I'm looking for suggestions on a cb radio.  I'll be using it in two different vehicles and want something easy and full power that's not going to put me in the poor house.  I'd really like something that does VHF (marine), CB, scans police and fire.  Of course that would cost more.  Also, something that runs on batteries or a cigarette lighter.  Thanks

Oh crap here we go.


Get ready for technical jargon upon technical jargon.

Quoted: Oh crap here we go. Get ready for technical jargon upon technical jargon.

BAH!!!

What you want does not exist.

How was that?  

Unless you intend on getting into CB as a serious hobby (and then, I might ask WHY?), just about any Uniden or Cobra radio will do fine. "Full power" will be the legal 4 watt maximum, and all radios sold today - with the possible exception of some handhelds - are at full legal power. Any mobile CB radio will run from the lighter socket, as they are 12 volt. You just need to buy/make the plug.

The marine and scanner requirements will be met by separate pieces of gear. No CB radio that I'm aware of will to this - in fact, having a combo CB/marine radio is probably not possible in the U.S., as I'm pretty sure the FCC wouldn't grant it type acceptance.

As cool as the radio itself is (and I'm a hopeles gadget freak and knob thumber), the antenna is far more important and has the greatest impact on radio performance. What will this be mounted in? A boat, I presume?

The only radio worth buying!



www.galaxyradios.com/99.html


Oh yea, and don't forget the mic

Quoted: The only radio worth buying! www.galaxyradios.com/99V.jpg www.galaxyradios.com/99.html

That isn't type accepted for use on CB, and doesn't work on 11 meters out of the box - it has to be modified. Using it on CB is illegal. If he wants a Galaxy, a 959 is a tad under $200, and it's legal to use on CB.

If you're going to illegally convert a 10 meter rig into a CB, you might as well use quality gear. I chuckle everytime I see how much they charge for some of this crap.

Quoted: Quoted: The only radio worth buying! www.galaxyradios.com/99V.jpg www.galaxyradios.com/99.html That isn't type accepted for use on CB, and doesn't work on 11 meters out of the box - it has to be modified. Using it on CB is illegal. If he wants a Galaxy, a 959 is a tad under $200, and it's legal to use on CB. If you're going to illegally convert a 10 meter rig into a CB, you might as well use quality gear. I chuckle everytime I see how much they charge for some of this crap.

If you want to sound Good and be LOUD, and I mean REALLY LOUD you have to pay up!

Damn I miss the good 'ol days

Quoted: The only radio worth buying! www.galaxyradios.com/99V.jpg www.galaxyradios.com/99.html Oh yea, and don't forget the mic www.rocketradio.net/ishop/images/1048/gtalk.jpg

 some folks never learn

Linky to neat info about the DX99V

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: The only radio worth buying! www.galaxyradios.com/99V.jpg www.galaxyradios.com/99.html That isn't type accepted for use on CB, and doesn't work on 11 meters out of the box - it has to be modified. Using it on CB is illegal. If he wants a Galaxy, a 959 is a tad under $200, and it's legal to use on CB. If you're going to illegally convert a 10 meter rig into a CB, you might as well use quality gear. I chuckle everytime I see how much they charge for some of this crap. If you want to sound Good and be LOUD, and I mean REALLY LOUD you have to pay up! Damn I miss the good 'ol days

And they miss you

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: The only radio worth buying! www.galaxyradios.com/99V.jpg www.galaxyradios.com/99.html That isn't type accepted for use on CB, and doesn't work on 11 meters out of the box - it has to be modified. Using it on CB is illegal. If he wants a Galaxy, a 959 is a tad under $200, and it's legal to use on CB. If you're going to illegally convert a 10 meter rig into a CB, you might as well use quality gear. I chuckle everytime I see how much they charge for some of this crap. If you want to sound Good and be LOUD, and I mean REALLY LOUD you have to pay up! Damn I miss the good 'ol days

If by LOUD, you mean "overmodulated", you might have a point. Who wouldn't want to cut their carrier off (ever seen it on a scope?) while splattering over half the band? A 90%-100% modulated 4 watt carrier sounds as "loud" on an $80 radio as it does on a $300 radio.

