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Ham or not to Ham ?

P

parker420

Member
Dec 21, 2005
12
0
11
Kentucky
Hello, I recently got into the cb world ... and love it. I started with a Uniden 78, and 3 months later just upgraded to a Magnum S-6. Now I want a Base for home, I was gonna use a Galaxy 95T, The chat room gang says make the bigger jump for just a tad more money and get the Yaesu 840. Looking for some help.......what to do???

Thanks in advance
 

Ham on whole wheat! (or rye...)

If you are really serious about sideband and all that it implies, get your General Class Ham Ticket and that will open up worlds to you that CB just cannot provide.

That being said...

Most Ham Radio rigs are rock solid on SSB, but do not offer as much "audio" in AM mode as most CB'ers prefer. This is not to say the signal is not 100% modulated, only that IMHO, most CB'ers are used to hearing big, boomy, somewhat overmodulated audio. A Ham rig will NOT give you that. (Thank God.)

Summing up:
Want that patented "Channel 6 Sound"(TM)?
Stick with CB.

Want clean, clean audio and rock solid SSB?
Get yourself that 840 you've always wanted, but realize you will no longer sound like a long-haul trucker with 24 tabs of no-doze in his system.

'Fuzz

I R ButtFuzz in da mobile.
I'd turn on my junk, but then I'd squeal.
 
"What to do?"

You're asking us whether to buy the radio or wheher to get your ham license?

Well, bottom line is that you cannot legally use a ham radio on its assigned frequencies without a license. Period. You may not legally use a ham radio outside of ham frequencies without authorization. Period.

Modifying ham radios voids the warranty. Modifying a ham radio to use on freeband is illegal. The radios you have are illegal and your operating bands are illegal outside the 40 channels.

Legal? OK, legally you can use that radio on every single mode and frequency band it covers with an FCC issued Amateur Radio Operatos's General-class license. You take and pass exams to get the license. You also can use a Technician-class license with code exam passed on parts of HF ham bands.

My advice? Study for a ham license and operate that radio legally.
 
If you want the best of both worlds go with the 95T. If you want to work strictly SSB I would go with the 840. Both will serve their purpose. I wouldnt worry about the legalaties at all. If you are just talking and not stirring up trouble you will have no problems. Besides no one will know what radio you are talking on unless you tell them. I have a 95T and it does a great job on AM and SSB. My locals cant tell the difference between my 95T and my Alinco DX-70 on SSB. The 95T is great on SSB
 
Hi parker420 (oh and by the way...Happy Holidays)


To start with welcome to the CB world..

My opinion if you are looking to talk SSB then it is likly a ham radio will do so better then a typical cb or 10 meter radio..

you are asking about getting a yaesu
though i have never used them myself i have heard good things of the 840 model you are asking about..

i am sure you know what is and is not legal being you read and watch this forum (so there is no need to say you can or can not do this or that)..

rather i will say..
i did as you are suggesting(except i bought an Icom 706 MKIIG)
and had it moded to talk on 11 meters...
then i listened in on all the "other stuff"
then desided to upgrade to a ham ticket..

though i never invaded others in talking as i did
though i never was a pain in the butt to my neighbors (i even went to all homes a block from my home telling them i was setting up a base cb station..to please let me know if you hear any interference....guess what none of my neighbors complained a bit)..

after talking so well on cb-11 meter frequencies(mostly LSB 38)
i got my ticket and now rarly talk on 11 meters (though i do go to it far more then the 2 friends i brought to ham radio)

no one is mad at me
all think what i do is fine and or cool
though some ask me why i have such big antennas on the roof
(it looks like an atenna farm..lol)

Anyways
Do as you feel you want...
talk with some smarts (set up your station well)

and all i will say is Enjoy

Hopefully in time
we will welcome another to the ranks of Ham radio..

Happy Holidays

Later
 
as the others have said you know the legal and not legal. I will chime in with the rest GET THE TICKET then get the 840 and open a whole new world of freinds. Enjoy the freedom of knowing you don't have to worry about people knowing and can actualy brag about the equipment you run and how CLEAN it is and not all garbeled and over modulated and distorted by echo and reverb. Get the ticket and we will wlcome another to the world of amature radio.
 
Some Galaxies yes......The 95T and 93T are awsome on SSB they arent your regular run of the mill Galaxy. Like I said alot of the local hammies cant tell the differance between my DX-70 and my 95T. Its very stable and sound great on SSB
 
The CBs and Exports sound just as good as the HF Ham rigs on SSB, as long as they are tuned and operated properly. The FT-840 is pretty miserable sounding on AM, the Icom offerings sound better. My Galaxy DX2517 with Astatic TUP10DA mic sounds as good as or better on SSB than most of the HF rigs you hear on the air. But, then again, mine was tuned/aligned by SS8541, and I know how to run the thing properly, many exports and their operators are not so endowed.

The real difference between the Exports and the Ham HF radios is the RECEIVER! Under decent band conditions, not a big difference between them, but under heavy QRM or other noise, the HF rig comes into it's own. Better design, better filtering, DSP and all that can make a big difference.

If all you plan to do is talk 11 meter, I'd stick with the exports. If you have any interest in Ham, then get a nice HF rig for SSB, and a nice AM only or AM/FM CB or Export that has the big audio punch that the 11 meter AM band calls for.

Never expect one radio to do everything - you will always be compromising somewhere. I use the 2517 for 11 meter AM and SSB, and use a Yaesu FT-847 for everything else. I occasionally use the 847 for 11 meter SSB DX, mostly when things are getting overseas, that's when the superior receiver kicks in and helps me make more and better international contacts.
 
You cant compare a 95T to a full blown ham radio,they are not even in the same class!Yes a 95T will work very well on side band,i have one.But if you want something along the same lines then go with a Ranger 2970.The side band peformance is said to be better than a 95T and is one of the best you can get as far as export radios go.But a ham radio will out do it in all most every way other than that big radio sound.I my self am still saving up for that Icom 706.
 

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