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Post by Stranger on Apr 3, 2017 18:47:49 GMT -5
Hello to each of you!
I would like to introduce myself, I am in Kansas, I grew up in the far South West corner of Nebraska and got a taste of when CB world when Dad bought one for our pulling rig, back in the early 70’s, this was an amazing thing as it opened up the world a bit bigger than the area we usually worked in, this was not a powerful radio and did not talk far but when we met a trucker or one passed us on the road I would get to talk to them for a little bit. Time passed and money was tight so the radio thought just faded and were put into the corner of my mind. I went off to a tech school and then was able to get a job in the cellular phone industry when it was just starting up in the mid-west rural areas, this was back in the analog days and I was hands on from the ground up, hung big onmi antennas at 400 ft and pulled 1 5/8 coax. Then the big phones that were mounted in the cars and trucks were 3 watt power and the base stations were 45 watt at the antenna port out of the combiners (we had 65 watt amplifiers per each transceiver) then came along the hand held phones with just 6 tenths of a watt but they worked.
No this is what has brought me to this forum, I have been messing around with cb radios in my car for a couple of years and finally have a decent set up and want a base in the house, now I know from my experience at work that I need a very good receive and noise filter to be able to hear the distant signals as well as a good antenna in a good location.
I think I have the antenna pretty well nailed down now, I have a hy-gain super penetrator 500 on a 18 ft pipe next to my house, trees are pretty far away and the area is pretty open, the swr is 1 to 1.3 and when it is raining it is 1 to 1.8 I have held off on getting better coax since I need to measure and so on, but I think I am on a good path with it.
So the reading I have done over the past while leads me to believe that my best bet for a good solid talking and hearing radio may be in the older radios. I have a newer uniden mobile on a good power supply on my antenna now and can hear some nice sounding radios and some that really sound bad to me.
With my limited knowledge of these things I am hoping that I can get some guidance from some of you folks.
So what do I want?
Above average receive, clean transmit, maybe side band, maybe 40 channels
I have two mobile side band radios but have not messed around with them but think in the future I may want to have that option.
The radios that I have narrowed down to are in no particular order
Tram Titan - SBE console v - Browning golden eagle
I appreciate any input, and apologize for the long message.
Thanks
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Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss
Posts: 6,245
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Post by Sandbagger on Apr 3, 2017 20:59:42 GMT -5
Hello to each of you! I would like to introduce myself, I am in Kansas, I grew up in the far South West corner of Nebraska and got a taste of when CB world when Dad bought one for our pulling rig, back in the early 70’s, this was an amazing thing as it opened up the world a bit bigger than the area we usually worked in, this was not a powerful radio and did not talk far but when we met a trucker or one passed us on the road I would get to talk to them for a little bit. Time passed and money was tight so the radio thought just faded and were put into the corner of my mind. I went off to a tech school and then was able to get a job in the cellular phone industry when it was just starting up in the mid-west rural areas, this was back in the analog days and I was hands on from the ground up, hung big onmi antennas at 400 ft and pulled 1 5/8 coax. Then the big phones that were mounted in the cars and trucks were 3 watt power and the base stations were 45 watt at the antenna port out of the combiners (we had 65 watt amplifiers per each transceiver) then came along the hand held phones with just 6 tenths of a watt but they worked. No this is what has brought me to this forum, I have been messing around with cb radios in my car for a couple of years and finally have a decent set up and want a base in the house, now I know from my experience at work that I need a very good receive and noise filter to be able to hear the distant signals as well as a good antenna in a good location. I think I have the antenna pretty well nailed down now, I have a hy-gain super penetrator 500 on a 18 ft pipe next to my house, trees are pretty far away and the area is pretty open, the swr is 1 to 1.3 and when it is raining it is 1 to 1.8 I have held off on getting better coax since I need to measure and so on, but I think I am on a good path with it. So the reading I have done over the past while leads me to believe that my best bet for a good solid talking and hearing radio may be in the older radios. I have a newer uniden mobile on a good power supply on my antenna now and can hear some nice sounding radios and some that really sound bad to me. With my limited knowledge of these things I am hoping that I can get some guidance from some of you folks. So what do I want? Above average receive, clean transmit, maybe side band, maybe 40 channels I have two mobile side band radios but have not messed around with them but think in the future I may want to