Well, its down to the Magnum S9 and the RCI-2950DX.
Now I need the best deal on one or the other, and an antenna tuner...
Now I need the best deal on one or the other, and an antenna tuner...
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Which radio would you buy if...
- Thread starter Robb
- Start date
Which Radio would you buy if
Hands down 2510, 2600, present made Lincoln, 2510,2600 are Great Radio's & i can hear things on both of these Radio's that My Kenwood & Icoms Barely hear! & My 2950 is is OK BUT The filtering in the 2950 Has a lot too be desired in Crowded Band Conditions ,the 2510 on the other hand Great design on Filtering
Hands down 2510, 2600, present made Lincoln, 2510,2600 are Great Radio's & i can hear things on both of these Radio's that My Kenwood & Icoms Barely hear! & My 2950 is is OK BUT The filtering in the 2950 Has a lot too be desired in Crowded Band Conditions ,the 2510 on the other hand Great design on Filtering
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Agreed on the 2510/2600/Lincoln receivers! MUCH nicer to operate than a 2950.
A real shame that they don't still make these.
A real shame that they don't still make these.
Take a 257
Go with the 257 !!
it has 5 memories, it is light and small. great SSB audio,
Will need to tweak it out of the box for power and audio...
Easy to expand the channels (move a jumper!)
And it is the cheapest....
Go with the 257 !!
it has 5 memories, it is light and small. great SSB audio,
Will need to tweak it out of the box for power and audio...
Easy to expand the channels (move a jumper!)
And it is the cheapest....
I agree that the Mag 257 is a bargain and a practical purchase. But I finally chose a radio and bought it yesterday after a LOT of study. It was one of my original choices - BTW. The Magnum S45 OmegaForce. A full-featured radio the fit into my budget restraint of $250 or less. I could have paid $60 more for the S9; but it wouldn't have bought me more radio. Every feature that you can find on the S9 is also available on the S45. The only difference as far as I can see is the large round meter movement. But the S45 has two meters; an analog swing meter and a LCD meter all in one radio. And the S45 is a little hard to find.
I found out why many techs don't like the S45, and it is not the obvious answer. They don't like it because they can't sell you anything to add to your radio purchase - because the S45 has anything you want already built in. You want speech compression? It's there. How about a 100% modulator circuit? Yup - it's in there. Frequency counter - it's in the radio. The list goes on and on. Talk back, memory, scan, dual mic plugs, echo, variable power, and roger-beep (not why I bought the radio). Did I mention the blue-lit meter movement and LCD screen? SSB is xlnt, and the frequncy range is optimal. Think of it as a Cobra 148GTL 'Gone Wild' - lol! The difference between the Cobra and the Magnum is $90; and you can't spend $90 on a Cobra and get all of that. The only thing a tech can do to it, is to peak the modulation and fine tune the frequency alignment. All for $249? Yup. With so much modulation and power (swings 2-45w out of the box - or minor adjustment) a power mic isn't necessary, and a noise canceling mic may be the only option that it really may need when it's in the mobile.
I thank you all for your consideration, insight, and direction. I still may get a Mag 257 as a backup radio if I get a used one for a bargain price...
I found out why many techs don't like the S45, and it is not the obvious answer. They don't like it because they can't sell you anything to add to your radio purchase - because the S45 has anything you want already built in. You want speech compression? It's there. How about a 100% modulator circuit? Yup - it's in there. Frequency counter - it's in the radio. The list goes on and on. Talk back, memory, scan, dual mic plugs, echo, variable power, and roger-beep (not why I bought the radio). Did I mention the blue-lit meter movement and LCD screen? SSB is xlnt, and the frequncy range is optimal. Think of it as a Cobra 148GTL 'Gone Wild' - lol! The difference between the Cobra and the Magnum is $90; and you can't spend $90 on a Cobra and get all of that. The only thing a tech can do to it, is to peak the modulation and fine tune the frequency alignment. All for $249? Yup. With so much modulation and power (swings 2-45w out of the box - or minor adjustment) a power mic isn't necessary, and a noise canceling mic may be the only option that it really may need when it's in the mobile.
I thank you all for your consideration, insight, and direction. I still may get a Mag 257 as a backup radio if I get a used one for a bargain price...
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thats a good looking rig....
make sure you pop back in and let us know how it works for you........
im looking for much the same thing you were but wont be spending any money untill the end of jan
thanx
scott
make sure you pop back in and let us know how it works for you........
im looking for much the same thing you were but wont be spending any money untill the end of jan
thanx
scott
Excellent Choice. A 257 with all the bells and whistles!
Let us know how it goes for you.
Interested as I have on on the way as well.
Cheers,
Dave
Let us know how it goes for you.
Interested as I have on on the way as well.
Cheers,
Dave
I'd go 2950 for primary SSB, Magnum S9/Omegaforce are my favorite tho, probably a little more AM savvy tho. the Omegaforce is surprisingly stable on ssb tho.
mag 257 is a great choice, mini Omega if you ask me, close enough anyway
mag 257 is a great choice, mini Omega if you ask me, close enough anyway
10/11 meter radio
Well 1st of all it would not be legal to use a 10 meter radio on 11 meters as you know .
But since some do then the RCI 2950DX version is a nice radio.Doesnt seem to drift , nice reciever and transmit audio. Large LCD Display and pretty good receiver. Variable power but no swr meter .The vfo knob makes me feel like we have an old HR 2510 2600 SERIES RADIO. It has about the same size case as the old Cobra 148gtl radios . 25 watts approx output
I have 1 hooked up to my IMAX 2000 antenna right now .
Version 3 the last version of the Cobra 200 GTL DX is ok as well . But it has some design issues from what I have read online and has been known to stop transmitting so mic wont keyup the radio. 100 Solid watts output with 2 power levels . I like mine very well
Well 1st of all it would not be legal to use a 10 meter radio on 11 meters as you know .
But since some do then the RCI 2950DX version is a nice radio.Doesnt seem to drift , nice reciever and transmit audio. Large LCD Display and pretty good receiver. Variable power but no swr meter .The vfo knob makes me feel like we have an old HR 2510 2600 SERIES RADIO. It has about the same size case as the old Cobra 148gtl radios . 25 watts approx output
I have 1 hooked up to my IMAX 2000 antenna right now .
Version 3 the last version of the Cobra 200 GTL DX is ok as well . But it has some design issues from what I have read online and has been known to stop transmitting so mic wont keyup the radio. 100 Solid watts output with 2 power levels . I like mine very well
no analog swr meter, but it does have a simple digital system that can be used as a reference point
Which radio would you buy if...
You wanted a 10 and 11 meter radio that has AM/FM/SSB.
A built in freq counter, and a good sized meter movement.
Legal for a HAM with a Tech ticket.
Power isn't an issue, as I am picking a legal but decently modulating radio?
Can it be done for $250?
None of the "Export" radios are type approved by the FCC, so they are illegal to talk on even with a ham ticket.
I like the Ranger 158EDX
Not so, the 2950dx has an swr mode button that is relatively accurate by my meter>s account, given it's a bar graph but still none-the-less if you don't exceed the manufactures instructions it's a very handy function.