*New guy needing help on watt output

[Slowmover]

One of my all-time favorite jokes features a truly deep-thinking philosopher, who, after a lifetime in academia, in retirement has the leisure to finally delve at length into

What is the Meaning of Life?

Years wander past. No tome in any language — modern or ancient — is outside his purview. His correspondence is world-wide. His habits & organization, exemplary. And, no avenue of investigation is off limits : Moral, Legal, Intellectual, etc,

But satisfaction — the lightning bolt of inspiration — is missing.

He reads of Near Death Experiences and (at his age) figures there’s no loss if in walking up to the brink of Death, he fails to step back in time. His reputation was secured long ago. There are no relatives left.

The accounts of illumination from being brought back from the dead seem revelatory. It’s now the only road untaken.

Well-prepared as we would expect of him, he places pen & paper at hand, and turns on the gas to the stove.

In the moment he nearly blacks out and loses control, inspiration comes. He quickly writes what’s necessary. Closes gas knob. Crawls outside.

On recovering he can’t wait to see what he’s written. Decades of work, lifelong meditation, are at stake.

The paper with his handwriting reads,

“Think in other categories”.

.

 

[Slowmover]

Conversely, do any think I’ll risk my life for the six tons of potato chips in the trailer?

Radio seems a toy until it isn’t.

A pet cause, a hobby, a diversion are those one can walk away from.

TV and smartphones aren’t ever necessary. They are adjuncts to the slave collar.

That which one can build, assemble or organize on one’s own is where value lays.

Our fellows, the rest.

Impersonal, unreal, artificial entities mask Death itself.

Lemons to Lemonade.
Our heritage.

The Enemy screws up.
Always.

What it would teach about radio is evident in the perceptions of most regarding CB: Low, cornpone, hillbilly. Even among licensed ham operators (the ones who can be safely ignored).

Hoist the Jolly Rodger.
Fly the Finger.

.

 

[Riverman]

I believe the previous three posts sufficiently answer Redfox’s question and any other question anyone might have about anything.
Can’t help but think one can find Whitman (Walt, not Charles) in Slowmover’s family tree a ways back. The bloodline is evident.

 

[Tallman]

I know I told this story once before on this site, so I'll just gloss over it and hit the main points.
Back in 1975 I bought a house in the country and Mabell wanted $10,000.00 to run a line from the nearest connection to my house. Just out of the military and very little disposable cash and could not float a loan for the installation. I had been in CB since 1968 and radio gear of good quality and all but a base station antenna. I got a 5/8 wave antenna from radio shack and put it up over the tin roof my house had.
Starting work at my first civilian job on Monday met up with a group of ham banders and CB'ers. One fellow in particular in the CB was the most friendly and wanted to come see my house and radio setup.
One day the family and I bought some Bugers, fries, and milk shake and had a picnic in the city park. All was fine till we got home. Each and everyone of us came down with E-coli food poisoning.
This was a life and death emergency and still no phone. Turned on my CB radio and turned to my buddies channel.and called for a a station with a telephone Jim answered and helped us out. He drove the ten miles from his house and got to my place in record time. He got us all loaded into his van and took off for the hospital in 4 to 5 minutes.
We hit the hospital like a wall of flash flood. Police were called in and questioned us as to where we got our food. They went and closed the burger stand down.

I felt so bad for Jim because we ruined his Ford van, I offered to clean it up and he said don't worry about it, It's taken care of.
CB radio can and does save lives..

R.I.P. Jim miss you buddy!

 

[undertaker]

Man I am a slave to my cell phone being in the funeral Business...

 

[midnight special]

so here is a tale,, a tale of a watt meter,, a local cb peak and tuner did a boys radio and the boy so proud of the outstanding wattage it was putting out on the tuners meter,,, took it home and put it on his base setup and boom was disappointed that it wasnt doing what it was at shop,, called the tuner up bitched about it and the tuner said bring in your meter and let tuner check it,,, so he took meter in and the tuner looked it over opened it up and turned a few things and tested it then sent boy home with it,, sad to say the boy was even happier now the radio was putting out even more wattage with the "repaired" meter,,,, and then there was the shop that talked a boy into a monkey made style antenna for way big money when the fellow wanted a 102 inch whip,,, but oh the shop told him it was the same length as a 102 inch just coiled up,,,,so much smoke and mirrors and the amount of snake oil would drown us all,,,,,,,

 

[Handy Andy]

