Hey, ya'll. Happy Thanksgiving!
I am brand new to CBs, but am having a blast figuring it out!
I inherited a couple of radios and an SWR meter from a recently-passed family member - a Realistic TRC-449 (chrome face), a President AX7, and a GC Electronics SWR analog meter.
I excitedly hooked up an AC to DC converter to each radio. Success! Both power up and I can cycle through the channels! I also hooked up an external speaker and was able to make that work. All the features seem to be functional.
I felt confident enough to forge ahead with buying an antenna, a cable, and some other accoutrements to be able to use the CB(s) in my pickup truck. I painstakingly installed the antenna, ran the coaxial, installed a PA speaker outside the cab, ran wires, fuses, plugs, etc.
Finally the time came to turn on the CB and see what happens when actually hooked to an antenna. The TRC-449 powered right up as expected. I cycled through the channels, 1-40, in AM, LSB, and USB. I heard no chatter. I also played with the NB/OUT selector - nothing.
I plugged in my SWR meter and there was no life to the meter whatsoever. My first thought was that the meter was defective. Would not surprise me since it's probably 30+ years old and I have no idea of its life history. Then it occured to me to try the President radio, just as a test of my setup and of my meter.
I hooked the President up and there were multiple channels that I was hearing chatter on. It was so freaking cool! I then hooked in my meter and followed some instructions I found in a YouTube video. I did not do a true tuning of the antenna, but just wanted to see if I got similar results as the person in the video to see if I was even barking up the right tree. The meter seemed to do what it was supposed to.
So.....it would appear that my TRC-449 is not transmitting. This is the radio of the two that I have that I would prefer to use!
From some other YouTube videos I've seen, older radios tend to have capacitor problems. Is that where I should start? Is that something a novice should be attempting? What would it cost to have someone go through the radio and bring it up to snuff?
Thanks in advance from SW Oklahoma!
I am brand new to CBs, but am having a blast figuring it out!
I inherited a couple of radios and an SWR meter from a recently-passed family member - a Realistic TRC-449 (chrome face), a President AX7, and a GC Electronics SWR analog meter.
I excitedly hooked up an AC to DC converter to each radio. Success! Both power up and I can cycle through the channels! I also hooked up an external speaker and was able to make that work. All the features seem to be functional.
I felt confident enough to forge ahead with buying an antenna, a cable, and some other accoutrements to be able to use the CB(s) in my pickup truck. I painstakingly installed the antenna, ran the coaxial, installed a PA speaker outside the cab, ran wires, fuses, plugs, etc.
Finally the time came to turn on the CB and see what happens when actually hooked to an antenna. The TRC-449 powered right up as expected. I cycled through the channels, 1-40, in AM, LSB, and USB. I heard no chatter. I also played with the NB/OUT selector - nothing.
I plugged in my SWR meter and there was no life to the meter whatsoever. My first thought was that the meter was defective. Would not surprise me since it's probably 30+ years old and I have no idea of its life history. Then it occured to me to try the President radio, just as a test of my setup and of my meter.
I hooked the President up and there were multiple channels that I was hearing chatter on. It was so freaking cool! I then hooked in my meter and followed some instructions I found in a YouTube video. I did not do a true tuning of the antenna, but just wanted to see if I got similar results as the person in the video to see if I was even barking up the right tree. The meter seemed to do what it was supposed to.
So.....it would appear that my TRC-449 is not transmitting. This is the radio of the two that I have that I would prefer to use!
From some other YouTube videos I've seen, older radios tend to have capacitor problems. Is that where I should start? Is that something a novice should be attempting? What would it cost to have someone go through the radio and bring it up to snuff?
Thanks in advance from SW Oklahoma!
