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Repair Shop
- Thread starter HughScotV
- Start date
Does she ever go by Walcott Radio in Walcott, Iowa? They have a good service center. Unfortunately, they are a long ways from Hickory, NC unless you ship them the radio. Would that be a possibility?
www.walcottradio.com
Welcome to Radio Reference!
CB Radio Shop with Accessories & Radios for Sale: Walcott Radio
www.walcottradio.com
Welcome to Radio Reference!
RFI-EMI-GUY
Member
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- Dec 22, 2013
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I would save your money on the "peak and tune". A lot of radios that are messed with the "golden screwdriver" simply get damaged. Just buy the best radio and antenna you can afford. Have it installed correctly for minimum VSWR.
No, not near Walcott, but I saw their website. Going to find something local. But thanks.
As for the peak and tune I agree, unless one has the equipment you don't know what you'd get. Naturally, she thinks she has to have it. With only 4 watts output I'd think the mfg would be fairly good at making sure it had the max out. Personally, due to the low cost of a new radio I'd hesitate to spend much on repairs. I saw a "Cobra 29LTD CLASSIC CB Radio - NEW - Updated Model with AM and FM Mode" for sale new and it sounded okay, anyone familiar with it?
As for the peak and tune I agree, unless one has the equipment you don't know what you'd get. Naturally, she thinks she has to have it. With only 4 watts output I'd think the mfg would be fairly good at making sure it had the max out. Personally, due to the low cost of a new radio I'd hesitate to spend much on repairs. I saw a "Cobra 29LTD CLASSIC CB Radio - NEW - Updated Model with AM and FM Mode" for sale new and it sounded okay, anyone familiar with it?
While those have been decent radios over the years, for the same price (or close to it) i’d look in to the AnyTone Ares II / Radioddity QT40. Classic Cobra “look”, but loaded with features. AM/FM/SSB/Weather/VHF RX/ Echo/ Roger Beep/ 10 Bands of channels/ Digital noise reduction/ 40 watts/ etc etc etc for under $200.
slowmover
Active Member
Welcome to RR!
Yes, the scene changed forever beginning in 2022 with radios most easily identified as having NRC
This new circuitry is akin to a car having EFI for its reliability, better fuel economy & power over earlier carburetted versions. There’s no going back.
Beyond yet more advanced (smaller) circuitry is the radios ability to filter out the background noise FAR better than before. Weak signals get heard and everyone sounds better. It’s easier to use the radio all-day.
As an OTR driver who ran coast-to-coast and border-to-border I was sad to park my older radios. Today is different. It is what it is.
The QT40 looks very similar, and any menu functions are set & forget. The stock mic doesn’t need to be upgraded. Has adequate TX power. One does not need a tech to align the radio. Any conversion (if required) is simplest DIY.
In daily use it’s only Vol, Squelch and RF-Gain as the controls manipulated once others are set.
It’s worth upgrading a fleet tractor to a taller, better antenna system, and to connect to clean 12V. I did mine that way; several times. The expensive Amateur gear I then used to use now sits at home. The new cheaper stuff is better.
— It’s not enough to know WHY traffic is coming to a halt, it’s FAR better to have had choices about re-routing or taking a break miles back.
CB is a tool, not a toy turned up last moment.
Come around the bend with the typical C29 and inadequate antenna system not having heard warnings . . and it’s too late to change fate.
There are now more tornadoes east of the Mississippi than west. Tornado Alley jumped the river. What’s distant and interesting in Kansas comes out of nowhere in northern Alabama.
My “expensive” radio system paid itself back in full 2-3X per year. Better use of HOS.
There’s a whole OTHER level of Citizen Band of which the average user is unaware. Of which a truck driver needs to be able to access.
A truck driver doesn’t need the expense of a Netflix or NFL subscription. Sure-as-hell he needs BEST local communication abiilty ahead of that frippery. CB isn’t passive. Morale is better for all when drivers learn (today) to stop being passive and speak up. Pass the time of day as a thought occurs.
The deaf & dumb have already made their ignominious choice. No radio or bad radio system aren’t that far apart.
The range & clarity of a modern system has no substitute. The modern radio is the beginnings on a modern system.
