• To anyone looking to acquire commercial radio programming software:

    Please do not make requests for copies of radio programming software which is sold (or was sold) by the manufacturer for any monetary value. All requests will be deleted and a forum infraction issued. Making a request such as this is attempting to engage in software piracy and this forum cannot be involved or associated with this activity. The same goes for any private transaction via Private Message. Even if you attempt to engage in this activity in PM's we will still enforce the forum rules. Your PM's are not private and the administration has the right to read them if there's a hint to criminal activity.

    If you are having trouble legally obtaining software please state so. We do not want any hurt feelings when your vague post is mistaken for a free request. It is YOUR responsibility to properly word your request.

    To obtain Motorola software see the Sticky in the Motorola forum.

    The various other vendors often permit their dealers to sell the software online (i.e., Kenwood). Please use Google or some other search engine to find a dealer that sells the software. Typically each series or individual radio requires its own software package. Often the Kenwood software is less than $100 so don't be a cheapskate; just purchase it.

    For M/A Com/Harris/GE, etc: there are two software packages that program all current and past radios. One package is for conventional programming and the other for trunked programming. The trunked package is in upwards of $2,500. The conventional package is more reasonable though is still several hundred dollars. The benefit is you do not need multiple versions for each radio (unlike Motorola).

    This is a large and very visible forum. We cannot jeopardize the ability to provide the RadioReference services by allowing this activity to occur. Please respect this.

Advice For Using Mobile At Home

Status
Not open for further replies.

Bearcat95

Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2008
Messages
38
Location
Eastern Ontario, Canada
I recently bought an old Johnson 123A Messenger 23 channel CB radio at a flea market, seller said it works??

What I want to do is use it as a base CB but don't know exactly how to safely connect it to house power without accidentally destroying it. On the back of the radio it has the antenna input, aux speaker output jack and what looks like a single recessed spade terminal with a reddish plastic ring around it which I suspect is for power .

I also have an older Radio Shack 12V DC 1A Power Supply with a cigarette lighter receptacle on it to plug into a wall outlet but I will still need to get a 12V male car cigarette lighter socket plug connector and a length each of positive and negative wire to connect it all up.

When I get the lighter socket plug and wire, how do I safely connect the wire(s) to the radio itself and then to the male lighter socket plug connector before I plug it into the power supply so I won't burn-up the radio?

Thanks for the help.
 
Last edited:

swen_out_west

Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2016
Messages
236
Location
Upper Mojave,CA/NV
Then you could try using just 1A, but if you key up one time you will blow a fuse and risk damage to the power supply.

FYI, when it comes to a filtered power supply they are real cheap nowadays on ebay ($50-60). Or you can easily make one using an old computer power supply, which are extremely abundant nowadays, (seems like just about everybody nowadays has an old computer laying in their garage).. The wiring diagrams and max current per circuit are easily available online.
 

Bearcat95

Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2008
Messages
38
Location
Eastern Ontario, Canada
Then you could try using just 1A, but if you key up one time you will blow a fuse and risk damage to the powersupply.

FYI, when it comes to a filtered power supply they are real cheap nowadays on ebay ($50-60). Or you can easily make one using an old computer power supply, which are extremely abundant nowadays, (seems like just about everybody nowadays has an old computer laying in their garage)..

Thanks for the advice. I clicked on the link you provided, thank you for that. It states the Messenger 122 and 123A are factory wired for negative ground operation but because I will be using it in the house do I need a negative ground wire connected to the radio as well as the positive power wire, and if so do I just connect a length of ground wire to a screw on the back panel of the radio and then onto the male cigarette lighter plug connector or computer power supply?
 

swen_out_west

Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2016
Messages
236
Location
Upper Mojave,CA/NV
I believe so. Never wired a Johnson up. I assume that the ground is the chassis, but I don't like assuming. I'll look closer at that link I gave you later. You do know what Assume really stands for right, lol.

You might be better served right now if you bought an actual power supply instead of making your own. Especially since on a computer black and red is 5 volt and 12 volt is yellow and black. Plus, each circuit has different amperage ratings. It's confusing unless you are into that kind of thing, like me.
 

Bearcat95

Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2008
Messages
38
Location
Eastern Ontario, Canada
I believe so. Never wired a Johnson up. I assume that the ground is the chassis, but I don't like assuming. I'll look closer at that link I gave you later. You do know what Assume really stands for right, lol.

You might be better served right now if you bought an actual power supply instead of making your own. Especially since on a computer black and red is 5 volt and 12 volt is yellow and black. Plus, each circuit has different amperage ratings. It's confusing unless you are into that kind of thing, like me.

You're right, it's confusing, I'm an old fart ex-truck driver and my first CB experience was with a Pace 23 channel in the truck years ago as couldn't afford a Johnson at the time and the Pace was cheaper but always wanted a Johnson then I found this used one at a flea market in Freeport, ME. I guess I figured wrong but I thought using a mobile as a base would be a simple easy matter of hooking a wire to the radio and power pack :)

I don't suppose there is an easy, non-technical way to just hook it up to the house power to see if it will come to life at all?
 
Last edited:

KC4RAF

Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2006
Messages
1,579
Location
Davenport,Fl.- home to me and the gators and the s
Bearcat95, if you feel comfortable about opening up the Johnson and looking at the capacitors and a general check of the rest of the electronics, I would do so.
For the age of that transceiver, the caps should be checked for swelling, blown. Be safe and keep fingers away from ALL live parts.
The Johnson were very well built and probably will work ok for you.
Keep us posted about how it works; Last time I heard one it sounded great.
 

Bearcat95

Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2008
Messages
38
Location
Eastern Ontario, Canada
Bearcat95, if you feel comfortable about opening up the Johnson and looking at the capacitors and a general check of the rest of the electronics, I would do so.
For the age of that transceiver, the caps should be checked for swelling, blown. Be safe and keep fingers away from ALL live parts.
The Johnson were very well built and probably will work ok for you.
Keep us posted about how it works; Last time I heard one it sounded great.

I'm under the impression that I should think through this a bit more now that I've received feedback and perhaps just put it on the display shelf knowing that I have the Johnson I wanted back in the 70's, and that's not a bad thing.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top