Have an L-2+ bought two months ago. “Receive” has a good bit of noise (not certain if it’s as bad as per OP description), and — as I have the radio ON 10-12/hrs daily; mobile — attenuation matters.
IOW, operation is not with a super-sensitive base antenna, this is with a cophase pair of Wilson 2k on a Peterbilt. I WANT MAXIMUM SIGNAL CAPTURE. Timely information which may disappear in a few seconds if not caught first time.
If I couldn’t modify staticky noise down to an acceptable level, the radio would have to go.
Experiments with a Uniden-980 are applied here, the L-2+ has a better receiver with enhanced audio quality over the 980 (at roughly double the price; worth it for that alone). Both radios can be made acceptable.
The L-2+ has audio receive quality I’d place above the far quieter Galaxy Radios I’ve heretofore preferred. (My experience only).
Per advice:
(After other potential noise problems are addressed; a thread in themselves. See Palomar Engineers website for solutions and simplified tech advice).
1). Reduce RF Gain slightly
(less than a quarter-turn on mine; a meter bar or two disappear, depending).
Otherwise:
2). West Mountain Radio CLEARSPEECH DSP Speaker; not optional. (Not for any AM or AM/SSB radio, IMO).
— Speaker physical placement also crucial.
3). Leave HI-CUT engaged.
4). From pre-dawn (all else wide open) to days end, add and remove noise filtration as day progresses then wanes.
— I start (after above) by adding ANB/NL then usually modify “sound” by adding/subtracting Speaker volume against Radio volume.
— Speaker stays between 10 & 12:00 for both its controls.
— Less Speaker volume against Radio volume control means less noise, but there comes a point the Speaker is driven into clipping. (This probably works better when stationary inside a defined set of hours).
5). I normally some point past dawn (several hours into the work day) dial RF Gain up to maximum and engage NB/ANL. May fiddle with that slightly.
— That’s the biggest change during the day. A prophylactic against typical daytime major metro noise. Radio/Speaker volume controls balanced against that plus each other (as above).
I’m not saying the noise is in the quantity the OP describes.
I am saying that — along with the 980 AM/SSB Uniden — that this noisy (by design) radio can be made to work better with the same gear & approach which worked with ALL OTHER RADIOS.
It is not ever dead quiet. But pruning back the brush makes navigating the forest an easier task (in listening).
The L-2+ makes voices come alive in my AM use. (The same words but with different emphasis can mean different things. The Lincoln makes that easier to distinguish than any radio I’ve tried thus far). As I might only ONCE hear some road-related info (without the possibility of repetition, much less other questions), my stress level is more easily moderated.
— Big truck problems happen fast.
— The clock is always running.
— New info modifies the entire workweek in some instances (net pay and/or safe risk decisions).
Best radio rig pays for itself several times annually (even at my high cost).
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