The system — as a whole — is what to look at.
You ID her tractor model & year the system can be addressed. Just ask.
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slowmover
Active Member
Does she ever go by Walcott Radio in Walcott, Iowa? They have a good service center. Unfortunately, they are a long ways from Hickory, NC unless you ship them the radio. Would that be a possibility?
CB Radio Shop with Accessories & Radios for Sale: Walcott Radio
Welcome to Radio Reference!
They have a great retail location and I have spent several thousand dollars there. But I would not allow them inside a radio (having made that mistake. A judgement in which I am not alone).
That said, in person or online they are otherwise first rate.
Two other large online retailers are:
Bobs, in PA
Bells, in FL
Where I’ve also spent.
Amateur Radio sources easy to deal with are DX Engineering, Ham Radio Outlet, Palomar Engineers and several others, but they’re serving a broader, better-educated clientele.
— If I wanted someone from whom to purchase or QC check a modern radio bought elsewhere it’d be Scott’s Radio in MI. (Use an APACHE 2800 transport case from H-Freight to ship).
The RADIODDITY site has sales on all their radios every so often. Scroll down thru the full page per offering.
QT40 is entry-level on AM/FM/SSB Export Radios with NRC. The minimum.
I use a QT60 as I favor the controls and screen for High Speed Adventures (truck driving) in its ANYTONE AT5555-N2 version. It’s pretty much the same as QT40 for what matters.
Am working on it this morning, in fact, prepping it to fit into the pickup truck system which is assembling itself at a glacial pace.
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slowmover
Active Member
“ . . As for the peak and tune I agree, unless one has the equipment you don't know what you'd get. Naturally, she thinks she has to have it.”
She’s heard some “loud” radios and — as is common — believes that is the way to go. Power is a needed crutch in big trucks, but Ears (antenna system) triumphs over all else.
Adequate power isn’t a great deal. The radios above are easily served by 10 or 6-AWG, but it’s in routing coax that is the headache (depending on truck specifics).
Let’s just say I’ve made fools of men with Big Radios who can’t hear worth beans . . and won’t shut up when no one answers them.
We had a shop in Dallas served trashy truckers who were loud as could be . . . for about a mile. Gratitude is that they fast faded away. There’s maybe six-seven men in the USA who service old CB type “retail” and who can deliver. No longer a need for alignment.
— The ideal is where TX & RX correspond in range. 5-7/miles can be predictably good (and farther) outside of major metros.
Clarity is now the game.
I’ve more than a decade of often being the only one who both hears and converses with other truckers I’m surprised that those around me can’t hear.
Today’s plastic composite trucks aren’t easy from which to get good performance. The OEMs don’t much care. But it can be done. And it’s straightforward.
The radios above are an interchangeable component. Not the most important.
She’s absolutely right to want good performance.
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She’s heard some “loud” radios and — as is common — believes that is the way to go. Power is a needed crutch in big trucks, but Ears (antenna system) triumphs over all else.
Adequate power isn’t a great deal. The radios above are easily served by 10 or 6-AWG, but it’s in routing coax that is the headache (depending on truck specifics).
Let’s just say I’ve made fools of men with Big Radios who can’t hear worth beans . . and won’t shut up when no one answers them.
We had a shop in Dallas served trashy truckers who were loud as could be . . . for about a mile. Gratitude is that they fast faded away. There’s maybe six-seven men in the USA who service old CB type “retail” and who can deliver. No longer a need for alignment.
— The ideal is where TX & RX correspond in range. 5-7/miles can be predictably good (and farther) outside of major metros.
Clarity is now the game.
I’ve more than a decade of often being the only one who both hears and converses with other truckers I’m surprised that those around me can’t hear.
Today’s plastic composite trucks aren’t easy from which to get good performance. The OEMs don’t much care. But it can be done. And it’s straightforward.
The radios above are an interchangeable component. Not the most important.
She’s absolutely right to want good performance.
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Thanks for you input. I have dealt with Walcott Radio on several mail-order occasions and have had satisfactory results. Always good to get other folk’s input on their experiences with shops.
