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MAGNUM 257 HP Review

BTW - if you do purchase this radio and don't have a Ham license - then PLEASE stay off of the Ham 10m freq (28mHz and above)!

It isn't worth the trouble and expense of HUGE fines and court and attorney cost.
Really.

Most Hams do not care if you use the so-called 'freeband' (above 27.405 up to 27.995); - those freq's below 28mHz.
Please just do not cause interference in any way.

Owning this radio can be dangerous to you wallet if not operated responsibly. It also gives you the option to seek out your Tech license and then be able to use the 10m portion legally on this radio. Getting the Tech license is a little hard to do; but I also think you will earn a proper sense of accomplishment if you take the time and small expense to go that short distance it takes.

Robb/s/

If who do? If I do? Here's a novel idea - you worry about you and what you do and I'll worry about me and what I do. I've seen enough illegal activity by hams not to give two shat's about the groups "concern" over what non-licensed operators are doing.
 
Ok Ed I'll do that, I just got ticked about someone telling me where I can go with a radio I just bought. I have and had a ton of 10 meter radios and never bother anybody, I felt that that comment was not warranted. Sorry to say some of the ham guys here are from the dinosaur era and act that way on the radio, so I wish to just to have a QSO with them I will talk across the pond to more open minded hams there, that's when the radio is really fun. Sorry for my rant it's just that way here but I'm sure not over the rest of the US, Canada, or even Mexico
 
Not that your intemperate and pointless rant warrants a response either, but here it is..

I'm 60 years old, will be 61 in February. Been involved radio since 1964. Got my ticket in 1969, and yes, played with CB way back in '66. I'm Canadian, so Viet Nam was your problem, not mine, though thank you for your service. Here, we have have the Reserves/Militia, similar to your National Guard. Was in that service from 1970 to 1975.

My gripe with you is this unwarranted attitude you have against hams. It's pointless and stupid, and IMHO has no basis in fact. Today, very few hams gripe about CB'ers. They are the future of ham radio, and any thinking ham knows this. You are relying on old, superannuated and obsolete attitudes that some hams had back in the 70's and '80's. Only dinosaurs think like that today. I know a few, and they are in the minority and completely ignorant of today's realities. They trade on obsolete ideas and stereotypes. Sorry you had to deal with them. But frankly, you are just as prejudiced and bigoted as they are. Get over yourself.

That's all from me, I'm done with this issue. Have a nice day.
Being a relatively new ham (3 1/2 years) and coming from the cb world. All the old crusty farts just asked that we leave the cb lingo for 11 metres. Once those farts got to know you it would slip that they would sometimes slide over to 11 metres for fun.
Ed, we have to try and talk sometime. I'm outside Owen Sound to your west.

As for the radio, I have 1 mobile thats opened up. I have a Wilson 5000 tuned for 11 metres and a 1000 coil / whip tuned for 10 metres. Its good little radio as long as you don't try and squeeze the last watt out of it.
 
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Being a relatively new ham (3 1/2 years) and coming from the cb world. All the old crusty farts just asked that we leave the cb lingo for 11 metres. Once those farts got to know you it would slip that they would sometimes slide over to 11 metres for fun.
Ed, we have to try and talk sometime. I'm outside Owen Sound to your west.

As for the radio, I have 1 mobile thats opened up. I have a Wilson 5000 tuned for 11 metres and a 1000 coil / whip tuned for 10 metres. Its good little radio as long as you don't try and squeeze the last watt out of it.
Some of the worst crusty anti-CB bigots were CB'ers themselves way back when. They still hold on to that anti-CB prejudice that was prevalent back in the 70's (which is typically when they got their tickets).

Was I an anti-CB bigot in the '70's? Damn right I was, even while I operated frequently on the CB (running my my FT-101B, or my trust DX-100 too!!!). Eventually, I softened my stance and only cursed out the freebanders, whom I considered "psuedo-hams" and poseurs. Eventually I gave that up too, and figured, "aw, let them have their fun", just so long as they stay there and not go up to 10M. Still feel that way today. Today, with so many Technician Class licensees on 10M (some even using their export radios), there is no point in complaining. (Back in the late '60's, early '70's, every newly minted ham expressed disdain for CB. It was almost a requirement, to fit in with the ham crowd.)

