Davidbt
Member
I was telling @slowmover that I was going to try and come up with some kind of hooks to hang it on my map pocket next to my right knee. There's a place to run the power through the firewall near the steering column.
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niceguy71
Active Member
take some pictures of your truck.. where your thinking of putting it and EVERYPLACE... like under the dash on passenger side and passenger console... the guys are awfully smart here and may come up with a better idea.
Davidbt
Member
My wife and step daughter and I spent the day Tucson today so I can do doctor stuff before the left hip revision surgery. I was trying to pay attention to other trucks and cars and really didn't see any extra antennas on any vehicles. After getting home, I tried to order a qt60 from aliexpress. Well,, I don't have much patience and the order was taking forever to load. So I went to my saved for later Amazon account and was going to order there. Well, just for ****s and giggles, I looked for a qt80. They happened to have one left. Kinda like my guns, when I find something I like, I get it. So the radio and Tram 3500 antenna should be here Friday, the day after surgery. My wife can't kill me while I'm still in the hospital, can she? Looking forward to my new hobby. Now I have to look into that Ham license.
niceguy71
Active Member
sounds like you got the best cb radio on the market ( it's really a ham radio and not a top of the line ham radio either...... but when used as a CB radio... it's best one out there for sure)
the antenna will hopefully work well for you, I personally really like the Tram 3500.. it's not the best by a long shot... but it works very well.
you will need a SWR meter to set the antenna.... I like this one.... again not the best... it's a cheap China one... but it has been very close to a very expensive $300 dollar Antenna analyzer I have.. if you get this meter MAKE SURE YOU GET THE SWITCH IN THE BACK.... the one with the switch in the back has a bigger display.... the one with the switch in the front... you have to use a magnifying glass to see it.
E-Bay SWR and Power meter
now we will have to see how getting that radio into the truck will work out? hopefully you'll find a spot... as I said take some pictures before you mount it... these guys may figure out a better spot to put it, one that you hadn't thought of.. so ask before you install it.... I know you did some reading of this forum so you know not to plug it into the Cigarette lighter... it has to go to the positive of the battery with a fuse near the battery.... I would highly recommend a relay that will shut it off when you turn off the key switch... I had Best Buy's do it..... made it a lot easier.
hopefully you will find a base or a friend with a CB to help range test it.. if you only get a few miles range you may have to do the RF bonding... but we'll address that when you find out if you need it.... when you range test it turn your power down all the way ( 2 watts ) that will be a true test... I have found in my testing that if the antenna is set up good and the vehicle is radiating like it should.... I can transmit a long way with just the two watts...... turning it up doesn't help the range much.. it makes my voice louder on the other end.... but it still goes the same XX miles.... but you should hopefully get great range with just 2-4 watts ... then you know everything is working great.
Davidbt
Member
Thanks for all the info @niceguy71. It's going to be 4-6 before I'm able to try and put in my truck. One thing I can do is encroach on the passenger side of the truck. That's my wife's office area will we're traveling. I'm not sure if I should have just went with the QT60 or the qt80. Or is there another radio that would fit the bill? It was last one on Amazon at the time, and just thought, why not? It should have the power to hear of road issues miles ahead I think. Like what @slowmover says, its a big part of having a good radio with a good antenna set up. I plan on studying and working towards my Technician license. As long as the qt80 works on cb, I should be ahead of the game. There's definitely going to be a learning curve for me for sure. I don't pick things up as fast as I used to.
Davidbt
Member
Sorry, that third sentence was supposed to be can't do. I can't encroach on the passenger side of the truck.
niceguy71
Active Member
It took me a while to get my truck set up.
You wound up buying the best radio there is..... Supposedly....
The only thing I wish I could have told you if you had told us you were going to get the QT 80..... They are all the same price ... $295 to $299... If you buy it from Amazon you get a one year warranty.... If you bought it from Radioddity you get a 18 month warranty... Also you can't register the radio at Radioddity... It doesn't come with a warranty card..... I had a CS-47 that was less than a year old ... It didn't work out of the box....But I didn't have proof of purchase and Radioddity would not help me without proof.... I fought with Radioddity for a month...... They just kept demanding my Radioddity order number... Because I didn't buy it from them there was nothing they could do ..... It was a gift from a woman I no longer date so I couldn't get her Amazon order number.
Lessen to me....from now on I'll try it the day I receive it..... Not put it on the shelf waiting for me to test it one of these days
Well, we'll wait the 6 weeks and see how it goes
Good luck
Davidbt
Member
Yeah, I didn't set out to specifically buy the qt80, but it was available, so why not? I'm not the smartest frog in the pond, and it was the last one available on Amazon for now. I was considering the cs-47 because the main part of the radio would fit in the map pocket next to my right knee. That's where my Midland MXT275 road to Mississippi and back. When I thought about the QT60 in my Amazon account, I thought let's see if they had the qt80 available. Amazon said it was the last one available, so I thought, why not. The old mantra, buy once cry once came to mind.