have that option. The radios that I have narrowed down to are in no particular order Tram Titan - SBE console v - Browning golden eagle I appreciate any input, and apologize for the long message. Thanks Welcome to the forum! We have another Kansian (Kansasian?) on the forum in the form of Doc Hammer. He's a little short on locals to talk with, but knowing his (or your?) luck, you guys are probably on the opposite sides of the state... Well, welcome to the wonderful world of CB. The place where choices are many, and opinions are just as many, and worth exactly what you pay for them. Ask a question and you are likely to get several different answers. But be that as it may, you can often get a decent idea what to do based on the experience of others. As for your question of radios, I can answer with complete certainty that there are certain older vintage radios that will blow the socks off of any modern Pacific-Rim made radio for receive quality. Of course, that assumes that the older vintage radio is in tip-top shape and aligned properly. Like older automobiles, even the top of the pack can be a real dog, if it hasn't been cared for. So what are some of those good choices? Obviously the top of the line stuff from the late 60's and early 70's would be hard to pass up. But many have little quirks that you should also be aware of. My personal suggestions are: The Browning Golden Eagles have great receivers, have great modulation (and their signature "ping"). But they fall short if you want to run on Single Sideband (SSB). The receiver BFO drifts around a bit which makes operating it a little frustrating. But on AM the receiver is stellar. A twin Nuvistor tube front end has one of the best sensitivities of any of my radios. The squelch action is silky smooth, and the tone quality is warm and full. The MK 2 and MK 3 are 23 channel, while the MK 4 and MK 4a are 40 channel. The MK 4 had some design issues and I wouldn't recommend one of those unless you are technically inclined and love a challenge. The Mk 4a is pretty solid. The Tram D201(A) is also a top performer. It also has great sensitivity, tone quality, and all the usual great points for a tube receiver. The transmit audio is probably one of the best I've heard, from any unmodified radio. And it does a better job on SSB than the Browning does. The D201 is 23 channel, the 201A is 40 channel. But the Tram also has a downside. And that is that it doesn't age well. After having a 40+ year life, most radios will need some level of "100,000 mile overhaul". But the Tram usually needs far more parts replaced than many others of the same vintage. But if you find one that has been gone over, they are a gem to operate. If you can find a decent one, the Hy-Gain 623 (also known as the "Utopia"), is a one-of-a-kind radio. A hybrid radio with both solid state circuits and a single tube transmit final, this radio was designed to be a great performer. A 23 channel early phase-lock-loop design makes it fairly stable, the receive is sensitive, the transmit audio is warm like an all tube rig. It also has the most accurate S meter I've seen on a CB rig. It does have a couple of age-related quirks to look out for. There are adjustments for frequencies that are way too touchy and the pots become corroded with age and it makes the rig hard to keep zero'ed in on frequency. Replacing the pots with multi-turn varieties goes a long way toward correcting this. Sonar made some really good performing tube radios as well. The FS-23 is a 23 channel AM-only radio that has fantastic receive and decent transmit. The FS-2340 is a 40 channel version. It's similar in performance except that the transmit modulation is electronically limited to no more than 100% due to newer FCC regulations. The older vintage radio lacked a modulation limiter. SBE made several nice performing radios. The Trinidad is a good talking solid state 23 channel AM rig, which had a decent receive audio fidelity due to the large empty cabinet that the speaker is built into. The Console 2 is 23 channel AM and SSB. Another good talker and a decent receiver. My only pet peeve with the Console 2 is that the S meter swings backward heavily anytime someone talks, which makes getting a decent signal reading tough. The Console 5 is a nice 40 channel solid state base with decent features and good receive and transmit. Then there are some slightly newer rigs that are worth a look as well. There's the Cobra 2000 for one. This was a mostly 1980's vintage 40 channel radio. But for a solid state rig, it has a pretty good receiver, with a fairly low noise floor. Made by Uniden, the Cobra 2000 has some nice features including a frequency counter, and a very effective noise blanker circuit, which can knock out pulse-type noise. The Uniden (President) Madison is also worth a look. It's basically the same guts as the Cobra 2000, so performance is similar. The Madison lacks such niceties like the frequency counter, but, it's a solid performer. If you want a great performing SSB rig, that also does a decent job on AM, look no further than the CPI 2000. All American made, the CPI was over-designed on the transmit side, and it has an outstanding receiver. But it's a little lacking on AM transmit modulation, as it was optimized for SSB use. That should probably set the ball rolling. There are others worthy of mention as time goes on. I'm sure others will chime in with their own recommendations as well.
