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PC66XL

S

smokestack

Member
Sep 11, 2005
39
0
16
Clinton Indiana
Is this radio worth getting a p/t job done on? I was told at a local shop it wasnt. I was just wondering if i should try to get it done to pass my time until i can get my magnum. :D

And if it is worth it what kinda power do ya think i can get outta it?
Thanks
 

Thats a great radio. One of the most reliable, good sounding AM radio's out there. :!:

If a shop told you that it was not worth tuning up, I would find another shop. :shock:
 
So what kinda power can i get from this little radio then? And would my sound
quality decrease? Im not looking for a whole lotta power from it..but it would be nice. I dont want to add a amp or nothin. just radio.
 
Welcome to the Forum Smokestack ...your PC 66 is a very good AM only radio ,don't know why they told you it wasn't worth tuning ? Hmmmm ....tuned it should do a nice 5 to 20 with 100% modulation .....which is very decent and ballpark for most radios like that. And yes, it would be a very nice upgrade from being a stock radio. Good Luck to you.
 
Thanks for the replies. I think i need to find another radio shop. The only one around here is the one i went to. Its a small place inside a flea market. Thanks for the advice though. I will see where else i can go.
 
One other thing. I am wanting to get a magnum s-3. Is that considered a ham radio? I was just reading some of the post under the fcc and dont want to get into trouble. And if it is can i get the other bands taken off? or just not get that radio. All im looking for is a good cb. Thanks guys.
 
Ditto on what has been said. I bet that shop offered to buy that "junky" radio from ya for like 10 bucks. Then they would tune it and sell it for 100........lol
 
Yes butcher thats how it was. Was wanting me to by a cobra for 200 bucks. Said it was exactly what i needed. Yet the chrome was peeling off and stuff. It looked like junk. So i kept mine and left there quick like. I cant find another shop around here though. Thats what sucks.
 
Smokestack .....I really don't know where your radio has been ? or if it has even been touched inside ? What kind of antenna are you using and have you checked the swr to make sure it is within a 1.5 ? ...if your radio is a virgin .....there is something you can do for yourself in pumping up the audio . VR5 inside the radio is the audio pot ....you can just turn that up clockwise and you will be louder and you will have more swing on the radio ...it's not perfect but it's close to ballpark and you will experiance a differents .....IM very surprised the shop you took it to would not give the radio a simple tune up or even bench it for that reason ? Hell !! that could have been a 20 to 40 dollars in there pocket ? ....HMMM (at least they didn't take your money huh?) ....something just doesn't sound right here for some reason or another ? ....a simple tune on that radio could be done in 5 miniutes .......it's a good radio SS ! ...just carefully turn up VR5 and I think you will be pleased. Good luck to you......and yes the S-3 is a 10 meter radio that is converted over to cb . What's the diff here SS ? You want your radio tuned up ,right ? that's illegal as well (-: Welcome to the wonderful world of cb radios.
 
Well, I'm going out on a limb here by saying that the PC66XL isn't all that special of a radio (IMHO). I've been inside one and there are far more mobiles available that have better potential than the 66XL. If you spend some time searching garage sales and hamfests you'll find the good ones from yesteryear. Just this past weekend I picked up a nice Teaberry, antenna and aux speaker for $1.50. Last week I bought two Rad Shacks, Midland, Royce, Uniden and a handfull of mics (one a NC power mic) all for $3, all 40ch radios with only 2 of them needing minor service. I also fetched a Sears Roadtalker 40 for $5 w/ NC mic. and that radio has a decent PLL in it. Uniden cracks me up when they label some of their models as "professional"... uh, yeah right! :?
 
potential for what? for example, the tx chassis in the 66XL is capable of 40W+ of power output, from roughly 9 - 10 watts of carrier. even a simple, non-invasive alignment will yield 20 - 25W from the transmitter, as was mentioned previously.

"Is this radio worth getting a p/t job done on? I was told at a local shop it wasnt."

that depends on where the work is done. Caution: work should only be attempted by personnel trained in RF product testing and alignment. that tells you everything you need to know about your local shop.

find someone who is qualified to do the job and have them look the radio over and give you a quote. that's half the battle .then YOU can decide whether or not it's worth the time and money involved.

if you would like references for reputable service & repair shops that can perform the work let me know and i'll PM you with the necessary information.

good luck.
 
thanks guys. The shop i went to isnt really a shop. Its like a booth at a flea market..ITs the only place ive found around here so far. But thanks for all the input so far. And yes the radio is bone stock. Not sure how old it is. My brother inlaw gave it too me a month ago. It works good. I just get walked on all the time. Thats why i was wanting more power and all. I haul containers from the ports. And all the other drivers have the "BIG" radios. So its really hard for me to get out with my radio. I heard of another shop not far from the port i go to that is supposed to be okay. Im gonna check it out tom night......i will let ya know what they say to me. And thanks again.
 
Ohh yeah. I dont have a swr meter to check the ant...Its just a little like maybe 3 foot ant. I got it at a truck stop.
Seems to work okay. I can hear everyone with pretty good range. So it seems okay.
 

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