Looking to replace a Base AM / SSB with a Base AM / FM / SSB - Only because of FM.

[N-L-M]

Looking at the pictures more and more of the Robyn I sort of remember seeing them advertised in magazines years back.

 

[N-L-M]

The original power supply was rated around 3a. adequate for a four watt CB, not for a pseudo 10m/CB. However it is easy to upgrade to around 7a. Enough to handle a 35 watt Ranger

B.S.

I would only be using a CB with SSB nothing more. Would I still be better upgrading the amps? because of the SSB?

 

[Blackswan73]

It would handle a stock CB fine with the original power supply. In fact, if you were to put a Cobra 148 in it you would essentially have a Cobra 2000

B.S.

 

[Blackswan73]

I would replace the electrolytics They will definitely be going on 30+ years now

B.S.

 

[Blackswan73]

If you decide to get one do not buy a 7. Get a 10 or 12. The 7 only fits small radios like a cobra 19. The 10 and 12 handles full sized mobiles

B.S.

 

[slowmover]

Galaxy 2547 is a DX-959 + power supply. As with other pre-2022 radios (NRC) lacks frequency stability attainable today, not just DSP filtration.

A variable-power Anytone AT5555-N2 runs circles around it. (RadiOddity QT60). Fully featured. Outstanding price given ability.

A 2547 would require a DDS-VFO kit plus a DSP module (integrated or outboard). A highly expensive proposition. Better to have gotten a Yaesu ft450d, instead.

The QT60 can be mounted with a power supply inside cases made by TAC-Comm or others. A rack. A DRIVER EXTREME 901 speaker, as well.

MegaWatt Ham Radio Power Supply

We sell high powered MegaWatt Ham Radio CB Radio Linear Amplifier Power Supplies, best Mobile Radio Power Supply, Shortwave and HF too, All Amateur Radios, 50 Amp, 36 Amp and 33 Amp 9 to 15 volt output 120 or 240 volt AC input. S-700-12, S-400-12, S-350-12, 100 200 1000 Amps Output

megawattpowersupplies.com

See reviews. No end of satisfied customers.

There’s no point in re-creating 1989 in 2024. Gives up too much.

Yes, it’s sad that “base stations” went extinct as to availability & performance.

Assemble your own.

There are a couple of sizes with TAC-COMM. I have the larger and change components within. Today finished third major change in last ten months. (No pic yet, this was from last fall).

Components are on factory brackets, within.

Sits on passenger seat of big truck. Room to stow power cord (15’ of 6-AWG, mic & cord, some amount of coax). My priority is ease of install & removal with securement while underway.



It’d be much easier to customize this or something similar for a home base. (Height adjustable).

Not shown are Bandpass filter, Coax RF Isolator and power distribution (as are at rear). I run component case grounds, and thence to same Neg as DC power. You’ll be doing these anyway (similar).

Tremendous custom. But still needs DSP built-in. I’d do it if guesstimated $1,500 satisfied my desire.

CLRmodule ClearSpeech® DSP Noise Reduction Board - West Mountain Radio

Or just get QT60 as above.
Swap pieces as desired.
.

 

[slowmover]

DIY

Talk with West Mountain about their recommendation of where to integrate module linked previous per circuit diagram. Will need external controls added.

May be able to add a President Digi-Mic to have TX DSP.

Or just have Mike at Scott’s Radio do the conversion + TLC to have this plus more for far less.

RADIODDITY QT60 10 METER RADIO. FM /AM /SSB with TX/RX NOISE REDUCTION | Scott's Radios

Stock optionRadios will ship in 10-Meter only.No video is supplied with the stock option. A short video will be supplied via YouTube when time allows when purchasing with Alignment option.As of 2/22/24 videos are not being offered due to them causing delays in processing orders.More info 👇See...

www.scottsradios.com

This radio isn’t difficult to use. I rarely change any settings besides volume during 10-12/hr days in operation. Stock mic sounds best, overall.

Clarity married to stability is what delineates 2024 performance. There’s no substitute when, “Hear, and Be Heard”, describes what’s wanted, past or present.

2023 Best Mobile CB

Via mobile experience as an OTR truck driver. Several thousand hours annual use. Earlier references to the Qixiang factory’s new circuit board elsewhere. Several brands. The above possibly the best known example at present. Paired with the equally new Driver Extreme DRX-9010 External Speaker...

forums.radioreference.com

.

 

[niceguy71]

I didn't see anyone answer the question... I kind of thought the question was is FM worth getting to update a base???? I have not turned on FM in the 6 months of having a base station.... back in the 90's I had FM in a mobile. still have the same radio in a mobile and still never use or heard anyone on FM ... so I was kind of wondering that myself.... anyone use FM in CB now?... so if you have a AM SSB radio now... I wouldn't bother to upgrade for FM.... but many new radio's have a integrated noise reduction circuit that is a huge improvement that would be worth the upgrade in my opinion.

