Cheap CB? and Truck question.

[clantonman1983]

I got a couple of questions.

I drive a chevrolet Colorado. a little smaller truck, plus I drive a manual, so I have a gear shift in the floor. so, room is taken up for my radio. I have a Galaxy 44V. I love the radio but honestly, it's just too big to fit correctly in my truck and not look clunky and badly put together. (I keep it under my dash in line with the air condition controls). so, I have been considering getting a smaller radio to better fit inside my vehicle. I don't care about talking a hundred miles away, but I do enjoy being able to get out on channel 19 fairly well, as well as at night, be able to talk to other base stations on the higher channels (some of which are in neighboring counties). I can do this partly because I also have a Palomar 275 pushing the radio.

Do you guys know of a smaller radio, that's easy to fit inside a small single cab truck like mine, that is fairly cheap that I can push with a linear and still get out decently? I know by downgrading, I probably won't get out as much as before but i would think that by still using my amp, i will still be able to talk fine.

radios I was thinking about were:

Cobra 25
Cobra 19
or any other radio similar to those two.

[Carolina Thunder]

I know i keep saying this but a Cobra 25 with the mostfet upgrade will do at least 40 watts and will fit just about anywhere. Now. Magnum also makes a small in size radio called a Magnum 257. Here is the link.

[LINK POSTED BY MEMBER] Only Members Can View This Truck Forum Link.

[112racing]

sparkys cb shop has a cobra 25ltd with a rfx 75 final that puts out a 120 watts that is a smaller radio and comes with a skythumper noise canceling microphone for $180 bucks another 30 will get you echo

[WA4GCH]

Originally Posted by Carolina Thunder

I know i keep saying this but a Cobra 25 with the mostfet upgrade will do at least 40 watts and will fit just about anywhere. Now. Magnum also makes a small in size radio called a Magnum 257. Here is the link.

[LINK POSTED BY MEMBER] Only Members Can View This Truck Forum Link.

I run a 257 on 10 meters it's not a bad radio at all ...

[clantonman1983]

can someone explain to me how the difference is made by downgrading from a galaxy 44v with a palomar to a smaller radio like a cobra 25 or even a cobra 19 when you still have the amp pushing it? I know it makes a difference but I don't really understand how.

[Turbo-T]

The 19's are said to not have much modulation.

Also I've been told you can't get much more modulation out of them, and a Cobra 25 you can get a little more than a 19.

Swing is king on an AM radio so they say.

But hey I have a stock Cobra 19 GTL from 1979. Would love to have her tuned up and ran behind a big ol pill box....and stomp them General Lee/Connex/Stryker/Galaxys. But she ain't got a mic gain.

[Carolina Thunder]

....allow me to rant,you know how much a love to

Originally Posted by Turbo-T

Swing is king on an AM radio so they say.

....only for those who enjoy getting walked on by those of us that run that BIG AM carrier on AM!

That swing stuff is nothing but total ####. Sure you want a little swing on AM but you dont want to be swinging 40 watts from a 1/2 Watt carrier or you will sound like trash! That low key,mod kit,swing kit over modulation stuff you hear from CB shops is nothing but a way for them to get more money out of you!

To people that like to argue this ( not saying you are ) i always like to point out to them this. If swing was the way to go then why dont you hear the guys on ch 6 running a 100 watt carrier swinging to 50K+? And those that have tried to use a radio/amp set up that way on ch 6 always get BLOWN off of the channel! How many times have you heard a guy at a T stop talking that was loud as hell but yet you get down the road a mile or so and you cant hear him at all? That's what running a really low key will get you! Now if he had been using a higher key then he would have been heard much further!

You only need enough forward swing on AM so that the radio will produce 100% modulation,anymore than that is nothing but distortion ( seen as power by a Dosy meter ) and a way to please the Dosy Gods! Of all of my radios like the 2995 ( 50 watts key ) 2970DX (50 watts key) 2950DX ( 11 watt) 3300HP ( 11 watt ) and my few old Cobra 29's with mosfets ( 8 watt ) and all of my old tube radios like Tram D-201's and Browning Golden Eagles ( 6 to 7 watt ) I use a higher key and have outstanding audio and clarity with strong modulation.

[WA4GCH]

Originally Posted by Carolina Thunder

....allow me to rant,you know how much a love to




That swing stuff is nothing but total ####. Sure you want a little swing on AM but you dont want to be swinging 40 watts from a 1/2 Watt carrier or you will sound like trash! That low key,mod kit,swing kit over modulation stuff you hear from CB shops is nothing but a way for them to get more money out of you!



.

Thank you !

Remember Screen or controled carrer modulation ? GOD WE WERE HAPPY TO SEE IT FAID AWAY ! Drake, Heath and others used it to make AM ... Yep a senica 2 meter radio would idle at 10 watts and swing to 50-70 same with the TR-4 .... It look great on a "S" meter as it bounced several "S" units but when you got weak it sounded a bit like very poor SSB.

Nothing beats a well modulated radio with a full carrer .....

[Turbo-T]

Originally Posted by Carolina Thunder

That swing stuff is nothing but total ####. Sure you want a little swing on AM but you dont want to be swinging 40 watts from a 1/2 Watt carrier or you will sound like trash! That low key,mod kit,swing kit over modulation stuff you hear from CB shops is nothing but a way for them to get more money out of you!

I can understand what you're saying, and for the most part you are right.

If I am not mistaken, I believe a "good" sounding CB should have at optimum, a 1:4 ratio.

My understanding is that if two radios were keyed up at a truck stop on the same channel......radio a dead keys at 6 and swings to 24....and radio b dead keys at 10 and swings to 40....you would hear radio b over radio a.

[outerspacehillbilly]

Originally Posted by clantonman1983

I got a couple of questions.

I drive a chevrolet Colorado. a little smaller truck, plus I drive a manual, so I have a gear shift in the floor. so, room is taken up for my radio. I have a Galaxy 44V. I love the radio but honestly, it's just too big to fit correctly in my truck and not look clunky and badly put together. (I keep it under my dash in line with the air condition controls). so, I have been considering getting a smaller radio to better fit inside my vehicle. I don't care about talking a hundred miles away, but I do enjoy being able to get out on channel 19 fairly well, as well as at night, be able to talk to other base stations on the higher channels (some of which are in neighboring counties). I can do this partly because I also have a Palomar 275 pushing the radio.

Do you guys know of a smaller radio, that's easy to fit inside a small single cab truck like mine, that is fairly cheap that I can push with a linear and still get out decently? I know by downgrading, I probably won't get out as much as before but i would think that by still using my amp, i will still be able to talk fine.

radios I was thinking about were:

Cobra 25
Cobra 19
or any other radio similar to those two.

Just mount it like I did in my ford ranger. Here is some pics. No problems and I don't have to use an external speaker with it either.