If you don't hear anything on any channel, there is probably something wrong with your setup. I don't CB much but whenever I turn on my CB radio I can either find traffic or even shout out can anyone hear me. It's probably pretty easy to blow the finals on most CB radios I think, do you have any kind of test equipment to see if you're actually transmitting?

Do both. It's like having a full toolbox vs. just having an Allen wrench. CB can get the job done, some of the time, but it shouldn't be your only backup emergency communication.

CB is still quite active. It's one of the few radio services that is practically unregulated