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Post by Stranger on Apr 3, 2017 21:55:32 GMT -5
Wow sandbager this is great information, I have been down the mobile CB road of choices not for me and took advice from a couple of truck stop radio shops that just did not make any scene to me but I went against better judgement and purchased with out doing my own research, however it lead me to a very good set up now, I do have a Cobra 138XLR on my bench that was a no transmit and no receive dirty mess when I picked it up and now I have her talking, all though she is not at all close to a good radio yet, I do really like the this radio, I imagine I am at the point where I now know I do not have a junker and will send it to someone to make me a nice radio. I did consider the Cobra 139XLR because they share the same uniden board. I am glad you said something about the MK 4s as I would have leaned that way just because they were the later version. The browning have a input for receive and an output for transmit correct? This is very interesting and I like that idea, how are the two combined to go up the tower to one antenna or would I need a second receive antenna? I like this design very much, the 850 analog systems for cellular used two receive (receive diversity) and one transmit antennas per set of transverses. the two receive antennas had individual LNA amplifiers and then combined, the transmit was dumped into a combiner and tuned for power and then had it's own antenna.
Thanks !
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Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss
Posts: 6,245
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Post by Sandbagger on Apr 4, 2017 8:17:28 GMT -5
Wow sandbager this is great information, I have been down the mobile CB road of choices not for me and took advice from a couple of truck stop radio shops that just did not make any scene to me but I went against better judgement and purchased with out doing my own research, however it lead me to a very good set up now, I do have a Cobra 138XLR on my bench that was a no transmit and no receive dirty mess when I picked it up and now I have her talking, all though she is not at all close to a good radio yet, I do really like the this radio, I imagine I am at the point where I now know I do not have a junker and will send it to someone to make me a nice radio. I did consider the Cobra 139XLR because they share the same uniden board. I am glad you said something about the MK 4s as I would have leaned that way just because they were the later version. The browning have a input for receive and an output for transmit correct? This is very interesting and I like that idea, how are the two combined to go up the tower to one antenna or would I need a second receive antenna? I like this design very much, the 850 analog systems for cellular used two receive (receive diversity) and one transmit antennas per set of transverses. the two receive antennas had individual LNA amplifiers and then combined, the transmit was dumped into a combiner and tuned for power and then had it's own antenna. Thanks ! You really can't go wrong with the Cobra 138XLR either. It was only made for about a year or two ('77-'78), but the chassis inside is one of my favorites. The receiver is decent, but not stellar, and certainly not up there with the Browning or Tram tube rigs. The nice thing about the 138/139 XLR is that the transmit audio circuit just begs to be modified and experimented on. The PLL is also capable of generating well over 200 channels. And back in the day before you had "export" and "10 meter" type rigs that do this out of the box, having expanded channels was a definite selling point. Having that radio restored to 100% functionality would be well worth the effort. Yes, the Browning uses a separate transmitter and receiver, each in their own individual boxes. You only need one antenna though as the input from the receiver connects to a T/R relay in the transmitter which takes care of antenna switching. If you can find a MK 4a in good shape (Ebay prices will give you sticker shock though), that's a good rig to have. If only having 23 channels is acceptable, I always liked the MK 3 better.
