In need of wisdom for new radio

[Turp]

I was led here by a good friend of mine. I have done nothing but read since I signed up. I have decided its time to educate myself with facts, instead of word of mouth. A brief bio:

I run a wiggle wagon for a transprtation company. I have an assigned truck, and my gear stays put unless I am on vacation. I run everything in a slip seat box. Antennas, coax, and power leads are provided by the company I work for, but nothing fancy. I started off two years ago with a Cobra 29 50th anniverasary edition radio that has the LCD screen in it. When the screen blew less than a year later, I bought a regular Cobra 29 from a truck stop and a Palomar 300 Elite amp off of ebay. I have been running that setup until the bug bit me recently, and I cant shake it. I purchased a Cobra 25 and sent it to a shop that most of the drivers at my company use to get tuned, and added talkback. With the Palomar the SWR was pegged, and I couldnt get it to come down. I substituted a TS 250 and upgraded to a quality Mini 8 coax from the antenna to the radio and I am sitting pretty. I have an inline SWR meter between the radio and I am running a 5ft Firestik antenna, that is well above the roof of the cab. My dilemma, I want to go to SSB.

Rather than throw away money,I would like to make an educated decision for my next radio. Right now I am set on the Galaxy 979. Why? The meter appears easy to see, and the face is lit up so I can see the knobs. I want to run an external 6 digit frequency counter, and talkback are my only requirements. I am open to all suggestions, including an export. I am also thinking about investing in a higher quality antenna. Please advise, I am hungry for information. After listening last night to all of the garbage on Ch 19 with the music, singing, and all out babbling I am thinking SSB might be a nice change to keep me awake at night. I also plan to implement my new setup at home while I am off, so this should be fun.
My goal? Crisp, clean audio with some power. I want to sound like I am sitting next to you Thanks in advance for your consideration!

 

[undertaker]

If you really want a ssb radio the 2950dx or the 2970n2 are hard to beat. I have been using rangers for years no drift at all. Now the Galaxy radios wil drift some on ssb until warmed up.As far as the antenna the open coil like the predator 10k are awesome!!

Hopes this helps my friend!! Welcome to the best radio forum around..

Bobby

 

[gamegetter]

2950dx with a 2 pill or the 2950n2 awesome radios

have it converted to run 11 meters, and realign transmit and receive by knowledgeable shop.

no npc mod, only adjust modulation pot and ssb alc

for crisp clean adio that will get you noticed on the air.

 

[undertaker]

2950dx with a 2 pill or the 2950n2 awesome radios

have it converted to run 11 meters, and realign transmit and receive by knowledgeable shop.

no npc mod, only adjust modulation pot and ssb alc

for crisp clean adio that will get you noticed on the air.

Roger That !!!

 

[TonyV225]

Ditto on the RCI 2950 or 2970 I have a 2970 and a few 2950 and these 2950 radios used with a Texas Star DX400 or DX500 straight push button no variable knob junk it can just be a weak link in the design so straight push button are great amplifiers and an excellent match for an RCI 2950DX when a clean sound is what you want. You can even match the 2950 up with a Texas Star 250 or 350 and it is still a good match.

I have used my 2950 chassis radios on 10 and 12 meters aswell and I wouldnt use any Galaxy or of the type for that and thats foesure. Another good radio for Sideband are the Uniden 2510 radios I also have these but there not a big favorite of the AM users. All in all the RCI is your best bet the 2970 models are nice because they have built in power amplifiers.

Keep in mind that all it really takes is 100 watts to easily make it around the world when the DX is good so the 150 - 200 the 2970DX will produce is plenty. I tell people your best bang for your buck as far as being noticed is that first initial 250 -300 watts then 500 watts is ok but not noticable and after that you need about 1500 to see the difference on the other end so dont fall into that trap or sales pitch of how YOU NEED A 400-500 watt amplifer to be heard its almost a waste after 250 - 300 watts until you hit 1.5 kw

 

[binrat]

While I agree with the othrers, if you only run SSB on ocassion then the dx979 is for you. You are right about the meter and the lighting which is good for night but not too bright. To the radio I would add a 2018 mic as well as the amp you have now.
If changing the antenna is an option then maybe something like a Wilson trucker 5000 or a K40 trucker.

 

[Turp]

Wow, a uniform decision. I love it. Im a bit of an information junkie, so now I have a new radio to research. I must admit, its beginning to consume me. I talk a good bit on AM to a few other co workers at different turnarounds. They have the roger beep, and echo which drives me nuts. Its not for me. I just want to pop when I talk.

I do run a RK56 mic, that I absolutely love. Since I want to run the 6 digit frequency counter, I would prefer not to have the 5 digit in the radio. I dont know if the Ranger has one, but I aim to find out. As far as the antenna, I would like to upgrade, since I run the risk of it being stolen when I am off. I am having a problem in my truck though. With the amp on, all the idiot lights light up on my dash when I key the mic. I do have the adjustable knob, so I have it turned down a bit and the lights quit flickering. The company mechanic mentioned I might fry the ECM. Any thoughts on that?

As far as a base station, its in the works. I already got an antenna off of craigslist. Baby steps.

