ranger freedom one

[oldslowchevy]

i picked up this radio last night for $50,it even came with the stock mic as well as a flagged 636l. it is bone stock and has never had the covers off till i peaked this morning to varify this.

were these good radios on side band which is what i bought it for. i would like to do this one right, not to much power, just enough to give it that punch with out making it an unreliable bleed box. if i ever use an amp with it i would never go bigger than a 2 pill but that is not something i plan on doing,... but if the right deal comes along you never know.

more than likely i will be using this as a base.

 

[BOOTY MONSTER]

if it's in good condition you got a pretty good radio for a really sweet price .

CBRadioMagazine.com - Texas Ranger TR-696FD1 SSB CB Review

good deal on a amp .......

http://www.worldwidedx.com/cb-radio-gear-swapshop/142474-texas-star-dx-400-a.html

can't vouch for or against the seller .................

 

[oldslowchevy]

thanks for the links, that is an awsome deal on the amp but funds are tight and a will have to hold off for a a few months atleast. another one will come my way some time down the road i am sure.

 

[TonyV225]

I have a friend that runs them and he likes them and has no trouble but he leaves his on so it stays warmed up for SSB.

 

[oldslowchevy]

good deal, seems like i got a good deal. if nothing else i bought the mic at full price and got the radio for $10. <More audio>

 

[curlyjo]

I use one as a daily talker in my truck. It has an unlocked clarifier, a RX75 on it and 5 bands of extra channels in it. Because I can. Set up by "The Radio Shop" Ontario, Ca. I am really happy with it for what it is. I used to use it for a base ; with a sigma 4 antenna. Talked SSB skip with it . Tasmania to Nova Scoia from So. Ca. Enjoy!

 

[Robb]

Nothing really seriously wrong with the FD-1 radio - IMO. It uses the same chassis as the Galaxy 959. So, it also shares the same need for warm-up for SSB as the 959.

I have one of these radios. Very clean audio. It is easy to expand its frequency range by just adding a couple of SPST switches on it. The fact that this radio has a six digit freq counter (BTW - the 959 has only a five digit counter) makes those extra channels more readily usable w/o a road map too.

I think it is a fine, inexpensive radio.

If it is nice shape; then $50 is a steal.

 

[oldslowchevy]

what is a "unlocked clarifier" as well as "SPST switches" or is that just another name for a toggle switch?

 

[Watergate]

Single
Pole
Single
Throw

An example would be a simple on off toggle switch.

An unlocked clarifier adjusts frequency for transmit as well as receive at the same time. Most clarifiers only adjust receive.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

 

[oldslowchevy]

ah ha, cool beans thanks for the quick response.

 

[Robb]

what is a "unlocked clarifier" as well as "SPST switches" or is that just another name for a toggle switch?

A stock SSB/CB radio from the factory will have a 'locked' clarifier. Which means that the transmit will not follow the receive when clarifying another station. The radio will not transmit 'track' on the same freq.

Unlocking a clarifier means that the clarifier circuit will allow shifting the transmit freq right along with the same receive freq. It will also allow the radio's transmit to 'slide' ~1khz above and below the center freq right along with the receive. Once modified or 'unlocked' on the radio board, it will require re-alignment of the PLL, VCO, and output oscillators.

A toggle switch - is not just a toggle switch. They can have different polar arrangements.
SPST switch stands for 'single pole single throw'.
DPST stands for 'double pole single throw'.

And so on . . .

 

[curlyjo]

Unlocked clarifier is where the TX and RX are married so they track together. It helps if the radio stay on frequency if it drifts. Especially if the whether is too cold or hot. They are temperature sensitive. Mine hardly drifts at all since it was at "The Radio Shop" 73's

 

[Robb]

From "CB TRICKS"
Channel mod and chart:

Ranger (Texas Ranger) TR-696FD1 Service Manual
Ranger (Texas Ranger) TR-696FD1 Service Manual

Clarifier mod:

Ranger (Texas Ranger) TR-696FD1 Service Manual

BTW - I used 'Method #2'.



My quote:

Once modified or 'unlocked' on the radio board, it will require re-alignment of the PLL, VCO, and output oscillators.

In the CB Tricks description, you may not need to do that WHOLE section. The clarifier mod points out what needs to be re-aligned. But that is being optimistic at best. However in reality, it is BEST to do that whole section as I described. The factory settings are often somewhat off, or even considerably off. This has been my experience to date nearly 99.999% of the time. Your radio will be better off for doing it correctly too. When this entire chain is aligned at the same time, you will also be more pleased with the results if you do that mod the way I suggested. Just a heads up.

 

[oldslowchevy]

since i do not have the equipment to algin the radio i belive this work is best farmed out at this point. sad since there is NO ONE in my area that i would trust turning my radio on let alone working on it.