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Post by bill on Apr 4, 2017 9:58:59 GMT -5
Welcome !!! As Sandbagger mentions, there will probably be many suggestions... I see where you mentioned sending your 138 XLR off to a Radio shop... In my experience, IF one does not do their own work on Radios, it gets real expensive, real quick... You narrowed your desire down to 3 Radios, all of which are old enough to require a full restoration in order to be reliable... I can only make reference to the Tram and Browning Models, as I own those... I have owned the same Tram D201A since new in 1978... Later, I bought a Browning MK IVA... A total restoration begins with replacing every Electrolytic Capacitor in the Radio, for starters... Followed by then replacing many Carbon Composition Resistors as well... Seeing these Radios are Vacuum Tubed based, the Tubes have to be performing to Specifications too... The Tram D201A is my favorite Radio and it has 15 Vacuum Tubes... All Tram D201A Radios are NOT created equal, as there is often mentioned the dreaded "BlacK" Crystal Selector Switch versus the "Grey" Switch... Black = Bad , Grey = Good, is how many keep it fresh in their Mind on which to consider... Many of the Black Switches failed with just a few turns of the Dial and were returned to the Factory for Warranty Service... Tram scrambled to obtain another Switch to replace it and that switch was Grey... It was NOT a Direct Replacement and was not an easy replacement... The Pins on the Switch did not match the Circuit Board which made the replacement difficult... Tram was overwhelmed with Warranty Service, so they allowed their Authorized Service Centers to replace the Switch, but given the difficulty, some only performed 1 replacement... From what I have seen, it appears Tram later introduced another Grey Switch, which WAS a Direct Replacement, making it much easier... One can tell the difference as 1 Switch was "thicker" having more Segments much like the Original Black Switch... The Pins on the 2nd Grey Switch matched the Circuit Board... I'll add that I have 2 Tram D201A Radios, 1 with a Factory Installed Grey Switch that is the "thicker" Switch and 1 with the Factory Black Switch... The Black Switch works 100%, and I do not treat that Switch gently on purpose thinking IF it failed, I could then attempt to repair it... I had never seen the inner workings of that Switch until recently when a Radio Tech on YouTube exposed it www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRNiA5HHgVA I have yet to disassemble the Black Switch, but will follow Mike's advice... When it comes to a Tram D201 / D201A, the cost of a total restoration can be expensive... It is said to be 4 - 4-1/2 Hours Labor which adds-up to be rather expensive in itself... Plus Parts... Plus Shipping both ways... Of course, unless one does their own work that is... I am still partial to my Tram D201A with the Grey Switch... I've restored it and it's a life-long keeper probably due to sentimental value... It is a performer and I believe far more superior than the Browning MK IVA in my opinion and probably also the opinions of Technicians who work on these Radios and more... In 1978, the Tram D201A was $795.00 and in today's money that equates to $3,030.00 At the Mom & Pop CB Shop operated out of their basement, the Browning MK IVA was also available for $895.00... Pop said to buy the Tram... One can buy a Tram D201 23 Channel and get 40 plus Channels from it by performing a somewhat simple Modification, if one is handy... I won't get into the many Modifications that are Online related to the Tram D201 / D201A Radios, except to say they are out there on the Internet... If one acquires a Tram or Browning Radio, one can still get some New Old Stock Parts for them here www.goldeneagleradios.com One can also get them Serviced there too... I am partial to Vintage Tube Type Radios... I will say that owning and operating them can be expensive and more so if one does not do their own work... I'll give a big wave to you out there in Kansas... I have relatives in Kansas, although I have never been there... Yates Center and Chanute...