I'm not passing any value judgements here, as the likelyhood of getting caught with an illegal radio is fairly low and I could care less for the most part. Still, it needs to be said that it's not legal to use a Galaxy 99 on CB. I know everybody seems to think it is, and I know they sell them at truck stops, but the law is the law. I just want to make sure the original poster knows this.

Ok now for answer to the posters question.  

In my opinion you can't go wrong with a Cobra classic.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: The only radio worth buying! www.galaxyradios.com/99V.jpg www.galaxyradios.com/99.html That isn't type accepted for use on CB, and doesn't work on 11 meters out of the box - it has to be modified. Using it on CB is illegal. If he wants a Galaxy, a 959 is a tad under $200, and it's legal to use on CB. If you're going to illegally convert a 10 meter rig into a CB, you might as well use quality gear. I chuckle everytime I see how much they charge for some of this crap. If you want to sound Good and be LOUD, and I mean REALLY LOUD you have to pay up! Damn I miss the good 'ol days If by LOUD, you mean "overmodulated", you might have a point. Who wouldn't want to cut their carrier off (ever seen it on a scope?) while splattering over half the band? A 90%-100% modulated 4 watt carrier sounds as "loud" on an $80 radio as it does on a $300 radio. I'm not passing any value judgements here, as the likelyhood of getting caught with an illegal radio is fairly low and I could care less for the most part. Still, it needs to be said that it's not legal to use a Galaxy 99 on CB. I know everybody seems to think it is, and I know they sell them at truck stops, but the law is the law. I just want to make sure the original poster knows this.

Well I have seen these radios do well over 300 to 400% Modulation without sounding "Overmodulated" and dead key 12watts and swing 35watts on AM.

But from the looks of Nationwide's post... you can't even get them anymore.  (it was dated 1999)

Too bad the internet killed the CB

Oh well.

I would then suggest the regular Galaxy CB and a Sadelta or Astatic mic.  DO NOT use a magnet mount antenna, and do not use a cig lighter for power.

Quoted: Ok now for answer to the posters question.   In my opinion you can't go wrong with a Cobra classic.

That will cover VHF marine AND scan Poice/Fire too?!?!?!  

Quoted: Too bad the internet killed the CB

No, folks who didn't know what they were doing did

Quoted: Quoted: Too bad the internet killed the CB No, folks who didn't know what they were doing did

Wow 3 attacks in the same thread!

Thats Awsome!

Quoted: Well I have seen these radios do well over 300 to 400% Modulation without sounding "Overmodulated" and dead key 12watts and swing 35watts on AM. But from the looks of Nationwide's post... you can't even get them anymore.  (it was dated 1999) Too bad the internet killed the CB Oh well. I would then suggest the regular Galaxy CB and a Sadelta or Astatic mic.  DO NOT use a magnet mount antenna, and do not use a cig lighter for power.

Guy, I mean this in the nicest way: In my opinion, there is way to much misonformation floating around with regard to CB radio peformance. A carrier modulated that high is detrimental to the radios performance, and DOES sound like crap. You wouldn't accept your favorite radio station sounding like that.

The internet didn't kill the CB, lawbreakers did. People using illegal power and serverly overmodulated splatterboxes did. "Key down" competitions and guys competing to see who is "louder" than the next guy did. Guys talking over other guys because "they can" killed it,

The rules are in place for a reason. CB radio - when used legally - is fantastic for people that have no desire to study radio theory. These restrictuve rules are in place, because unlicensed and uneducated (radio wise) radio operators would otherwise think it's a good idea to overmodulate a carrier. BTW - modulating a carrier over 100% is illegal - and for good reason.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Too bad the internet killed the CB No, folks who didn't know what they were doing did Wow 3 attacks in the same thread! Thats Awsome!

There were only 2... but I didn't want you to feel bad about not being able to count... so this is three I guess

Some folks just can't handle being told they are not allowed to do certain things.  

