"If I still had the patents on my inventions, Bill Gates would have to stand aside for me."
Alfred Gross
In 1945 the U.S. government allocated radio frequencies, called the Citizens' Band (CB), for personal radio services. In response, Alfred J. Gross (1918-2000) set up a company to produce two-way CB radios; in 1948 his radio was the first to receive federal approval.
Citizens' Band radios are used for short-distance communication, generally within the 27 MHz band. Unlike amateur radio, CB can be used for commercial communications. CB radios first became popular with small businesses and truck drivers, but during the 1970s their popularity around the world soared—a popularity that was bolstered by film and television with Smokey and the Bandit and "The Dukes of Hazzard." Governments around the world often released the CB frequencies only after CB radio equipment had been imported and used illegally.
After the release of the frequencies, to use a CB radio legally a license had to be obtained and a call sign assigned. Despite this, many people chose to continue illegally, using nicknames or "handles" to avoid identification. A whole new culture grew within the CB fraternity and even had its own slang language. Police were referred to as "bears," speed cameras as "flash for cash," and the CB radio itself became "ears." They also incorporated and modified the ten-code, a call of nature becoming "10-100."
