I am looking to purchase a handheld cb that I can use for a couple of upcoming road trips and to use at home. I see 2 models that fit exactly what I’m looking for. They are the Uniden Pro538HHFM and the Midland 75-822. What are your opinions on these ? I would also get a better telescoping antenna for home and a mag mount for the car. Would a Presidents New Virginia suitable ? Thanks in advance for the input / advice.
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HH CB help
- Thread starter Don57
- Start date
Mobile radio suggestions
I am looking to install a mobile cb in my 2016 Honda CRV. As with 99% of the newer cars , there is next to nothing as far as room goes. I’ve been looking for small compact units and so far the smallest I came across is the Radioddity CB27. My questions are : Is this a decent radio ? Is this the...
What’s changed in the interim is the availability of radios with DSP (digital signal processing), usually called NRC (noise reduction circuitry) becoming prevalent. Biggest change to CB since the intro of 40-channels.
The second radio in first thread post isn’t a handheld, per se, but one which features all the controls in the mic head. Several of this type available, at least one with NRC.
A truly portable handheld would be something like the PRESIDENT RANDY 2
New President Randy FCC handheld/mobile CB
Has anyone purchased the new President Randy FCC handheld/mobile CB radio? Was thinking of purchasing one and was curious has to how the performance of this radio is in a mobile setup. I would mainly be using it for travel purposes and don't want to go the permanent mounted radio route (even...
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I might have misled by my wording. I am looking for a handheld / mobile type radio. The 2 I mentioned are just like what I’m looking for. I saw a lot of videos on you tube about the Midland but could not find any on the Uniden , so I am looking for input on those two.
On the 75-822, you’re correct.
Thinking of another radio.
Thinking of another radio.
President Randy vs Midland 75-822
I'm really, really new to CB radio so maybe I'm missing something, but... I can't believe there are six pages of discussion on the president randy over the course of many months and NOBODY even brings up the Midland 75-822 ??? Like I said, I'm new and learning a lot and figuring things out but...
How do you test SWR on handhelds?
So I have this Midland handheld that came with the standard rubber ducky. I replaced it with a 51" base loaded antenna. How do I tune that to get best SWR? I think usually those meters go in between the radio and antenna right? I am not sure how I would do that with a handheld, maybe I need...
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niceguy71
Active Member
any handheld for the house is pretty useless... you may get 1 to 2 miles with the HYS 51 inch telescoping antenna from Amazon standing outside depending on your terrain ... with the rubber duck that comes with it you may get a 1/4 mile range.... it's doubtful anyone will be within a mile of your house to talk to...
I have 50 handhelds just about every model ever made... ( I don't have the Uniden pro 538 HH ... first time I've seen it)....
the best is the President Randy II ..
when I buy a new handheld CB that has the SCAN feature on them... I set it on my coffee table with the 51 inch antenna for a few weeks until I get a new one... right now I have a Midland 75-822 on my coffee table... it's an ok hand held...... but EVERY HANDHELD sitting on my coffee table for the last year has yet to hear anyone other than my neighbor when he was playing with his handheld...... other than that..... it stops scanning on channel 6 --- 9 --- and 11... the mega watt super bowl channels... those are the only signals those little handhelds will pick up.
as for on the road use as you said you're going to get a magnet mount antenna... I'm sure you know you can't use a hand held inside a vehicle
I have talked to people that had the little cobra and similar small magnetic antenna's and they barely get a mile... USELESS.... they sell those little antenna's to go with the hand held CB's.... they will talk a mile for the cars in a caravan.... but if you want it to actually work get a good CB antenna... Wilson 1000 mag mount ... Siro performer 5000 with mag mount.... Styker AR-10 ... ... get one that is 60 inches tall and it will do well.... if you can find a discontinued Tram 3500 for cheap money get that one.... any hand held will do fine on a road trip with a decent antenna...... looks like you've been a member since 2010 so you know it's the antenna that receives and transmits... most of the handhelds will work about the same.