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Post by thehobo on Apr 4, 2017 11:16:21 GMT -5
hello cliff, and welcome to the forum.. me, im the hobo from n.e. okla about 50 miles north of tulsa.. most og the radios mention i use, ex, mark 3 browning cobra 2000, tram 201 with the vox, and a tram 201 with the boards, then a 300 tram.. each tram has one thing or another that some like..the 2000 cobra is a good radio if one can find one not all golden screwdrivered up.. like told elsewere they are all good radios and if your not a fixer upper, haveing them done is no cheap but then it all depends on what one wants.. normally thru the day im on ch 19, but if skip is rolling im on 269150 am.. so if youall get down around these parts give a shout..
thehobo
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Post by bill on Apr 4, 2017 18:07:00 GMT -5
I see Clifford mentions a Tram Titan... No Side Band in a Titan, only AM... In a Titan II, it is Double Side Band, not Single Side Band... The Tram Titan IIA is also a Double Side Band Radio... I might be more apt to instead consider a Tram D201 or a D201A... Before I would consider the SBE Console V, I would research whether the Components it uses might still be available and at what prices... The PLL Chip and others... If one cannot get the Parts, the Radio is not worth that much to me... Another desired Radio was a Golden Eagle, although which Model was not mentioned...
Many people often desire a Radio that they remember from days gone by, for whatever reason...
Just some more ramblings from a Hobbyist / Tinkerer...
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Post by Stranger on Apr 4, 2017 18:27:43 GMT -5
That is good to know about the double side band, I was not aware it was not single. The only tube radio I remember when I was growing up was an am radio, mom bought it at an auction for me along with a wooden night stand, I had a wire on it out the window and up a ways and the whole world was opened up, I could hear radio stations from Oklahoma, Minnesota, some other places that I can't remember or never heard where they were broadcasting from. What great memories, I can still smell the radio and hear it in my mind.
The hunt for the radio is sure fun though! I guess there is no rule about only having one?? Thanks Cliff
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Post by bill on Apr 4, 2017 20:21:53 GMT -5
Yeah, it's the thrill of the hunt... I'd have more Radios if I had more $$$ Not sure if you shop on www.craigslist.org locally... One never knows what they will find and where they will find it... Prices on EBay have steadily increased and there is a seller there that asks some outrageous prices and now it seems that everyone else believes they should also follow his lead I'm a cheap skate and rather not spend a lot on these Antiques as I know what it takes to make them reliable... For Radio information, an Internet Search Box is one's friend... I did a quick search to gain the Info for the Titans and the SBE Console V... A rather extensive informational website is www.cbtricks.com for FREE Info... If one wants to see what Browning offered, one can visit www.browninglabsinc.com I seem to base my purchase decisions on the amount of Information I can gather for FREE Online related to the Equipment
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Post by Stranger on Apr 4, 2017 20:48:18 GMT -5
Yea I hit craigslist often, I also went to a junk auction the other day walked in and my eyeball locked in on the rack full of radios! I only wanted the one, it was covered in grime, dirt and looked like it had been sitting in the shop for decades, well all of them did but I rubbed off enough to see it was a cobra 138xlr. Well they started with the ones I did not want, no body bid and I was just waiting as they piled and piled all of them on and the last one was the one I wanted! I got the whole pile for 6 dollars US! That and a box of radio amplifier tubes which were the next on the block and I grabbed them for 5 clams. One other auction I grabbed some base radios that are solid state they all need some care. It seems the best operating of the base radios is the Johnson messenger 250. It seems to be a nice receiving radio, however the transmit is poor for sure now. radios... Thanks Cliff
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Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss
Posts: 6,245
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Post by Sandbagger on Apr 4, 2017 21:03:34 GMT -5
Yea I hit craigslist often, I also went to a junk auction the other day walked in and my eyeball locked in on the rack full of radios! I only wanted the one, it was covered in grime, dirt and looked like it had been sitting in the shop for decades, well all of them did but I rubbed off enough to see it was a cobra 138xlr. Well they started with the ones I did not want, no body bid and I was just waiting as they piled and piled all of them on and the last one was the one I wanted! I got the whole pile for 6 dollars US! That and a box of radio amplifier tubes which were the next on the block and I grabbed them for 5 clams. One other auction I grabbed some base radios that are solid state they all need some care. It seems the best operating of the base radios is the Johnson messenger 250. It seems to be a nice receiving radio, however the transmit is poor for sure now. radios... Thanks Cliff Once the bug hits, it's usually incurable....... But it's a lot of fun.
