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How to Shoot CB Skip

"Shooting skip" is speaking to people a long distance away using standard citizens band (CB) radio equipment. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations forbid using CB frequencies to communicate with someone more than 155.3 miles away. However, this regulation has been interpreted to forbid amplifying a CB radio's signal, rather than forbidding the communication itself. Skip occurs when radio waves bounce off the earth's ionosphere. Skip is unpredictable and often fleeting.

Things You'll Need

CB radio

Instructions

- 1
  Get on a channel where skip is likely. Channels 6, 17 and 19 are frequencies most likely to experience skip. Other channels where skip is likely include 11,14, 26, 28 and 30.
- 2
  Listen for operators identifying themselves as in distant locations. Because skip is unpredictable, you'll have no idea what to expect hour by hour.
- 3
  Talk the talk. "Skip talk" is a bit different from standard CB language. Here are two examples. First, "DX" means distance transmission. It's a clue you've stumbled upon someone looking to shoot skip. Second, "skip handles" (on-air nicknames) often include the name of the operator's club. Some popular clubs are RT (Romeo Tango), RF707, World Radio 981 and MT 476.

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