TS500v.. SSB radio?

[SuperDave]

First off..Hello! New guy here on the forums as you can see by this being my first post! Hopefully I wont look like too much of a newb, but here we go...


I have a Texas Star 500v and am looking for a good (not the best $$) SSB radio to match up to it. I'm trying to get some life out of this amp and don't want to over drive it. So with that being said, what radio do yall think will match it well? I was told a Galaxy 94hp would be a nice radio for it, but I am open to options.

Also my main concern is where to buy from. I've read other threads of hack jobs, over priced, etc etc.. If anyone could recommend a good shop to get the radio from and set it up I'd GREATLY appreciate the help! With all the threads I've come across I'm kind of confused on who is good and who is not.


Little back history, my grandad was a HUGE Ham operator but passed away a few years back so I never got my Ham License, but recently got back into it and am thinking about getting my license. So for now SSB is as good as it's going to get!

Thanks for any tips and help!

 

[bytor]

i just picked up a 94hp from Bells CB Radio and i am very happy with it. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that radiohactive radio is the biggest scam out there.

My advice is to take time and research. Some message boards have there favorites and push a certain shop. I would take my time and search the interwebs and look for "good reviews" about a shop. Even then you are still tacking an educated guess. start here BEST CB RADIO SHOP. I also heard that a straight 4 pill would be a great set up for the 94hp. good luck.

 

[SuperDave]

i just picked up a 94hp from Bells CB Radio and i am very happy with it. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that radiohactive radio is the biggest scam out there.

My advice is to take time and research. Some message boards have there favorites and push a certain shop. I would take my time and search the interwebs and look for "good reviews" about a shop. Even then you are still tacking an educated guess. start here BEST CB RADIO SHOP. I also heard that a straight 4 pill would be a great set up for the 94hp. good luck.

Thanks and I've read about RA...

Also I have Uniden PC78ltw that was tweaked by PreacherMan and I have had nothing but great responses on the other end about it, but Im looking other places just to compare. It's the only radio I've had that's been "touched".

Like I said, Im a new guy looking to having work done by shops so Im trying to weed through the crap as I don't want my brand new radio getting crapped up.

 

[binrat]

Personally I would due a 2950 or if you have the cash a Yeticom Optima mkiii. I have an Optima driving a dx500 for about a year. If I could hear then I could talk to them.

 

[SuperDave]

Personally I would due a 2950 or if you have the cash a Yeticom Optima mkiii. I have an Optima driving a dx500 for about a year. If I could hear then I could talk to them.

Thanks! what I would like to do is put together a list of potential options and then start doing the homework. That Optima is a pretty good looking radio! I can't find much information on price and where to buy though.


So far I have:

94hp
2950
Optima mkiii

 

[Rb30]

I second the Optima

 

[kd-5-bgt]

One thing this forum is they/we dont endorse or try to push anyone towards any certain radio tech..Everyone here has their personal favorites and they will usually be more than happy to point you towards the shops that has served them well over the years.....and not everyone here will agree as to whom that tech might be...but I can assure you they will all tell you who has done bad work for them or others they personally know or has gone in behind that 'other than high quality' tech to repair their hack jobs..and there is a huge list of those guys here

So as said above do your homework,and from your post you seem to be doing just that well done !!

Now for the radio..... For me personally the RCI 2950 radio is a pretty nice rig and fairly stable on SSB,just be sure to have the radio set up to where you are not over driving the kicker you are wanting to put behind it.

Whatever radio you do choose do not allow the tech to increase the audio ( modulation) or power output over factory specs..that will create more problems than any increase you will get out of it....

As far as you getting your ham ticket...that is really easy to get these days,if you are in teh states there is no morse code requirement !! There are sites such as QRZ.com that has practice tests you can take....

Personally I am very happy that I got my ham ticket....was well worth the time to do and I am having alot of fun making contacts all over the world...hit Spain on 10 meters the other day with 100 watts and a dipole antenna


Welcome to the site and most of all...have fun !!

 

[TonyV225]

RCI 2950DX

 

[binrat]

Thanks! what I would like to do is put together a list of potential options and then start doing the homework. That Optima is a pretty good looking radio! I can't find much information on price and where to buy though.


So far I have:

2950
Optima mkiii

There fixed that for ya
I have a 94 hp for awhile, even though it was a good radio I would say that for the price and you wanting a good SSB for the $$ then the other 2 are your best bang for the buck. Just my humble opinion.

 

[SuperDave]

There fixed that for ya
I have a 94 hp for awhile, even though it was a good radio I would say that for the price and you wanting a good SSB for the $$ then the other 2 are your best bang for the buck. Just my humble opinion.

Haha! Thanks!

Are either of these two radios any good on AM? not a major concern of mine to be honest, but I would like for it to work fairly well on AM.

Where can I purchase a Optima?

Also both of these radios would need to be setup for an Amp correct? Sorry for the questions, Im at work and can't really research until I get home so these are just things Im thinking of at the moment!

Thanks again!

 

[binrat]

Both are good but not screaming.
Look here for Optima yeticomnz.com

 

[SuperDave]

Both are good but not screaming.
Look here for Optima yeticomnz.com

From just glancing at the site, they don't have a US distributor?

I do like that radio!

Also either one of these radios will need to be setup for an amp correct?

I found bellscb.com has the 2950 and can tune it up along with gijoeselectronics.com

 

[Mudfoot]

PM sent concerning my used Optima.

 

[kd-5-bgt]

The 2950 family of radios are pretty good on AM but they are mainly geared for SSB use and are from what I understand ( I could be wrong ) they are fairly stable on SSB...I will say the 2950 raidos do sound pretty good on AM out of the box as long as Billy Joe Bob Bill's CB hack shop dont get his golden screwdriver inside it

Some radios are prone to drift on SSB more than others are..I am not sure what radios will drift more than others ..I am sure there are folks here that are more in the know on that than I am...

on a personal note.....

Since you say that you will mainly be running SSB it might be a good idea to look at a radio that has a small amp built in the radio, such as the RCI 2970 ....that radio puts out about 170 watts +/- on SSB .... I have run SSB for many years and I have found that 150 to 200 watts is more than enough to work almost anyone that you hear mobile or base..

Continue to do your homework and make the choice that best suits your needs

 

[SuperDave]

The 2950 family of radios are pretty good on AM but they are mainly geared for SSB use and are from what I understand ( I could be wrong ) they are fairly stable on SSB...I will say the 2950 raidos do sound pretty good on AM out of the box as long as Billy Joe Bob Bill's CB hack shop dont get his golden screwdriver inside it

Some radios are prone to drift on SSB more than others are..I am not sure what radios will drift more than others ..I am sure there are folks here that are more in the know on that than I am...

on a personal note.....

Since you say that you will mainly be running SSB it might be a good idea to look at a radio that has a small amp built in the radio, such as the RCI 2970 ....that radio puts out about 170 watts +/- on SSB .... I have run SSB for many years and I have found that 150 to 200 watts is more than enough to work almost anyone that you hear mobile or base..

Continue to do your homework and make the choice that best suits your needs

That's why I was referred to the 94hp because it has the ability to drive my 4 pill TS500v much better.

Once the 2950 is setup for the amp with a 1w DK it will only swing around 15w from what I've read. That's basically what my Uniden is doing right now. (AM only though...)

Also I guess scratch GIJoes.. just read a conflicting post from back in 2005.. This is the kinda stuff that is making it hard for me to find a good radio shop/tech. However I just started researching them so I guess it's to early to for an opinion.


Back quiet..reading old threads. haha!