Coning soon. AM/FM Handheld USA CB WITH CTCSS/DCS

[N1EXA]

No SSB ( Single Side Band ) im not interested.

 

[arudlang]

No SSB ( Single Side Band ) im not interested.

A lot of people have expressed similar sentiment in review videos and online discussion, but I personally don't have any legitimate use cases that come to mind for an HT with SSB. An HT with a rubber duck antenna is going to be virtually incapable of successful two-way DX on 11 meters and for local comms AM and FM work fine for all of my intents and purposes.

Since two-way DX from an HT with a stub antenna is a non-starter all I can think of is the ability to listen to other people's SSB DX, and if that's all a person wants there are a number of nice pocket-sized shortwave radios that can receive SSB. Most of them would have a marginally better antenna too.

What useful things can be do with a SSB HT? Talk to our local friend who refuses to drop down into AM mode? More easily conduct local tests of mobile and base installations? I can't think of much but maybe I am just not creative. Everybody does radio their own way, after all

 

[bearcatrp]

I’ve talked skip to Alaska from my location with a hand held on SSB. East coast too. All depends on the conditions. Sure a base station on a 40 foot tall antenna would work better. A hand held is very capable.

 

[arudlang]

A hand held is very capable.

My Midland 75-822 might just be a dud, or maybe that unit in general is not that great. I can talk clearly mobile to base a couple miles away but if I step out of the car and try my 75-822 base doesn't hear me. It's been a disappointing HT, never had much luck with it outside of a half a mile of range.

 

[bearcatrp]

I installed a fairly long 11 meter antenna (collapsible) that did wonders shooting skip on SSB. Was using a Cherokee handheld. Wish they still made them.

 

[Omega-TI]

I installed a fairly long 11 meter antenna (collapsible) that did wonders shooting skip on SSB. Was using a Cherokee handheld. Wish they still made them.

When I was a kid my dad had a Midland 13-770 5W walkie talkie (like shown below). It only had 6 crystal channels, but that telescopic antenna was long! I was actually surprised when the skip rolled in one day and he talked to some guy in California (we were in Washington). He always took it out when we went camping.

 

[KB4MSZ]

As a kid I was very much into antennas, and I built a horizontal dipole for CB channel 14 (27.125 MHz). I modified the radio shown below to connect the antenna internally and my friend 2 blocks down the street did the same to his walkie talkie. Despite the lack of a SWR meter (or even enough power to calibrate one if I could get one) we could communicate far better, and we both worked a number of skip stations with just 100mw. In fact, the receiver would often get overloaded. With the right antenna connected most anything can be accomplished.

 

[W5SUI]

The published specs don't say if the AM power output is carrier, average, PEP or something else, and may have been written by a non-technical marketing person.
If the Peak Envelope Power on AM with 100% modulation is 4 watts then the carrier has to be 1 watt.

Mine has a 2.2W carrier and tops out at only 3.38W PEP - the audio in AM mode is set way too low - not even close to 100% modulation. Measured on a Monitor Sensors meter into a dummy load, so I know the readings are pretty accurate. FM mode - it outputs 2.2W on low and around 3.3 on high. Unless the AM modulation can be adjusted in this radio via service menu I wouldn't recommend anyone using this for AM - it would be fine on FM as the audio is much much better in that mode. Offhand I'd say this unit seems intended for FM use.

 

[TAbirdman]

400 custom channels are smoke and mirrors. They are built on the different PL/DCS tones plus using AM or FM choices. In reality, a pair of radios on AM and another pair on FM in the same area on the same channel will not be able to carry on simultaneous conversations. The PL and DCS tones only prevent the receiving radio from letting the signal through to be heard.

Whistler had a Dual band CB's back in the day ( Wh-900) . They claimed "720 Channel combinations" lol

 

[krokus]

Whistler had a Dual band CB's back in the day ( Wh-900) . They claimed "720 Channel combinations" lol

Interesting unit. This website has pics, on the page where they claim to have some for sale.

WHISTLER 900 WH-900 40-CHANNEL CB RADIO Rare Pre-Owned

$184.8,This WHISTLER 900 WH-900 40-CHANNEL CB RADIO is a rare radio indeed! It has two separate receiver circuits. You can be on one channel and it will monitor another. With one button you can switch to the

www.betteritems.website

 

[jaspence]

With two separate receivers monitoring while using one would be possible. Many ham radios and HTs can do that in present models.

 

[bearcatrp]

Why is it so friggin hard to include SSB? My old Cherokee did this very well.

 

[smittie]

Apart from CTCSS/DCS is there reason to believe the Wouxun is better than the President? How do the two compare?

 

[slowmover]

Apart from CTCSS/DCS is there reason to believe the Wouxun is better than the President? How do the two compare?

My preference is going to be for President every time.

Doesn’t mean I’m right . . so look for reviews to confirm ones bias (ha!)

.

 

[GadgetGeek]

I want a handheld with SSB too. Come on Wouxun, you can do it.

 

[KD8DVR]

My preference is going to be for President every time.

Doesn’t mean I’m right . . so look for reviews to confirm ones bias (ha!)

.

Yes... I prefer President, too!

 

[IC-R20]

I'd rather just buy the better built Randy handheld as well unless this easy to make freeband like the QYT CB-58 which has FM and has already existed for 2 years prior to this Wookie Sun.

FM definitely helps but the official 40 channels are useless and only have stupid stuff on them.