European CB Federation

The EUROPEAN CITIZEN'S BAND FEDERATION GENERAL ASSEMBLY. (E.C.B.F).

The European CB Federation (E.C.B.F.) celebrate, the next September 28, their 13º. Congress in the headquarters of the European Parliament in Brussels.

One of the important points that will be discussed in the meeting will be the situation of the works that the ECBF carries out in order to get a Norm European that harmonizes the different normative of CB existent in Europe. The primordial objective is get a norm that includes a minimum of 40 channels in AM, FM and SSB, with a power of 4w in AM and FM and 12w in SSB. The works, that are carried out in the different Technical Committees of the ETSI, are quite early.

In the Assembly, they will also be proceeded to the election of the new Council’s members of the ECBF for the period 2010-2014, since the current conclude their time in this year.

Other points to try is the modification of some points of the statutes and adoption of diverse agreements.

For those who didn’t believe it.

In last ERM#41 , meeting in Mainz (Germany) was approved for send to Public Enquire (PE) the new Standard on CB the EN 300 433 , this standard that maintain the name and reference of the old European CB Standard, have some very important improvements under our point of view.

The first one, the increase on power output levels for the users will be significant goes from the 1W in AM and 4Wpep in SSB to 4WAM and 12Wpep in SSB. These changes are the culmination of several years of hard work, fighting against the null understanding of several administrations and sometime against CB users that never believe in the ECBF project.

The new Standard says explicitly: Any equipment using national regulations on Citizens' Band (CB) permitting the use of channels outside of the carrier frequencies shown in table 1 within the frequency range from 26 MHz to 28 MHz can use the present document.

If some administrations decide to increase the number of channels beyond the 40 channels, the new standard can be user like reference. Is very important because very often the administrations says that some parameters are untouchable, in the future this argue not can be used, if the users demand more channels like some European countries.

The ECBF president, Dieter Loëcter that attend the meeting in Mainz remarks also a document 036SE(10) from the Electronics Communications Committee (ECC) from CEPT . this document says: “Based on discussions on the currently available studies concerning CB radio, WG SE sees that the proposed power levels for the CB radio are not expected to cause interferences to other radio systems”. This affirmation from ECC, gives the reason to the ECBF argues, that we are telling to several administrations since more than 15 years.

The long way of the CB standarisation.

In the last meeting of the FM38 (Frequency Management), in the headquarters of the European Communications Office (ECO) , one steep on was made in the long way to CB normalization through Europe. Under the flag of the Spanish administration, we attended to the meeting in Copenhagen

Basically for the ECBF, the meeting should decide to give approval to the request to amend the European Communications Committee (ECC) decision ERC/DEC/(98)11 of the FM for the CB used in Europe. The modification will recommended the use of the three modes of modulation used or the on the CB , the FM (in force) the AM 4W and the SSB 12WPEP.

The Spanish administration introduced a document explaining that the use of AM 4W and SSB at 12WPEP it is not harmful to the others radio electric services since several years in Spain. The German administration and the AER gives a support to ECBF’s position.

The British administration is opposite to modify the ECC decision and, after several argumentations from both sides, the meeting decides create a new ECC Decision, in the next meeting in May in Saint Petersburg.

Again anybody are making it possible for to delay the entry in force of the new European standard of CB.

Sometimes related with the administration other times related with the users, like Franz J. Ahne in one meeting in Mainz ( Germany) the last year.

We don’t understand why one user, representing to a European Federation (Italian branch) makes efforts to delay the new standard. Standard that is required for years by all the users in Europe.

The ECBF inside of the CEPT.

Continuing with the works that the ECBF, and not others, has started several years ago, inside of the ETSI, one document that, been real, it has demonstrated that it is satisfactory for the technicians, users and Administration, and it shows what we have defended for many years: “The CB does not interfere, “per se””.

Finished this step, the definitive document has been send to the FM38, CEPT’s committee, for discussion.
Been included in the agenda of the meeting for September 4th, celebrated in headquarter Estonian telecommunication administration in Tallinn.

Read more info

The modification of the European CB Standard, the EN 300433 is in right progression.

The modification of CB rules of the play in Europe, progresses suitably. The ECBF are promoted the modification of the CB standard, mainly the increase of AM power level from 1W to 4W and from 4Wpep in SSB to 12Wpep SSB.