Good solid radios. However very much older technology and limited to AM only with no bells and whistles. About as bare bones as you can get. You wont get FM, SSB or the weather bands with either of those radios. Again, for the money, not really worth it when there are plenty of other good options out there for the same price point that are fully loaded. If your needs are basic, they will work, but you could do better for the same money and would probably enjoy having the extra features vs not having them. There’s an old saying.. “buy once, cry once”. Pay the few extra dollars and get a full featured radio, otherwise you might regret not doing it. Then eventually you end up spending more money and buy the radio you should have bought in the first place to replace the “basic” radio.
slowmover
Active Member
Nope.
Why would you want to give her a radio of obsolete design? 1989 is long gone.
Noise Reduction Circuitry (NRC) is a complete game changer. In how well she can hear with a given system, and how well she can be heard.
QT40
This thread has video links:
My Radioddity QT40 review
So after a small delay in shipping I finally received my QT40 yesterday. I had already installed the programming software prior. Within minutes I had it converted for 11 meter and programmed. I even made my own custom Roger beeps via the software. I'm using it in the garage for a base station...
In 1989 radios like this didn’t exist. And the ones that came closest would in today’s money be above $500.
The antenna system is what matters most.
But I can’t make suggestions w/o truck brand/model/year.
As a truck driver it is paramount to arrive with driver & payload in at least as good a condition as on departure.
Do you expect her to always arrive home without incident? The military has been a safer job the majority of years since 1973.
It doesn’t happen automagically.
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Does your lady have any experience with FM (less noise and clearer audio) and SSB (popular for long distance communications via skip)? FM is new and does not have a lot of activity but as time goes on, it may become more popular. Does she want those modes in addition to the AM mode? Also the NRC (Noise Reduction Circuit) is a very desirable feature. Actually, a must have in any new radio for today’s environment. You may want to take another look at what is available.
slowmover
Active Member
Today’s full-featured radios offer more, as quoted. Features which can be learned at leisure.
— FM can be fun when on a 34-reset for a bit of privacy.
— I use SSB to talk with other drivers as we pass each other and haven’t finished the data dump needed (it has greater range).
— While the truck AM/FM may have WX these new radios allow one to set a warning alarm. I started my days with always using WX to know what the first hour or so would be like, and the phone app RadarPro to check my route.
My radio was On 12-14/hrs-day.
The more it’s used, the more useful it is.
Get the right tool.
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slowmover
Active Member
In the same way that using a smartphone for truck navigation is a mistake (or relying wholly on company routing) so, too, is in hampering ability at local comms a mistake.
Seems okay until it isn’t.
And it’ll matter deeply.
Being good at truck driving means learning to color outside the lines. Those that don’t (can’t) wind up in truly bad situations. Only takes once.
Any friction I had with employers wasn’t ever about the only things they care about: being on time, freight damage, moving violations or “accidents” (there are none). Best Radio was Ace-in-the-Hole when it came to heads-up warnings something intuition told me was off.
Pattern Recognition is Prediction. I don’t need to see the driver to determine race & sex as there are tells. Behaviors. Unlike a poker game this one has serious outcomes.
— You want the difference between successful experienced drivers and new guys with three years it’s development of this ability.
Radio, well-used, is a decisive factor in shortening this learning curve. The final bit of focus for the contextual cues. Confirmation.
You’d hear, “Yeah, welcome to Jackson. That crazee sh#% always going on”. (New note for the future. God forbid the bars are closing on a Saturday night I’m coming thru here).
The radio rig that sounds good is far more likely to get a response.
This rules out obsolescent gear.
.
Seems okay until it isn’t.
And it’ll matter deeply.
Being good at truck driving means learning to color outside the lines. Those that don’t (can’t) wind up in truly bad situations. Only takes once.
Any friction I had with employers wasn’t ever about the only things they care about: being on time, freight damage, moving violations or “accidents” (there are none). Best Radio was Ace-in-the-Hole when it came to heads-up warnings something intuition told me was off.
Pattern Recognition is Prediction. I don’t need to see the driver to determine race & sex as there are tells. Behaviors. Unlike a poker game this one has serious outcomes.
— You want the difference between successful experienced drivers and new guys with three years it’s development of this ability.
