AT6666 vs QT80 vs ?

[EAFrizzle]

My first 'real' cb was a 148GTL back in '83. I worked Hawaii and the Caribbean with that radio and a 150 watt King Bee amp. I thought that was the way to go until my buddy got a 2510. I had to get a 2950 to keep up with the Jones, and after a while, I couldn't dream of going back to a 148 for RX and TX.

I still love the ergonomics of the 2950; it's just easy to deal with while rolling. Even though I dislike some of the QT-60Pro's ergonomics, it's just flat-out ten times the radio that a 2950 is. The QT-60Pro/Quad5 is just a seriously honking rig. If you run the NRC right on both sides, SSB can sound as good as FM.

 

[niceguy71]

Yeah, and I still need a QT80 and a Randy III and a QT40... because... you know... GAS.

I want the QT80 for the wife's Yukon (features + modes + form factor).

I want the Randy III to complete FM Relay project (handheld afoot to high watt truck relay to base station).

The QT60 will be the base (excellent receive, clean audio, all modes).

I want the QT40 because I don't have one and I think they're beautiful.

I have the tower and grounding rods (four 10' sections of triangle ladder style) but no power supply, antenna, coax, lightning arrestor, etc.

Wife wants a new patio and I want it poured with three big bolts in it and a network of grounding components under it (the REAL holdup).



Agreed, and seems harder to distinguish local traffic from skip without some fiddling.

thanks for the update... be careful with the Randy III as they are UK FM channels not USA channels... I've been planning to buy a similar UK radio the ThunderPole TX .... I've been talking to the sales team and they can make one for US channels and mail it to the USA... but the shipping will be over $50 bucks... so I have not pulled the trigger on it yet

 

[K9KLC]

My first 'real' cb was a 148GTL back in '83. I worked Hawaii and the Caribbean with that radio and a 150 watt King Bee amp. I thought that was the way to go until my buddy got a 2510. I had to get a 2950 to keep up with the Jones, and after a while, I couldn't dream of going back to a 148 for RX and TX.

I still love the ergonomics of the 2950; it's just easy to deal with while rolling. Even though I dislike some of the QT-60Pro's ergonomics, it's just flat-out ten times the radio that a 2950 is. The QT-60Pro/Quad5 is just a seriously honking rig. If you run the NRC right on both sides, SSB can sound as good as FM.

Curious. I'm guessing the quad 5 is an antenna?
Edit: I guess a quick check shows it to be a radio...LOL.

 

[K6GBW]

Welp, after playing with the little Bill for a day I’m pretty sure it’s going to be relegated to a car radio for traveling. I’ll dummy up a mag mount antenna and whatnot. I’ll only use it for LARTS (Long Assed Road Trips). I found my antenna switch and made a patch coax for it. So now I have the OCFD and the A99 going to the 7300 on a switch. For SSB the 7300 is great. On AM its passable, but nothing to write home about. The experimenting will continue for at least. Few more weeks.

 

[jcrmadden]

I've only done rudimentary research on switches, but as I understand it they bring in noise from both antennas (shared ground) and signal from only one antenna (effectively halving the signal to noise ratio).

Might be a good idea to introduce chokes right before the switch on both coax runs.

 

[K6GBW]

They offer only a tiny impedance bump, nothing to really worry about. I’ve used them for years. Oh, and both coaxes are already well choked. I’m know for my choking!

 

[niceguy71]

the QT-60Pro's ergonomics, it's just flat-out ten times the radio that a 2950 is. The QT-60Pro/Quad5 is just a seriously honking rig. If you run the NRC right on both sides, SSB can sound as good as FM.

it truly is something special! ... we've had a couple guys in here looking for a new radio and we've told them and told them about that incredible radio.... after a couple weeks they get a $39.99 hunk of junk??? people are funny?

 

[WSAC829]

Not trying to rain on anybodies parade, or be a “negative Nancy”, but here’s what some of you can expect down the road with this radio and possibly other versions/clones/rebrands that use the same manufacturing plants. (anytone/radioddity/crt/retevis/etc)

I purchased a 2 year old used 5555n2 “long” version awhile back fairly cheap to see what it was like (and i’ve posted about how i dislike it in other threads). I can say the build quality doesn’t compare to the radios of old. Being a used unit the encoder (channel/frequency knob) was worn and skipping quite a bit while tuning when i got it. No big deal. I’ll use the up/down buttons on mic. That was all fine and dandy until the stock mic started changing channels every time i keyed up (unless i used the lock feature on the radio). To fix that i disabled the mic buttons. Back to using the jumpy encoder. *Sigh*

Then the power/volume switch quit working. Radio wouldn’t turn off. Volume still worked however. So i drilled a hole and mounted a push button toggle for a new on/off button. Not long after that the knobs started to fall off. Super glued those back on. A few months later the encoder is now basically junk, so recently i drilled 2 more holes and added 2 momentary push button switches that i wired for channel up/down on the backside of the mic circuit in the radio. I’ll link to the video i used as reference (he made an aftermarket mic mod with up/down buttons added).

