During World War II, engineers developed a two-way radio communication system for use in military operations that was operating at frequencies above 250 Mhz. This was a technological feat that was unheard of at the time.

Soon after the war, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) was able to assign a set of these higher frequencies to be used for personal radio services, and allow citizens a radio band for personal communication. This set represented the first frequencies that were legally allocated to the Citizens' Radio Service Frequency Band.

The first CB radios were then produced a couple of years afterwards, however they were sold mainly to working and public safety professionals because they were too bulky and expensive for the general public.

It wasn't until the late 1950s that the FCC finally allocated the lower frequency 27 MHz band for general public use, while reassigning the original higher frequency range to other industries.

The 27 Mhz band became known as the "Citizens Band".

However, CB radios continued to be used primarily by professionals and radio amateurs due to their size and cost. It wasn't until the late 1960s that advances in electronics led the CB radios to become more portable and affordable. The general public finally adopted the CB radios as an affordable and easy-to-use personal means of communication in the 1970s.

Designed to allow individuals to communicate with each other without having to pass through a professional telecommunications operator, this strip of license-free frequencies was mainly used by truckers to break the monotony of long routes and help each other out during difficult situations.

This gave rise to a spirit of solidarity that has always characterized this form of communication, and also created a specific language based on contractions of words and coded expressions that became popular in the 1970s and 1980s.

Over the years, the CB has increasingly been used for rescue and emergency communications, as well as for leisure activities, such as bird watching, RVing or hunting. It is also used by professionals from various sectors, such as police officers and firefighters, to communicate with each other and to exchange important information.

Today, CB remains a useful form of communication enjoyed by many individuals and professionals around the world. Since 1978, President Electronics has been one of the world's leading CB radio manufacturers, recognized for the quality and reliability of its products. Find out why the PRESIDENT brand is worldwide recognized and check out our radio and antenna selection.