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Post by dutch62 on Mar 13, 2010 22:31:00 GMT -5
I haven't been into CB Radio since the 80's. I have owned 148gtl, uniden grant XL, SBE Consol II, and other great CB Radios. Well, I wish I still had them! In the past year, I have purchased 2 of the new 148gtls and they are junk! Very poor receive! Does anyone make a GOOD CB anymore? I want a good high performance CB with AM/SSB if such a radio exists. Opinions?
I'm not interested in illegal crap.
Dave
KB0DV
Ham since 1994
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Ronin
Big Bucket Mouth
Posts: 78
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Post by Ronin on Mar 13, 2010 23:43:19 GMT -5
I have found that the Galaxy radios are pretty decent. I have the DX 949 for about 4 years now and have found it to work well. I always get good reports on the transmitted audio (I use an Astatic 575-MB microphone) on both AM and SSB. The stock receiver is good and there are mods to improve the receiver performance and the NB circuit as well. I performed the receiver/NB mods on mine and the improvement was noticeable. The radio is very stable on SSB with no drift and I also like the large analog meter.
The DX 949, DX 959 and the DX 2547 (base) share the same PC board and controls, with the 959 and 2547 having frequency counters as well. There could be other radios using this same board, but these three I know for sure do.
I hope this helps.
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Post by badnews456 on Mar 14, 2010 18:06:05 GMT -5
rci 2995dx base is the best to me. BADNEWS
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**GRUMPY**
Administrator/The Boss 
Classic Radio Operator Olde Timer 8220 [/color][/center]
"The King of Ping"
Posts: 4,342
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Post by **GRUMPY** on Mar 15, 2010 7:44:09 GMT -5
rci 2995dx base is the best to me. BADNEWS 
Dave... if you're looking to replace a radio that you once had with something that is made today I'm afraid you will be looking for a very long time, because they just don't make them like that anymore!
Cobra CB's are nothing but junk now, Uniden doesn't make a sideband radio anymore, which leaves you with CB's made by Galaxy or Ranger. The Galaxy DX949 isn't a bad radio, but it will never compare to a radio like the Cobra 138XLR of the past in which in my opinion was the best mobile radio ever made for CB.
I still own one and run it when I need a radio in the car. I've tried many others, they don't even come close to the receive of the 138XLR or the transmit audio. And they are nice and stable on sideband.
Now it's all this export junk with flashing lights,fancy faceplate's, roger beeps and turbo echo. Your best bet is to find some old guy who still has his old radios in a closet and wouldn't mind unloading one! |
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Post by cbrown on Mar 15, 2010 8:32:33 GMT -5
I take it you didn't read the part where he doesn't want an illegal radio ! I noticed it. I was going to mention the Connex line, but he eliminated it. Nice radios, though. I agree with Grumpy though. Find someone with a nice old CB sitting around and grab it. |
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Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss
Posts: 6,250 
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Post by Sandbagger on Mar 16, 2010 7:18:54 GMT -5
Grumpy makes a good point. 25 years ago there were far better built radios out there and the selection was greater. But finding a radio that old still in good electrical condition will be tough, and the age of the radio presents another set of potential issues. 25 year old radios are just getting into that age where capacitors start to dry out, variable resistors get dirty and noisy, and meter movements can start to stick.
A lot has to do with how the radio was used and kept. Obviously a radio lightly used inside a climate controlled building will fair better than one in daily use inside a dirty truck.
All that being said, some good candidates for perfoming radios from back then are:
Cobra 138XLR/Realistic TRC-449 (Same chassis)
Cobra 148GTL/Uniden Grant XL/Realistic TRC-450 (Same chassis)
Cobra 146/Realistic TRC-451 (Same chassis)
These are all Uniden made radios, which have great noise blankers, low noise floor receivers, and stable SSB performance.
The Cobra 148 is still being made in some form, but it's not the same quality radio as it was 25 years ago. The chassis is a Chinese clone of the original Uniden design, and the parts may not be as robust.
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Ronin
Big Bucket Mouth
Posts: 78
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Post by Ronin on Mar 16, 2010 19:13:19 GMT -5
Both Grumpy and Sandbagger are 100% correct. I love the older radios as well since I had got my start in CB in August of 1976 and have a lot of fond memories of rigs from that era, both tube and solid state. The hard part sometimes is finding the radio that you like that is in good condition or needs only a little TLC.
I picked up the Galaxy DX949 to have something new and relatively reliable to use while I tinkered with or had my older radios serviced. The DX-949 is really not quite as good as some of the other older radios that I have, but for me it has been a decent radio. I must admit, I do enjoy operating my older radios alot more than the 949, but it has served it purpose pretty well.
