CB radio rules.

As with all radio transmitters, the CB radio service has laws governing it's use. The few rules regarding CB are there mainly to limit the chances of interference to other services.
The following is intended to be a general guide, and NOT a full statement of the rules.

Licence.
Use of CB equipment does not require a licence. The licence requirement was removed in December 2006.

The radio
Only equipment which has been approved for use as a UK or CEPT (European standard) CB radio may be used. Such radios will be clearly marked with one of the approval stamps somewhere on the front.
Radios designed for CB use in other, non-European, countries may not be used. In fact, just being caught in possession of such a radio is an offence.
Also, radios designed for use on other services, such as Amateur Radio, may not be converted or used for CB.
As all CB radios need to be fully tested before being approved, building an approved CB is only financially viable for a large manufacturer - so self build is not an option.

The antenna
The rules regarding CB antennas cover the length, width and directivity.
Under the present rules, the maximum length depends upon the type:
  DIPOLE - Half wave. Depending on which band you use, this is about 18 feet.
  MONOPOLE - 5/8 wave. Depending on which band you use, this is about 22 feet.
The maximum width of the antenna is 55mm. The use of directional types is illegal in the UK.

Microphone.
Although there is no specific rule regarding the use of amplified microphones and speech processors, there are practical considerations.
As the UK CB system uses FM and only a small space between the channels, trying to boost your voice can cause interference to other CB channels. Also, with the filters in modern UK CBs, you may sound distorted to other CB users.
If you do use such a microphone, please take care not to cause such problems - do not turn it up too high.

RF amplifiers.
CB transmissions are limited to 4 Watts of power, so power amplifiers are illegal to use. Receive amplifiers (known as "pre-amps") are also illegal for use on CB.
RF amplifiers are not illegal to own. However, being caught with one connected may be enough for a conviction.
Regardless of any rules, RF amplifiers are pretty useless on UK CB radios. The reason for this is that, no matter how much power you put out, you will not be able to hear those who can now hear you. As for pre-amps, UK CB radios are sensitive enough. Extra gain will increase the noise level, so you will still not hear the weaker signals above that noise.

SWR meters.
There is only one, rather simple rule regarding these: Only connect it while testing the antenna - disconnect it before using the CB radio for normal contact.
The reason for this will be that the components inside a SWR meter can create harmonics, which may cause interference to other equipment. As the meter is not needed for normal contact and can actually waste some of your output power, it is best to disconnect it when using the CB radio.

Distance.
Unlike some countries, such as America, there is absolutely no legal maximum distance for CB communications from the UK, talk to anyone you can hear.

Transmission content.
Under present CB rules, you may transmit only plain speech, short identification signals, end of transmission beeps and, as more recently added, packet radio signals. Packet use has additional rules.
You may discuss any topic - as long as it is a two way discussion, not a speech or broadcast.
You may use CB within a business, to allow communication between workers, but you must remember that it is not private... anyone could be listening. This raises other issues, such as if you give out the name and address of a customer - possibly breaking data protection laws.
For a taxi service, this could also allow a rival to turn up just before you, taking your customer, or even allow burglars to know when a house is empty.
You may not transmit music of any kind, re-transmit another transmission of any kind or use CB as a broadcast service.

CADS (Community Audio Distribution Service) use.
Although the technical specification for the radio remains the same, CADS users will find that some of the rules may be different from CB use - even though they may be using the same frequencies and even the same type of radio.

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