ETA:  If you took that as an attack, the implication is that you agree you don't know what you are doing... right???

Quoted: Quoted: Well I have seen these radios do well over 300 to 400% Modulation without sounding "Overmodulated" and dead key 12watts and swing 35watts on AM. But from the looks of Nationwide's post... you can't even get them anymore.  (it was dated 1999) Too bad the internet killed the CB Oh well. I would then suggest the regular Galaxy CB and a Sadelta or Astatic mic.  DO NOT use a magnet mount antenna, and do not use a cig lighter for power. Guy, I mean this in the nicest way: In my opinion, there is way to much misonformation floating around with regard to CB radio peformance. A carrier modulated that high is detrimental to the radios performance, and DOES sound like crap. You wouldn't accept your favorite radio station sounding like that. The internet didn't kill the CB, lawbreakers did. People using illegal power and serverly overmodulated splatterboxes did. "Key down" competitions and guys competing to see who is "louder" than the next guy did. Guys talking over other guys because "they can" killed it, The rules are in place for a reason. CB radio - when used legally - is fantastic for people that have no desire to study radio theory. These restrictuve rules are in place, because unlicensed and uneducated (radio wise) radio operators would otherwise think it's a good idea to overmodulate a carrier. BTW - modulating a carrier over 100% is illegal - and for good reason.

I completely understand where you are coming from... and no offence was taken.   My CB days are long gone, but I disagree with you about the modulation being "detrimental to the radios performance".   For most average radios this is true, however modulation greater than 100% can be reached with a quality radio successfully without compromising performance or sound. (Pluto, Ranger, DX88, DV99, Saturn, ect)

People using illegal power and serverly overmodulated splatterboxes did. "Key down" competitions and guys competing to see who is "louder" than the next guy did.

I must say I have seen some crazy things, but only a few in my area at that time could make them run right.

I'm not making this stuff up. A modulated carrier is a modulated carrier, regardless of who made the radio. Modulating it over 100% does cause splatter and it DOES cut the carrier off. This isn't opinion. Mother nature makes the rules, not me.



Look carefully at the modulation envelope in view (A). It shows that the negative peak of the modulating signal has effectively been limited. If the signal were demodulated (detected in the receiver), it would have an appearance somewhat similar to a square wave. This condition, known as OVERMODULATION, causes the signal to sound severely distorted (although this will depend on the degree of overmodulation).

Overmodulation will generate unwanted (SPURIOUS) sideband frequencies. This effect can easily be detected by tuning a receiver near, but somewhat outside the desired frequency. You would likely be able to tune to one or more of these undesired sideband frequencies, but the reception would be severely distorted, possibly unintelligible. (Without overmodulation, no such unwanted sideband frequencies would exist and you would be able to tune only to the desired frequency.)

These unwanted frequencies will appear for a considerable range both above and below the desired channel. This effect is sometimes called SPLATTER. These spurious frequencies, shown in view (B), cause interference with other stations operating on adjacent channels. You should clearly understand that overmodulation, and its attendant distortion and interference is to be avoided.



Figure 1-41B.—Overmodulation conditions. In addition to the above problems, overmodulation also causes abnormally large voltages and currents to exist at various points within the transmitter. Therefore, sufficient overload protection by circuit breakers and fuses should be provided. When this protection is not provided, the excessive voltages can cause arcing between transformer windings and between the plates of capacitors, which will permanently destroy the dielectric material. Excessive currents can also cause overheating of tubes and other components.