Davidbt
Member
Yes. Arizona and some Komiefornia I'm afraid. Mostly the south western states. I live down in Cochise County.
Ok I was just curious about your travels. So a high end radio would be in your best interest in your case. As far as taking the Technician class test.. Go for it!
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Davidbt
Member
Thanks. I've been into gmrs for a couple of years due to exploring the area in my jeep. I'm retired and have some time on my hands and thought I'd try cb again, and with the newer radios, I was thinking I could learn ssb and ham radio also.
Yes SSB is a lot of fun. If the radio you bought will not work out in your truck you still have an option to use it as a base station. You would just need a power supply to power it up.
Davidbt
Member
That's what I was thinking also. I would just have to figure out a antenna that wouldn't freak out my wife. 🤣
Well good luck with that! There are plenty of options out there to choose from. There are also some good information on the forum about base station antennas. Many of the forum members will give you some great advise on this subject.
Davidbt
Member
I'm having issues with Amazon sellers having the QT80 in stock. I was thinking of buying the QT60 or ordering the QT80 from Scott's radio. His website says he has several in stock. The Amazon radio $299, Scott's price is $315 with a alignment. I'm not sure what the alignment is. Since I haven't had a radio for quite a while, should I buy the best radio I can, or would the QT60 do everything I need? I can get the QT60 from Amazon in a couple of days.
If you buy direct from Radioddity you get a warranty and support. Most other retailers offer neither.
www.radioddity.com
Radioddity QT80 10 Meter Radio | Max 80W | FM AM SSB CW PA | TX & RX Noise Reduction | Microphone Gain | Dual Watch
Radioddity QT80 10-meter radio, designed for superior performance, this radio features an impressive 80W high power output, multiple operational modes, customizable TX & RX noise reduction, and an ASQ function. It's a powerful 10-meter radio, perfect for both amateur enthusiasts and professional...
www.radioddity.com
niceguy71
Active Member
ALL the New radios QT80 or Anytone 6666 PRO are coming from China.. they take 6 weeks!~ and everyone wants one!!!! they are way behind on any order!!! I hear of hundreds and hundreds of people waiting for them!!!
you will get it... it will just take a little longer... you don't have much room in that truck and it looks like the $300 bucks wasn't an issue for you.... so you may as well wait for it.. you can't do anything till you heal up from your surgery anyway.....
you will have this the rest of your life.... so don't make a mistake now out of impatience ... you bought the best radio on the market and the smallest one.... just wait for it!
I have NEVER had an issue with Amazon and I get a package delivered DAILY!!!!
... if they say you're getting it.... you will get it! so you should sit back and relax...
now with that said.... I would cancel it and order it at Radioddity.... as I said you get an 18 month warranty compared to Amazon's 12 month... if you ordered before Aug 30 you got a free book and a free mobile antenna!!!!!!!
there is no phone for Radioddity... but their service department is top notch... you send them a message and in the middle of the night ( China's day time) they will respond to you.. and they are very helpful.... so they will always be able to track your order and you know you're talking to the people that are truly selling it and warranty it.....
compared to sellers at amazon... anyone can be an Amazon seller.. so if I tell Radioddity I will buy a 100, QT80's for $275 each they may sell them to me ( they get my money right away and as I sell them Radioddity will ship them to the people I tell them to ship them too) ......and then I could sell them on Amazon for $300.... but the Amazon buyer ( meaning you) doesn't know who he is dealing with...... again... you will get it.. amazon will not let you get robbed... it will just take longer....... too bad you missed the free book and mobile antenna... that $69 Radioddity antenna looks pretty interesting too!
whatever you do will be fine... but stick with the higher power and smaller QT80!!!
the QT 80 and free stuff from Radioddity
Davidbt
Member
I tried to buy directly through radioddity and was having issues accepting my credit card. Scott's radios has a few in stock, and was thinking about ordering through him. I've already received the Tram 3500 while I was in the hospital. You're right @@niceguy71, I don't need to be in a hurry. If I buy through Scott's radios, it will still come with a one year warranty.
niceguy71
Active Member
Every seller " says in stock" but they will come from China to Scotts then he will do the 11 meter conversion and send it to you... Going to take the same amount of time.
The one thing I think you have going for you is ... At Amazon if the radio doesn't work you can bring it to a Amazon return center ... One in every town in America and just drop it off and order another one at Amazon..... Scotts... You will have to ship it to him and pay the shipping... Then he has to ship it to China ... Or he will tell you to ship it to China... And shipping it to China will cost a fortune .. he will do it through the Radioddity warranty that may take months ....
Amazon lets you return anything for no reason at all and order another one.... No hassle with Amazon ., so again .. just relax and wait
