Thanks. I'm sticking with my Wilson and putting an amp in the mobile. Saving my money on the 108 install and putting it towards a base antenna
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Where to go from here?
- Thread starter ND88
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Not sure if you saw a post in a thread I have going, Can't remember where it was but someone recommended the Sirio Tornado for the base. I think it's about $50.00 more than a 102". Actually less than that if you do a mount and a spring. I'm almost wishing I went with the Tornado to begin with. That Sirio Turbo on the car kicks butt. Perfect SWR @ 1.0-1.03 without even touching it. No problems going west or to Europe barefoot mobile even in the mountains. Food for thought..... If I could do it again, I would have put a Tornado on the roof.
EDIT: As appealing as the Tornado is, after reading about one snapping in 40+ winds. That def' wouldn't work here. Clock 90+ mph winds here in Nor'easters. We call it Hurricane Hollow for a reason. That antenna would never last! Glad I got the 102" whip!
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We have problem with high winds here in Oklahoma too, so I am a bit nervous about the idea of putting something too high up.
Most likely I will be going with an Antron 99 mounted on the house. Something simple and hopefully easy to install and tune. I really would like to go with a 3 element yagi or a Maco V 5/8, but I really don't think I have the technical know-how or the equipment to put something like that together, mount it, and tune it correctly by myself. Wish i had some mentors in town to help me put it up because I don't know what i'm doing lol. so i better start small and work up!
I hear ya on the Yagi. Just seems too complicated for myself w/ limited knowledge and equipment. They truly are sweet!
If you get the Tornado, keep us updated and post some pics during/after install. I really believe that thing would kick some bag mounted right smack in the middle of my 40x28 foot metal roof. Just speculating of course.
FWIW: I would drill a hole in the center of the roof, put a firestick dome mount, spring and 102" whip. I hate bumper mounted 102" whips. They never hit trees or traffic lights and never scare the hell out of passengers....lol. It is what I have done my entire life on all my vehicles with stellar performance.
The number one problem with SSB is being off freq. It doesn't take much to make you unintelligible and I rarely come back to folks that sound like Micky Mouse unless they are seriously booming.
The number one problem with SSB is being off freq. It doesn't take much to make you unintelligible and I rarely come back to folks that sound like Micky Mouse unless they are seriously booming.
102" whip on top would be insane. i'd be smacking everything. I wouldn't mount it on the bumper, but on the top rail of my truck bed, next to the cab beneath the back glass.
on a spring though, i'd worry about the whip rocking back and forth and banging into the cab... so i think i'm going to stick with my wilson, get my radio tuned up, and run 100w of power in my mobile. I have no complaints with the 1000, stellar antenna. I can hear stations from all over the world.
I do have another question though...
The 959 has a tendency to drift. When I fire up the CB i can expect to wait 15-20 minutes before i am on frequency. I think that was the problem being off frequency that I was having, I was just jumping on the radio and calling out.
I am wondering if there is a better radio for sideband usage? I really don't use AM a whole lot since I am trying to DX while barefoot.
Really tempting to buy one of those Uniden 980s for $119 and throw it in my truck. Would it be much better?
I can use my Galaxy when I get the base station up and running. waiting the 15-20 minutes wouldn't be a problem, but when i hop in the truck I want to be able to turn my radio on and go.
on a spring though, i'd worry about the whip rocking back and forth and banging into the cab... so i think i'm going to stick with my wilson, get my radio tuned up, and run 100w of power in my mobile. I have no complaints with the 1000, stellar antenna. I can hear stations from all over the world.
I do have another question though...
The 959 has a tendency to drift. When I fire up the CB i can expect to wait 15-20 minutes before i am on frequency. I think that was the problem being off frequency that I was having, I was just jumping on the radio and calling out.
I am wondering if there is a better radio for sideband usage? I really don't use AM a whole lot since I am trying to DX while barefoot.
Really tempting to buy one of those Uniden 980s for $119 and throw it in my truck. Would it be much better?
