I am thinking of buying a hi-power CB Radio. I have seen many, I know they are converted 10 meter radios. I have heard that the Magnums are junk and the Galaxy are the best. Why are the Magnums junk and why are the Galaxies the best. What about the Connex? Is this simply a Chevrolet vs Ford debate with a Dodge thrown in for a spoiler?
-
You can now help support WorldwideDX when you shop on Amazon at no additional cost to you! Simply follow this Shop on Amazon link first and a portion of any purchase is sent to WorldwideDX to help with site costs.
-
Retevis is giving away Radios for the New Year and Every Member is Eligible. Click Here to see the details!
Hi-Power CB
- Thread starter RDAtchison
- Start date
Uhhhhhmmm.....Actually, the Magnum radios are better. They have better sideband stability; which is something - sadly - that Galaxy radios lack. It is also a very important criteria. Galaxy radios will drift - notoriously - on SSB. Whereas the Magnums are rock stable on SSB. It's just a stone fact. Both radios have great receive, but the Magnums also have better transmit modulation too. Galaxy transmit modulation is still pretty cool though.
I feel that I can say all of that with confidence - because I own both brands of radios presently. I also reviewed them on this forum.
I feel that I can say all of that with confidence - because I own both brands of radios presently. I also reviewed them on this forum.
B
BOOTY MONSTER
Guest
if SSB is a priority get a RCI 2970DX , if AM is a priority a s9-80 or s9-175 or a magnum 45HP would be my suggestions for something high powered .
+1
Move the brunt of the heat AWAY from the radio's sensitive internals.
A cool radio is a happy radio.
couldn't agree more,also has the benefit of should the amp develop a fault you still have a radio to use while its repaired/replaced.
As for magnums not drifting being a stone fact,hmmm,i ain't ever seen a cb that didn't drift on warm up,but then you need a counter with more than 5 digits to see it,don't get me wrong,rangers,galaxy's,superstars,unidens all do it to varying degrees.
magnum build quality leaves a lot to be desired compared to rci built radios,but recently their quality control hasn't been too great either.
i hate to say this as i love export radios,but if your gonna spend the sort of cash high power exports retail at you'd be better off adding a few dollars more and getting a new/second hand hf set,the buld quality is superior,the difference in power would be barely noticeable and you get a lot more frequencies to play on,not to mention things like built in processing,memories etc.
More like.......
BLONDES, BRUNETTES, REDHEADS................
Honestly though, depends on what you want to do.
For SSB (only) use, it's hard to beat a late model Icom, Kenwood or Yaesu.
For AM (only) use, it's hard to beat any of the "AM Audio Monsters" like properly set up Cobra 29 / Uniden 76/78's, or Cobra 25 / Uniden 66/68's, General Lee's, Connex's, etc. With some of these, you may wanna run an external amp.
A good all-around AM/SSB would be a clean, older (side mic) Cobra 148 GTL made in Taiwan or the Philippines, a Cobra 146, or a or a Superstar 3900 (if u remove the annoying roger beep), or RCI-2950/70 DX or N2..... again, amp optional.
I recently had the opportunity to work on a Galaxy DX-98VHP (receive mods), and I was very impressed. Out of the box it did EVERY BIT OF 200 WATTS on SSB and was extremely broadbanded. I've owned two versions of the RCI-2950 (old and the DX 10/12 meter blue dot version) and on AM the older model was better, but on SSB, the newer one is superior. Although I've never seen one, I'm told the even newer 2950 and 2970's not only have display improvements, but also have less 'white noise' in their receivers; which brings me to another factor to consider.... in your post you seem to be looking for 'output power', but what about the receiver?
IMHO, any older Cobra 29 LTD, or 148, or any of the EPT6900 chassis series Galaxy radios offer SUPERIOR receive capabilities when properly modified and aligned (i.e.: 2SC2999 / Schottky diode mods, etc.) I've got an old Philippines 29 LTD, a newer (2002) 29 LTD, an 'older' NPN Final (non-MOSFET, non-Starlite) DX-919, an older Cobra 148-GTL, and an older DX-949 all of which have had their receive sections upgraded and offer superior AM/SSB sensitivity & signal to noise capability surpassing virtually ALL of my ham gear (including BOTH IF and Audio DSP receivers) when listening to the CB freqs.
