The 885 is a better scanner than the little 355 (no surprise; see specs of both), but two (2) hissy Unidens and my WM Radio ClearSpeech DSP Speaker temporarily out of commission is TOO MUCH.
Before getting underway again I’ll swap coax. Run the 980 as the main(TX) radio so as to get advantage of the better antenna system.
The 885 will (maybe) monitor 19, but I’ll use it primarily as scanner.
Reinstalled the little TRAM whip for the second radio and wound coax a few turns thru an FT-240/61. Mix 31 snap-on at radio end. With the Uniden ESP-20 Speaker sibilance is down. That speaker is across the cab.
When AM-19 has traffic, the AM Scanner has traffic, and the Scanner-scanner has traffic . . . wow.
It’s easy enough to:
1). Hit Scanner mute button on 885
2). Or crank down volume on 980 AM-scanner.
Scanner Nutz would rather have a unit which provides them a lot more information and programming capability than what the 885 offers. It’s a choice for being mobile, not for a base station (buy CB & Scanner separately).
An advantage it offers over the 980 is a real RF Gain dial control. Not that STUPID two position switch. I adjust RF GAIN and SQUELCH a half-dozen times per day. Maybe more.
AM Receive on 980 and 885 seem identical. Which likely isn’t a surprise, but seems obvious to note.
The 885 operates at a higher temp (hand on case external).
It’s also 2.5X the price.
That said, were there a large-case version with greater digital scanner features (and SSB), it’d move “CB Radio” (general perception) into the 21st.
Probably up to a $650 radio, now.
Given space constraints in today’s vehicles it would still make more sense than two (2) units.
Twin audio speaker outlets.
Same two antenna outlets.
But, hell, starts to sound like a base station with regular radio and power supply, doesn’t it? Just overall too big.
So I’d settle for: if the 885 would also scan AM, it’d be complete.
That one function eliminates the need for a second radio/scanner.
An SSB-capable radio for those who want that. That’s actually NOT a missing addition given the use of this radio:
Optimized Mobile
AM-19
Police
EMS
FIRE
DOT
On the back of the sleeper waay up near the rooftop is an unused platform for SatCom. I can run some RG6 back there and install the appropriate Scanner antenna to top off performance. (The little windshield wire antenna “works”, but . . . ).
I’ll move the little 27Mhz Tram up there, too. I’ll put a spring on it and hope for the best. That’ll get them both 9-10’ away from a 100W CB. (Platform is steel bolted to steel).
I haven’t updated the SD frequency database card (chip) so that addition to the GPS locator (windshield antenna) should also help.
Likely, it’d be “best” to get one of those $6-700 scanners, (SDS-100 has good reports for mobile use; the 200 even more so). But it’s a long ways down the list.
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