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Galaxy DX959 user's review

update.

ive been modding this radio for a while now, and i just thought id post what ive done and how it worked.

i already had a 2SC2999 and the 1N6263 diodes here, so i popped them in.
the 2999 really didnt make much difference at all as far as i could tell.
i think galaxy's choice of component here does just as good a job as the 2999.
the diodes however, made a big difference.
much smoother sounding AM receive, and the NB seemed to work a bit better.
gave the receive a tune up, and it seems to be working great!
added a channel guard, and it was a very nice addition.
it fits on its side, right near the crystal filter.
really looks and works nice.

i added the TOP GUN compressor, and while i dont really trust radio checks as a reference; it does get lots and lots of "loud" comments, and plenty of flowers.

i added the diode to R264, and the radio now will deadkey from 2 to 6 watts, swinging to about 30 PEP.

i did the P5, P6 channel mod, and after much debate about what switch to use, or whether to add an external one (i HATE that!)
i decided to go with the CB/GNF/PA switch.
it worked out really well, and it looks like galaxy almost planned for this switch to be used like this.
in CB i get normal 40.
in GNF i get the lows, 26.695...
in PA i get from 42 on up...

i dont need the 27.605 and up, as i dont speak spanish, so this is great for me.

i have a blue LED kit on the way, and once that is done, all that will be left will be the dual final mod. (see other post)

this radio really does work sweet with a few upgrades.
catch me later,
loosecannon
 
i wouldnt bother with the duel final mod, i tried it on a 2547 and it really didnt add much. the "super ears" mod works great as long as you have it switched or adjustable. you dont want use it intown if anyone else is talking becuse it instantly overdrives the recieve. on far away signals you can really pick up a whisper and make it into a roar. it only boosts the recieved audio and not the air noise that a pre amp will add.

the p5 p6 mod is for extras, on the mainboard is a connection block with p numbers. if you take the p5 wire cut it and connect it back together with a switch, and do the same for the p6 wire it gives you your extra channels. blue leds are easy to install with the right tools and some patience taking the radio apart. simple solder removal from the board, switch the segments and resolder. keep the heat low and you will be fine. to much heat and you will damage the segment.
 
yup, ebay is simple. its a little cheaper to orer them seperatly form a supplier but you need minimum orders so unless your guna do 5 or 6 radios its to much hassle.

blue kit
 
hi linearone,

the diodes i referred to are called schottky barrier diodes, and while im not exactly sure what that means; they make a nice improvement to the receive of your radio.
they are added in the AM detector circuit, and in the noise blanker circuit in place of 1N60 germanium diodes.

here is a link to the mods i did, plus a few more that i didnt, including the one carl was referring to. (im gonna do that one now!)
http://www.radiomods.co.nz/galaxy949_959ept069610z.html

in this article, the diodes are called ECG583's, but NTE583's are the same things.
another part number they go by is 1N6263.
to make things easy on yourself, just buy the kit from
"wingwirx modulator" here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/SUPER-RECEIVE-K...ryZ48696QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
he has the right stuff, and i have bought more than a few from him. always went smooth.

as for the blue LED conversion, Carl is right about how to do it, but i must say that i ran into a few problems.
i ended up pulling a few of the sleeves with the old LEDs.
you see, the PC board that holds the LEDs for the channel display and freq. counter is double sided, and plated through, which means that there are little copper sleeves inside each hole connecting the top and the bottom PC foil traces.
if you dont get ALL the solder off, you can end up pulling the sleeve out, and creating a mess of problems.
(pardon me if you already know this stuff, i dont want to assume either way)
so, be sure to use a real desoldering iron, then desoldering braid,
lots of patience, and low heat.
the LED's should practically fall out of the board; if you have to pry much at all, there is still some solder in there.

here are some views of the board:
http://www.cbtricks.com/radios/galaxy/dx959/dx959_ept073n30z_display_pcb.htm
lots of good stuff at cbtricks as usual.

here is a good place to get the blue LED's from.
http://www.mpaudio1.com/Galaxyparts2.html
one thing though, you also have to replace the amber plastic that is glued to the back of your faceplate. why?
because guess what color the cool new blue LED's will look through it...
you guessed it; green.

dont know where to get the plastic, i used some stuff i had.

for the channel conversion, i used the "GNF" switch since it is useless anyway.
works out well this way, and no holes to drill.

i also put a channel guard on it, and that seems to help alot with noise/bleedover.
have fun!
loosecannon
 
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i can vouch for wingwirx modulator, ive bought from him in the past and the parts were top notch. he was the only one at the time on ebay that was only using the real 2999's, many of the others were using nte parts (like you can buy cheaper by the way from parts express) but the real ones you cant.

ive bought the nte replacments and have had mixed resultsk, the diodes are generally ok but the transistors are more miss than hit. nte bins there parts to that the stock and low noise ones are the same part number, you never know what one your going to get.
 
Today I was able to pick up a 959 in a trade. This has been one of our local's radio since he bought it new a couple of years ago. One of the earlier models with the amber channel/frequency counter lights.

Have been listening to the original owner use it all this time and has always been a big swinging - audio monster.

Everything works. No problems with loose or poorly mounted knobs or anything. Good loud roger beep. The guys have been saying this one swings to 35-40 watts all along and that always sounded high to me for just a peaked out CB. The orig. owner, who is a friend, states that it's all original, been no changeout of the finals or anything else. Just a peak and tune by a local shop.

Variable power control, low is set on 2.5w and high 9w

Sure enough it's show 33 watts peak on my large Dosy's from any setting and the same 33 on sideband. Big loud audio monster like the modern Galaxy's are known for.