Radio, well-used, is a decisive factor in shortening this learning curve. The final bit of focus for the contextual cues. Confirmation.
You’d hear, “Yeah, welcome to Jackson. That crazee sh#% always going on”. (New note for the future. God forbid the bars are closing on a Saturday night I’m coming thru here).
The radio rig that sounds good is far more likely to get a response.
This rules out obsolescent gear.
.
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The AnyTone radios and their clones (Radioddity/Retevis/CRT/Stryker/Etc) have been around for well over 15 years now. Yes, most are made in China, but even Cobra, President, and Uniden have some of their radios made there. The build quality, no matter the brand, is not what it was decades ago. You wont get 40 years out of todays radios. Everything is “throw away” these days. However, having said that, you’ll still get many years of use out of most of them. Don’t be afraid to try something that isn’t branded Cobra or Uniden, because chances are they are all made in the same factory overseas, and all you are really paying for is the “name”. The “no-name” brands offer much more for less money with nearly the same quality.
niceguy71
Active Member
make sure the antenna is good so you don't have this happen to the new radio.
a cheap piece of junk CB with a really good CB antenna will work pretty good..... but the best CB in the world will hardly work at all with a cheap junky antenna.... so always try to do a system and spend the bulk of the money on the antenna... if it's in a semi truck.... getting it to work good is very difficult.... no metal on todays big rigs.
you have I fantastic opportunity to buy some of the best radios in many, many years. the Radioddity radios are truly incredible and everyone that wants a SERIOUS Radio gets one... if you listen to the airwaves you will hear hundreds of people all over the country using them every day..... I know as I talk all across the country on my Radioddity using CB on SSB and it seems 60% of the people have them ......
I can talk 20 miles on AM to my base station ( late at night when the skip is gone ) I never bother with FM
when I use SSB, I talk all over the world!!!! these radios with the NRC are truly a game changer in the radio world....
you are asking for advise..... I believe more than 50% of the people here have a Anytone or Radioddity radio... ( same radios one is just a clone )
these radios are NOT LEGAL they are 10 meter ham radios that you convert to a CB ( simple a child can do it ) they even make all the controls feel like a CB as they are sold and geared for CB users to modify them.
the FCC does little to nothing about CB's anymore( look at the people on channel 06 with thousands of watts.... and they never get bothered...... but you take the chance when you buy one of these 40 watt CB's
( click the blue link ) Radioddity QT-40 at Amazon for $169 and tomorrow is PRIME DAY... you might get it for less!
the QT-40 has 40 watts.... the QT-60 has 60 watts... you can turn it down to two watts.... there is a knob on the front of it.. if you turn it all the way to the right it's 40 watts or turn it all the way to left it's 2 watts.... I keep mine about at 8 watts and it does just fine for me.
if you buy a Radioddity QT-40 just go on YouTube and see how to modify it... again SUPER EASY will take less than a minute
these Radioddity radios have some of the best receivers ( because they are ham radios not cheap CB's )... I talk to Europe all the time with CB channels on SSB ... if I had a Cobra or Uniden I wouldn't even hear them... and all for $169!!!!
if you want a legal 4 watt radio, again the world is open to you... anything will work fine for you. but try to get one with NRC
this video will start playing right at the spot where the NRC is explained .... this will show you what's capable on the new high end $169 radios
let us know what you get and how you like it.
^This.
If you want something better built than the current crop of CBs/export rigs, then you're stepping up to Kenwood, Yaesu, Icom, and a few others. Big step up in price as well, for a lot of functions that may not be of use to a CBer.
While I love HF rigs, and use the daylights out of my Xiegus, a CB/export rig will usually beat the pants off of an HF rig at 11 meter operations. On 27 MHz, my QT-60 pulls in more weak signals than the G90, and is my go-to radio when 11 meters is running to Australia.
The new radio architecture in CBs is really a huge step up in performance. I ran 2950s and and 2970s for decades and loved them, but they just don't compare to the QT-60 or any of the new DSP radios in terms of reception or audio quality, both transmit and receive. Sideband sounds as good as FM when you run the noise control settings correctly.
Don't be afraid to try one of the new CBs; you'll likely be pleasantly surprised.
