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Galaxy 959 SSB CB Radio

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UnidenBC92XLT

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Dec 18, 2012
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Where would be the best place for me to buy the 959 peaked and tuned from a reputable CB place online? I would also like the blue led's. I know it don't affect the performance in any way but like the way it looks. Any help is appreciated. There are several on Ebay but wanted to look elsewhere also. Thanks
 

milkman21218

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Sep 18, 2007
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Baltimore, Maryland
"I would also like the blue led's. I know it don't affect the performance in any way but like the way it looks."

I do know that the blue LED's kills your eyes in the dark. Take it from a former Road Driver.
 

NESN

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Apr 16, 2004
Messages
418
Location
Franklin
Check out Bells CB in Florida or DTB Radio in Carlisle Pa. Both have good reputations in the CB world and deal in Galaxy radios.
 

Dawn

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284
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Pinecrest,Fl
Judging from the way some of the work is performed on Youtube, as a tech myself, I cringe just watching. Nuff said. Personally, it's a waste of time and money and you're just vastly increasing the odds of premature failure pushing the devices to the limit. These days, the repair itself isn't worth the time and parts if available. Many of these guys are not capable of component level repair or dealing with SMT devices. Again, their videos make my case. At these prices, one failure isn't worth repairing rather then buying a new one.

Regarding the blue. I don't get this. Sure it looks cool I guess, so would red if it wasn't commonplace to have something different. Back during the days of CRT monitors several studies concurred that the original B&W (actually bluish) caused severe eye strain especially in darkened enviorments. Green phosphors weren't much better. Under normal office lighting yellow was determined to be best followed by a not red, but coral color under dark situations. You find that color on vehiclar, marine, and aeronautical instrument panels as well as darkened watch enviornments such as a monitoring station. communications equipment has taken notice of that and you see primarly yellow LCD lit displays and variable in some situations. When I used to commute between TN and Fl, I had a Yaesu FT-90 mobile and used to set it to the nearest coral color at nights when I traveled. No question after trying many combinations that yellow for day and coral by night with the intensity lowered was easiest on the eyes. The only other advancement made for a very short time was the page white monitors of the 90's that were adopted by the desktop publishing sector and pretty much disgarded with LCD monitors. Apparently they now have the ability to do that as I see Amazon's new Kindles have such a display. Zero eye strain under normal lit conditions.
 
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UnidenBC92XLT

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Dec 18, 2012
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So Dawn your saying I shouldn't get my radio peaked and tuned? I thought that just made it perform better. I've read for SSB a frequency align isn't a bad idea either. I'm new to all this and just been doing a lot of reading on it. I'm sure it is a wast of money if someone does it that really shouldn't be. But if a professional does it wouldn't it be ok?
 

eastsidertim

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Jan 30, 2011
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winterset iowa
SSb align would be a waste of money ,they will not stay on frec . If you plan on doing some side band look at something else.Tune and peak yes money well spent .. Blue lights hey if that.s what you like go for it ..

All of this is just my 2cents , means nothing ... Have fun , it,s only money ....
 

riverrat373

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Nov 13, 2011
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Washington State
SSb align would be a waste of money ,they will not stay on frec . If you plan on doing some side band look at something else.Tune and peak yes money well spent .. Blue lights hey if that.s what you like go for it ..

All of this is just my 2cents , means nothing ... Have fun , it,s only money ....

Do you own a Galaxy DX 959 or are just repeating what someone else has said? I have owned one for a couple of years now and find that the only time they drift off frequency in SSB mode is during the first 20 to 30 minutes. Once they warm up they are quite stable.
 
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K4NNW

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Mar 4, 2008
Messages
169
Location
Bent Mountain, VA
The way most places do a peak and tune, I wouldn't buy that. I wouldn't get the blue LED's either. My Galaxy 979 has those and that's one thing that I'd change about it. Also, $200+ for a 959? Um, let's see here... no.
 

UnidenBC92XLT

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Dec 18, 2012
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Location
Arkansas
The way most places do a peak and tune, I wouldn't buy that. I wouldn't get the blue LED's either. My Galaxy 979 has those and that's one thing that I'd change about it. Also, $200+ for a 959? Um, let's see here... no.

I can get a stock 959 for around $150 shipped. I think that might be just fine for me also. I dunno what all places do on a peak and tune thats why I ask you guys for help. I'm new to CB's and really don't know a lot about them. I've even looked at the new Cobra 29 XL and I like it to but it don't have SSB. I don't have to have SSB but would like to just for more channels to see whats out there. I dont think I mentioned that this will be in the house as a base in my computer room. I already have a power supply and my antron-99 up in the air with coax ran RG8U 50'. I do have a old Midland 77-104 hooked to it now that was made in 1986 and seems to work good. Its not much bigger than a VHS tape.
 