I have always had an interest in CB right from day one (back in 1964 or so). All my high-school friends were CB'ers, and I visited them often; (as a high-school student, I couldn't afford a CB myself.) And to be honest, never owned a CB, since when I could afford it, I bought older ham radio gear which operated very nicely, thank-you-very-much, on 11 anyway! ;)

(What's amusing is that my buddy Mike,VA3MPM and I have an informal competition going, to see who can own the most high-end export radios!!! I have about eight, as does Mike. He has a couple of AT-5555 variants and a Voyage VR9000, while I have an OPTIMA and the RCI and Magnum flagship radios. To us. it's just a novelty and a fun competition. We often use those radios on 10M, [but if the truth be told, we also use them on the CB!] Shhhh!)
 
The Ham vs. CB bullshit stops now or this thread gets shit-canned along with the people that started that crap.

Many people who buy these radios do NOT know that certain frequencies are off limits without a license. A friendly warning for the uninitiated is not a reason to start rant. Remember, just because YOU many know the band edges, don't assume that the other thousand people reading this thread also know.
 
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never again

will i buy a magnum radio. i bought a 257hp 2 months ago.
its been to the warranty repair shop 2x so far. its there right now.
its been in the shop more than i have used it.damm CPU radios.
 
Glitchy Magnums...

will i buy a magnum radio. i bought a 257hp 2 months ago.
its been to the warranty repair shop 2x so far. its there right now.
its been in the shop more than i have used it.damm CPU radios.
I own an OmegaForce S45HP. This radio can be glitchy sometimes. When it does glitch, I simply reset it. I believe the uP in both the 257HP and the S45HP are the same. The radio likes to be connected to a power supply all the time. In the mobile, make sure you're connected direct to the battery. A big capacitor such as used in car audio can be useful to clamp spikes, as well as a big choke. The uP does not like RF such as from RFI or RF in the shack. These are just some caveats about the uP in the Magnum radios.
 
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Magnum S-45HP

Hi Ed, While the S-45 and the 257 outwardly do seem to share a lot in the LCD screen and way you operate them they are quite different once you pull off the lids. The S-45 is still using discrete components and the 257 is SMD. Neither of them like RF or being placed too close to an Amplifier or sat on a power supply!
For my money the S-45 HP sounds better and hears a bit better than the 257's.
The S-45 is certainly easier to work on but I am sure discrete components will not be around for much longer as they cost more to produce and tune.
I like my S-45HP but it does need the fan or the power drops off quickly.
cheers
 
re

the latest problem is the tx meter on the radio keys up all the way . i tried the reset
did not help. it used to key up half scale and one day it starter pegging the meter on tx.
so i sent it back to the radio shop for the second time.
its in transit right now.
 
the latest problem is the tx meter on the radio keys up all the way . i tried the reset
did not help. it used to key up half scale and one day it starter pegging the meter on tx.
so i sent it back to the radio shop for the second time.
its in transit right now.
Hmm, mine does the same but operates OK. Never bother to reset or send back. Until it stops tx or tx badly I keep it the way it is.
 
re

well i figured i would get it fixed while
its still under warranty. this is the second trip to the shop.
 
The Ham vs. CB bullshit stops now or this thread gets shit-canned along with the people that started that crap.

Many people who buy these radios do NOT know that certain frequencies are off limits without a license. A friendly warning for the uninitiated is not a reason to start rant. Remember, just because YOU many know the band edges, don't assume that the other thousand people reading this thread also know.

I don't think my response to Robb was that harsh, not in light of the fact that he is always trying to set someone straight for some reason or another. It's tiresome. His "friendly" reminders aren't that friendly and really aren't need half as much as they appear. If you're going to shit can be me for that comment, you'll have to flush 25% of your active posters for the same shit. BTW, feel free - I could care less...
 
257hp

If anybodys interested got my new 257hp Wednesday, new box, radio can do echo and talk back with the 257 extreme mic for an additional cost. The radio worked exactly 10 minutes then kind of went nuts, powered it down, unhooked the power turned it on to remove the memory, waited another half hour hooked it back up, got the same thing, when keyed on SSB after talking it won't switch to recieve, and has a 2 to 3 watt carrier, I tried different mics, tried a mic adapter wiht a stock 4 pin mic, same thing. Called Sam Lewis, it's being picked up either today or Monday for a trip to Ontario California. Guess my luck with new radios just stinks.
 

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