I purchased a uniden 520 pro XL from an online dealer. The online dealer also tunes the radio for $xx.xx claiming a 28-32 watt output. I paid for the tuning also. I received the radio with a card in it saying it was keying 5 watts and swinging 25 watts. 3 watts lower than the minimum explained in the description on the website. So I took it to a friend of mine to get the SWR set. Upon setup I asked to check the watts. He said keys up at 5 and swings to 11 watts. ** Problem starts here**. I called the online dealer and they scoffed at my problem and said it was because my friend was using a junk meter. I found this very ignorant. How can a meter be off 15 watts? I feel as if I got my leg pulled. Can a meter be this bad off? He tunes radios pretty often and has never had a problem with the meter. Its a sx 200. My friend literally tuned 3 cobras before mine and had them keying 5 and swinging 25. Is there any truth to the meter being junk? If so, how come its off 15 watts (unfathomable)? Any help would be appreciated! Sorry for the lengthy post.

Wow...kinda sad too...

Don't worry about the "Online dealer" - Post a bad review and the customers new and returning see it...

It's why I question a lot of "dealers" (note quotes) and how they claim to make their "claims" to be better or I can do this to make the radio perform...Ok, I'll stop the Metaphors and the Superlatives - for a moment - If that

(eeew, preposition?) - Ed.
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Sorry to say this, but when you buy a radio - you really should treat it like any other product that you will use in one fashion or another ...

So Whatcha' talkin' about - Willis? Ok..you can see a Lawnmower has an engine, you can tell a Smartphone by its' screensize - you can even know a Tablet and Laptop for what they offer is pretty "Standard" only other enhancements have stickers and you can only presume they do what they do while you use it...
KNOWING YOUR RADIO section 2b, SUB PART (C) section 42, WHAT THE **** ARE YOU DOING?)
Ok, I touched on the issue - when you buy a radio - you really need to use it - to see if there is something more that needs to be done. You don't buy Pinto and expect it to be a Mercedes Benz - (Please Extinguish All Smoking Materials) But if it drives like one, then own the OF and WITH it, in problems too.

(Does the Mercedes Come With A/C? Or was it that the Pinto just came without it?)

Each radio has limitations - it comes WITH it.
Each Radio has Features - a Part OF the reason to own it...
Some Hinder the ENJOYMENT and usability...
Some OFFER the EASE in which to ENJOY using it...
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It's perspective.

Sorry to see that you have a friend that could have done up a BENCHMARK for your radio, as an independent test so that when you decided on that tune up - you can have witnessed the very reasons as to; why this thread opened up in wide open throttle position and they posted quicker than I could say "Break Channel".

Couldn't get a word in edgewise - but you already know how many feel...and losing money - proposition or preposition - whether or not, you bought into the Claim.

That's' part of the ANGER and Frustration you see in these others postings - at least I do. They don't want you to get fooled by someone - heck even Dorothy got taken in by the Traveler in Wizard Of OZ - as in - even the Residents of Emerald City, they placed their Faith in his ability to think - making him into A Wizard - to protect their kingdom from the Evils that are ever present...

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So I could say Caveat Emptor, but that would be rude, you already knew the lesson and was smacking the Erasers from Ms. Othmar

Don't Beat Yourself up too much...​

There are a lot of things ANY Radio Operator has to, and WILL, learn in the (many) coming days of your life still left to live...

I can only tell you that per their Claims - anyone would wonder how they could get so much out of, so little - I mean didn't you look into one of these things? (Refer to the KNOWING YOUR RADIO section 2b, SUB PART (C) section 42, WHAT THE **** ARE YOU DOING?)

Ok, You've Been Warned - Scroll on...​

Since you're new - we do this a lot here...

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To make a long story short, and to help others see the light (or - if the Light turns off when you close the Refrigerator door) WE COULD HAVE HELPED YOU! But, it may be too late for you, but to others reading this thread, we may be able to save them from themselves and the longing to make a product more that it's worth...

"Worth" is just that, what value it means to you.

If you buy a car only to throw out the motor and put in another (Reference Pinto Versus Mercedes above) you really are wasting your time on the small stuff - or at least the Uniden side of it.

To Peak and Tweak a radio, one really needs to take into consideration (Back to the Pinto) that you can do much for the Vehicle your buying by simply providing the best for it and knowing your mechanic WELL ENOUGH to know if they can do the particular work needed. You need to learn TRUST those around you that can provide the help - or they will just ignore you...you need to pick up on the fact that posting in a Forum is a way to get that help, but you have to Sort The Wheat From The Chaff...

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So why you selected a different field to harvest their crop is one of many lessons that can be learned in this...

I hope that with the "rough start" you got - remember the phrase "Best not to open old wounds" may refer to a Doctors office or poor choices in life, but we're here due to a common reason - that is Radio.

We protect our own - Prognostication or not - it's Family.

 

[Tallman]

Very well written ANDY!