UNIDEN PC68XL - the good, the bad, & the ugly!

[The War Wagon]

And BEST of all, YOU get to fill in the blanks!

So's I picked up a nice, older, Phillipines-made model (like Cobras, I figured Phillipines > Chinese), and am looking for the lowdown on it. Search-fu reveals LOTS of people trying to add channels or power to it - I just plan on sticking it in the wife's minivan (I'm NOT sold on those new-fangled, "cellular" phones... they may or may NOT, catch on, so I'm playin' it O-L-D school ). Got a knock-off Palomar to go with it (picked that up in a trade - gotta post some pics of it and get some feedback as well), so it's nothing SPECIAL - just something to keep in touch with in a convoy.

Anything good, bad, or ugly, I should keep my eyes peeled for? Good mobile antenna suggestions welcome as well.

 

[Robb]

The antenna yo buy and choose is far more important than the radio is. But that doesn't mean that picking the right radio isn't important.

A magnet mount antenna like a Sirio Performer 5000 is pretty much at the top of the heap for a mobile antenna these days. But even a 5 ft Firestk will work fairly well.

Really depends on where one mounts the antenna. Mounting an antenna as close to the top and center of the vehicle gets the best results to begin with.

Nothing wrong with a Uniden PC68XL AM radio if all you are interested in is talking to others on the road. You can always consider getting it tuned by a shop if you want/need more out of it. Actually better than most other AM/CB radios brands on the market - IMO . . .

 

[w9cll]

Loose the amp and get a really good antenna.

 

[The War Wagon]

NO doubt - antenna makes the radio. I run a Wilson Silverload on my Jeep Commander, mounted to the roof rack (QD mounted - Pittsburgh parking garages play havoc even with just the barrel mount left up there! ), and ye olde 102" steel whip on my avatar. I'm torn between a magnet mount, and maybe affixing something more permanent to the D-pillar. If anyone's experienced with minivan mobiles, sing out!

 

[Tripple Nickel]

NO doubt - antenna makes the radio. I run a Wilson Silverload on my Jeep Commander, mounted to the roof rack (QD mounted - Pittsburgh parking garages play havoc even with just the barrel mount left up there! ), and ye olde 102" steel whip on my avatar. I'm torn between a magnet mount, and maybe affixing something more permanent to the D-pillar. If anyone's experienced with minivan mobiles, sing out!

My last motorhome needed a good place to mount the antenna, which in my case was a NGP due to fiberglass body. I had been seeing just about every 18 wheeler had what I wanted, mounted up on the side of the sleeper. I found what I needed from Firestik, it's called a M-2 mount and I used a 4' fiberglass 5/8 wave tunable antenna. It worked very well, not that expensive, and I mounted it on the A pillar, no coax visible after installation. JMHO and good luck
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