Turp

 

[triple nickel]

Wow, a uniform decision. I love it. Im a bit of an information junkie, so now I have a new radio to research. I must admit, its beginning to consume me. I talk a good bit on AM to a few other co workers at different turnarounds. They have the roger beep, and echo which drives me nuts. Its not for me. I just want to pop when I talk.

I do run a RK56 mic, that I absolutely love. Since I want to run the 6 digit frequency counter, I would prefer not to have the 5 digit in the radio. I dont know if the Ranger has one, but I aim to find out. As far as the antenna, I would like to upgrade, since I run the risk of it being stolen when I am off. I am having a problem in my truck though. With the amp on, all the idiot lights light up on my dash when I key the mic. I do have the adjustable knob, so I have it turned down a bit and the lights quit flickering. The company mechanic mentioned I might fry the ECM. Any thoughts on that?

As far as a base station, its in the works. I already got an antenna off of craigslist. Baby steps.

Turp

As an Old Freight Hauler, We used to run 26.815 back in the day, Fed-Ex runs lower than that. It just depends on what Frequency your Co. Drivers run. As stated by Undertaker, RCI-2950dx is a Great Radio. Just make sure when you look for another antenna, You have a Broadband width, If you choose to run downstairs below Ch.1.

 

[Turp]

The radio use to be a big deal here back in the day. Hurricane Katrina wiped out a lot of the drivers slip boxes that were in the hub locker room, and they never replaced them. Sad, because I find it to be a valuable tool in staying awake.That being said, the few drivers that do run radios do not have ssb. We either run on 2 or 36. I catch a group of Northbound Fedex drivers every night, good guys. I have to say the cleanest sound I have heard is out of the Cobra's.

Im cool with running the power, I am just worried about the flickering lights on my dash. As far as sideband goes, I am clueless as to how it works. More research, I love it.

 

[Turp]

Here is where I am at so far. The Ranger looks to be the perfect radio for me. However, the majority of use will be as a mobile unit. Some reviews have led me to form the opinion that they dont fair so well in some mobile applications. That being said, my tractor rides like crap. Bumps, railroad tracks, potholes and an occasional armadillo are nothin short of violent. Not to mention my tractor sits in a sunny parking lot all day untouched. Its sweltering by the time I start work at 7:45 PM.

I have concluded that I need two radios. I am set on the Ranger 2950/2970 as a base when I am off. Its the perfect radio for that. It is subject to change as my research escalates. I can justify the money spent, just not the application. Being that my base is not setup yet, my mobile will have to come first. I am going to try and find a decent used one. I hope this is acceptable.

For my truck, its going to be the 979. Just seems to be the best logical decision based on the facts. I drive a company truck that is old and worn out. It doesnt seem to be conducive to the health of a radio that caliber. Im disappointed, because I would really like to rock out with that big nasty export. I did verify that going straight to the battery is a no-no.

So, I have narrowed it down to Sparky's, DTB, or Bob's. The majority of the vote is the deciding factor on who to go with. Im leaning towards DTB with the included full alignment included in the price and adding the Big TLker package or whatever its called for $40 more. I will pair that with my TS 350 and hope that my audio is stellar. Im all about crystal clear. Can anyone advise what I need to do about the amp lighting up my dummy lights on the dash? I had to turn the power knob down to halfway.

Thanks for all who took the time to read and post.

 

[Turp]

But then, why spend double the money. I could just buy the Ranger and be done with it!

 

[fodendaf]

to stop the lights flashing in your dash would involve a lot of complicated copper braid grounding on the panels and exhaust of your car which i don't understand how to do correctly without creating ground loops. You can also dismantle the dash and fit snap-on ferrites near every instrument cluster. Also try out a low pass filter to see does it help matters.

 

[AudioShockwav]

However, the majority of use will be as a mobile unit. Some reviews have led me to form the opinion that they dont fair so well in some mobile applications. That being said, my tractor rides like crap. Bumps, railroad tracks, potholes and an occasional armadillo are nothin short of violent.

As far as the New 2950DX Models go they now use surface mount technology, this is more rugged than the old through hole radios that had leads allowing the components to flex under hard impacts.
The 2950DX in my PU has seen abuse, dirt and gravel roads and even after I rolled the truck over on it`s side at 2AM one morning on the way to work ( truck verse Deer) it is still ticking just fine.
The biggest thing about getting into the systems on the truck, is a radio/amp combo that is Not over-modulating the Radio, Not over driving the Amp and a Well mounted Antenna with good SWR.
If you decide to go with the 2950 From Dave at DTB, tell him you are going to use a amp, and the Model.
He is well known for setting up radios with No clipped limiters and clean signals.

73
Jeff

 

[gamegetter]

i bought the surface mount technology 2950dx because of the severe road conditions i encounter in my neck of the "woods". going strong on 3 years now.

i'm sure that is what was affecting my galaxy949, i just was not going to have it realigned every year or sooner.

anyway i do enjoy the 10 meters in addition to the 11 meters.

 

[Turp]

I have no idea what the quote below means, so how do I explain to the shop I choose this is what I want? Copy and paste?

have it converted to run 11 meters, and realign transmit and receive by knowledgeable shop.

no npc mod, only adjust modulation pot and ssb alc

for crisp clean adio that will get you noticed on the air.