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Best mobile radio for winter ?

R

RBR762

Member
May 31, 2009
32
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curious as to which mobile some of you have had luck with in the very cold
winter. I like to talk SSB so I have a rci158edx that just sucks because of the freq. drift which is made worse by the frigid temps. I just picked up a Magnum 257 and it is stable on SSB but lacks any built in SWR meter which I think is a must and I have heard of bad happenings to the LCD display in extreme temps.
Maybe I should go back to my trusty Unidens-pc122xl/grantxl
Robert
 
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I have been in cold weather down to the teens and with my magnum 257hp I have not experienced any issues. I also ran my uniden PC122xl in the same conditions and had no issues. This is not to say that others haven't had problems, I just haven't had any. Just let the vehicle warm up a bit and you shouldn't have any issues.
 
And as far as an swr meter, I keep an external meter in the truck, but not connected all the time. Its not necessary, unless you feel you have issues with your system. Internal meters are okay for checking swr readings, but I prefer the external meter myself. Radio shack swr/watt meter is what in use. Like I said i don't keep it in line, just there for insurance in case I feel there is a problem. What I did with my magnum 257hp was to take a silver sharpie and while using the external meter, I set my dead key to my desired position and marked it, one for 2 watts and one for 4 watts. good luck and hope this may help some. God bless.
 
I have a 257HP, and in 31 degree temps yesterday, it strayed south of the frequency on SSB. AM doesn't really matter, but it does take it a while to warm up and get on frequency.

My Grant XL never seems to care whether it's cold or hot... it's stable all the time.

73,
RT307
 
Cobra 148GTL (Old one); TR-296; Grant XL - or -

PC-122; TRC-453; TRC-465; Cobra 146 - or -

Midland 79-290 - or -

HR-2600; HR-2510; Lincoln (although if it gets TOO cold, you might have trouble with the LCD) - or -

RCI-2950; RCI-2970 (although they too have LCD's)

These are the rigs I've found to be the most 'forgiving' of temperature excursions and sub-freezing temps in the mobile environment.

Some ppl have also suggested the TRC-485 and/or the Magnum 257(HP), and although pretty stable on SSB, reports suggest that they're pretty noisy on RX for a mobile environment; their noise blankers are NOT that great.
 
Ctstallion the noise levels aren't too bad with the magnum 257hp. I will admit it is more sensitive than a lot of the other radios mentioned, but if grounded properly and antenna setup is correct, it isn't that bad. Yes there is definitely room for improvement but for how much they cost, they are a decent radio. The magnum 257hp that is. I am really enjoying my little uniden PC122xl. It doesn't have a lot of channels, but is a solid radio on ssb. I just gave my brother in law a uniden grant for Christmas, an older one. It has the nicest receive I have heard in a long time. And it's right on frequency as well. All in all I think it's a good idea to go ahead and warm the vehicle up and let the radio warm up a bit as well, JMO, god bless.
 
I haven't had any drifting issues with the 99v2 but have had a few other minor issues when it gets down in the 20's. roger beep turns into roger chirp until it warms up. With that said, I don't use the roger beep but I do check everything out from time to time to see if everything is working. That and I had a problem with the modulation light flickering when I wasn't transmitting in extreme cold weather. after a few minutes of warm up the issues go away.
 
w9cll said:
When its been as cold as it has here I have pulled the rig out of my car and been running an HT till it warms up.
Click to expand...



ham or cb ht? I only ask because of it being a cb thread .
if it is a HT cb what model do you have ? just wondering i never owned a
handheld cb but am curious of their effectiveness . thx if you like, pm me on this . it would be greatly appreciated

To the OP sorry about posting off topic
but my recommendation for winter radio would be one that you didnt spend alot of money on . i run a TRC 465 that i paid $5 for .
 
RBR762 said:
curious as to which mobile some of you have had luck with in the very cold
winter. I like to talk SSB so I have a rci158edx that just sucks because of the freq. drift which is made worse by the frigid temps. I just picked up a Magnum 257 and it is stable on SSB but lacks any built in SWR meter which I think is a must and I have heard of bad happenings to the LCD display in extreme temps.
Maybe I should go back to my trusty Unidens-pc122xl/grantxl
Robert
Click to expand...

any radio w/ lcd display isnt really good to have in cold weather. i perfer the older radios
for winter. 148, grant xl, pc122,ect
these seem pretty stable and still work great
 

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