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Considering Ranger 2950 or 2970n2

L

Luke

Member
Jul 9, 2010
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This forum seems free from affiliation with any CB shops so I think I will get best advice here, I have some questions.

I would like a radio for my truck to communicate with buddies around town (10 Miles between truck to truck MAX, usually more like 4 or 5) and want enough power to do so as reliably as possible. Although I may end up catching the bug, I am not really after DX or "Skip" at this time.

On another forum I was suggested the RCI 2970n2 but they all think I need to have a CB guy open it up and "SuperWackPack" it or do a "TopGun" mod or something else that sounds like a gimmick. You guys seem pretty unbiased, is this stuff all abunch of BS? Isn't this radio good from the factory other than needing to be unlocked for 11 meters? Does a tech have any business in one of these radios other than opening up CB frequencies?

My concern with this radio is that at times I will be using much more power than needed to reach my nearby friends, should I go for the 2950 and see if I need to back it with an adjustable amplifier?

Or, do you think I am picking the wrong band altogether for local communication and maybe should find some VHF mobiles and use MURS frequencies?

I appreciate any replies or comments!
 
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Don't do the wackpack, It doesn't have a good rep here. Search on this site for reviews of it. the top gun mods are worth doing as anyone who runs a ham box will tell you. It is a cheap way of getting out much louder.
both the n2 and the 2950 have variable power so you do not need an amp with adjustable power.
If you dont want to run the amp on the n2 all the time you don't have to; just cut the amp keying wire and mount a switch on the back. I use mine rarely as it causes bad TVI which a zetagi bv131 never did.
the only advantage of the n2 is that its amp is keyed from the mike whereas on the bv131 it is rf sensing which means the relay will key out talking ssb.
If u would like a radio to talk to your buddies then use a radio that is on the same frequencies that theirs are.
 
for all more distance your talking about the 2950 will be plenty. then later
down the line if ya want more power just add a amp to the 2950 and your
set.the 2970n2 is a great radio but for short talking like your mentioning
it will be a waste of money imho
 
Both the 2950 and the 2970 are great radios.I had a 2950 not to long after they came out and I loved it !! I worked the world out of a pickup with it on SSB..and local range I got about 30 to 50 miles SSB without an amp of any kind

The only difference between the 2950 and 2970 is the power output
The 2950 is 25 watts sideband out from the factory and the 2970 I think is still 150 watts . I am a pure SSB person and those radios are really good radios for that mode

I personally would never do anything to those radios except the conversion to include the CB channels...

The superwhackpack has been looked at hard by a couple of members here and it was found to be a piece of junk,a total waste of money,it was found to do more harm than good to the radio...

The Topgun mod I have yet to hear anything about it,but personally I would have to say it as well is junk...to me any mod like that is a pure waste of time and money.To me they make the radios sound like crap and turn a good radio into a piece of junk

...but then again I am not one that would do tweak and peaks,or add echo boards,talk backs or any other item like that...to me personally they all sound crappy and take away from the quality of the audio....but I will say there are alot of folks that do run them and swear by them

Personally if it were me in your position I would get the 2970 and run it on the lowest power setting,that would give you good communations at the range you are looking to cover as well as give you plenty of power if needed in the future ( not to mention it would make you a nice 10 meter radio if in the future you decide to get your no code tech ham ticket).

...do NOT superwhackpack,topgun,echo,talkback or any mod other than opening it up for the CB band..I have heard more bad stories on those mods than good

And last but not least,be sure to get you a good antenna that will take the power you are running,such as a Wilson 1000 or better...do your homework on the antenna...a good antenna will make a huge difference in the over all range you get out of the radio
 
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If what your looking for is reliable communication, go murs. When the solar cycle gets going CB will be useless for local comms.
And oh ya, what is a "ham box".
Rich
 
I have to agree with SP5It about these radios. They are margional at best as a ham radio. I can usally spot them easy on 10 meter. They drift all over the place and transmit on one freq and receive on another.
Rich
 
both radios are great performers you won't go wrong buying either. but to answer your question in my opinion drawn on my experiance with having both radios grab yourself a 2950 or 2950dx. don't fall for any of these trick mods they try to sell you. just get it converted to work on 11 meters and a simple alignment to make sure it's on frequencyand you will be set. you will get the type of distance you want plus with the radio and a simple mag mount antenna like a Wilson 1000. with the 2950 if and when the desire for more watts hits ya you can get a nice little high drive amp like a Xforce TNT 350 and on SSB the world is yours if the DX bug gets ya.
 
My 2 cents worth


I was thinking of getting the 2970ON2 myself. 200 Watts the specs say. Conversion to 11 meters can be had. For the money, the unit is a little pricey. but the extra power is a far cry better than the 2950 by far, but a far cry cheaper than the new RCI63FFC4 monster.

If you're like me, (wanting to talk local, but get out like the big dogs) once in a while, The 2970 is worth a few more dollars. If you want a great radio for a buck cheaper, Magnum makes a real performer with their S9 with 50 Watt dual finals for a hundred less than the 2970. I've been thinking of getting it over the RCI2970. However, on SSB, you won't need any kind of amp because all of the radios I've mentioned will swing anywhere from 25 or 50 to over 2 or three hundred watts of RF power. If you want to talk local, turn down the variable power. No need for a kicker.

Magnums are also a little more straightforward in their frequency conversions by just the move of a simple jumper pin. I also heard a few squabbles over an issue with the 2950 & 2970's Clarifier component. There is a mod for that too. For $385.00 that makes the RCI's lose a few points with me, although they are both very good radios. It's all about the pricing. Very hard decision indeed. 200 watts with the 2970 is hard to pass by though. I may get one myself. Decisions, Decisions.

I've been up till 6:00am every night looking for days for an export with a little more power. Happy hunting & good luck to you.


James

 
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2950 /2970

may be from a local screwdriver guy ,,but on the most part 2950/2970 has been one of the most stable radios ive owned have the first one bought back in 89 and a new one the newer one is much better on receive, oh and by the way without all that top gun whack pack crap it looks nice on a scope ,, mine never drift ,,
imagine that its all about symantics they are the best bang for the buck as aposed to a huge hf rig hanging from the dash
 
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nooooooooooooo

don't wacko pack he will charge you a small fortune for a few bucks in parts
and he cuts out the limiter. and the radio sounds like shit
don't waste your money just get a nice radio have it tuned.
 
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jon666 said:
don't wacko pack he will charge you a small fortune for a few bucks in parts
and he cuts out the limiter. and the radio sounds like shit
don't waste your money just get a nice radio have it tuned.
Click to expand...


Total parts used in a superwackpack is less than $1.50. Most SWPed radios end up as parts radios in a few months.
 
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i was a victim

i fell for his shit a long time ago.he talks a good game
but its all garbage. and charged me a fortune. i had to reverse everything he did
it sounded like shit on the air.
 

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