Restored Vintage Classics versus Galaxy

[Riverman]

Wanting to get back into SSB and have my heart set on purchasing a Tram or Browning base station and having it fully restored. (Had a Mark III back in the 1970s.)

However, it would be much cheaper, and quicker, to simply buy a brand new Galaxy 2547.

In my view, the Trams and Brownings win the beauty contest hands-down. But can they compete with the Galaxy in the talent portion?

 

[nomadradio]

Sideband?

Tram?

Browning?

Neither of those really offers decent sideband performance. Both of them are legendary AM radios.

Sideband, not so much.

I have always considered the 2547 overpriced for what it is.

A Galaxy 959 mobile inside a bigger cabinet with a built-in power supply, bigger meter and more knobs. Compare the price of a DX959 and a power supply to the 2547 and you'll see what I mean.

Those are stable enough for SSB. Among the so-called "10-meter" radios, the ones that have a 2-digit channel display tend not to be terribly stable. The ones with the computer-controlled LCD display, like the 2950 and others tend to be have the best frequency stability.

Prices tend to be higher, too.

73

 

[wavrider]

Galaxy radios do not have a good reputation for being stable on SSB.
They do have the reputation for being loud AM talkers.
You want AM get you whatever AM only radio you want.
Spending money to restore a 40 to 50 year old radio when you already said less expensive to buy new.
You want serious SSB radio look for a used amateur rig.
You want big booming audio on AM get an AM only CB.

 

[undertaker]

Riverman look at the magnum1 or 2950dx

 

[Riverman]

Well, shoot.
Petty much what I was expecting to hear but didn't want to.

I honestly don't remember the SSB on my Mark III being mediocre. Or worse. But, that was 40 years ago and truth is I didn't use it much.

I just can't get excited about the exports. Or any mobile radio, for that matter. I really do prefer the look of a base station and the ability to plug it in directly to the wall. Yep, old-fashioned, I know.

I think I could live with:
"Man, you sounded great on AM but you suck on SSB."
"Yeah, I know. But dang this thing looks good!"

But before I do that, are there any vintage bases that do perform well on both?
SBE Console? Royce 642? Realistic 458? Cobra 2000?

 

[codeman]

Riverman71, I have talked to a guy here locally running a Cobra 139XLR, and that radio sounds mighty fine on side band. I believe he uses an old Cobra Mic with it. Just superb audio. Not sure how difficult they are to find.

Maybe you could look at getting an Alinco dxsr8, they run about 500 bucks and they get mostly good reviews. Especially with the base microphone that you can buy for it. That's kinda what I am thinking of buying, so maybe I can eavesdrop on the hams if nothing is happening on 11 meters.

 

[Riverman]

Riverman71, I have talked to a guy here locally running a Cobra 139XLR, and that radio sounds mighty fine on side band. I believe he uses an old Cobra Mic with it. Just superb audio. Not sure how difficult they are to find.

Maybe you could look at getting an Alinco dxsr8, they run about 500 bucks and they get mostly good reviews. Especially with the base microphone that you can buy for it. That's kinda what I am thinking of buying, so maybe I can eavesdrop on the hams if nothing is happening on 11 meters.

Thanks. I often see the 139XLR on ebay and have wondered about it and similiar Cobra models.

I think I've read in other threads that ham rigs do great on SSB but not so much on AM on 11 meters.
I could be mistaken.

If someone would come out with a big, nostalgic-looking CB base station that's good in both modes, I bet they'd sell a bunch of them. Well, at least one.

 

[ExitThirteen]

Can't go wrong with the Cobra 139XLR, Cobra 2000GTL, President Madison or Washington, or the Realistic Navaho TRC-457/TRC-458. All are fantastic choices and will sound great on SSB.

The SBE Console V has a double sided PCB and is prone to solder trace issues so stay away from those.

The Royce 1-642 is an excellent choice, but not the easiest of radios to mod and hard to get parts for. They also tend to go for a pretty good dollar amount on the 'Net.

I currently run a fairly heavily modded Cobra 2000, and performs fantastic.


~Cheers~

 

[Riverman]

Can't go wrong with the Cobra 139XLR, Cobra 2000GTL, President Madison or Washington, or the Realistic Navaho TRC-457/TRC-458. All are fantastic choices and will sound great on SSB.

The SBE Console V has a double sided PCB and is prone to solder trace issues so stay away from those.

The Royce 1-642 is an excellent choice, but not the easiest of radios to mod and hard to get parts for. They also tend to go for a pretty good dollar amount on the 'Net.

I currently run a fairly heavily modded Cobra 2000, and performs fantastic.

~Cheers~

Thanks, ET. That helps a lot.
Forgot about the Madison and Washington!

 

[ExitThirteen]

You're welcome.

In particular, there are President Madisons that have both the D858 PLL chassis and the MB8719 chassis, which is just a different revision of the Cobra 2000GTL. I have both types of Madisons and they work great.