I can use my Galaxy when I get the base station up and running. waiting the 15-20 minutes wouldn't be a problem, but when i hop in the truck I want to be able to turn my radio on and go.
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I really can't make a recommendation to you regarding the 980 because I haven't had anything else. All I can tell you is that I can turn it on and go. No waiting. It seems to be on freq' as I haven't had anyone tell me otherwise and there's no problem dx'ing as you know. A contact suggested that I have a mongrel and that it was too good right out of the box. I would say the usual...antenna antenna antenna. yadayadayada. I know the Sirio on the car is a good antenna, but for an idiot like me to just plug it in and go, it says something about the radio as well. After tweaking the ssb alc (#203) it tended to get a little warm around the final. When I added the fan it stays stone cold now. The aluminum around the final is actually cold to the touch always. That's the only thing I would do to it. I really need to get that clarifier unlocked but that is a ways down the road. I believe Tim @ SRC is backed up about 8-10 weeks.
I was chatting with 357 yesterday and we talked about how guys will cq "standing by on .370". Obviously I can't get there as 37 is .375. Completing the setup would be to get a frequency counter & unlocking the clarifier. I do it all the time on 38; I will call out to a specific station I hear cq'ing and let them know I'm standing by on .375 if 38 is roaring carnage. It works a lot of the time as long I call out to them within a few seconds or so once the switch is made. Just some thoughts.
I bought a 959 a while back to replace my very worn and seriously hurting Galaxy II. I didn't care for it at all. It drifted all over the place on sideband and didn't seem to have very good receive compared to anything I've ever had. I was about to open it up and do a few mods when my buddy offered me what I paid for it. I happily waved goodbye.
Since he has the RF bug hard, I talked him into buying a Uniden 980 as well and am pretty impressed with the way it sounds right out of the box. It is rock stable. I'll probably get one while keeping an eye on Ebay for the rare old Galaxy Pluto or II that pops up from time to time.
Since he has the RF bug hard, I talked him into buying a Uniden 980 as well and am pretty impressed with the way it sounds right out of the box. It is rock stable. I'll probably get one while keeping an eye on Ebay for the rare old Galaxy Pluto or II that pops up from time to time.
The first question I have is whether you have had the radio aligned? I had a newer mosfet-version of the DX959 and it was in bad shape right out of the box: the clarifier was off center, the biasing circuit was fried, and it was off frequency in a bad way. Among other things. That was a NEW radio.
If you haven't already had the work done to the radio, I would suggest finding a Galaxy tech to work on it. Mine was done by DTB in Carlilse, PA who is also on this forum. I sold that radio a few months ago because I was thinning the herd, but it performed solidly after having DTB inside it. That 959 was also the SSB radio I made most of my DX contacts on...it was either in front of a 2-pill or 4-pill with either a Wilson 5000 or 102" whip (I changed setups a lot back then).
Don't knock the 959, its a decent radio if put into the hands of a good tech.
I think all new radios are coming through the same way , they need a tech asap just because they are mass ptoduced . I watched a bid the other day of a guy doing a 980 out of the box it was doing 5 watts on SSB ! Hobie lucked out an got a good one . Unless your paying big $'s for a rig probably not much quality control like years past . Just my two cents .
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They are being mass produce for a market that this dwindling and for this reason quality control has gone by by. This has always been my contention towards Export radios. You pay a lot and then still need work before they even work right.
I just wish i could get a radio that didn't need tuning to be better. these radios should be the best the law allows right out of the box, it's stupid. I don't have access to a reputable tech that doesn't require me to blindly ship my radio off to someone i've never met.
Do Icom, yaesu, and kenwood radios require aftermarket tuning to be decent?
I'm seriously considering just making the investment and buying an all mode transceiver at some point and just being done with it. they just seem like better quality.
Do Icom, yaesu, and kenwood radios require aftermarket tuning to be decent?
I'm seriously considering just making the investment and buying an all mode transceiver at some point and just being done with it. they just seem like better quality.