First Mini SSB-capable CB

[Bootyhunter]

the third brake light bars /CB antenna mounts don't work.... lot of guys try them... they are too far above the cab and not enough contact with the cab to get a ground plane... they do great to put a magnetic light on them.... but a CB antenna doesn't work with them.

just curious you do know that a handheld like your Randy will not work inside of a vehicle? being inside of a vehicle is like being inside a Faraday cage.... no signals get in or out of the metal box around you... I have had friends hang out the window with their handhelds trying to contact me on road trips... even then it's only good for 100 feet.

not a lot of CB out there ... not like the old days..... but I talk to people daily.... but I have a powerful CB and a big antenna......a really good install ( wired directly to the battery and grounded to the cab ) will cut out a lot of noise and give enough clean power to work, as long as you have a really great antenna... you really need a 5 foot tall antenna in the center of the roof... with the Aluminum Ford, best you can do is a permanent mount drilling a hole in the roof..... but if you're not really into the hobby a hole is a big deal for most people..... just an idea.... the Stryker SR-A10 magnetic mount antenna works very good.... when you buy the Stryker it comes with a huge steel washer for people that have aluminum roofs... you glue the steel washer under the aluminum roof and then stick the magnetic antenna on the roof above the washer... they say it holds pretty good... A magnetic CB antenna utilizes capacitive coupling from the magnet and that will work with the aluminum body of the Ford and make a great ground plane as long as it has the steel washer under the roof.

hope everything works out for you

1st, yes I am aware the handheld wont do great vs an external antenna, but it will pick up strobg signals, those tards on 6 and 11 come in fine. Just not alot of local stuff anymore around. Guess I will find out about the light bar mount, should do ok for my purpose which is listening mostly.

 

[niceguy71]

1st, yes I am aware the handheld wont do great vs an external antenna, but it will pick up strobg signals, those tards on 6 and 11 come in fine. Just not alot of local stuff anymore around. Guess I will find out about the light bar mount, should do ok for my purpose which is listening mostly.

certainly not like the old days on CB, thats for sure
most of the guys with smaller CB antennas say CB is dead... but with today's high tech equipment it's a different story than a cheap CB and small antenna.
I have found every town seems to have a channel for the locals.... finding it can be difficult
I listened to my CB for months when I first got it.. never heard many local guys... then someone here told me that my area uses Channel 27 ??? I was like sure... so one night I was driving home and took it off of channel 19 where it always sits and put it on channel 27 ...again nothing... after a few nights I asked is anyone out there in frustration????
several guys came back !!! seems there are 6 towns around my town that all use 27..... most just listen.. but as soon as someone starts talking, they all start! sometimes it's so busy we have three channels going.... and I thought CB was dead... seems the guys get on from 6 PM to 11 PM
on the highway I have friends that bought small antenna's that could only get out about 3.5 to maybe 4 miles ( LiL WiL ) ( K-30 ) they tried asking for a radio check hundreds of times... they tell me they never got one... anytime my friends are in my pick-up I look at them and smile and say so you never get a radio check huh? I pick up my mic and ask for a radio check.. many times I get more than one person coming back.... so I've gotten my friends to get rid of the little antenna's and buy a refurbished Magnetic Stryker SR-A10 Stryker for $79.99 right from Stryker with full warranty... the only reason they are refurbished is the box is falling apart... I have bought a couple myself and asked the sales people about why is the antenna refurbished ... again they said it was just the box.. it's so heavy that the cardboard falls apart and many stores send them back to Stryker and they make sure all the parts are there and sell them as refurbished... best deal out there!!!!!
I also have a powerful CB ( Radioddity QT-60 ) I run mine at 10 watts as it does the job...I have talked my friends into the newer radios that can be modified to do 6 to 10 watts and have NRC without the NRC the radios are very noisy and filled with static making it difficult to hear anyone... but with the NRC you will hear people much further away.
.... I have put a few Radioddity CS-47 cbs in... the CB body goes behind the seat or under the seat....and then I buy a RJ-45 Cat 6 extension cable and run that under the rug and just mount the mic on the dash... big beautiful display and it puts out 6.90 watts on AM and 15 watts on FM .... on AM with a good Stryker antenna it can do 7 to 9 mile radius and that's a LONG ways away...... ( big circle ) lot harder to find people in a 3 or 4 mile radius

so for $80 I would try the 66 inch Stryker ( you get a great antenna and a way to install it on your aluminum truck for $79.99 ) I would glue the washer under the aluminum roof ( I have used 100% silicone caulking for years once it dries you will never get it off! ) I would take a little sharpie and make 4 dots around the antenna on the roof so every time you take it off to go through the car wash or in a parking garage you can easily put it back in the same spot.... as with that huge thick steel washer under the roof you want to get it in just the right spot.