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Post by Night Ranger on Mar 16, 2010 21:11:11 GMT -5
The Cobra 148 is still being made in some form, but it's not the same quality radio as it was 25 years ago. The chassis is a Chinese clone of the original Uniden design, and the parts may not be as robust. I have the Cobra 148 GTL re-issue and an original Cobra 148 GTL with the 5 pin mic plug on the side of the radio. The new Cobra 148 GTL re-issue has a better receiver than the original Cobra 148 GTL. In particular the noise blanker is better on the new version. Nice radio. I bought one for the car and one for the house. I posted a YouTube video of the new Cobra 148 GTL receiving skip coming in on 38 LSB. Listen for yourself. The receiver is located in South Carolina. Cobra 148 GTL re-issue receiving skip on 38 LSB www.youtube.com/watch?v=de7Ufp9cOZMCobra 148 GTL re-issue receiving skip on AM. www.youtube.com/user/mrawls24?feature=mhw4Night Ranger |
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Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss
Posts: 6,250
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Post by Sandbagger on Mar 17, 2010 10:02:06 GMT -5
The Cobra 148 is still being made in some form, but it's not the same quality radio as it was 25 years ago. The chassis is a Chinese clone of the original Uniden design, and the parts may not be as robust. I have the Cobra 148 GTL re-issue and an original Cobra 148 GTL with the 5 pin mic plug on the side of the radio. The new Cobra 148 GTL re-issue has a better receiver than the original Cobra 148 GTL. In particular the noise blanker is better on the new version. Nice radio. I bought one for the car and one for the house. I posted a YouTube video of the new Cobra 148 GTL receiving skip coming in on 38 LSB. Listen for yourself. The receiver is located in South Carolina. Cobra 148 GTL re-issue receiving skip on 38 LSB www.youtube.com/watch?v=de7Ufp9cOZMCobra 148 GTL re-issue receiving skip on AM. www.youtube.com/user/mrawls24?feature=mhw4Night Ranger I find that interesting. Rarely do you find a clone copy of something and have it actually perform better than the original. I suppose it's possible that someone improved on the actual design somewhere along the line. But the biggest complaints that I hear about the "new" Cobras relate to the quality of the parts, not necessarily in the performance. Could it also be possible that your older 148 is sufffering a bit from the effects of age? I listened to your clips and without an A/B comparison, it's really hard to tell how good or bad a particular receiver is performing. Skip is also not the best example to use as the signals are usually varying, which makes even an A/B comparison difficult. But I do want to know what you use to take video and close up snap shots of your rigs. Your pictures are always razor sharp and crystal clear. Mine usually end up blurring somewhat, even if I mount the camera on a tripod........... |
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Post by Night Ranger on Mar 17, 2010 17:30:39 GMT -5
But I do want to know what you use to take video and close up snap shots of your rigs. Your pictures are always razor sharp and crystal clear. Mine usually end up blurring somewhat, even if I mount the camera on a tripod........... The movie camera is a Kodak Zi8 HD camera. I used 720p at 30 fps for the YouTube video. It will do 720p at 60 fps and 1080p at 30 fps. I bought the Kodak Zi8 at BestBuy last year. It has a selectable switch on the top of the camera for close in pictures which I used in the video, and it will plug directly in to a USB port. You will need to buy an SD Memory card to get more than a few seconds of recording time. I bought a 16 gigabyte SD card for mine, but an 8 gigabyte SD card would probably do as well. It looks like the price at BestBuy has gone up a bit since I bought mine. I think I paid about $180 plus tax for mine. For still pictures for my website I use a Gateway DC-T50. It is several years old. I think I bought it at BestBuy as well. Both cameras will mount on a tripod. |
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Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss
Posts: 6,250
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Post by Sandbagger on Mar 17, 2010 18:12:54 GMT -5
But I do want to know what you use to take video and close up snap shots of your rigs. Your pictures are always razor sharp and crystal clear. Mine usually end up blurring somewhat, even if I mount the camera on a tripod........... The movie camera is a Kodak Zi8 HD camera. I used 720p at 30 fps for the YouTube video. It will do 720p at 60 fps and 1080p at 30 fps. I bought the Kodak Zi8 at BestBuy last year. It has a selectable switch on the top of the camera for close in pictures which I used in the video, and it will plug directly in to a USB port. You will need to buy an SD Memory card to get more than a few seconds of recording time. I bought a 16 gigabyte SD card for mine, but an 8 gigabyte SD card would probably do as well. It looks like the price at BestBuy has gone up a bit since I bought mine. I think I paid about $180 plus tax for mine. For still pictures for my website I use a Gateway DC-T50. It is several years old. I think I bought it at BestBuy as well. Both cameras will mount on a tripod. Wow! $180 for an HD camera? The last time I was looking at video cameras (I get a new one about every 10 years) the HD's were running in the $500 and up range depending on features. But that camera you have really does take sharp video, and your stills are first rate as well. |
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Post by missourimustang on May 18, 2010 16:03:53 GMT -5
I think the 138XLR is a better quality radio.They had the 858 chip, which to me had more channel capibilities than the 8719.My 139XLR started at 26.105 and ended at 28.045 and didnt skip a single channel.And the audio was just as good as any 2000.Im never without a good 139XLR.
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Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss
Posts: 6,250
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Post by Sandbagger on May 19, 2010 7:27:33 GMT -5
I think the 138XLR is a better quality radio.They had the 858 chip, which to me had more channel capibilities than the 8719.My 139XLR started at 26.105 and ended at 28.045 and didnt skip a single channel.And the audio was just as good as any 2000.Im never without a good 139XLR. I tend to agree. I far preferred the 858 chassis to the later MB8719 from a strictly modification perspective. It widebanded better, there were tons more channels in the PLL, and the modulation circuit could be played around with in all sorts of interesting ways. However, the MB8719 chassis radios seemed to have a better receiver, with both a lower noise floor and better sensitivity, and a better Noise Blanker. |
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Post by thejerk on May 24, 2010 8:06:46 GMT -5
Probably there was nothing wrong with those two 148s he bought, other than they needed aligned, tuned, and peaked. I would take any new radio and have it at least checked for proper setup.
As far as Galaxy, my NEW DX959 was found to have a bad circuit from factory (burnt out because of the setup)...it took a factory-authorized Galaxy tech over two hours to get it repaired, aligned, and setup correctly...now its a good radio.
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