Once one of the hottest fads of the 1970s, CB (citizen’s band) radio is all but extinct today. According to the Federal Communications Commission, there are only two licensed CB radio operators left in the U.S., and they’re living on opposite coasts.

Roger Pickett, of Kennesaw, GA, and Anthony Valletti, of Huntington Beach, CA, are both retired truck drivers and still CB addicts to this day. And who do they talk to on the airwaves? Each other, of course. Trouble is, they live 3000 miles apart, well beyond the typical 10 mile range of their radio transmitters.

“We’re a dyin’ breed, said Pickett. “There’s just the two of us and we’re at opposite ends of the country, so we can only chatter on the radio when one of us is close to the other. Oh, once in a while, when the sunspots are just right, we can get some skip and talk from long distance, but that doesn’t happen much.”

The lack of activity on the airwaves doesn’t faze Valletti.

“I just leave the damn thing on, 24/7, ‘cuz you never know,” says Valletti. “Nothing but static, with the occasional kid’s walkie-talkie crackling in there. But when Roger rolls into town, I hear that familiar call and my heart starts to race: ‘breaker breaker, good buddy!’ Who else could it be, right?”

The infrequent contact with the CB radios doesn’t hamper their friendship, and the two have no plans to upgrade their gear.

“Oh, we kicked around the idea of going ham,” said Pickett. “We could jaw on the radio from anywhere in the world. But you have to get licenses and all new equipment and antennas and stuff. Besides, neither of us wanted to turn into one of those ham geeks. We like the common man’s CB radio lifestyle. And we have the bandwidth to ourselves - all 40 channels! It’s amazing the government hasn’t grabbed up those frequencies for something else.”

Valletti and Pickett plan to meet half way a couple times a year, driving their RVs to places like the Ozarks or Texas.

“We’ll have our radios on and see who catches the other one first,” said Pickett. “Playing tag on the highways - it’ll be like old times.”