Ideally, you will want to operate a transmitter at 100-percent modulation so that you can provide the maximum amount of energy in the sideband. However, because of the large and rapid fluctuations in amplitude that these signals normally contain, this ideal condition is seldom possible. When the modulator is properly adjusted, the loudest parts of the transmission will produce 100-percent modulation. The quieter parts of the signal then produce lesser degrees of modulation. To measure degrees of modulation less than 100 percent, you can use a MODULATION FACTOR (M) to indicate the relative magnitudes of the rf carrier and the audio-modulating signal. Numerically, the modulation factor is:



To illustrate this use of the equation, assume that a carrier wave with a peak amplitude of 400 volts is modulated by a 3-kilohertz sine wave with a peak amplitude of 200 volts. The modulation factor is figured as follows:



If the modulation factor were multiplied by 100, the resultant quantity would be the PERCENT OF MODULATION (%M):



By using the correct equation, you can determine the percent of modulation from the modulation envelope pattern. This method is useful when the percent of modulation is to be determined using the pattern on the screen of an oscilloscope. For example, assume that your oscilloscope is connected to the output of a modulator circuit and produces the screen pattern shown in figure 1-42. According to the setting of the calibration control, each large division on the vertical scale is equal to 200 volts. By using this scale, you can see that the peak carrier amplitude (unmodulated portion) is 400 volts. The peak amplitude of the carrier is designated as eo in figure 1-42.



Figure 1-42.—Computing percent of modulation from the modulation envelope. The amplitude of the audio-modulating voltage can also be determined from amplitude variations in the envelope pattern. Notice that the peak-to-peak variations in envelope amplitude (emax - e min) is equal to 400 volts on the scale. Note then that the peak amplitude of the audio voltage is 200 volts. If these rf and audio voltage values are inserted into the equation, the pattern in figure 1-42 is found to represent 50-percent modulation.



EDIT: The above was taken from "The Electrical Engineering Training Series", by Integrated Publishing.

Well, that takes care of that.  Thanks everyone for all the responses.  This will mostly be used for moose hunting and for saftey on logging roads.  I wanted all three in one to save trouble and space, I had a feeling there was no such animal.  I think I'll get a cobra or a hand held and that will do just fine for my needs.  Thanks again, my physics classes all came rushing back with that post!

Quoted: Quoted: Too bad the internet killed the CB No, folks who didn't know what they were doing did

shit same with the internet.

back in the day when u had to be a geek to actly get on then.

Man i miss the BBS days.

anyway back to semi on topic.

Can anyone reccomend a decent scanner?

I miss my old Browning tube set

My $0.02, a Galaxy DX-959 CB and a Uniden Bearcat B350C or BCT7 scanner.

Just go shopping for a bearcat scanner,  and a Cobra or Uniden CB.

Go get a cheap CB handheld! Then go to the nearest BIG truckstop and ask"anybody got anything for sale today?" You'll be able to get a Galaxy,a cig lighter powered cooler,and a DVD/TV combo real cheap! Just don't believe the "brand new in the box"hype,it was brand newly placed in the box,the box which came from the overflowing dumpster out back.

safety, lots of coverage including 2m (good for emergencies) can be modified for cb bands yaesu ft-817nd. and it will run on internal batteries, picks up am, fm, shortwave. talks on a number of legal ham bands, small emough to fit in the cargo pants pocket of bdus:


you can say all you like about cb. i used to run an old cobra rig with a mexican 200 watt amp in my car and i loved ratchet jawing and agitating truck drivers. i never considered cb to be much more than a way to make sure smokee was running my front or back door so i could run 80 when the limit was 55 thanks to president peanut. i dont think anything killed cb other than people getting bored with what was basically a fad to begin with driven a lot by the stupid 55mph laws on the interstate.

as to scanners.. get a trunking version, either hand held or desktop. great fun to listen to unless your local govment is going to the enrypted stuff.

Quoted:

That radio isn't legal on CB,   and you need an FCC license to operate on ham radio.

Quoted: The only radio worth buying! www.galaxyradios.com/99V.jpg www.galaxyradios.com/99.html Oh yea, and don't forget the mic www.rocketradio.net/ishop/images/1048/gtalk.jpg

That freq counter is a little off...

It should read 27.405..that wouldnt be out of band radio would it ?

Tag...


I like that yeasu more and more.

Latest technology just add your own UHF/VHF/AM/FM/SW/MW/LW/CB antenna and your ready to go!