While all these CCR’s perform great for the price, some of their parts don't hold up with constant use. If used as a base station they may hold up a bit longer, but this radio is less than 3 years old and is now becoming a frankenstein hack job just to keep it working. It’s now just my garage rig. If it survives out there great. If not, i wont care. I’ve attached the external franken-mod images below. Sorry, i didn’t take pictures of the inside solder points i used. It’s pretty easy to figure out once you watch the video below and look at the front face circuit board though.

Mic mod i used as reference:

 

[kc2asb]

There is something to be said for those old mechanical channel selectors.. A little bit of tuner cleaner and good as new. Many old 70's - 90's CB's still function perfectly and can be put on the air without missing a beat.

Honestly, for the price charged for the 5555N, the build quality should be better. This is not some sub-$100 cheapo rig.

 

[slowmover]

Not trying to rain on anybodies parade, or be a “negative Nancy”, but here’s what some of you can expect down the road with this radio and possibly other versions/clones/rebrands that use the same manufacturing plants. (anytone/radioddity/crt/retevis/etc)

I purchased a 2 year old used 5555n2 “long” version awhile back fairly cheap to see what it was like (and i’ve posted about how i dislike it in other threads). I can say the build quality doesn’t compare to the radios of old. Being a used unit the encoder (channel/frequency knob) was worn and skipping quite a bit while tuning when i got it. No big deal. I’ll use the up/down buttons on mic. That was all fine and dandy until the stock mic started changing channels every time i keyed up (unless i used the lock feature on the radio). To fix that i disabled the mic buttons. Back to using the jumpy encoder. *Sigh*

Then the power/volume switch quit working. Radio wouldn’t turn off. Volume still worked however. So i drilled a hole and mounted a push button toggle for a new on/off button. Not long after that the knobs started to fall off. Super glued those back on. A few months later the encoder is now basically junk, so recently i drilled 2 more holes and added 2 momentary push button switches that i wired for channel up/down on the backside of the mic circuit in the radio. I’ll link to the video i used as reference (he made an aftermarket mic mod with up/down buttons added).

While all these CCR’s perform great for the price, some of their parts don't hold up with constant use. If used as a base station they may hold up a bit longer, but this radio is less than 3 years old and is now becoming a frankenstein hack job just to keep it working. It’s now just my garage rig. If it survives out there great. If not, i wont care. I’ve attached the external franken-mod images below. Sorry, i didn’t take pictures of the inside solder points i used. It’s pretty easy to figure out once you watch the video below and look at the front face circuit board though.

Mic mod i used as reference:

I don’t recall just what month I bought my AT5555-N2. But it has a very good number of months of 12-14/days. Many tens of thousands of miles.

Yours is not the first story similar that I’ve read. Seems like there are those who must be frenetic as they use a radio. I’ve not seen any deterioration like that (knock on wood). True, I’m not continually changing channels or modes. But I’ve done it a fair amount. Usually set Scan to play fetch a little while.

I probably adjust controls once an hour. A dozen times in a day of use. Those controls (RFG, SQ, VOL, etc) don’t seem bad, maybe a tad looser than when new. No different than with older traditional radios.

So it’s interesting what some will do to them. I’m always amazed at how some men will treat cars or pickups (Why!?).

I agree that bargain builds are a chance thing. The other reason I prefer PRESIDENT is my hope that QC is part of that for which I’m paying.

While I’m happy to recommend a Qixiang radio Ive used, I’d prefer that the other man bought the Prez as the recommendation. Or STRYKER.
Spend a little more and not suffer disappointment.

.

 

[slowmover]

They offer only a tiny impedance bump, nothing to really worry about. I’ve used them for years. Oh, and both coaxes are already well choked. I’m know for my choking!

Yeah, I think you had a post about chicken band choker.

.

 

[slowmover]

https://support.strykerradios.com/hc/en-us/articles/360045201154-SR-955HPC-Setup-Guide

When you want a radio

Truckerized
Fine Tuned
LesComm
D-Rail
SuperWhackPack

To run an 8-pill amp into a half-mile long MACO

New SR-76 electret mic
.

 

[WSAC829]

Or STRYKER.
Spend a little more and not suffer disappointment.

Funny you should say that. The boards in the 955’s are practically the same as the 5555n/n2/pro. My buddy 25 miles north of me has a 1 year old 955HPCv2 and he said the encoder skipped from day 1. Spending more doesn’t always mean better. Glad to hear yours is holding up for the most part though. The guy i bought mine from was an avid Freebander / 10 meter / 11 meter junky. So i’m sure that encoder took a beating.

