Northstar is right on the money.
Galaxy will stand behind their products. Bob F. in Pennsylvania is great to deal with. I have had several dealings with him before. I hate to say it but the Connex, Galaxy, RCI, Texas Ranger, Ranger, Mirage, Cobras in 96-97, and many others were and are made in Ranger factories. Although some of the exports are a little noisy on receive most of them are descent radios. Aligned properly they sound pretty darn good.
The Magnum and the Northpoint radios are made in the same factory in China. The Magnum has the Top Gun in it. One has to be very careful when aligning these radios because or the modulator. A scope I would think would be a must. Bob F. was involved in the Magnums made by RF Limited. Stan Wells in N.Y. owns the Northpoint line. He was helped out by Mr. Morrisan who was the former owner of Cherokee and Northstar. I have been told that Mr. Morrisan works now for Sema who bought out what was left of Cherokee and Stan Wells bought out what was left of the old Northstar line.
When you start talking about a Galaxy, General or RCI base for the price an inexpensive amateur radio with a 25-35 amp power supply might be worth looking into. The Icom 706MKIIG, the Kenwood TS-50, the Yaesu 857, or the Alinco 70 might be worth a look.
Good Luck.