With the large meter, roger beep, adjustable + on/off talkback, frequency counter and this kind of audio and power output.....these just have to be the very best mobile CB's on the market today. Usual new price you see is $179. I think they're well worth it and this rig sure kicks the Cobra 148 to the curb. No comparison (y)

Stock pic
 
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i went right back in and showed them, and they exchanged it for me. the new one with a man. date of 4/07. new enough for me!

That's probably the only nice option about buying from a truckstop is the 30 day return policy.

then i noticed how far out the pots with switches on them stuck out from the faceplate. (talkback, mic gain, dimmer)
they stick out about 1/4" from the face. (i measured it)
it looks like the knobs arent all the way on. AND! they're wobbly! its not the plastic knob that is the problem; its the pot itself has rotational play in it. the switch action also seems sloppy.


Those three knobs are this way because they are dual function knobs that you need to push in which requires the shafts to look and feel like they do. The failure rate on those are just as low as the other controls.

and the infamous "foil board" near the driver and final.

That small pcb has many names but it's mostly called the bias board simply because you need to remove it to do SSB transmit bias / current alignments.

leads not pulled through the board all the way. (i know, but im picky.LOL)

It's good to be picky which is why we read postings on our models and hopefully continue striving to make them better.

this is one of the new MOSFET versions, and the numbers are removed from them.

The numbers shouldn't be removed since they are listed everywhere including the schematics as IRF520 parts. My guess is if you look closer you'll see that stamped on the devices. The manufacture IR, (International Rectifier) just uses a light silkscreen print.

on the schematic, there are two parts near the driver and final that are marked as resistors, but labeled with an "L" indicating an inductor. they are L33 and L37. i asked Ray from Galaxy service about this in another thread and he said they are resistors with a ferrite bead on them to block RF from the DC path.

The beads are not required on the mosfet models and since the labeling on these boards is still for the bipolar (2SC2166, 2SC1969) transistors it's still labeled for them.

the insulators for the to-220 style transistors are the thick white kind instead of the thin mica or grey "rubber". not sure about this either, but i have heard that the thick white ones dont allow as much heat to dissipate to the chassis/heatsink. i dont know for sure what the truth is on that. i do know that they tend to crack when installed so that when you remove the transistor, you have to use a new one.

The ceramic style plates have two functions. First is to offer a near perfect flat surface to mount the transistor on with very little paste required. The side towards the radio is where paste is needed most. Secondly unknown to most is that the plate itself is part of the output capacitance in that circuit. This is why when inexperienced shops attempt to replace the ceramic plates with mica or gray plastic insulators they experience problems with low power and squealing when the lids are put on.

Q17 which is shown to be a 2SC1674 on the schematic (MOSFET version), is a 2SC2786 in my radio.
physically, it looks just like the 2SC2999, but the specs on the two parts are just a bit different.


Since the 2SC2999 seems to be low on available quantity and slightly high in price we are using the 2SC2786. Like I mentioned earlier, we read most of the postings and try to make the products better. Same goes for the other transistor updates you mentioned.

Hope I answered some of the major questions for you.

-Ray

8)

Cool! Glad I found thus thread. It asnswers a lot of questions.
 
Interesting

Galaxy Tech quote "The ceramic style plates have two functions. First is to offer a near perfect flat surface to mount the transistor on with very little paste required. The side towards the radio is where paste is needed most. Secondly unknown to most is that the plate itself is part of the output capacitance in that circuit. This is why when inexperienced shops attempt to replace the ceramic plates with mica or gray plastic insulators they experience problems with low power and squealing when the lids are put on."
 
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all i have to say about my 959,,,it will not transmit at all,,,,,it worked on the bench, put it in the mobile, has never worked sence,,,,,,it turns on, receives,good, talkback works
but will not transmit,,,of course i got this radio from that hacker at sparkies cb
i sent a message to galaxy 2 years ago re the problem,,have never heard from them

so,,,,my 959 sucks
 
I sure like mine. I am pretty sure it's stock... receives great, transmits fine, user friendly interface, good build quality. I talked to a station over 21 miles away barefoot with a wilson 1000 and they couldn't believe I was on a stock radio.
I sometimes get complaints that I am off frequency on ssb, but it probably came from the factory that way. A good peak and tune would probably have this 959 screamin. I'm glad I bought it, 143 shipped on ebay.
 
I also have a 959 radio and it works just fine. as with any radio some thing can fail at any time. never know.I have seen several over the years that did not work right out of the box. cobras, unidens, galaxys. it does not matter. some thing can go wrong at any time.
 
If I just opened up my Galaxy 959 and turned VR14 and VR17 up all of the way, would that successfully "peak" my radio? is that all you gotta do for more watts? what could i expect and how difficult is it without an external power meter?
 
If I just opened up my Galaxy 959 and turned VR14 and VR17 up all of the way, would that successfully "peak" my radio? is that all you gotta do for more watts? what could i expect and how difficult is it without an external power meter?

Absolutely not. Couldn't be farther from the truth. Peaking a radio isn't about how many watts you get out of it. Peaking a radio is done to get an internal impedance match between the modulated signal and the transmit mixer. If that all sounds like Greek to you; then send it to a decent shop if you want to have it peaked. Don't do it yourself!
 
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ok, that's what i thought. I just read something today that said something like "Many have found that peaking VR14 on the 959 gives them optimal performance." Thanks, glad i didn't mess something up.

No shops here, guess i'm stuck with low power and poor modulation. i never use AM because i'm never heard except by locals.
 

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