 

[N-L-M]

I didn't see anyone answer the question... I kind of thought the question was is FM worth getting to update a base???? I have not turned on FM in the 6 months of having a base station.... back in the 90's I had FM in a mobile. still have the same radio in a mobile and still never use or heard anyone on FM ... so I was kind of wondering that myself.... anyone use FM in CB now?... so if you have a AM SSB radio now... I wouldn't bother to upgrade for FM.... but many new radio's have a integrated noise reduction circuit that is a huge improvement that would be worth the upgrade in my opinion.

You are correct - thanks for your input. I could sell my current base station and use the funds to upgrade to an FM radio (with/without CTCSS/DCS ). My radio is from the late 70's and the technology has certainly updated over all of those years so I would guess that my radio is not worth much unless someone wanted the particular radio because of the SSB.

If FM isn't being used (as it's still too new) in my area or there is no interest in upgrading current radios because of the added expense, then being the 1st one in my area doesn't really seem worth the added expense.

 

[niceguy71]

You are correct - thanks for your input. I could sell my current base station and use the funds to upgrade to an FM radio (with/without CTCSS/DCS ). My radio is from the late 70's and the technology has certainly updated over all of those years so I would guess that my radio is not worth much unless someone wanted the particular radio because of the SSB.

If FM isn't being used (as it's still too new) in my area or there is no interest in upgrading current radios because of the added expense, then being the 1st one in my area doesn't really seem worth the added expense.

not sure what you have for a radio... but people pay crazy prices for the old stuff... and the old stuff is not half as nice as the new stuff..... I kept seeing old radios and old mics for big money on E-bay.... I had a never used Cobra 148 gtl ... 4 watt radio... and after reading Slowmover's recommendation for the Anytone 5555 N II I thought I would get one.... I sold the Cobra for $635????? not a typo.... $635 it only had 40 channels and 4 watts AM /12 watts SSB..... the capacitors leak with age.... so I thought I would upgrade it if I could do it and come out even... and I came out $400 ahead!!!! the Anytone 5555 N II is powerful, 60 watts!! has the ham bands for when I get my license... has FM just in case.... has the weather channel ... I love the Scan feature! and it has the noise reduction circuit that makes gets rid of most of the back ground noise so I can hear people that other radios might not be able to hear... I love seeing three meters at once on the 5555 ( SWR meter Signal strength meter and power output meter).... best decision EVER.... so put the old radio on E-bay ... sell it for parts only no returns and list in the description that it works fine... scammers now buy a radio and change out parts and tell E-bay you sold them a broken radio... e-bay will then refund the money to the buyer and the buyer will send your radio back to you with different guts.

 

[N-L-M]

not sure what you have for a radio... but people pay crazy prices for the old stuff... and the old stuff is not half as nice as the new stuff..... I kept seeing old radios and old mics for big money on E-bay.... I had a never used Cobra 148 gtl ... 4 watt radio... and after reading Slowmover's recommendation for the Anytone 5555 N II I thought I would get one.... I sold the Cobra for $635????? not a typo.... $635 it only had 40 channels and 4 watts AM /12 watts SSB..... the capacitors leak with age.... so I thought I would upgrade it if I could do it and come out even... and I came out $400 ahead!!!! the Anytone 5555 N II is powerful, 60 watts!! has the ham bands for when I get my license... has FM just in case.... has the weather channel ... I love the Scan feature! and it has the noise reduction circuit that makes gets rid of most of the back ground noise so I can hear people that other radios might not be able to hear... I love seeing three meters at once on the 5555 ( SWR meter Signal strength meter and power output meter).... best decision EVER.... so put the old radio on E-bay ... sell it for parts only no returns and list in the description that it works fine... scammers now buy a radio and change out parts and tell E-bay you sold them a broken radio... e-bay will then refund the money to the buyer and the buyer will send your radio back to you with different guts.

It's a Sears RoadTalker 40 AM / SSB Made in Japan. I thought about going the Ham route (back when morse code was required - purchased the key and all) and have never went back to it. I know there are different levels - but with the Internet I can "talk" all over the world

So I need to decide if FM is worth it and if I want to add the CTCSS/DCS.

 

[prcguy]

It's a Sears RoadTalker 40 AM / SSB Made in Japan. I thought about going the Ham route (back when morse code was required - purchased the key and all) and have never went back to it. I know there are different levels - but with the Internet I can "talk" all over the world

So I need to decide if FM is worth it and if I want to add the CTCSS/DCS.

I have a couple of CBs with FM and other radios that will go on CB in FM mode, all with CTCSS/DCS. In the number of years since I've owned these radios I never had a conversation in FM mode on CB except for initially checking the radios out and talking to one of my other radios.

