCC attempts to prevent such interference. I don't know how your car stereo works, but it's just barely possible that the interference could effect the stereo subcarrier in such a way as to send the sound to the rear. Of course, the other possibility is that the trucker had a loudspeaker on his cab, and was using it to warn you that he was about to pull out. That would be very unusual in my experience, but so would the other. Did you actually have the radio on at the time?

 

[Steve_Pannell]

I had a neighbor with a CB radio base station and he had a linear amplifier connected to it. When he would key up, everything he said (which amounted to exactly nothing) would come through my HT system. He was emitting so much power that it would even interfere with my telephone. I am no expert by any means but I think that the voice coils in your speakers are acting as an antenna of sorts. It probably wouldn't happen if he was emitting the 4 watts that he is legally allowed to do but with an amplifier like some of them run anything could happen.

 

[Edwin-S]

Well, this is entirely a possibility. I know that there was a similar problem with model aeroplane frequencies in certain areas of the US. The FCC was allowing mobile phone systems to occupy unused frequencies near the model frequencies. Some of the mobile systems were transmitting, IIRC, close to 5 watts while model aeroplane transmitters are limited to approx. a 1/4 watt. Mobile phone users would wash out the signal on nearby model frequencies, resulting in shootdowns of model aircraft. It was dangerous. One year, I attended a meet in Redmond, Washington and they were telling us what frequencies to avoid in order to prevent shootdowns.

 

[Jay H]

??? You mean you are picking up CB noise in DD or at least DPL??? Wow, that's pretty cool.

I travel I-287 a lot and the next time I'm driving by Morristown, I'll have to see if I can get that same signal..

Jay

 

[drobbins]

I used to play with CB radios about 15 yrs ago, so maybe someone else can fill in the correct numbers. I think the maximum broadcast limit is 5 watts. The easiest way to increase power is to remove one resister on the circuit board. This usually boosts power up to 15 watts or more. The advantage to this is - 1 increased distance & 2 "shout louder" than the radio next to you that is only using 5 watts. The down side is you "bleed" over into frequencies other than the one you are using.
I once had a "hot" (not stolen) CB. At the time I didn't know of anyone who hadn't boosted their power in some way. My friends were in a convenance store as I was talking on the CB. They told me that they could hear me clearly on the boom box that was in the store. I would imagine that with further tweaking, it could easily be done and controlled on purpose. I have never heard of the FCC busting anyone for a illegal CB.

 

[Jay Taylor]

Neil, since you heard it coming from the rear is there any possibility that he was using a loud speaker mounted somewhere on the front of his truck?

Many police vehicles have a loud speaker system like this. I believe that they are mounted behind the front grill.

 

[DeathStar1]

I was thinking that too, but the only thing I had open was the sunroof by about 1 inch. It didn't sound muffled at all but sounded pretty danged clear like there was a VERY loud nextel sitting in the back seat....and I know there wasn't .

 

[CRyan]

I believe it occurs because of boosted CB's and coiled copper wire acting as an antennae.

 

[DougR]

You were getting "Bleed Over" due to the Trucker using a(Kicker) Power Amp on his Setup !!

 

[MarkHastings]

There is an office at my workplace that is close to the main road. Every now and then, the computer speakers would pick up radio interference like that (i.e. C.B. talk). We're not sure if it was right on the street or from nearby I-95, but it would come through loud and clear.


It would scare the crap out of anyone in the room at the time too.

 

[Steve_Pannell]

I have. Well, sort of .

A friend of mine who is now a fellow ham radio operator used to run an extremely powerful CB and since he lived fairly close to our cable tv tower, he would interfere with every television in town. He, like a lot of CBers, had little phrases that he used all the time and he heard some kid in town one day using a certain phrase that he always said. He asked the kid where he had heard that and the kid said "I hear it on my TV every night".

Anyway, the FCC sent a man to his house one day. He lived on a very dusty road and by the time the FCC guy got to his house he was all hot, dusty and very irritated. He didn't exactly bust him but he gave him a very stern warning and made it clear that if he had to come out again he would be busted.

 

[bobbyg2]

Haha! Time to get an amplifier and a CB radio! Gona bother all of those school bus drivers!

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

I routinely get interference in my computer speakers from my cellphone and my wireless phones at home all the time. At work my speakers will often start up before my cellphone rings. It does sound like a form of induction, a external source powerful enough (and/or close enough) to set up a current in your speakers and produce a sound. (Phone and computer techs use the same idea to trace wiring. Send a signal down a wire, then hold a device with an antenna and a speaker up to a bundle of wires to identify which one is carrying the signal. When you get a clear sound from the speaker, you know you've found your wire.)

Regards,

Joe

 

[Matt Birchall]

Obviously, this was the voice of God.

 

[Jay H]

I get this too. I have my AM/FM Alarm clock set to an FM station and I know if I put my Motorola cellphone (old V180) by my Alarm, if the radio is on, it'll pick up bits and pieces from the cellphone. I think the cellphone occasionally (if on) will ping the nearest cell tower to get info like unread voicemail, text messages, etc. and when it does so, I will pick up data noise on my FM alarm/radio on my nightstand. It sounds like a bunch of garbled beeps and screetches and not very pleasant but it's coming from my cell phone and bleeding to my radio there. It doesn't affect my Home Theater or boom box, but just the clock radio.

jay

 

[MarkHastings]

My co-worker expereinces the computer speaker "buzz" right before her cell phone rings.

 

[Greg_R]

Go get a Mr. Microphone and you can join in on the radio fun...