I see the Uniden pro 538 HH has FM and the display looks better than the midland... the midland for me is hard to see and when I press the light button it is back lit on two sides but it's a little hard to see the middle of the screen ( mine is older they may have changed them)..
the Uniden pro 538 HH is also cheaper..... I know farpoint farms did a YouTube video on the 75-822 and the little president antenna he likes it.. you can watch it I can't remember the range but I wasn't impressed.... but I know people that have the little president antenna's and it's not worth it for a road trip
I have 50 handhelds just about every model ever made... ( I don't have the Uniden pro 538 HH ... first time I've seen it)....
the best is the President Randy II ..
when I buy a new handheld CB that has the SCAN feature on them... I set it on my coffee table with the 51 inch antenna for a few weeks until I get a new one... right now I have a Midland 75-822 on my coffee table... it's an ok hand held...... but EVERY HANDHELD sitting on my coffee table for the last year has yet to hear anyone other than my neighbor when he was playing with his handheld...... other than that..... it stops scanning on channel 6 --- 9 --- and 11... the mega watt super bowl channels... those are the only signals those little handhelds will pick up.
as for on the road use as you said you're going to get a magnet mount antenna... I'm sure you know you can't use a hand held inside a vehicle
I have talked to people that had the little cobra and similar small magnetic antenna's and they barely get a mile... USELESS.... they sell those little antenna's to go with the hand held CB's.... they will talk a mile for the cars in a caravan.... but if you want it to actually work get a good CB antenna... Wilson 1000 mag mount ... Siro performer 5000 with mag mount.... Styker AR-10 ... ... get one that is 60 inches tall and it will do well.... if you can find a discontinued Tram 3500 for cheap money get that one.... any hand held will do fine on a road trip with a decent antenna...... looks like you've been a member since 2010 so you know it's the antenna that receives and transmits... most of the handhelds will work about the same.
I see the Uniden pro 538 HH has FM and the display looks better than the midland... the midland for me is hard to see and when I press the light button it is back lit on two sides but it's a little hard to see the middle of the screen ( mine is older they may have changed them)..
the Uniden pro 538 HH is also cheaper..... I know farpoint farms did a YouTube video on the 75-822 and the little president antenna he likes it.. you can watch it I can't remember the range but I wasn't impressed.... but I know people that have the little president antenna's and it's not worth it for a road trip
niceguy71
Active Member
the link I gave is a walmart link for the Tram 3500 antenna for $66 bucks
niceguy71
Active Member
Don57
just a thought... look at the Raddioddity CS-47... it's so small you could just plug it into the cigarette lighter... you can easily modify it to do 8 watts AM and 15 watts FM ( just move a jumper ) but you could place that under the seat and all you have is the mic.. and for a road trip that is actually pretty nice... as for home use a little battery pack would work and a back of the CB antenna.. you could sit out on the back porch and use it as a handheld.... just a thought. ... look at YouTube for the modification.this radio also has the noise reduction technology that Slowmover mentioned... this works WAY better than a handheld! and is less than a $ 100 bucks!!!!
I like what this guy did for a portable antenna
niceguy71
Active Member
I was really showing the video to show the antenna connection... I thought that was pretty clever.. just a simple elbow and the 51 inch telescoping antenna....and a 12 volt battery pack.... That little Radioddity CS-47 with a cigarette plug could do both vehicle and and a base station.... Not a good base station .. but better than any handheld
I use the pro538hh replacing my 75-822. Stock antenna works great just for nearby. Hata telescopic cb antenna for handheld distance and a cb bnc rubber ducky with bnc mag mount on car. Worth the money. No am unit will work with the antenna inside a metal cage of a car. Its nice when you scan and if an fm broadcast is being used you will hear it in am fuzzy but then swith to fm. This way you dont miss anything.
Pro538hh works great. Inside car surrounded by metal shouln't work. Just as a mobile cb with outside antenna, setting this up like that works great. I use hata telesopic antenna for portable or cb bnc rubber duckie on bnc mag mount low profile on car which does great. The stock antenna is good just for nearby. When scanning am you will hear fm fuzzy so just switch over. It does that because am is more common so you don't need to listen seperately. I also use dc to ac converter (cheap buy) to use and charge indoors with lighter plug.
Pro538hh works great. Inside car surrounded by metal shouln't work. Just as a mobile cb with outside antenna, setting this up like that works great. I use hata telesopic antenna for portable or cb bnc rubber duckie on bnc mag mount low profile on car which does great. The stock antenna is good just for nearby. When scanning am you will hear fm fuzzy so just switch over. It does that because am is more common so you don't need to listen seperately. I also use dc to ac converter (cheap buy) to use and charge indoors with lighter plug. you can use it whie charging.
niceguy71
Active Member
I have tested a ton of antenna's ... I have a few of the Cobra HA TA telescoping long rang antenna's..... they are better than the rubber duck.. but don't compare to the 51" HYS antenna's sold on Amazon... I bought one for every one of my handhelds... they are that good! and WAY better than the Cobra long range antenna.
this guy does some GREAT handheld tests... and he did a handheld antenna test that clearly shows how great the 51 inch tall HYS antenna works.
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