Two great CB shops

[Tip]

Heads up on CB shops:

The shop by the Albuquerque T/A is very good at repair.

The shop at Johnson's truck stop, about fourty miles north of Denver on I-25, is also very good.

[MACK E-6]

I believe our resident ham guy will be the judge of that.

[kc0rey]

Originally Posted by MACK E-6

I believe our resident ham guy will be the judge of that.

You are correct Mack!

The shop at the T/A in Alberqueque is a butcher shop. I have no knowledge of the one in the Denver area.

I think maybe I should post a sticky with shops I've checked out that have passed my very simple test.

That would be Walcott CB and the Ham/Radio shop in Ontario, CA. Only 2 out od hundreds could answer basic electronics questions. I also ask simple radio questions.

[MACK E-6]

Originally Posted by kc0rey

I think maybe I should post a sticky with shops I've checked out that have passed my very simple test.

That would be Walcott CB and the Ham/Radio shop in Ontario, CA. Only 2 out od hundreds could answer basic electronics questions. I also ask simple radio questions.

Please do. Just make sure you remember to post new ones as you learn about them.
Where's Walcott's?

[kc0rey]

Originally Posted by MACK E-6

Please do. Just make sure you remember to post new ones as you learn about them.
Where's Walcott's?

Walcott CB in Walcott, IA.

I have "tested" hundreds of CB Shops in the last year. Unfortunatly, I am currently on Medical leave and won't be driving for a while. Maybe I should teach y'all to test these guys for yourself. If my medical problem keeps me from returning to driving, I am seriously thinking about re-opening my shop, if I can find a good location and find a way to protect myself from the welfare loosers.

As to bad shops, I only remember the complete idiots like Santa Clause in Bakersfield and the goofball at the Sapp Brothers at Exit 257 on I-80 in Nebraska. Then there is the guy at one of the T/A truckstops in TN. Knoxville, I think. He is a obvious crook as well as an idiot.

The guy at the TTT in Tuscon has awesome prices on used radios but knows very little.

[Maxgussam]

Please post the list of questions that you ask the folks at the shops!

It sure would help, (and would often be funny) to see or hear the reactions of these shops.

Personally, I would like to ask these questions on the radio, so that many other drivers can hear for themselves that the place is good or bad.

Thanks-

[Tip]

Korey, the shop I'm talking about isn't actually IN the T/A in Albuquerque. It's down the hill near the "ratty" little truckstop by the main n-s street in a multi-story building. That guy is good. He brought a radio of mine back from the dead.

The shop at Johson's is in a small building on the north end of the complex. It's actually across a small street. I got a little cobra from there once for like 15 bucks. The guy had completely rebuilt it and tuned it. He didn't guarantee it, but I took a chance. It was a good gamble. That radio still works fine like 6 years later. He had plenty of great buys in that shop.

[kc0rey]

Originally Posted by Tip

Korey, the shop I'm talking about isn't actually IN the T/A in Albuquerque. It's down the hill near the "ratty" little truckstop by the main n-s street in a multi-story building. That guy is good. He brought a radio of mine back from the dead.

The shop at Johson's is in a small building on the north end of the complex. It's actually across a small street. I got a little cobra from there once for like 15 bucks. The guy had completely rebuilt it and tuned it. He didn't guarantee it, but I took a chance. It was a good gamble. That radio still works fine like 6 years later. He had plenty of great buys in that shop.

If there is more then one shop then I only tested one. I test them on the radio, and rarely go in as when I do they usually get angry and kick me out. One even threatened to kick my rear. He wishes he could.

[kc0rey]

Originally Posted by Maxgussam

Please post the list of questions that you ask the folks at the shops!

It sure would help, (and would often be funny) to see or hear the reactions of these shops.

Personally, I would like to ask these questions on the radio, so that many other drivers can hear for themselves that the place is good or bad.

Thanks-

I ask 2 things and have a specific way I ask:

I'll call 'em on the radio, or answer them and ask for a radio check. Then I will tell them that another shop stated I had a bad Anode in my radio and does he have one. Most of the time they will state outright they don't know what an Anode is and sometimes they will try to BS me and say it is an Audio Chip, Regulator, eyt.

An Anode is part of a Diode. It is one half of the junction that forms the Diode. The other half is called a Cathode. This is basic electronics and many schoolkids know what an Anode is. The CB Shop certainly should.

I'll ask for an explanation of Capacitive Skin Effect. This is RF Theory and every Radio SHop has to know this.

Capacitive Skin Effect is the tendency of electrons to flow on the surface of the wire at higher frequencies. It is very important to know this when selecting coax as one example.

[Tip]

Korey, man I sure wish I could have met you out on the road somewhere once. I had a big cobra in the truck I was using (I was slip seating on that run) that was aggravating the hell out of me. I nearly threw it in the garbage. I couldn't get it to work to save my life, no matter how I turned the buttons.

I need to read your sticky about how these things work if I go back to driving.