In the last meeting, from 16 to 20 March, of the committee Electromagnetic & Radio Matters(ERM) from European Telecommunications Institute (ETSI) in Mainz –Germany, was show to the committee the draft of System Reference document (SR doc) TR 102 626 that prove that only high levels of RF in 27MHz can disturber other radio communications services or devices . At this meeting was attend by the vice President of ECBF Alfonso Medina.

The SR doc show the result of several test, made in Kolberg(Germany) the last December, in TDT TV receivers and tests made in January in UK, by an independent laboratories in several radio devices, like DAB and analog broadcast receivers, HIFI tuner and amplifiers, baby alarms, LAN and WIFI computers.

All test prove the CB 27MHz working at the levels proposed by the ECBF and supported by several ETSI members, and legal in some European countries like Spain, Italy and Poland, can’t disturb other radio electric devices. The next ERM meeting will be in June in the main offices of ETSI in Sophia Antipolis (France)

In the next month of March the ECBF will be 20 years like member of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). In the next lines, we described of summarized form, all these years of activity.

Everything began, in the last 1987, in the disappeared “Salón de la Imagen y el Sonido” SONIMAG in Barcelona, Spain, where took place the I Congress of the actual ECBF with the fusion of the two European Federations in this time, the European Citizen’s Band Federation and the “Confederation Internationale de la Citizen Band Libre (CICBL). Read more info

The ECBF president Mr. Löchter attend a meeting in the office of Federal Network Agency ( BNetzA) in Mainz-Germany.

The past January 21 the President of ECBF, Dieter Löchter, attend a special CB meeting in the offices of Federal Network Agency ( BNetzA) in Mainz-Germany. This meeting is an extraordinary meeting of Technical Group Digital Mobile Radio (TG DMR) on drafting the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) CB radio SRDoc (TR 102 626). In the also announce that results of practical testing between CB radio transmitters and DVB-TV receivers performed on Dec 22-23 in the labs of BNetzA in Kolberg near to Berlin. Read more info

Arguments for requesting the modification/unification between Standards EN 300 135 and the EN 300 433

In September 1990, during the third meeting of Radio Equipment & Systems (RES) (predecessor of the current Electromagnetic compatibility & Radio spectrum Matters (ERM)) the definitive draft of the standard ETS BA- CB equipment was approved. This Standard, definitively approved in 1991 under the name ETS 300 135, only included frequency modulation (FM), leaving aside amplitude modulation (AM), the most commonly used modulation system in the world in the 27 MHz. sector.

Oscar Espallargas is a Technical Advisor of the Federació Catalana de CB and ECBF.
Vice-President of EEM-TG17WG5 group to ETSI.

Read this interesting article in English.

Read this interesting article in Spanish

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Signed an agreement for a future co-operation

The President the German organization of Cb-radio DCBO (Thomas Pfannebecker) and President of India fox Germany (Dieter Löchter) have signed an agreement for a future co-operation with the 03/03/2007 in the ECBF.

Thomas Pfannebecker (left) President of Cb-radio DCBO and Dieter Löchter (to right) President of ECBF

Great decision for all impassioned radio CBier’s, it will give only one future to the co-operation on a European level. This meeting with Thomas Pfannebecker was prepared since already months ago, this is why it signature was easy within the framework of this contract of co-operation. Industry will have to be induced to really bring the new one within the framework of a free correct communication out of licenses.

Here DCBO indicated inter alias the new one in the 2.4 gigahertz by the Motrola company, with 100mW completely new on the market. Its personal desire is a better vocal transmission without breakdown with small devices, numerical technology. DMR446 is a beginning and PMR149 (freenet) which it could promote.

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ETSI. Works to CB

The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) is an independent, non-profit organization, whose mission is to produce telecommunications standards for today and for the future.

Based in Sophia Antipolis (France), the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) is officially responsible for standardization of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) within Europe. These technologies include telecommunications, broadcasting and related areas such as intelligent transportation and medical electronics.

Access to ETSI Section.

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The ECBF Members.

In this section you can see the different members that compose the E.C.B.F and the services that they offer. Contact address, web page, if they prepare, e-mail, activities information, information about the CB of their countries, norms and links of general interest.

Information facilitated by the own E.C.B.F.members

Access to E.C.B.F Members information.

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LEGISLATION OF CB.

This section is picked up all those laws that make reference to the CB use, normative, frequencies, powers, etc. Encourages to our visitors to that they send us those texts or laws that, direct or indirectly, have relation with the CB in theirs countries.

If you wants to enlarge the information that you can find in these web, you can consult to the official Telecommunications Administrations web of the different European countries.

Access to Library of CB Laws.

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