Can a CB radio actually set of a blast in an area that is under constuction and is blasting away at some rocks? Was this possible in the past and not today?
If the explosives’ fuse is set to a radio mechanism, an inadvertant broadcast from any source might set it off if that broadcast was at the correct frequency. I think CBs were explicitly forbidden because:
- They can broadcast over a wide range of frequencies, perhaps overlapping those used for the radio fuses. Why the fuses would be set up that way is beyond me, but there it is.
- They are relatively common. you don’t need anything special to get one (no license, no tests to pass, etc.) and they aren’t especially expensive.
Ask around, though, and try to find out what is allowed and disallowed near the blasting site. Better safe than sorry.
An old thread on the subject.
Although the detonater’s frequency isn’t going to be in the CB band, it’s still possible to get RF interfence from a transmitting CB that’s close by. A poorly built receiver (or one without good shielding) could experience interfence from out-of-band signals if they’re strong enough (overloading the front-end of the receiver, or injecting signals after tuners, etc. in the LO chain).
This is exacerbated by the fact that some CBers use illegal ampliers to boost their signal from the legal limit (5 watts, IIRC) to 100 watts or more (even 1500 watts!). This is relatively easy to do since legal amplifiers are available for ham radio operators, and it’s simple to modify them for CB frequencies. Home-made mods like these often result in out-of-band transmissions, also (i.e. signals outside the CB frequency band).
Put a 1500 watt CB transmitter within 10 yards of a detonator receiver, and you’ll probably be lucky not to have problems. I’d WAG that it’s more likely you’d just prevent a detonation, rather than cause one, but YMMV.
Arjuna34
While it’s dangerous to have radios of any kind close to blasting caps, especially the electrically discharged kind, it has little to do with frequency. CB, which actually boadcasts on a relatively narrow band (11 meters~) it’s the act of the electromagnetic waves crossing the wires of the cap (thus generating electricity) which causes the problem.
Cellphones, CB, Ham radio, Personal Radio service, etc. can all cause the kind of RF activity necesary to set off electrical blasting caps, thus, in urban areas, where blasting is done, it’s done with detcord and crimp caps, the whole affair being far less subject to electrical interference. Detcord is also less dangerous in general, requiring a special device to set it off (normally- there are other ways but it’s difficult to do accidentallly).
Only in remote areas is blasting still done with “traditional” type electric caps, and even that’s going away. There’s just too much stray RF floating around out there nowadays.
b.