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Post by Stranger on Apr 4, 2017 22:13:21 GMT -5
Can you tell me why I would not want the Golden Eagle MK II with the single side band SSB 15 to go along with it? other than I do not know where one is? I found this link and WOW I want all of it. www.pbase.com/token/image/64201053/largeI think I am a lost cause now! but seriously can someone tell me if this is something I would not want? Thanks And I will be quiet for a while.. Cliff
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Post by bill on Apr 5, 2017 7:39:02 GMT -5
No need to sit quiet, as what fun would that be ? I did not / do not mean to shy you away from ANY Radio you want... Just trying to make you aware of some things to consider before making a purchase decision... Practically anything can be repaired with enough time and money... I'd rather spend the time than the money... Again, if one does not do their own work, these Antiques are expensive to have restored as it is rather labor intensive... Parts are relatively cheap compared to labor rates... With the MK II you posted a link to with the SSB 15, one would then hope for the Transadapter too www.browninglabsinc.com/45026f40.jpgSo, You like Browning... When you get to this point, you'll have pretty much everything Browning made www.browninglabsinc.com/our_shack.htmOne can read the reason(s) why, with these Antiques, a restoration is in order www.antiqueradio.org/recap.htmwww.ppinyot.com/links/resistors.htmOf course, there are numerous Articles related to Radio Restoration online as well as Books that are available... The Internet is truly amazing and I never would have begun to Tinker with Electronics if it were not for the Internet... If one likes Videos, visit www.youtube.com and use the Search Box there... One can learn Electronics there, from Basics to Advanced... How to Solder / De-Solder... How to Test Components... Etc., Etc... The possibilities are endless on the Internet, in words and or videos...
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Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss
Posts: 6,245
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Post by Sandbagger on Apr 5, 2017 7:45:12 GMT -5
Can you tell me why I would not want the Golden Eagle MK II with the single side band SSB 15 to go along with it? other than I do not know where one is? I found this link and WOW I want all of it. www.pbase.com/token/image/64201053/largeI think I am a lost cause now! but seriously can someone tell me if this is something I would not want? Thanks And I will be quiet for a while.. Cliff Nothing really wrong with the Browning MK 2, lots of people run them and enjoy every minute of it. I don't have any hands-on personal experience with one though, so I can't comment on any design quirks that it might have. It's hard to go wrong with any Browning Golden Eagle. But like I said before, they're not the best rigs to have if SSB operation is your normal mode. They're far better on the AM mode. Just try to avoid the crazies on E-Bay that think they're worth $1000.
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Post by Stranger on Apr 15, 2017 20:50:19 GMT -5
Well, I have dibs on a Hy Ggain 623 Utopia , it looks like it uses a 1/4 inch plug mic, which is nowhere to be found. Anyway I should have a lot of fun making it operational. Ahh I am excited! Cliff
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Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss
Posts: 6,245
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Post by Sandbagger on Apr 15, 2017 21:55:11 GMT -5
Well, I have dibs on a Hy Ggain 623 Utopia , it looks like it uses a 1/4 inch plug mic, which is nowhere to be found. Anyway I should have a lot of fun making it operational. Ahh I am excited! Cliff One of my favorite radios! You'll have fun with it.
