Why You Can’t DX with your CB Radio (Top 3 Reasons)

With the right antenna and transceiver, CB radio owners can send and receive message across long distances. Normally, this is only within the area of the frequency band. Thus, CB radio operators in the U.S. can hear messages from those in the lower 27 MHz range.

Listening to Others Through DX’ing

However, due to the way radio waves travel, CB users can listen to transmissions from other people, including Ham radio hobbyists, through the act of DX’ing. Telegraphic shorthand for distance, people have utilized DX’ing for decades without even noticing it. For example, when Top 40 radio ruled the AM airwaves in the 1950s and 60s, people could hear stations from hundreds of miles away if the conditions were right.

Today, DX hobbyists listen to transmissions from across the globe. Many of them record the time of day when the signal was the clearest to pass it onto others in their group. They also record moments where the normally good signal faltered. In the end, there are many reasons why someone can’t DX. Here are a few.

1. Sunspots – It’s amazing how a star over 90 million miles from Earth can affect radio transmissions. Yet, the solar storms called sunspots release intense ultraviolet radiation that electrically charges our upper atmosphere (the ionosphere). When this happens, you encounter static during DX listening sessions.
2. Seasonal Shifts – During the summer, the ionosphere can be electrically charged not only from sunspots but also heat and storms. Because the nights are shorter, the upper atmosphere doesn’t have time to cool down so radio waves can bounce off it. Thus, DX’ing in the summer isn’t as strong. Conversely, the cooler days and longer nights of winter increase the DX window.
3. Time of Day – If you listen during the early morning or after sunset, you can hear signals from several hundred miles away. However, during times when huge swaths of the globe are in sunlight, the DX’ing isn’t as strong.

Learn more about DX and how you can listen to other broadcasts. Speak to one of the CB Radio Supply professionals for additional information that includes CB radio models you may want to use.