I like how the President Madisons look with the old analog clock and the external speaker. That's also why I like the 2000's.... it's almost like a piece of furniture. They just look nice.


~Cheers~

 

[Riverman]

We all know how televisions, phones and the such have changed in the past 10 years. You'd think after 40 years of technological advances, today's CB radios would have fantastic sensitivity, selectivity, noise surpression, etc.
Are they a lot better than the older ones?

 

[Riverman]

You're welcome.

In particular, there are President Madisons that have both the D858 PLL chassis and the MB8719 chassis, which is just a different revision of the Cobra 2000GTL. I have both types of Madisons and they work great.

I like how the President Madisons look with the old analog clock and the external speaker. That's also why I like the 2000's.... it's almost like a piece of furniture. They just look nice.


~Cheers~

I agree. Darn nice looking base stations. Add the marching external speaker and they become even more impressive.

What is your personal take on the Trams and Brownings?

 

[loosecannon]

Riverman71,

When CB radio was the state of the art, there was money to be made by being better than the competition, and there was plenty of competition.

that meant that the manufacturers were willing to spend a few extra cents on parts per unit in order to have a premium product.

They were also expensive enough that they warranted being repaired.

fast forward to today where everything is made to be disposable and nothing is really worth the price of repairs in the consumer electronics market.

this means that radios being produced today are made for the ABSOLUTE cheapest price possible, and even if one extra penny could make the difference between a junker and a gem; they still wouldn't spend it.

there is no competition anymore so they can get away with selling junk products and LOUSY quality control.

The technology is there, but the market isn't, so there are ZERO radios being produced today for the CB market that can compete with a radio that was made back in the 70s and 80s.

just for one example, the thickness of the copper on the PC board traces. there needs to be a certain thickness to carry a 27mhz signal around a radio, and the radios of the hay days went overboard to ensure it worked well.

nowadays, with the way manufacturing tolerances have advanced, they can shave that copper right down to the thinnest it can possibly be, and they do.

the crystals produced for our radios these days suck, as do the filters and the tuning coils.

Your best bet is to find one of the Uniden SSB chassis that the others are telling you about, and send it to a shop to be re-capped, cleaned, and aligned. (NOT Snake Radio Customs!)

If you do your research, be patient and vigilant, you can find a beauty out there that is worthy of restoration, and you will have a radio that performs better than all the CB's made today and works just like the day it was made.
LC

 

[Riverman]

Riverman71,

When CB radio was the state of the art, there was money to be made by being better than the competition, and there was plenty of competition.

that meant that the manufacturers were willing to spend a few extra cents on parts per unit in order to have a premium product.

They were also expensive enough that they warranted being repaired.

fast forward to today where everything is made to be disposable and nothing is really worth the price of repairs in the consumer electronics market.

this means that radios being produced today are made for the ABSOLUTE cheapest price possible, and even if one extra penny could make the difference between a junker and a gem; they still wouldn't spend it.

there is no competition anymore so they can get away with selling junk products and LOUSY quality control.

The technology is there, but the market isn't, so there are ZERO radios being produced today for the CB market that can compete with a radio that was made back in the 70s and 80s.

just for one example, the thickness of the copper on the PC board traces. there needs to be a certain thickness to carry a 27mhz signal around a radio, and the radios of the hay days went overboard to ensure it worked well.

nowadays, with the way manufacturing tolerances have advanced, they can shave that copper right down to the thinnest it can possibly be, and they do.

the crystals produced for our radios these days suck, as do the filters and the tuning coils.

Your best bet is to find one of the Uniden SSB chassis that the others are telling you about, and send it to a shop to be re-capped, cleaned, and aligned. (NOT Snake Radio Customs!)

If you do your research, be patient and vigilant, you can find a beauty out there that is worthy of restoration, and you will have a radio that performs better than all the CB's made today and works just like the day it was made.
LC

LC,
That's really depressing. Believe I'll quit holding my breath waiting for a new base station to suddenly hit the market.

There are independent craftsmen across this country who take pride in making high quality custom boots, guitars, firearms, knives, watches, motorcycles and more. Too bad there are none to be found in this hobby turning out big, beautiful base stations in handcrafted wooden cases LOL.
Not that I'd be able to afford one.

 

[loosecannon]

LC,
That's really depressing. Believe I'll quit holding my breath waiting for a new base station to suddenly hit the market.

There are independent craftsmen across this country who take pride in making high quality custom boots, guitars, firearms, knives, watches, motorcycles and more. Too bad there are none to be found in this hobby turning out big, beautiful base stations in handcrafted wooden cases LOL.
Not that I'd be able to afford one.

yeah i know it's a bit depressing, but there are still plenty of us out there keeping the classics alive.

If there was a market out there for them, im sure there would be wooden cases available for all types of radios.

right now on ebay i found at least three uniden washingtons for under 200 dollars, as well as a few 142GTLs for under 200.

get one of these from a reputable seller and look for a picture of it working.
put another 200 or so into it and you've got a real winner.
LC