n our last newsletter we brought you news of the proposed changes to the CB licence - the deregulation of CB and the eventual withdrawal of the UK channels.
I suggested that as many users as possible should write in and object to these changes, and I hope many of you managed to do just that.
In July a rapidly organised meeting was arranged for representatives of the CB trade to meet the RA and discuss our objections to these proposed changes. There were representatives from the retailers, importers, distributors and manufacturers. All were there to press our objection to the withdrawal of the UK channels.
Unfortunately at the time of the meeting, the RA disclosed that they had only received around 200 letters from licence holders objecting to the proposals - not many when there are still around 23,000 licensed CB'ers!  We really needed to have objected in larger numbers.
Although the feeling at the meeting was that the proposals were a "done deal", the representatives did manage to secure the concession that we will be allowed to still use our 80 channel radios after the 2010 deadline, but not on the UK channels.
It had been feared that all the current 80 channel radios would become illegal to own or use after 2010, this will not be the case. You will still be allowed to use your current 80 channel set, but only on the EU channels. If you are caught using the radio on the UK channels, you will face a fine and the loss of your radio.
We will also be allowed to continue to sell the current 80 channel radios up to the 2010 deadline - so the fear that there may be a shortage of radios in the next few years seems to have been removed.
At the time of writing this newsletter the proposals are still in the "consideration" period. We expect the RA's decision to be made public very shortly and will bring you full details in our next newsletter.