Any finals that can be switched out??Pros: Solid on frequency, nice clear audio.
Cons: Final blows up easy, no "real" extra channel mods, not real powerful.
~Cheers~
If you turn the power back some or add a fan or heatsink I beleive it would help the issue of blown finals. I've had my 980 for over a couple years now and it still works like a champ. I have the AM power set at 2 watt DK, 6 watt pep, and about 8 watts on SSB. The radio doesn't seem to get near as hot as it did before turning power back a bit. The finals are a weak spot for sure with this radio. With that said, you won't find another SSB CB radio for the same cost new as the 980 or similar that will be any better. JMHO. Like said, there is little to be done to them as far as mods go. Uniden shut the door on this one!! You can unlock the clarifier if you wish but if the radio is transmitting on frequency then leave it locked. JMO on that. Like said they are a good radio for the price. Not a power house or big swing radio, but audio is clean and clear with the right mic. Some like the stick mic, I went with the Bluetooth mic from uniden and drilled the mic hole out a bit and it gets good audio reports. Clean and clear. Use a small amp like an RM Italy KL203 with one and you have a near 100 watt setup that will sound good on SSB. Have heard quite a few fellas using this setup and they sound just fine. Again, the main issue with the radio is the final. Some have reported that by adding a fan that they have not blown a final since performing this mod as it keeps the final cool. Just some food for thought.
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There are just a few too many reports out there of failures, so I see a quality control issue.
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Yep; it is otherwise a solidly built radio with premium parts and an eye on the FCC regs.Are there any cases of finals blowing in bone stock radios or have they all been tuned?
It's obvious Uniden doesn't want people modifying these, a final with limited headroom for more power may just be another way to limit what it can do.
If you still have the carcass of the 980 I would like to buy it. I have a experiment in mind for it.The old-timers continue to serve faithfully where the Bearcat 980 died an early death.
To keep it FCC approved!! Bottom line. The radio isn't bad at all and like I said for $100 or less maybe, you get a brand new CB/SSB radio. You won't find one in the some price range that is as stable on SSB as this radio. If you want more power add an external amp!! Does it really matter if you're 1 watt over legal limit or 100 watts?? You are illegal either way. As well as channel expansion. Uniden built a pretty good radio for the money if you ask me!! Yeah it's not a power house radio but it is clean and clear, adding an amp that is a true AB biased amp and you have a clean setup going out the antenna. It's hard to over drive pretty well most amps with this radio set at proper levels for dead key. I've used it with my older TNT600HD that has Toshiba 2879's and it sounds great on SSB!! In the end you really have to ask yourself how serious and how deep your pockets are as far as radios go and the hobby itself. You can find an HF radio that will sound fine on AM, the kenwood 480hx doesn't sound bad at all on AM is you set it up right. But that is like comparing apples and oranges. For the money the 980 is a good buy. Yes there are better radios out there for both AM and SSB use that could fit your bill, but it just depends on how serious and how much you'll actually be using the radio. JMHO.