On CB with a stock Cobra 142gtl and a Imax 50ft high I hit Australia on SSB
I had no idea scrambling was illegal on FRS and GMRS, I have a set of Radio Shack walkies that have built in scrambling. They'll do 5 watts on both the FRS and GMRS channels, though the manual tells you high-power is only legal on GMRS.
I got out of CB in the early 70s but I did once have a QSO with someone about 75-80 miles away. I assume that is too short to be skip. This was from Newtown Square, PA (me) to Cape May Courthouse, NJ. On my end I was using a DeWald R1050 that my Dad purchased for me in 1963. Where I lived was at almost the highest point in Delaware County, PA. On the roof I had a HyGain Collinear which if I remember correctly was about 20 feet long, on top of a 10 foot mast and 3 foot tripod.
I've worked stations up and down the East Coast of the U.S. from the Pacific Northwest on 10 meters (just above CB) and 5 watts SSB. And that was with a CB mobile antenna (suitably tuned) bolted onto a metal planter on my balcony.
When CB and 10 meter frequencies are open, you can work the world on a couple of watts and a marginal antenna.
Over here in the uk during the early 80's, a business friend called in to a shop i was working in, to show me his new Royse cb radio he had in his car.
On channel 19 we heard an American trucker calling out for a copy, the signal strength was 20db over 9, he looked at me in disbelief, i told him to call him back.
The pair had a conversation for approx 10+ minutes, the trucker was on Route 55.
My friend was gobsmacked that he could sit in a cark park and have a conversation across the continent.
I also remember at home, approx 12 months later, hearing Australians having a conversation on fm (cb), that lasted approx 40 mins, and they were 20-30 over 9.
Towards the end, the signal had sharp and deep fades approx every 30 seconds or so.
I was unsuccessful at contacting them though.
Paul.