radio or person tuning it....whats more important ?

[BOOTY MONSTER]

theres always a post asking "whats the best radio" for this or that and everyone has opinions on who to let work on your radio and who not to let work on it . some here are fortunate enough to have the knowledge and equipment to do the work properly themselves .

im sure ill be corrected if im wrong , but , i get the impression that most exports are built on the just a few different mainboards by Connex and RF Limited and the differences are cosmetics and belles/whistles (i think cobra does their own thing on the 150/200) . theres a probally a few exceptions but not many and im talking radios you can go buy new today .

a good example of a tech making or breaking a radio is the cobra 150/200 . many people had problems with them BUT i dont recall DTB's customers having problems . ive also seen post by people slamming s-9's,s-980's and 2950/2970 radios . i think sometimes people do get radios that are beyond their ability to operate because they get excited by all the buttons and dials but wont RTM and condem the radio .

im not even talking about the golden screwdriver clipping limiters and turning up pots so everything is a maxium output . even big names are doing wacky things to radios and "laughing all the way to the bank" not a care in the world about sending out radios doing square waves on O scopes . i know its kind of a catch 22 , chicken or the egg first type of question . thanks for playing along .

 

[Switch Kit]

There are people whom are really deep into the hobby , there are people that just plug them in and use them , there are people that run power and there are people whom don't . There are people that just don't get that deep into it (I already said that)there are many folks that don't know the differents between a clipped limiter or a swing kit or any other so called radio toys (weather there right or wrong according to Enstiens theroy of relativity, they just use them and most of them are very happy with them.right or wrong) IM taking a wild guess here, but over the last 20 sum years , I've had and or been through say 500 radios at least , this is buying them used all over the USA or helping someone else out with there's, 95% of them up to this day , were never touched by anyone , in other words ,they were all virgins ! What might that tell you ? These radios have all been anywhere from 30 years old to 3 years old .....You with me so far ? I'd say there were less folks into these radios then there were folks that wanted to get deeper involved with them and pay more for this and that. I think this radio world in which most of us are in is much less then one would think in popularity. IM not sure I understand your question here BM ? Yes there are better radios then some , some transmit more some receive better , I suppose to those that are deeper into there hobbies would want the best of both worlds but not all. Some care more then others do about what they have. Some folks are just very pleased with whatever is that they have , there just not that deep into it. I can't count how many truckers I've talked to over the decades that talked on radios right out of the box and they were never touched , they all sounded good and or good enough in my ear hole. If I were a betting man , I'd say going back 30 years or so , I'd say less then 25% of all radios sold (and that was millions of them) never were touched by any so called radio man , they were simply used as they were meant to be used. Sorry if I missed your question here BM ? But I would say we were the 25% of them (if that) Switch

 

[CDX1220]

i think have a good radio is a good start. but having a good tech is more important if you are going to tune the radio.i have only used three techs in 30yrs. but i used them for different reason. i used joe from j&s radio yrs ago he was good with alot of things. bill goode 4 my 2950,and we know why for that one.until i talked to a guy on the air in kentucky. i sent him my 2950 and boy did he make it right, the receive and tx. and at a good price. he always gives me good sound advice and makes sure that i know why and how things work . so i understand why iam doing the tune or amps ,bais being on freq.and geeting all i can get on the freq that i am useing. his name is chris you may know hin as nomad radio. i am sure there are more good thechs but thats just the short verison of why i say a good tech is more important if you are not leaveing the radio stock.

 

[Switch Kit]

i used joe from j&s radio yrs ago he was good with alot of things.

Hmmmm

 

[BOOTY MONSTER]

i thought all exports needed an alignment after being made 11 meter capable ? doesnt an alignment need a high dollar O scope and stuff ? a stock export wont work on CB channels if it hasnt been enabled do so .

 

[Carl]

its all in the radio theres no black magic involved in tuning a radio, repairing sure but not tuning. unless you change part values or change the way a circuit operates theres only a few places to make adjustments. modulation is one of those things in life that people seem to thing more is better, clip the limiter and you will see flattoping on a scope. take a radio like a 148 and instead of removing the limiter change is value to something around the 500ohm range (depending on the mic and the talk volume) and you can achieve 90-95% modulation out of them and still be clear on ssb a climped limiter it can really destroy a radios ssb transmit)

a recieve alignment is a good way to start when you get a export and convert it, is is needed? no. does it make a difference? perhaps a little. it allows you to hear a station a little better. if you have a radio that is recieveing off frequency an alignment is the only thing that will fix the problem. a simple tone generator is easy to make from an old cb of you want to get dirty with little money. good quality tone generator is a expensive investment that very few people are willing to make. an alignment wont eleminate a radios poor cross channel rejection issues ( like an s9) or the noise a radio naturally makes (such as a 2950). unplug the antenna lower the rf gain and with the volume up you should hear nothing. if you hear static its noise caused by the radio or more specifically some of the parts that are used. most transistors will make some sort of electrical noise.

transmit alignments are not as simple, they can be done using a good multimeter and a a simple homemade rfprobe. its much better to invest in a good o-scope but lets face it, a cheap used o-scope that operates in the hf spectrium is expensive. $2500 is a pretty general low end cost for a used model.


i had a 2547 that had everything done under the sun, the one thing i couldnt figure out is where i was getting white noise in the begining of the recieve stage. same radio a 959 etc. if you ask me there not a good radio at all. i dont think a radio made these days is a good radio (at least in the cb and export world). i get a kick out of these $500 cb radios that are really only gunna be used for 1 thing. talking on the $5 band. using am on 27.1850, talking 3 miles down the road with there waterhead echo's contribuiting nothing to an intelegent conversation. hell or even worse talking on the "bowl", good luck listening and not feeling dumber after only a few seconds.

the bowl experence can be described with only a few improper sentence fragments . "just got down" "mudduck" or somebody repeating them selfs over like "505" "505" "505". if your radio was so superior and could "lock down" a "channel" you would only need to say it once, without getting excited about it.

i guess i rambled off subject there, im sorry

 

[CDX1220]

i used joe from j&s radio yrs ago he was good with alot of things.