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Post by Stranger on Apr 17, 2017 20:21:11 GMT -5
Ha ha nevermind, my got dibs fell through! Plenty of radios avalable and one out there just looking for me
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Post by BBB on Apr 18, 2017 17:27:57 GMT -5
Welcome. I see you mentioned a solid state radio as well in your initial post. I run mobile CB radios in my base station from time to time. Most solid state base stations are based on mobile radio main PC boards. They just have a 12VDC power supply and maybe a clock inside as well.
Radios like the infamous Cobra 2000 GTL base station have a similar chassis to the Cobra 148 GTL mobile radio. The Royce 642 base has the Royce 639 mobile board inside. The list goes on and on. So if you wanted to save a few bucks you can research what base stations share what mobile radio chassis and pick up the mobile radio a bit cheaper. Just need a suitable sized 12VDC power supply to run them in the shack off the 120VAC wall outlet. Most classic solid state CB radios only require a 5 amp unit. More if you want to run an amplifier.
Also get yourself a few good classic power desk mics like an Astatic D104, Turner +2, +3 or Super Side kick. The difference between the sound of a stock hand mic compared to a good power desk mic is astounding at times.
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Post by Stranger on Apr 21, 2017 22:19:45 GMT -5
Welcome. I see you mentioned a solid state radio as well in your initial post. I run mobile CB radios in my base station from time to time. Most solid state base stations are based on mobile radio main PC boards. They just have a 12VDC power supply and maybe a clock inside as well. Radios like the infamous Cobra 2000 GTL base station have a similar chassis to the Cobra 148 GTL mobile radio. The Royce 642 base has the Royce 639 mobile board inside. The list goes on and on. So if you wanted to save a few bucks you can research what base stations share what mobile radio chassis and pick up the mobile radio a bit cheaper. Just need a suitable sized 12VDC power supply to run them in the shack off the 120VAC wall outlet. Most classic solid state CB radios only require a 5 amp unit. More if you want to run an amplifier. Also get yourself a few good classic power desk mics like an Astatic D104, Turner +2, +3 or Super Side kick. The difference between the sound of a stock hand mic compared to a good power desk mic is astounding at times. Thanks BBB! I have a really clean cobra 138xlr which I have been working on, I picked it up at an auction for almost nothing in a bunch of other radios. I have it talking and receiving now by replacing a significant number of the electrolytic capacitors, I also took the meter apart and got it clean and moving like it should. The radio talks ok but sounds rather quit.I really like it, I just am to the point where I need to find some one to finish it with an alignment and what not. I read that this is the same uniden board that is in the cobra 139xlr base and it may also be in the trc 457 realistic. Maybe I will look into that avenue. Thanks.
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Post by Stranger on Apr 22, 2017 19:42:24 GMT -5
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Post by Stranger on Apr 22, 2017 19:52:51 GMT -5
Well today was a good day! My wife and i was headding to the hardware store to get some electrical stuff so I could add better lighting and more plugins in her craft room and we spied a flea market just getting set up . Being the troopers we are we decided to take a walk through to see if we could possibly find something we did not already have. I came away with a cb base station and I believe from what I read it is a good one too! It is a $25 Cobra 142GTL 40 channel SSB, it powers up but all of the pots are noisy, either the Mic is bad or something else is going on. The Stromberg Carlson 400H I was not looking for one ofg those but the nice lady told me only $2, so I felt obligated, then I came across a NOS Global Electronics mic preamp, I think I gave the gentleman $10 for it.
Well I have the electrical work completed and maybe will tinker around with my new base radio, see what king of mess I can get into!
