Whats the best mobile SSB CB radio?

[gewecke]

The Uniden Grant XL is an excellect radio. The Grant XL has a built-in SWR meter, unless it has been bastardized to switch for a channel mod. If you find a Grant XL that is clean and hasn't been overly modified, go for it. The ones made in the Philippines or Malaysia are good. I just recently sold mine on EBay since I wanted to finance an Icom 718 for HF work. (I am a licensed General class amateur)

The "roger beeps" you hear on 2 meter and 70 cm repeaters are most likely the "courtesy tone" on the repeater, not roger beeps built into the radio.

Or someone has their "wires" access button turned on.


73,
n9zas

 

[ratboy]

Honestly, it's illegal, but by far, the BEST CB is a decent Kenwood/Icom/Yaesu HF transceiver, "clipped" to allow transmitting on all freqs.

 

[sdeeter19555]

The Uniden Grant XL is an excellect radio. The Grant XL has a built-in SWR meter, unless it has been bastardized to switch for a channel mod. If you find a Grant XL that is clean and hasn't been overly modified, go for it. The ones made in the Philippines or Malaysia are good.

I agree, and I own two Uniden Grant XLs...both are excellent radios.

I have a DX959 in my daily driver...it tends to drift when cold, takes a while for it to settle down; even on AM.

 

[KD8DVR]

I have a Galaxy DX-949. It is stone cold stable on both AM and SSB. It has a May 2012 mfg date though, so *maybe* they corrected the defects or I got lucky. I decided to put a CB in the van, after being without for many years. The only problem was the modulation maxed out at 50%. Easily adjusted, so now it tops out at 90%.

 

[sdeeter19555]

I have a Galaxy DX-949. It is stone cold stable on both AM and SSB. It has a May 2012 mfg date though, so *maybe* they corrected the defects or I got lucky. I decided to put a CB in the van, after being without for many years. The only problem was the modulation maxed out at 50%. Easily adjusted, so now it tops out at 90%.

Ummm, I hope you meant 2011?

 

[KD8DVR]

Ummm, I hope you meant 2011?

Yeah.... yeahhh... 2011... what you said

 

[gewecke]

Honestly, it's illegal, but by far, the BEST CB is a decent Kenwood/Icom/Yaesu HF transceiver, "clipped" to allow transmitting on all freqs.

Uh...the op said ssb cb radio right? A kenwood,or yaesu,or icom of any model is NOT a cb radio no matter what you do to it.
Come up with all the chop jobs you want,but those are not cb's.
now that we have that straight, how about a nice cobra or uniden?


73,
n9zas

 

[sdeeter19555]

Yeah.... yeahhh... 2011... what you said

Mine is actually one of the first mosfet versions they produced...I want to say its a 2007? It was actually bad out of the box...needed a Galaxy tech to repair.

 

[prcguy]

Check out the frequency display on this 400w military radio, I wonder if it has a roger beep?
prcguy

^Those are a bit out of the price range of the OP Wouldn't surprise me if somebody's put one of those on 27.555 USB.

Wasn't 27 MHz originally a military band? Tank-to-tank communications in FM mode? (World War II era). - Yes, I know that technically the "freeband" (it isn't actually free) is allocated to military government users with a few business frequencies here and there. I've only ever heard a legit business user on 27.430 MHz narrow FM and they were using a PL tone and everything. The U.S. Government frequencies of 27.575 and 27.585 have been quiet for decades now. Same with the 26.615, 26.617 and 26.620 (Civil Air Patrol) frequencies. Apparently 26.945 was used by the U.S. Air Force but I've only heard truckers and Mexican taxi cabs on that frequency for as long as I've been in radio...

I remember reading about a Russian tank radio that did 25 to 45 MHz in FM or something similar.

Plus there's plenty of LSB mode SSB CB operations. There actually seems to be a gentleman's agreement for the "uppers" (27.415 to 27.855)...most English speaking stations tend to use LSB, and most Spanish speaking stations tend to use USB.

 

[jimbr1]

One heck of a radio set-up that prcguy posted....had to start browsing sites for surplus military radios... just browsing, mind you. On the opposite end of the coin, I recently bought on ebay a Realistic TRC-453 which is very compact (similar to uniden pc122) and works well.
Cheers

 

[NESN]

The new Uniden 980SSB has me really interested. I never thought my wish list of CB, SSB, Weather alert and scan, and CB scan would ever come together in one unit. Any idea when it will be up for sale?
Also when running SSB is it nescessary (or just a good idea) to run heavier coax for the added signal strength?

 

[JayMojave]

Hello NESN: Yeah the 880 radio looks great I looked it up on the Uniden web site.

I use a ICOM 746 PRO that has a great tight reciver that really cuts down on bleed over. It has a tunable bandpass that will reject USB stations when listening to LSB stations. That is fantastic!

No you don't need any special coax for SSB Mode. I have replaced the RG58C type coax with RG142 Teflon, double shielded coax for mobile antennas. The RG142 is about a dollar a foot, or I buy it at the TRW Swap Meet for a little cheaper.

Jay in the Mojave

 

[Baskt_Case]

Hmmm... What about a Tram D80.

Those look pretty cool.

 

[JayMojave]

Hello Baskt Case:

Yeah these Tram radios look great. But there are 30 to 40 years old, needing a radio set of capacitor replacement and alignment, and probably a few repaires. I have bought a few of those older radios on
E-Pay and stored them in my *****en guy radio closet, in full working order. Then when I needed a CB radio most allof these radios are now dead.

So be advised maybe a newer radio will be more reliable. My neighbor down the dirt road got a Magnum S9 radio, its a copy of the old Cobra 148 GTL DX Radios, works quit well. Great noise blanker circuit for receiveing while running down the road.

Jay in the Mojave

 

[Baskt_Case]

I think I just bought a Uniden PC122XL still new in the box.

 

[booksbenji]

I had a SBE LCS4 in late 70s until the 1988, use a 50w bilinear, talk almost round the world. found a new 1 on ebay in Oct 2013($129), have it still out talk almost everybody in the Permian Basin(TEXAS).
Looking for a 50w or 100w bilinear.

 

[Retroradio]

IMHO the Realistic TRC-451 is a fantastic radio, if not one of the greatest from back in the day. Currently enamoured with the Bearcat SB980. Nice to move into the digital age but miss the mechanical meter.. Running a silver eagle D-104 and it sounds fantastic.

 

[JayMojave]

Hello All: As said before the Motorola System 500 Mobile and Motorola System 550 Base radios.

Rock on...

Jay in the Mojave

 

[freebird63]

Uniden Grant XL...awesome radios

 

[prcguy]

I've owned and sold the Motorola's in the day and they are damm fine radios, I still have a couple of Mocats. But, I think they are second best to the CPI series like the CP300, CP400 and CP2000. Those were the best performing and best built legal CB radios I have ever seen or used. All US designed and built with the best commercial components at the time.
prcguy

Hello All: As said before the Motorola System 500 Mobile and Motorola System 550 Base radios.

Rock on...

Jay in the Mojave