 

[niceguy71]

It's a Sears RoadTalker 40 AM / SSB Made in Japan. I thought about going the Ham route (back when morse code was required - purchased the key and all) and have never went back to it. I know there are different levels - but with the Internet I can "talk" all over the world

So I need to decide if FM is worth it and if I want to add the CTCSS/DCS.

the new radio's are truly night and day better than the old ones... I do love anything made by sears though! if you enjoy this hobby and think you'll stay with it... and can afford $260 bucks at Amazon for a Anytone 5555 N II you will never regret it... as for the FM and the other stuff ... you will NEVER use it.... as for me I plan to get my ham license but even then I highly doubt I'll ever use any of the ham frequencies.

 

[niceguy71]

It's a Sears RoadTalker 40 AM / SSB Made in Japan. I thought about going the Ham route (back when morse code was required - purchased the key and all) and have never went back to it. I know there are different levels - but with the Internet I can "talk" all over the world

So I need to decide if FM is worth it and if I want to add the CTCSS/DCS.

I see one for $175... so if you could get $175 on E-bay ... going to cost $30 for the ad so you would have $145 and only need to come up with $150 bucks for a new Anytone 5555 N II ... then you have to buy a power supply also.... another $100...... guess it's going to cost $250 to upgrade... but I'd sell the old CB before the capacitors leak and ruin it. Vintage CB Sears RoadTalker SSB Slant Face Base Or Mobile With Mic And Power Cor | eBay

 

[N-L-M]

I see one for $175... so if you could get $175 on E-bay ... going to cost $30 for the ad so you would have $145 and only need to come up with $150 bucks for a new Anytone 5555 N II ... then you have to buy a power supply also.... another $100...... guess it's going to cost $250 to upgrade... but I'd sell the old CB before the capacitors leak and ruin it. Vintage CB Sears RoadTalker SSB Slant Face Base Or Mobile With Mic And Power Cor | eBay

Ok. Thanks for the used CB info. Looks like a wonderful radio but I will stay away from any radio unless I am licensed for it - don't want to break the rules.

My radio as advertised at Sears! (Number 2 on the page)

1977 Sears Fall Winter Catalog, Page 1164 - Catalogs & Wishbooks

1977 Sears Fall Winter Catalog, Page 1164

christmas.musetechnical.com

 

[N-L-M]

I should have asked this earlier....

If I want a CB it must be Part 95 compliant. If I want a HAM it must be Part 97 compliant.

Are there 10 /11 meter FCC approved radios that will limit TX to 4 watts on CB and XXX watts for the ham band that are legal to use - assuming you have a ham license?

If a radio can operate on both 10 and 11 meters, does the FCC authorize such a radio for use?

 

[63Sprint]

Crap.. I saw a listing that I misread. Also had an eBay seller tell me the 2547 had FM.

Picked up a new in the box 2547 for $30.00 at a garage sale about a month ago. I like it. It’s on about 12 hours a day. It doesn’t have fm but, I don’t need it.

The layout of the controls are simple. I like it much better than lots of the newer radios because it uses simple control knobs for most functions. The meter is large and easy to read.

Does not have all the latest features but, it works well for my needs. The built in power supply is a nice feature. The radio can be powered by 120 AC or 13.8 volt DC by a flip of a switch in the back.

If the radio needs service, it looks very simple to work on.

It pays to have the radio tuned and aligned after caps and other components are broken in.. The radio does not drift at all.

 

[merlin]

Bummer. My CB radio isn't part D compliant. Does have FM, no CTCSS/DCS, Have a nice 50 amp power supply for it.
Backed the power down to 60 watts to save battery power but when I did use it, nobody noticed.
Now my little Bertha, if I cranked that up, half the state noticed.

 

[K6GBW]

Regarding FM on CB. When you use a 4 watt CB on AM mode you are actually putting out closer to 12 watts when you modulate it. With FM 4 watts is 4 watts. So if you want to have nice clear audio with a crisp squelch tail then use FM, but you'll get better range with AM and better range still using SSB.

 

[redbeard]

I should have asked this earlier....

If I want a CB it must be Part 95 compliant. If I want a HAM it must be Part 97 compliant.

Are there 10 /11 meter FCC approved radios that will limit TX to 4 watts on CB and XXX watts for the ham band that are legal to use - assuming you have a ham license?

If a radio can operate on both 10 and 11 meters, does the FCC authorize such a radio for use?

There are no radios authorized for such operation. FCC generally does not like mixing different services in the same radio.


ONE MAJOR FACT EVERYONE IS IGNORING IS THAT CB FM AND EXPORT RADIO/HAM RADIO FM ARE DIFFERENT BANDWIDTHS

Legal CB FM is narrow FM while ham and the export radios that have had FM since the good old days is much wider.

Recommending a great radio like the Anytone 5555N2 for compatibility with CB FM is a FAIL. You can bet that the FCC did this on purpose just to alienate all the export/ham radio users. Like @prcguy said though, in all the years of CB and having nearly everyone I talked to being capable of FM...we simply didn't care to use it. Now that it's legal perhaps we may see some novel use of it for some as of yet un-thought of application but until then I feel things will carry on as they have for decades and AM/SSB will be king.

tldr; if you want legal fm buy a legal type-accepted cb radio not an export radio.