shopping for radio got questions

[bftank]

1) any body ordered from Radioactive Radio before?

i've looked at their website and have been impressed with how they present their products. just looking for some outside opinions about this company or suggestions for using others.

2) looking for some suggestions for a good radio. so far considering the ranger 63ffc4, the connex 4300hp300, or the galaxy 98vhp.
3) qualities needed

a) rugged construction for bad (dusty and rough) dirt roads in a semi tractor
b) ability to broadcast large distances in the rocky mountain area
c) no bleeding to other channels, ability to use responsibly.
d) future ham use possibility


thanks for any feedback, i'm relatively new to the cb. my only experience is with cobra 29 models, just looking for something bigger.

thanks again,
derail

pics of radios from radioactive website

 

[k20]

those arent cb's. Those are 10m HAM radios that can be modded to work on cb frequencies, they are also referred to as export radios. A true cb will only work on cb frequencies, 40 channels (unless it has sideband) and 4watts stock. Once they are modded for the cb usage, I am pretty sure they wont work on HAM channels. If I was looking for a ham radio I would look at ones in the 2m range.

I am running a galaxy 959, rk56 mic, and a little power being put to it via texas star 350hdv, and a predator 10k antenna just for reference.

As far as radioactive radios, Ive heard differing opinions about them. Ive read where they build some sweet sounding radios, but then they will also put out some stuff that bleeds all over the frequencies, sounds distorted, etc.

Click on over to http://thequackshack.com/ and read up for a buncha radio reviews, etc.

 

[bftank]

thanks for the reply k20. couple of questions

why the 2meter radios?
(totally new the concept of ham, keep in mind)

if converted to cb usage would these work well or would it be a waste of money?

any recommendations for a good radio that can handle dust and rough roads fairly well?

 

[gnihcraes]

It would also be illegal if converted and running that much power on cb frequencies...

2 meters, great frequency, plenty of repeaters, great coverage/distance, readily available, most any ham would have 2 meters.

Most ham radio mobile equipment will have a military specification for road/grime/water, so they last longer and work better. I can't count how many cb's I've had over the years, and they all just "crap out" and quit working, something breaks, dust kills them... I haven't had many ham radios do that, unless it was my own fault.

kelly.

 

[bftank]

just talked to michael over at radioactive today and he confirmed what k20 said about the ham not working after conversion. he seemed very knowledgeable about it, and friendly, but i'm a newb so take that into consideration. they can do a mod on there radios where the power can be turned down when a low profile is a good thing. gotta be somewhat responsible.

 

[k20]

I would go with 2m because a buddy of mine is a HAM and thats what his radio is. Frigging thing sounds like a cellphone as far as quality goes, repeaters all over the place. Very nice setup. I will probably be getting my HAM and a 2m radio and add it in with my cb and have a good all around setup.

So far my 959 has held up to my use so far. Its been in there for....5years now and it broke once. It was about a month after I bought it and it would power on but then it would act like it was always in transmit mode. Galaxy has a 2yr warranty so shipped it back, they swapped out a couple parts, sent it back and it is still alive and kicking.

Honestly I would look into a good cb radio (Im partial to galaxy's) and a linear if you find yourself wanting more power. Most linears dont like anymore than MAYBE 25w input. Heck my stock galaxy is putting out 10w so it is a good feed to a linear.

Then if you really want to reach out and touch someone start looking into the HAM radio's, in the 2m variety. I have never dealt with the 10m stuff, but it is so close to the 11m cb band that I have a feeling there could be some interference between the 2, especially with some of the huge linears truckers will run on 11m.

 

[pauly383]

There is no way in hell that 250 watt radio really puts out 250 watts

 

[bftank]

i assume you refer to the galaxy, in their ad they say 200-275 pep. what does this mean and why is it not possible to have 250 watts?

 

[pauly383]

i assume you refer to the galaxy, in their ad they say 200-275 pep. what does this mean and why is it not possible to have 250 watts?

PEP is peak envelope power http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_envelope_power

Its not possible in that radio , because the output transistors , and the circuits supporting them won't do 250 watts . Regardless what their meter says .

Using my Ham radio for an example , it does a real 100 watts on sideband and morse code , 40 watts on AM , and weighs 4 times what that radio does .

 

[gnihcraes]

and most CB's don't actually have power transistors, as amateur equipment does...

 

[pauly383]

They have transistors all right , most radios do , but I doubt the heatsinks are as efficient .

 

[bftank]

from what i understand and jave read pauly you are a bit of a radio guru, so what would you recommend for a cb radio that has awesome input and output over large distances on standard cb channels. say 10 miles or so. i am looking for a radio that does this for work. i haul sand to remote locations in an 18- wheeler and don't like meeting people when going up a single track on a 27% grade. i need to be able to here where people are at on the road as they call out.

 

[readymix]

For just a regular CB I like the old Cobra 29 made in PI. Audio sounded great on them. I currently run a Uniden PC78Elite. Pretty decent radio.
Don't bother getting it modded for a few reasons:
1. It isn't worth the money. Save you cash for a good antenna. You'll get much more bang for your buck that way.
2. They will overdrive the radio to get higher power readings, but your transmit audio will sound like crap. Just listen to CB Channel 6 and you'll hear what I mean.