Another factor to consider would be: will u be primarily BASE or MOBILE use? If mobile, you want an EFFECTIVE noise blanker which will surpress ignition and radial tire noise withOUT distortion of the received signal. (CB's and Exports tend to surpass more expensive ham gear in this regard, but I'm not quite sure WHY...) If you are gonna be BASE, and you live in an urban or suburban area, TX signal purity (to avoid RFI complaints) might be an issue in which case I'd lean toward either strictly CB (Part 95 compliant) or late model, type accepted amateur gear, and stay away from the 'exports', and/or any external amplification.
Magnums aren't 'junk', in fact, the newest 257's I've seen incorporate the latest in SMT technology and are pretty dead-on-balls per their respective specs. Every single Galaxy SSB radio I've ever owned or worked on however, required alignment of BOTH the transmitter and receiver for not only output and receive sensitivity, but also for FREQ alignment and/or tx stability.
You know, it's funny..... Magnums are made by RF Limited; a genuine "company" who you can call on the phone and get support, as are Galaxy, RCI/Ranger, Cobra, Uniden. BUT..... I'm not too sure WHO you'd call for support if you bought a General, or a Connex, or a SuperStar, because I think none of them have a division or corporate office(s) / factory service in the USA. So that's another factor to consider.
Ford, Chevy, Dodge / Blonde, Brunette, Redhead.....................
1 of each please
Here in Alabama, we would never operate a CB radio with one of those illegal amplifiers. 
We prefer to use "Big Antennas" or my favorite, "Antenna Stretcher"
We prefer to use "Big Antennas" or my favorite, "Antenna Stretcher"
1) 10m radio's are not cb's, thats why they are called Exports.
2) Magnum radios kick a$$, you heard wrong.
3) Galaxy Export radio's are fine, better on AM then SSB though.
4) If you want a high powered cb radio then why not buy one?
Check these bad boys out.
Cobra 29 Black Chrome with RFX 75 - Custom CB radios
Cobra 29 LTD Stealth 2 Competition Radio - Custom CB radios
Cobra 29 LTD Special Edition CHROME w/ RFX-75 100 Watts!
If you want an Export radio then this might fit the bill.
Stryker SR-447HP 10 Meter AM/FM Transceiver**NEW**
Magnum 257HP 10 Meter Transceiver..80 Watts!!
Galaxy DX-94 HP 10 Meter AM/SSB Radio 100 Watts
Toll_Free
Well-Known Member
All "export" radios are based upon the Uniden PB series of chassis from the 80s. At least anything Ranger or Galaxy builds. You can look at the PB010 chassis from WAY back in the day, or the 999 chassis, and see the parts placement is the same as the early SSB radios, as well. Unless you talk Ham International, Jumbo or any of the other true import type radios, those are based upon Midlands abortion.
2. I know of 5 Magnum radios in the Bakersfield area that have all died. Owners ran them into antennas, no problems known. Different tech's tuned each one, the antennas have all been MFJ'ed.
3. I gotta agree.... If you want the best, get a 148 and freq it.
4. If you want a high powered radio, get a good CB (easy to use, I'm guessin you AREN'T a radio afficianado by you asking the questions you did (this goes to the original poster, not the reply), and then get a linear. WHEN one blows up, you still have the other to use while it gets fixed.
That being said, I use both. A Cobra 2000 and a 148F, as well as a Kenwood TS440S-AT and a Yeasu FT857. All radios have their place, but I tell ya, a GOOD tuned 148 / 2000 chassis will be HARD to beat with ANY ham radio for CB use, you have enough to buy a 100-300 watt linear when you are done, AND you have the ease of use of a CB radio.... My 5 yr old can run the 2000, but I really doubt he could master the menu system of the Yeasu.
--Toll_Free
Toll_Free
Well-Known Member
before you spend alot
of money,get a used hf radio and mod it...later you can get your lic and use it there...There is plenty of them out there...check local hamfest...get a kenwood 450 or a icom706mk2,something like that.it would cost the same...if your going to spend 300 to 400 get a hf rig.You have all modes and many freq...plus 100 wts ssb and 30 to 50wts am/fm... 73s de n0zna/John
of money,get a used hf radio and mod it...later you can get your lic and use it there...There is plenty of them out there...check local hamfest...get a kenwood 450 or a icom706mk2,something like that.it would cost the same...if your going to spend 300 to 400 get a hf rig.You have all modes and many freq...plus 100 wts ssb and 30 to 50wts am/fm... 73s de n0zna/John
- No one is chatting at the moment.
