Warsaw Voice - CB Radio Makes a Comeback

By P.M.
20 June 2007

Drivers hit the airwaves to avoid loneliness, find out about road conditions - and to evade speed checks

CB radio, a system of short-distance radio communication invented in the United States, is enjoying a resurgence in popularity in Poland. These days, it is not just truck drivers that have long antennas on the roofs of their vehicles and microphones in their cabs. CB radio is the best source of information about road conditions, a way of avoiding loneliness on long-distance journeys-and an effective way of evading police speed checks.

The global popularity of CB radio took off in the 1970s when American director Sam Peckinpah made his film Convoy (1978) about truck drivers using this radio system to battle highway patrols. In Poland, CB radio become popular in the late 1980s and early '90s. Later mobile phones proved more popular, but now the fashion for this personal radio service is returning-largely because no licenses have been required to use CB radio since 2004.

A CB radio set can be bought for as little as zl.200-300.

Not Only Bears
"Without CB radio is like being in a cinema without sound. Now, when driving I can not only see but also hear what goes on on the road in front of me and behind me," says a driver named Bartosz on an internet forum for CB users. More drivers are discovering the usefulness of CB radio. It is no longer used only to get information about "bears" or highway patrols. The point is to get in touch with other travelers. Thanks to CB radio channel 19, drivers can quickly find out in detail about what is happening on the road within a radius of a dozen or so kilometers-whether it is a road accident, or a road hog ahead.

CB radio also provides reliable information on the weather or on the nearest garage.
"I once heard on CB that a man called Antek had become the father of twins. Everyone within radio range congratulated him. He was just driving to see his wife in hospital," says another user of the internet forum for CB users.

CB Culture
Like any other subculture, CB users have their own slang, which people are expected to use when communicating via CB radio. So before you start broadcasting, the best thing is to listen for some time to what goes on on the air. This will help the novice to get the hang of the customs on channel 19.

First, CB users address each other using the familiar form, or as "friend," rather than as "Mr." or "Mrs." No swearing is allowed unless the situation on the road is so absurd that people lose their temper. To hold a private conversation, you have to switch to another channel.

Channel 9, to which a CB radio set tunes in automatically, is reserved for emergency use. The above are just a few basic rules from the unwritten code of CB users.

However, not all people like it that CB radio is so widely used. "I like to talk to someone via CB radio because this kills the sense of loneliness," says Krzysztof, a truck driver for a big international transport company. "I travel more than 100,000 kilometers a year. I can instantly recognize whether it is an experienced truck driver talking or a kid. I do not talk to the latter at all because the only reason why they install CB equipment in their cars is to get information on whether the road they are on is clear of automated speed cameras and then they speed up and cause accidents. Swearing can be heard sometimes, while many long-distance drivers transport children. This disturbs and irritates others so I am against CB radio being so widespread and available to everybody."