Life is GOOD! Thanks Cliff
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Post by BBB on Apr 24, 2017 10:21:26 GMT -5
Great find on the Cobra 142 base. Very desirable rig. There are really good specific chemicals for cleaning switches and potentiometers in radios. The brand is called DeoxIT by Caig and the two I use are: DeoxIT Fader F-5 spray can for potentiometers (or variable resistors): store.caig.com/s.nl/it.A/id.1750/.f?sc=2&category=293DeoxIT D-5 spray can for switches store.caig.com/s.nl/it.A/id.1602/.f?sc=2&category=188These work like magic as opposed the simple WD-40 that is not so good for electronics. They can be found at various re-sellers like Amazon and Guitar Center on the internet. Most pots and switches have a gap in the casing (near where the wires are soldered on) that you can finagle the tip of the spraycan tube into or near to direct the spray. Sometimes I bend a 90 degree bend at the tip of the tube to assist in getting the spray where I want tit to go. Most slide or rocker switches are of the open variety and can be accessed easily just by moving the switch around to expose the contacts in there. After application of the chemicals, work the pots/ switches back and forth several times. Don't have the right chemicals? You can sometimes temporarily clean stuff by simply turning/ activating the pot or switch a hundred+ times (channel selectors included) Meters stuck? Just learned the trick to loosen them. I always knew you could loose and re-tighten the miniature screws on the movement but just learned that you need to loosen the glue (like a type of loc-tite) on top of the screw with Acetone first. Always wondered why those little screws were so dam tight, haha.
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Post by Stranger on Apr 24, 2017 13:22:32 GMT -5
Great info! I will get these pots and switches cleaned!
My daughter has some electronic cleaner for a bass guitar so I get it will get the pots on this radio.
Thanks
Life is good!
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Post by Stranger on Apr 26, 2017 18:31:06 GMT -5
I too your advice and used some electronic cleaner spray stuff took the pots loose from the front pannel one at a time and sprayed cleaner in and turned them back and forth and used some compressed can a if to blow them out also, this took several times to get the crackle out of them. When I first turned it on I had nothing and played around with the pa switch so I cleaned them out also. So now I have receive! I have a carrier when I key the mic at about 3 watts or so on my meter, but no modulation, I used a 4 pin to five pin mic adapter to try a different mic and same thing. I got to thinking about switching to the pa because the switch had given e fits earlier and with my external speaker pluged in the pa jack and the switch on cb the internal speaker works, when I switch to pa I hear static on the external pluged in to the pa jack but no audio. Does this sound like something still not quite correct on the pa switch or am I thinking wrong? I may look and see if I can test it with my meeter. Thanks Cliff Great find on the Cobra 142 base. Very desirable rig. There are really good specific chemicals for cleaning switches and potentiometers in radios. The brand is called DeoxIT by Caig and the two I use are: DeoxIT Fader F-5 spray can for potentiometers (or variable resistors): store.caig.com/s.nl/it.A/id.1750/.f?sc=2&category=293DeoxIT D-5 spray can for switches store.caig.com/s.nl/it.A/id.1602/.f?sc=2&category=188These work like magic as opposed the simple WD-40 that is not so good for electronics. They can be found at various re-sellers like Amazon and Guitar Center on the internet. Most pots and switches have a gap in the casing (near where the wires are soldered on) that you can finagle the tip of the spraycan tube into or near to direct the spray. Sometimes I bend a 90 degree bend at the tip of the tube to assist in getting the spray where I want tit to go. Most slide or rocker switches are of the open variety and can be accessed easily just by moving the switch around to expose the contacts in there. After application of the chemicals, work the pots/ switches back and forth several times. Don't have the right chemicals? You can sometimes temporarily clean stuff by simply turning/ activating the pot or switch a hundred+ times (channel selectors included) Meters stuck? Just learned the trick to loosen them. I always knew you could loose and re-tighten the miniature screws on the movement but just learned that you need to loosen the glue (like a type of loc-tite) on top of the screw with Acetone first. Always wondered why those little screws were so dam tight, haha.
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