-
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.
magnum 257
- Thread starter doctor
- Start date
there not very loud, there lower powered. quality is so-so. they lose alot of there versitility when you convert them (no more offset abilitys). they a pain to turn on and make go into cb channels again. converting them is pretty easy now as they added a jumper to the new models. you turn them on they always revert to 10m frequencys. you press the func key than hold the call key for 3 seconds and it converts to cb use again.
they are the old syle magnums, they have been around for years. are they worth the price? a used 2950 for the same price would be a better radio hands down. there small and they look nice. there cheap but even fully tuned they sound pretty wimpy.
they are the old syle magnums, they have been around for years. are they worth the price? a used 2950 for the same price would be a better radio hands down. there small and they look nice. there cheap but even fully tuned they sound pretty wimpy.
My experience with them is a little different. I have no trouble getting plenty of audio out of them, as long as I use anything other than the stock mic, and adjust the AMC for 100 percent modulation. I use an Astatic 575 in the mobile, and an Astatic 1104c on the base. Plenty of flowers when I run it that way.
You can use the Last Channel Recall button to get quickly to 11 meters after having powered down, without having to do the function/call routine.
I do wish they retained the offset capability after conversion, I don't understand why they set it up that way.
You can use the Last Channel Recall button to get quickly to 11 meters after having powered down, without having to do the function/call routine.
I do wish they retained the offset capability after conversion, I don't understand why they set it up that way.
that depends on the mike ya were using.Carl said:
the stock mike is supposed to be a power mike with controls inside.also another good one supposedly is the superstar 452.
if ya used the stock mike did ya adjust the controls inside?
cause i know about a half dozen people that absoulety love this little radio.best little export under 200 imho
Carl said:
I will totally agree with Carl on this one. Doc ? I'd go as far to say that your PC-122 is better then this 257 , IM really sorry here , but I think those 257s suck ! on SSB as well ! I don't know what it is about Magnum radios but I personally do not get along with those radios of any kind. Maybe they just don't like me ? :?
what kinda microphone ya used?i know lots of people with them and they absolutely love them.seems the stock mic
works the best with this radio and theres a adjustment inside the mic to amplify it.ive been told the superstar452works good but cant confirm that one.ones i heard used the stock mic
am modulation was a little low but very clean.
works the best with this radio and theres a adjustment inside the mic to amplify it.ive been told the superstar452works good but cant confirm that one.ones i heard used the stock mic
am modulation was a little low but very clean.
The Magnum 257 is a stout little radio. Since it's a dual final radio I would hardly call it a "lower Powered Radio". I do like the 122xl but that is more of a Low Powered radio then the 257. With the right tune and a power mic they bark. A 257 will walk all over a 122xl, been there done that.
30 watts peak is a low powered radio these days. its low compared to the other current magnum radios. change the final in a 122 and it can do 30 watts as well and it will have 1000 times the reciever that the 257 has. mabey you guys have had better experences with them than i have, i have owned 2 in the past and suffice to say neither lived up to my expectation. i had the origional orange and the "upgraded" blue. there a good deal for $169 but not somthing i would rush out or even suggest someone rush out and buy. a trusty used 2950 (or dx) could be had for the same money. better ssb stabilty, better frequency coverage, easier to use, much better build quality.
i used and astatic 636, 575, d104 handheld, rk56, and yes i tried a superstar mic (with echo off). the superstar mic sounds good but they dont hold up worth a shit this far north. the cords are far to brittle to be used in the cold. there cheap but not when you have to buy 3 to last a year.
Has anyone ever tried turning down the RF gain on one of these? A friend of mine had a radio that was so noisy, that he almost sold it to buy something else, but found that all he had to do, was turn down the RF gain enough to drop the static and noise level. then he could hear stations that he could never hear before, and further away.
I keep hearing about this reciever noise problem with the 257, and it's pretty much the only thing keeping me from buying one.
The output power and audio does'nt bother me, just the noise. I want to replace my midland 79-290 because of noise, but it does'nt even have a rf gain.
I keep hearing about this reciever noise problem with the 257, and it's pretty much the only thing keeping me from buying one.
The output power and audio does'nt bother me, just the noise. I want to replace my midland 79-290 because of noise, but it does'nt even have a rf gain.
My 257 does not have a noise problem thats kinda wierd...
Bobby
But Richard at 8541 electronics tuned it years ago...
Bobby
But Richard at 8541 electronics tuned it years ago...
I've done a lot of searches on the 257, and that's what I keep reading about. I know they're not audio monsters, but I just don't want to replace one noisy radio with another one. I wish I knew someone locally that had one, so I could try it out to see if I can live with it.undertaker said:
I had a midland 79-290 mounted in the dash, and took it out because of noise, but the magnum will fit in the same spot perfectly. For the time being, I'm using a Grant XL, just leave it on the passenger seat, lol. There's no where to mount a radio in my vehicle, except in the dash, under the stereo. It's a 95 toyota 4runner with a moon roof(no ceiling mount) and 5 speed(no under dash or hump mount).Butcher318 said:
That's why I've been looking at the 257.
...runna pile-up on 6m SSB