 

[slowmover]

They’re all similar. Difference is that Stryker like PRESIDENT has done their own engineering and have strict QC with the overseas factories.
More an insurance policy than a guarantee.

.

 

[WSAC829]

I wouldn’t say Stryker has better QC if they let radios get packaged and shipped with jumpy encoders right out of the box. I talk to 3 other local guys that have the 955’s also with the same encoder issue. That includes v1, v2, and the new v3. The guy who just bought the v3 a month ago returned it for a refund. $450 for a radio with a defective tuning knob isn’t cool.

 

[kc2asb]

Spending more doesn’t always mean better.

That is the truth. Reminds me of two high-end HF receivers that I still own, a Drake R8 and R8B. In the original R8 ($900 radio introduced in 1991), Drake used a quality (and reliable) optical encoder for the VFO. Circa 1999 or so when the R8B ($1,100) came out, Drake skimped and used a mechanical encoder. Owners began reporting issues fairly quickly. I never had any problems, but to skimp on cheaper parts on such a high end radio is unacceptable.

 

[K6GBW]

One of the reasons I started this thread was I wanted to get different opinions and perspectives for a variety of people. Everyone is different. Like when I was on the job, I was a department range master for twenty years. I had a guy that swore up and down and sideways that the 1911 was the best pistol ever developed and everything else was “junk” blah blah blah. Well, during a transition course he ran a $1,600.00 1911 and I ran a $455.00 Glock. On day two of the three day course his super blaster broke. My tactical Tupperware ran for three eight hour days without even cleaning.

When it comes to an 11m radio what I’m looking for is AM/SSB with a decent receiver. It doesn’t have to be a super blaster, just something that will work from my location out to about 7-10 miles. In my seven mile circle I have so much industrial stuff it’s insane, a rail yard, and major shipping warehouses. I have the Port of LA right down the road. So I don’t need to be able to reach out thirty miles. Honestly, I’m still playing with the 7300 to see if I can get the AM to sound “acceptable”. So far it doesn’t sound bad at all. It’s certainly readable. I’ve had some short contacts with driver’s out about 5 miles and they said it sounded fine.

I have a radio mounting shelf that is currently occupied by three other radios, so space is limited. If I can find the magic settings on the 7300 that’s probably what I’ll stick with. Ancillary to this, I also wanted to make a “throw in” set up for my car. I already have a Motorola APX 7500 in there so there not a lot of room. I may repurpose this President Bill II as a radio I can Velcro beside the seat and use a Laird NMO27 on a magnetic base for those long solo road trips. But, we’ll see. Nothings off the table!

 

[slowmover]

The less the competition (and I’d guess only, what, 1, 2, 3, factories making these) the more prevalent the QC problem.

I’m not a Stryker fan. Nice, just not what I want. I’ve read of the encoder problem (WWDX), but as I’m not micro-dosing ketamine or whatever is the thing nowadays my radio is not a toy is probably the biggest difference.

.

 

[K9KLC]

There is something to be said for those old mechanical channel selectors.. A little bit of tuner cleaner and good as new. Many old 70's - 90's CB's still function perfectly and can be put on the air without missing a beat.

Honestly, for the price charged for the 5555N, the build quality should be better. This is not some sub-$100 cheapo rig.

I've had my HR-2510 since 1992. It was in my road tractor for 2 years before I left that profession. Then in my pick up truck, then finally some life changes happened and now although still makes occasional appearances mobile, with a Wilson 5K mag mount, usually in the house either hooked up or in my spare room.
Yes, it's had a cold joint or two re-soldered, and some contact cleaner in some of the controls, but it's still working the same today as it did when I put the radio in service new, in 1992. It's been run barefoot, with an amp behind it, on questionable antennas here and there thru out the years, and honestly although I'm amazed, it's still fine. I've had the dead key on it lower for amp use, and up to 8 or so watts key up, when not running an amp. While a lot of its use has been on AM, as I mentioned in another post, it's seen it's share of SSB and at least a fair amount of CW in its lifetime. In general I run an Astatic power mic on it except when I had it in the truck, I had the Astatic 636 on it. (hey trucks are noisy). I've worked both local and DX on it on both CB band and 10 meters. (ok ya and sometimes in-between there) in my earlier days . I've done all my own work on the radio, since new. I did the MRF 497 final mod, and 1973 driver mod, and frankly was ok with how that turned out especially in mid 90's.
I can understand all this hype with the newer radio these days. I guess I qualify as one of the "basement boys" I think it was referred to as earlier in this thread.
As I said, a friend has the 5555 and he told me yep, come get it and try it out, I'm not using it. We'll see what happens from there.
73!

 

[WSAC829]

but to skimp on cheaper parts on such a high end radio is unacceptable.

For some parts i find that somewhat acceptable, but not for an encoder that is the heart of any radio and gets used repeatedly.