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Will a Ranger RCI 2950 with a handheld D104 that Dead Keys at 2 watts and Swings to 25 watts perform better than my off-the-shelf UNiden 520xl? How much will I notice the difference in transmit and receive between the two units as I have described them? What might my Uniden Dead Ket at and Swing to? Thanks
Dead key is the Watts a radio puts out when you key the mike, without speaking into the mike. Just how much watts the radio puts out when you press the mike button. Swing is the amount of wattage the radio put out when you whistle, or speak into the mike. You may hear guys whistling into the mike or saying
AAAUUUDDDDIIIIOOO! they are looking at the wattage or Swing on a watt meter as they speak into the mike.
Stock radios dead key 1-2 watts and swing 4 watts max per FCC regulations. A radio swinging 20 watts or more most likely has been modified and will perform a lot better than a stock off the shelf unit.
You will get more distance from a 20 watt radio. 10-15 miles in good flat terrain depending on the antennea you are using. Same antennea with a 4 watt radio will be about 4-6 miles average.
I'm certainly learning alot here. It's like a cram session on CB's. Will the difference in the distance be seen in both transmit and receive? I am more concerned about receiving a better signal. Is the Ranger CB that I speak of worth $100? Oh yeah, I use a Wilson Little Wil for now. Not as good as a Wilson 1000, but it should suffice? Wilson says that the antenna maxes at 300w, but I think that might burn it up?Quote:
Originally Posted by Freebird
I found a Ranger RCI 6300F that is rated:
RF Power Output
AM-FM: 50W RMS
AM: 150W PEAK
The 6300F has more power, huh? Should I read this as "Swings" to 150 watts? This unit is available for $200.
The performance gain is on the transmit side only. Sometimes they adjust a little more receive when they turn up a radio, but very little difference. Your receive performance is directly related to your antennea quality. Think of it like a television with rabitt ear antennea vrs a large roof mounted antennea. The better the antennea the better the radio will receive.
300 watts rating for the antenne is plenty for a 25 watt radio. If you were running a power booster "linear" rated at higher than 300 watts then a 300 watt max antennea could not handle it.
The 6300F has more power, huh? Should I read this as "Swings" to 150 watts? This unit is available for $200. Yes this radio swings to 150 watts. The max watt of the radio is what it swings to.
The only thing I would add to this is..
Don't rush through the install and take the time to match (trim) the antenna to the radio.
1:1 or better is what you want.
Voyager is talking about getting your antenna SWR readings set to your radio. This can be done by any CB shop for a small fee. This matches the power coming from the radio to the power coming out of the antenna. Without having the SWR's set you can damage your radio.Quote:
Originally Posted by voyager7
Yes, I understand that the SWR's need to be tuned. I wish I had a Cobra 29 like model that had SWR tuning built in it. My Uniden Pro 520XL doesn't have that option. I have considered buying a SWR meter myself, but Radio Shack doesn't stock them. I talked with a local gut that would tune and peak my radio, including the SWR's, for only $10. I haven't measured my SWR's yet, I just stuck the whip in the Little Wil. Without the proper tools, I can't perform this operation. I know I need to do this in order to maximize the potential of any CB radio. Soon enoughQuote:
Originally Posted by FreebirdVoyager is talking about getting your antenna SWR readings set to your radio. This can be done by any CB shop for a small fee. This matches the power coming from the radio to the power coming out of the antenna. Without having the SWR's set you can damage your radio.Quote:
Originally Posted by voyager7
So when another ham operator tells me I am giving him "5 pounds", what does that mean?
And when I read to switch the 2.?? ohm resistor with a .47 resistor (Power Mod), what will that actually do for my unit?
Oh yeah...I got a guy that has a Cobra 29 ltd, which he says he put a 1969 final in it, that he will sell for $120. This CB actually suits my spacial requirement better since I am putting it in my car. Is there any special deal with a 1969 final? What is so special about it?
Have you considered Fry's Electronics? They have a small, simple SWR meter for about $10.Quote:
Originally Posted by Todd
The correct term is that you are matching the impedance.
Most of the radio equipment sold in the US is designed to work into 50ohms. So the radio is 50ohms, the coax is 50ohms and if the antenna is not 50ohms it will cause some power to be reflected and is referred to as standing waves, and can be measured with an SWR meter. If you can make the antenna 50ohms you should have an SWR of 1:1.