Dawn

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Apr 5, 2003
Messages
284
Location
Pinecrest,Fl
I can't speak for any of the newer units which probably are even better in this regard, but the older units that used several crystals in both the reference and offset stages would probably require a touch up or even replacement after many years as crystals do drift with age, so for an old unit, it might be worth it, For a new unit, especially today when much of that conversion is now locked to the reference, I severely doubt it in a new unit. Crystals are made in low profile, hermetically sealed units for large batch smt contruscted units and highly unlikely to drift short term even with long distance transport. As the above poster said, these crystals are not in an oven or TCXO but out in the open with no temperature compensation, so temperature does affect them as well, so setting them at room temperature is going to change once in your car on a chilly morning or night. These radios were never intended to have voice color tolerance under temperature extremes like a marine or commercial SSB unit.

The there is the so-called tune. No manufacturer is going to sell you a radio that's not been optimally tuned. You might see some better numbers by a golden screwdriver guy at a truck stop shop, but there can be many reasons. The company may stagger tune using a sweep generator so the tuning may be broad enough to be wider band either to keep spec across the 40 or anticipates you modding the frequency range. That extra bit of performance may come at the cost of the top and bottom or result in spurious signals that are reduced within spec by the staggering, so the output you see on a meter is not the output on carrier only. The may also set drive and power controls to keep from approaching the maximum disappation rating of the devices. That insignificant power will not translate to a difference in S readings on the other side, but will shorten the life of the radio. Same goes for audio and limiter mods. They make the radio look better on a meter, but cause distortion and bleed over. Again, you're also probably pushing many devices out of their safe area.

So they do this performance tune and you now get a crappy sounding radio and one soon to fail along with bragging rights. Who is going to support the radio during the warranty? Chances are mr golden screwdriver will sell you a "performance enhanced" radio, but upon failure or problem, tells you to return the radio to the factory or warranty repair station for service which will probably decline it due to the mods in warranty. You don't have many of these guys doing these mods capable of working on SMT boards from the photos and videos I see of their benches. I don't see hot air or IR stations on their benches or any rework tools that have been used since the 90's, so it's improbable that they can do a component level repair. If they could, they may not have a source for parts even as a distributor.

Companies are not in business to sell you an underperforming product that would tarnish their reputation that needs enhancement after the sale. Those limiters are there for a reason to keep you in spec and legal. If you're that hell bent on ruining a good radio, wait till after the warranty before you let one of these butchers screw with the radio. I'm absolutely appalled by what I see these clowns do on youtube videos. Had I ever worked on a radio using the sledgehammer techniques and crude rework tools they do, I'd have been fired or taken around back and put out of my misery. Like I've said before, these guys are for the most part out for a quick buck. If they really had the skills to work on these radios competently, you can be sure they would be working somewhere else for a lot moe unless they have lines of suckers waiting in line to be ripped off and have other income coming from sales of other profitable items. Minor increases of power and so-called swing mods and limiter removals do nothing more then decrease you inteligibility and stress your radio beyond ratings. You're not getting someting for nothing. Companies are under a lot of pressure to sell you a radio with very thin margins to maintain competiveness, so the components they choose are going to be the minimum needed for the 20% intermittent duty cycle intended. Raising the average power output even in SSB by speech processing or audio limiting may indeed be pushing the ratings of the device's average disappation.

When the radio goes dead, is that extra $50 bucks of bragging rights worth it when they tell you to suck wind on warranty?
 

SpectreOZ

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Mar 31, 2013
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185
Location
Mildura, Australia
I'm new to CB's and really don't know a lot about them. I've even looked at the new Cobra 29 XL and I like it to but it don't have SSB. I don't have to have SSB but would like to just for more channels to see whats out there.


It's simply a personal preference mind you but were I to purchase a SSB radio today (not an export model) then it would have to be the Uniden 980 SSB before the Galaxy 959 :D

Uniden Bearcat 980 SSB - (Overview) New AM-SSB radio from Uniden - YouTube
 

eastsidertim

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Jan 30, 2011
Messages
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Location
winterset iowa
Do you own a Galaxy DX 959 or are just repeating what someone else has said? I have owned one for a couple of years now and find that the only time they drift off frequency in SSB mode is during the first 20 to 30 minutes. Once they warm up they are quite stable.

Don't how it's been a few years ,had two brand new 949 and 959 win i first got in to radio's.. Had no luck , off new out of the box , had them tuned still off .. They may be better now i dout it ..

Not tryin to be a buzz kill just didn't like spendin my hard earned cash on something that does not work right.

Ask around a little more or start a new post see what u come up with ..


If your gonna talk ssb ,hard to go wrong with 2950...
 

UnidenBC92XLT

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Dec 18, 2012
Messages
118
Location
Arkansas
Well I finally bit the bullet and bought me a Galaxy DX959 Peaked and Tuned. I got it from RedMans CB Shop in Florida. They have very good communications with there costumers. It will be here Saturday. Thanks for all you guys help and input.
 
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