Yes, it is pretty silent (completely dead compared to what it used to be decades ago) but there are companies that sell new CBs (even ones with 10 band). Most of the talking is “skip” but here in Memphis there is a group of about 20 that talk on channel 36 every night from about 8:00-10:00- mostly older folks with some younger ones and a couple of women in the mix. If you get a chance check out cbradiotalk.com- these people are serious about CB including set ups of radios and antennas (both mobile and base) including building their own antennas.
Please forgive my ignorance, but what is “skip?”