with my 5 foot antenna I am able to talk skip on Channel 38 and Channel 37 almost daily... all across America ...some times while I'm doing 75 MPH
just a suggestion maybe the little antenna on a light bar mount ( never heard of it working yet ) with a Randy or the Luiton ( the Luiton is 7 to 9 watts and has a NRC noise reduction Circuit ) will do the trick for you. ( the Randy is about 3.50 watts )
best of luck in whatever you do

I tried doing DX with a small antenna.. it was extremely difficult, I had a few... but only a few in a few months....
the 5 foot tall antenna makes DX look easy this is me showing a friend what my 5 foot antenna can do.... we tried his K-30 before this and got no contacts. but with the 5 foot antenna we had 10 contacts in 10 minutes

again good luck, I just wanted to make you aware of what actually works.

 

[WSAC829]

Radioddity version of the AnyTone AT-5000 coming soon. Bonus, theirs comes with a programming cable and warranty for the same price.

*NEW* Radioddity CB-5000 Multimode $189

Coming Soon and with thanks to Perrin for kindly sending me this. Guess all the usual people who’ll says it’s amazing as it’s free will see it soon so expect the videos shortly. Interesting as it’s…

simonthewizard.com

 

[WSAC829]

Well… That didn’t take long. It’s available now. Another bonus, it also comes with a microphone adapter.

Radioddity CB-5000 | Ham Radio Gear

Radioddity CB-5000 | Ham Radio Gear from Radioddity. Practical gear for ham operators, emergency prep and reliable communications.

www.radioddity.com

 

[MackinNC]

Read this whole thread. That took a while but lots of great info. sorry been out of Cb for a few mos. I fish like crazy here in NC from Feb to now. Now it is too hot to fish. Over 100 today and heat index is over 110. time for cb stuff!

Raddioditty is sending me the CB 5000 so I will have a review on it in the next few weeks. look very promising from what I see.

and Steve I got that HH50 today for 40$ never used and not a scratch!

 

[slowmover]

.

 

[slowmover]

Overview of a quality radio rig install as in post above is a pleasure to see. The versatility, etc, makes it stand out.

As to Speaker:

Headrest external speaker mount

You can attach any communications speaker to this mount as long as the mount has a mounting bracket. In most cases the holes with this mount will line up with the holes in the mounting bracket that is attached to your speaker, but they may not. If that is the case you would need to drill holes...

www.lidoradio.com

Where speaker location is made correct (depicted) then this is an easy mount choice. Up above left shoulder has distinct science to back it.

A). Playing the QSO game — formulaic speech — it’s not as important to undergird what’s needed at speed on AM-19. (Vocal Audio Detail). Nothing is on the line.

B). Same handicap true for this radio choice.
Toy, not Tool as primary use.


As a radio demo:

Clarity of both the visual & auditory with the outline of the install made for an excellent short video. Unlike many he seems to have hit the jackpot with this SUV for personal/family transport and that it’s amenable to low S/NR with a not insignificant systems installation.

Best practice yields best results . . that’s a fine chariot to show off any 10/12M radio.


.

 

[KR4NIV]

I just reached out to Radioddity for a unit to test.

 

[slowmover]

Not ready.

 

[slowmover]

TYT MINI CB
View attachment 204385

.

 

[WSAC829]

Not ready.

Why? Because he prefers the RX sound of analog radios, hates DSP/NRC and doesn't like the super easy to use multifunction knob? Pfft.

Watch Kates videos of real world use instead of some YT influencer who obviously hates modern technology.

 

[EAFrizzle]

Based on that video, most people would think that radio sounds like a springtime pasture smells. It probably sounds decent when you're not running compressed audio into another compressor. Smartphone mics aren't suitable for preserving audio quality, and a desk mic isn't in the right place. I'd love for one of these radio YTers to spend a weekend mixing sound for a band. They'd learn to appreciate room mics and DI.

 

[slowmover]

Controls.

Priority of channel over VOL.
(Separate them as on the non-SSB TYT Mini-CB as noted).



Won’t ever be a good choice for an automobile/big truck radio concerned with road conditions.

But it can certainly be better.



External speaker fidelity plus speaker location rate higher than the audio differences between radio brand/model.