Hmmmm

hello swith kit , i wish he still worked on radios, after his mom passed that was it i guess. ut that was years ago. and there is marcel out here .

 

[King Mudduck]

Bootty Monster said..."im not even talking about the golden screwdriver clipping limiters and turning up pots so everything is a maximum output . even big names are doing wacky things to radios and "laughing all the way to the bank" not a care in the world about sending out radios doing square waves on O scopes"

I would guess that at least 95% of the so called cb techs out there have no clue as to what an oscilloscope is....how to use one or what it means to show square waves. Not to mention that as long as they are collecting $75.00 for 10 min's work and $2.00 in parts they could care less!

That being said it think that just about any radio on the market today would make or is from the factory a great radio. The Cobra 150/200 on the other hand...because of there inherent problems seems to be a lost cause, unless someone really has there shat together and knows what they are doing. I myself always thought the RCI 2950/2970 were great radios right out of the box and did not really need to be "messed with" very much to be an outstanding performer. Although the big radio crowd has no use for them because they dont have that bit booming loud sound that everyone wants today and most dont have the brains to use one with out getting lost in la la land. I really think that's why they seem to have a bad rep.

I think in the end what it really boils down to is that if you take just about any radio to someone who really knows what they are doing you can end up with a radio that sound and performs like a million bucks...even if it only coasts $150.00!

 

[Switch Kit]

i used joe from j&s radio yrs ago he was good with alot of things.

Hmmmm

hello swith kit , i wish he still worked on radios, after his mom passed that was it i guess. ut that was years ago. and there is marcel out here .

Good post Carl . Thanks .......1220 ? How the years pass us by dude I worked for him in the early 90s and he did continue his business and amps many years after her death , I could write a book on him , once known as one of the best amp mans in So.Cal. finally closed his doors in mid 95 . He's still around just don't have much to say , I looked him up about 5 years ago ,had heard he died and I had to find out for myself and he was alive and well , or so it seemed anyway.Sharon looked her lovely self. Long story as I said 1220 , but there will always be a place in my heart for the dude. He totally impressed the crap out of me back in the day.Just wish I could have learned more from him , but the times were as they were and life moved on. Peace

 

[dudmuck]

an oscilloscope is part of a radio test bench.

But the primary instrument is the service monitor.
Its a combination RF signal generator and receiver, to perform a complete radio test.

* receiver sensitivity, RF microvolts (or -dBm) for 10dB S+N/N
* frequency error for both transmit and receive
* transmitter modulation percentage
* transmitter power, barefoot wattage.

Often the service monitor includes a basic oscilloscope.
Some models include a simple spectrum analyzer as well.

 

[King Mudduck]

an oscilloscope is part of a radio test bench.

But the primary instrument is the service monitor.
Its a combination RF signal generator and receiver, to perform a complete radio test.

* receiver sensitivity, RF microvolts (or -dBm) for 10dB S+N/N
* frequency error for both transmit and receive
* transmitter modulation percentage
* transmitter power, barefoot wattage.

Often the service monitor includes a basic oscilloscope.
Some models include a simple spectrum analyzer as well.

I just thought that was the correct name for one of those. My tech has a "service monitor" that has everything in it as you mentioned.

 

[DTB Radio]

A really good tech can take even a low-end radio and make it perform pretty well, so I'd have to say the tech is most important. It obviously goes a long way when you have a quality radio to begin with.

Service monitors are a nice thing, but most have only the basic function of the various test instruments they combine. For example, most have a bare-bones RF signal generator that doesn't allow much in the way of fine-tuning or custom setting. The oscilloscope they may have will be even more bare-bones, probably not having any adjustment at all.

A truly well-equipped test bench will have all of the test gear that the service monitor has and more, with each being completely adjustable to meet any test requirement.

I read a comment that tuning a radio had no "black magic" involved with it. IF you understand radio theory and how to properly use your test gear, that is tru. For the average user, however, that is very false.

 

[Butcher318]

It's all in the tech in my opinion. A good tech with all the proper equipment can take the alignment procedure directions and make it happen. He might also know of several parts that need to be changed after tuning several hundred radio's. Any one can buy a book or print the step by step procedure, but I don't want a guy that has to whistle into the mic for a signal generator as he looks at his dosey meter.

 

[psycho]

I have the best sounding mobile in the area and the limiter has been clipped out of my Cobra 148. Sure a know nothing can foul up a radio by turning everything he can find.....but the tune up procedures for every radio are on the web.
Putting a CB radio on an O Scope is laughable but even more humorous are people that pay $50 for a tune up consisting of an alignment. Export and CB radios are on the mark out of the box as far as alignment goes and I have a big problem with paying someone $50 for 10 minutes of "work".
There are definately radios that will sound like crap with the limiters cut but the overwhelming majority sound just fine.......that is just scare tactic propaganda. I also have a General Lee with the limiter removed and it is just as loud and clear as my 148.

 

[undertaker]

thats funny i have paperwork on 2 of my radios that were out of alignment right out of the box.[/b]BUT i am not into the keydown thing!!! :roll: :roll:


this is why they have techs!!