Heard a guy at the hardware store in Fairbanks talking about his old CB radio

Tbh, he was telling the clerk about how he used to get weather updates and talk to truckers on the Dalton Highway with it back in the 90s. It made me think about how everyone just uses satellite messengers and apps now, which is way safer, I get it. But there was something about that shared channel, that one voice in the static, that feels kinda gone. Anyone else miss that old school way of checking in up here?

3 comments

3 Comments

dakota_singh391mo ago

Hang on, is it really that serious though? I mean, sure, it's neat and all that truckers are still calling out mile markers on channel 19, but it's not like it's some sacred tradition that's vanishing. It's just a trucker doing his job, same as using a GPS or a weather app. The romance of "a voice in the static" sounds nice in theory, but in practice it's probably just a guy complaining about the price of diesel or some moose wandering onto the road.

thomas1053mo ago

Ngl, the Dalton Highway truckers still use CB channel 19 like crazy. It's not just a 90s thing. You can hear them calling out mile markers and road conditions any day of the week. That shared channel is very much still alive out there.

emeryfox3mo ago

That's actually really cool to hear. Read an article a while back about how CB radios are a total lifeline up there with no cell service. Makes perfect sense they'd stick with what works, you know? All that real-time info about ice or moose on the road is probably what keeps people safe. Kind of amazing how an old school tool can still be the best option.