Vehicle work conditions is the third control. “Windows open, at speed” is one of those (as cited).

S-Meter, yet another.


No, he doesn’t do many road miles. So far as I can tell no one here does either.

The prototypical American man is commuting back & forth to work in/near a major US metro. With whatever trips outside that range which constitute family duty or pleasure. Where he might benefit given CB.

5-6/hours use/week? 10-12? (Before the upper range numbers reached other distractions will be in use; telephone, music, etc.)

A typical truck driver approach of this sort (obsolete gear, poor install and audio below physical optimization) is, “monitoring”: listening for key words/phrases. Over-reliance on specific content. Zero participation. Herd member.

“Useful Tool”, isn’t showing up.
“Small Toy”, is . . and Control features confine it to that space.

Audio corrected for the specifics of fidelity via physical space & conditions almost never tested.

Where does this radio fit? Manpack, a good suggestion. What else?

As a mobile it requires a KL203 to be viable. $220. At which point packaging/install advantage is gone and radios near that price total of real ability already exist to drive a $75 DRX-901.



Given also an NMO quality antenna (as model of performance & longevity) this isn’t a radio choice for the family vehicle where realistic alternatives already exist.

 

[slowmover]

40-45/MPH Speed Variance cited. Dry road, clear sight lines, daytime; 4-lane divided. (Double fatality).

The rest of the pack of tailgaters got clear last moment (inability to judge closing speed)?
That’d be my guess. Seen it regularly.

I passed one of these yesterday: Big truck crippled for unknown reason proceeding at maybe 15-MPH on a 65-MPH 3-digit 5-lane. About a half-mile from an exit (in that lane). Extreme Heat WARNING in effect with Air Quality Index attached (brutal N TX summer day).

Possible DEF Limp Mode.

In the opposite direction was 1/2 of a large mobile office parked on the shoulder just out of sight over the crest of an overpass.

Probable trailer tire loss.

This image below will be the warning shot over the bow as the maroons lane-skip to avoid emergency braking by others cutting over to clear obstacles to their childish ideas of Right-of-Way . . . this is a chain reaction extending back 1/2-mile or farther from a crippled/stranded vehicle.



Poor radio controls discourage participation to “know” (mental map) of what’s out ahead.

The sequence of what happens (can & will happen) is wholly predictable.

Once it gets underway (and playing on SSB instead of being on AM-19) immediate concerns can foreclose radio service use especially when given those poor controls.

Takes once

These are typical commuter situations throughout the country. From metro fringe to being at one of the main arteries.

Contempt is, “I know what I’m doing”, when reality is that the panic exhibited by others makes that conceit, moot.

Having a suicidal fool cut right in front of you is usually part of a larger pattern underway. A sign not to be ignored (back to 19 immediately).

You have to go thru a sequence of button pushing & knob turning to do that? I want a CB, not a multi-stage combination lock.

I don’t know where this mini-SSB fits, but there’s not much point to it at this stage where on-road Mobile is being considered.

.

 

[niceguy71]

First looking at that Luiton I was in love with it and really wanted one.
Thought it would be perfect for the jeep.

After first looking at my Luiton LT 310 SDR and trying to get the settings just right I wasn't too happy with it.... And the knob was messed up and I had to work with Luiton to resolve the problem.... After an hour I went from love to hate

Day two I got the settings set good .... Luiton told me how to fix the knob
The NR on it is the best I've ever seen ... Dead quiet other than people talking.... I really love how simple it is to change channel, volume and Squelch... One knob for all means never having to take my eyes off the road..... Just find that one knob.. I was back in love

I put it in the Jeep.... Adjusting the squelch I had to look to see if it said squelch or volume so I took my eyes off the road.
The knob is so tiny it felt awkward to use..., switching to SSB I had to pull over and get my glasses on to see if it was on AM FM or LSB or USB

The NR is awesome.... But people doesn't sound normal or right... I can hear every word clearly.... But it's like listening to a computer generated voice

I got 20 ssb contacts in 20 minutes on my base ... This thing WORKS!!!!

Owners will get used to the controls and it works great..... And I still love it.... I'm not giving it to my Jeep friend I want to keep it.

but after a few days.,... It's a toy.... A toy I won't part with and a toy that can easily do it's job .... But it's just too tiny for daily use

For the guy that wants a CB in a small vehicle to use seldom.... This is hard to beat!!!!

Toy yes
This is hands down the most fun I've EVER HAD with any CB ...