Some antennas are not 50ohm antennas and you do not trim them for the lowest SWR. An example is a full size 1/4 wave whip. Going by memory they will most likely be 35ohms, however you can get fancy and do impedance matching with the coax length so the radio sees 50ohms.
Note: a 1:1 SWR is not an indicator that your antenna system is working well. It only means that the meter is not reading any standing waves. It is possible to have enough loss in the antenna system that your SWR reads good but you can't "get out".
Hopefully you're referring to a CBer and not a Ham Radio Operator, two different things. It's been a long while for me but 5 pounds meant 5 s-units.Quote:
Originally Posted by Todd
Nothing, it's just a 2sc1969 transistor. I don't know why people waste their time doing those kinds of mods though. I would just get myself an amp if you want more power. And buying a radio that someone has been inside of with a soldering iron would make me nervous, especially a used CB for $120. I'd rather spend $150 on a HR2510 if you can still find one.Quote:
Oh yeah...I got a guy that has a Cobra 29 ltd, which he says he put a 1969 final in it, that he will sell for $120. This CB actually suits my spacial requirement better since I am putting it in my car. Is there any special deal with a 1969 final? What is so special about it?
I'd like to find an amp locally if it's possible, but the chances of that happening may take some time. If I'm not on the NYS Thruway or I-81, I travel by them. I hear CBr's keepin' an eye out on the LEO's. At first, I thought my Valentine One was a great investment. Now, I'm lovin' my CB. Countermeasures are cool. Trapster on the GPS might help in time, but nothing beats a CB on the highways. I did lots of traveling without my countermeasures this year, I can't wait until next year. I can't say I plan on traveling too much during the winter. I may make one road trip to Florida, but that is all I foresee in the near future.Quote:
Originally Posted by DukeHopefully you're referring to a CBer and not a Ham Radio Operator, two different things. It's been a long while for me but 5 pounds meant 5 s-units.Quote:
Originally Posted by Todd
Nothing, it's just a 2sc1969 transistor. I don't know why people waste their time doing those kinds of mods though. I would just get myself an amp if you want more power. And buying a radio that someone has been inside of with a soldering iron would make me nervous, especially a used CB for $120. I'd rather spend $150 on a HR2510 if you can still find one.Quote:
Oh yeah...I got a guy that has a Cobra 29 ltd, which he says he put a 1969 final in it, that he will sell for $120. This CB actually suits my spacial requirement better since I am putting it in my car. Is there any special deal with a 1969 final? What is so special about it?
Thanks for all the helful input guys. I'm lovin' this forum; learnin' alot.
Just thought I'd update that I recently found a Uniden PC76XL and a Cobra 29 wx nw st. I kind of like the Cobra, but honestly after testing all of them, I actually think my Uniden Pro530XL is the best overall performer. More mods could be done with the two CB's I justed picked up. A couple bucks at radio shack, a little soldering, and the Cobra is swinging. I wish linears and 1969 Transistors were legal.
Anything you do to your CB to increase the power beyond 4watts AM and 12 watts PEP is technically illegal. And communicating beyond 175 miles is also illegal. So if you're going inside of it anyway and clipping the limiter, or what have you, what's the difference if you just buy an amp?Quote:
Originally Posted by Todd
To be frank, an amp isn't going to do you much good anyway. If you can talk further than you can hear what good is it for? You're better off making your antenna system as efficient as you can.
You should just keep it simple. Get a peaked and tweaked Cobra 148 and a little modulator and call it a day. A couple hundred bucks and you're set. I don't even know if they make 148s any more. I still have my old one on the shelf from a long time ago. :-)
You can get an amp at just about any truck stop or you could just google it and buy it online.
Is it legal to get an amp at a truckstop?
I don't honestly know the answer to that question. I don't know if possession is illegal but using it definitely is. I have a license so it is legal for me to use or build HF amps. But like I said, cutting the limiter in the radio is illegal as well, so six of one a half dozen of another. If you don't go around abusing the amp and/or you run a good low pass filter you will probably be ok. But if you overdrive it and splatter everywhere you increase the chances of getting caught. Be a good op and run it clean if you get one.Quote:
Originally Posted by Todd
Amps.. wrong term. Linear or Linear Amplifier is the term for a CB power booster. Truck Stops do not sell them anymore, they are illegal. But they can be purchased online and at select CB shops.
LOL, sure it is.Quote:
Originally Posted by Freebird