If you could create a cool new CB product what would it be?

[Florida Starduster]

These days "Made in America" really means "Assembled in America from Chinese parts". Not just for radios, but for almost all consumer goods.

The problem is, say for example an American company wanted to build an American CB radio from American parts. They would quickly run into a big problem.........they would discover that America doesn't make parts for anything much anymore, especially electronics ! Sure there's a few exceptions, but for the most part manufacturing has all moved to China and more and more to India. That's where parts come from these days.

MFJ is a great example of this. They would buy parts in Asia and assemble them in Mississippi into gear that was then sold as U.S. made. They really had no choice as most of the parts they needed were no longer made in the U.S. !

America doesn't make anything anymore, they just assemble parts from other places and call it "Made in U.S.A."

Everything you said is so obvious it didn't need to be said. We were dreaming here.

 

[BC Coyote]

Everything you said is so obvious it didn't need to be said. We were dreaming here.

Then why did you bring up the subject in the first place? Seeing as it didn't need to be said and all......

 

[guitar_199]

A meter that had the intelligence to "act like" a spectrum analyzer.... and break the sampled signal into "frequency spans" and show the signal strength for each span in a tabular form.

Why?

To prove that "peak and tune"... using only a simple power meter.... isn't doing WHAT THEY WANT YOU TO BELIEVE IT IS DOING.

THIS DEVICE would show you that the EXTRA POWER that is making that needle move........ ISNT where you need it to be

Problem?

It would be more expensive than a simple power meter.

The good news?

With the advent of Tiny SA.... the hardware and software technology to make this possible IS GETTING CHEAPER.

Side benefit???

A meter like this would help the "less technical folks" to more properly tune their own radios. They would no longer have to interpret what a spectrum analyzer is displaying ... rather...
they would just have to observe the "spans" and maximize the signal in the right places..... and minimize it in the WRONG places. And software functionality in the meter could HELP with that.

 

[nfsus]

Interested to hear what people feel is lacking or just some ideas on things you'd like to see in the CB world?

The DDS VFO from Troy has been pretty neat lately - what other cool things do you want someone to create?

Sky is the limit here

I'll start off with some crazy ideas.

• Handheld (or desk) Microphone with everything the digital UR6QW has but controlled via bluetooth and a app on your phone. (Kind of like the Motorola CB Talk App Microphone they launched - colors and functions can be controlled by the phone app) on that model). You could control EQ, Compression, Noise Gate all from your phone.
  
  
• CB with built in wifi module that can connect to the internet and stream in high quality both receive and transmit (the ultimate watergate).
  
  
• CB with remote control via phone - talk, listen, change frequencies via phone app.

And of course I want all of them to be affordable

I use internet remote access through a phone app for my yaesu 847 and its kick ass

 

[Shadetree Mechanic]

A meter that had the intelligence to "act like" a spectrum analyzer.... and break the sampled signal into "frequency spans" and show the signal strength for each span in a tabular form.

Why?

To prove that "peak and tune"... using only a simple power meter.... isn't doing WHAT THEY WANT YOU TO BELIEVE IT IS DOING.

THIS DEVICE would show you that the EXTRA POWER that is making that needle move........ ISNT where you need it to be

Problem?

It would be more expensive than a simple power meter.

The good news?

With the advent of Tiny SA.... the hardware and software technology to make this possible IS GETTING CHEAPER.

Side benefit???

A meter like this would help the "less technical folks" to more properly tune their own radios. They would no longer have to interpret what a spectrum analyzer is displaying ... rather...
they would just have to observe the "spans" and maximize the signal in the right places..... and minimize it in the WRONG places. And software functionality in the meter could HELP with that.

Maybe a power meter with a tuning knob and frequency display? Key the radio and slowly turn the knob to see where all your power is. Would maybe use a filter that can tune up and down.

 

[dave457]

Synchronous detection for am radio

 

[guitar_199]

Maybe a power meter with a tuning knob and frequency display? Key the radio and slowly turn the knob to see where all your power is. Would maybe use a filter that can tune up and down.

Shade, I think it should "force" them to look at ALL of the spectrum they use.
If you make them "go looking" for it.... I figure they WON'T go looking for it and won't believe that it is a problem!!!!