radio opinions

i just picked up a connex 3300hp,tuned and got it hooked up to 2 wilson 2000 truckers and so far so good,everyone i talk to so far says its talking good and it sounds good.its my second radio to date but first 10 meter.good luck in whatever you choose.if your in the New York area there is a good shop with a very wide variety of cb's, 10 meter radios,base stations,antennas and amps its called Delta Electronics in the throgsneck section of the Bronx

 

A small kicker might run you under $100. RM Italy comes to mind - you can find them on eBay for I believe around $64. So I hear they're good amps but I've never tried one.

I myself have had a few 2 pill linear amps. One a Palomar 300 Elite, another a Palomar 225 (not working, sold for parts) and a Maco Mite II. Figure $100-$150 for one depending on where you go/look.

Keep in mind it's not "legal" to run a linear...but as long as you cause no interference to anyone's TV, baby monitor, etc, you probably won't get a visit by Uncle Charlie.

Also keep in mind you have to run a few extra wires off of the trucks battery plus a separate coax from radio to amp....to run a linear. So I hear some trucking companies don't/won't allow that.

 

$209.00 bucks is a good deal. Stick a "good" echo board in it (if that's your thing) for another $30 and with a "good" antenna and you should have no problem "getting out". With this you have the big power your looking for and most thieves wont give a second glance to a cobra 29. Now. Before you get excited about an linear amplifier you had better check with your company (unless you R the company) about running an amp in your company truck. Most will fire you for doing it. The 29 with the RFX-75 in my opinion is the best bang for the buck.

But...If you do want a 10 meter radio (the only thing you gain are upper/lower channels and FM unless the radio has SSB) then you can find a new Galaxy or Connex HP radio for just a little more money but they wont do 90 watts like this one will,usually they are around 40 to 50 watts. You can also get something like a RCI-63FFC4 radio that will do around 400 watts (radio has a built in 4 pill amplifier) but it sales for upwards of $550.00. So really in the end it all bolls down to what you want and how much you are willing to spend to get it. Good luck!

 

I run a very similar radio (Cobra 29 Bluetooth w/ RFX-75 mod). Does what it says on the box: 90 watts out. The guys who posted earlier are right, though; even the best radio out there is going to be 100% crap without a good antenna system. I've had the best results leaving the factory setup alone and running my own coax and antenna (or you could get a technician to do it for you if you're not sure of your own work).

You may also want to get a different mic for it; the stock mics for those radios aren't really the best. I used a 4-to-6 pin converter and put on an Astatic 636L (the converter was necessary because the Bluetooth 29 uses a 6-pin mic - so you can't just slap on any aftermarket mic right out of the box). The change in microphones seemed to improve my modulation quite a bit, too.

I haven't gotten around to it yet, but the same shop you linked to also sells Astatics and Road Kings that they converted for use with the 6-pin bluetooth configuration. I might have to get off my butt and just order one, now that cellphone use in a big truck carries such a hefty fine.

 

this is what I'm going with after lots or research and talking with people

http://customcbradios.com/SR-447-HPC-10-Meter-Radio-P1309562.aspx

 

You didn't talk to me! I've had one of those now for about 6 months, and although it does have good ears, one big problem with the Strykers, is someone with a 4w radio can be close by and bleed over on your channel...The receive is real sensitive on the Strykers which is good for hearing distant stations, but gets annoying real quick when people running just a little bit of power are close by...Bleed-over is a problem with just about all radios when someone running power is close by (I Know) but the Strykers are worse than most...

I'm replacing mine with one of these...More Power.(80-100w's) Plus SSB. and comes from the factory with a RFX 75 already installed for the same price as that Stryker your looking at.
http://www.gijoesradioelectronics.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=1304

 

hmm #### back to the drawing board
how much you selling your for

 

Probably keep it for a back-up for a while...

The 447 was the second Stryker I have owned...First one was a 440 back when they first came out, and I loved that radio...Only thing I didn't like was the blue lighting was just too bright for night driving...Even on Dim!

Since the 447 has changing lights, and a better dimming option, I decided to give Strykers another try...But disappointed with the way bleed-over affects other channels even from people not running tons of power...I can be driving down the Freeway talking skip on channel 20, and someone going the opposite direction with a 4w radio would bleed over from 19 to 20.

Thought maybe it was just something wrong with my radio, but after talking to a few others that have the same radio or the 497, and after reading posts on some of the other CB Forums, I found that this is a common problem with Strykers...