Different and Odd Ball radios

[Onelasttime]

Perhaps you're thinking of the Arf 2001 BIGGUN base ?

73's

Yep you nailed it. The ARF was Unobtanium when I was in High School 1988-1992! LOL It is still Unobtanium! LOL If I ever get a hold of one at a price I can afford you can bet your rear I will restore it and talk on it every weekend! This was pre-internet so guys would tell tales on the radio about how they once had one etc.....In fact it makes SSB Motorola CB's like as common as Cobra 29's.....LOL

I love how people that own these will talk bad about them often calling them junk. That said they always want top dollar for them right after bad mouthing them! LOL Their is one on ebay right now for $2500. That is the reason why it is always old farts with pacemakers that own them!!! You almost never see them or hear them on air because they are museum fodder. The same type of idiot that owns a Corvette but never drives it just keeps it in the garage or living room to look at.

The problem is these guys do not die fast enough. So by the time they do die the really good jems they have collected have rotted away from the inside out. It does not matter if it is a plane, rifle, radio, car etc......They get too old and crippled to use their toys but they will not sell them of passing them on to someone that will put them to use and repair them. They just sit and rot. By the time they do die you can no longer get parts to repair them.

Nothing pisses me off more than instruments, airplanes, rifles, electronics be hoarded by someone who can no longer use them but would rather sit around and watch them rot away than pass them on.

I know a Doctor that has prob. 20 V tail Bonaza aircraft. they are sitting outside rotting away to nothing because he is not healthy enough to maintain flight physical to legal use his pilots certificate. By the time he is dead though and his family can sell them off they will not even be worthwhile as parts planes they will only be worth their scrap metal value.

I wish people like that would take up a hobby or hoarding things like hookers or cocaine instead of objects with a shelf life!

I would rather give an object away to someone that will use it and maintain it than let an item go on used and rot away.

 

[seedkey]

anyone know of a magazine that has an advertisement for the first RCI 2950 ? I look through a few 73 magazines but coul'dnt find any.

 

[sunbulls]

My favorite oddball AM mobile is the Formac 40. These show up occasionally on Ebay. I believe the brand was sold more in Europe. I have three of these and use them in my vehicles on trips. IMO this is one of the best PLL02A Cybernet AM only radios. Basically it has same Cybernet board (small variations) used in many GE, Hygain and Midland radios, but the build quality IMO is a little better, more shielding, more bypass caps etc. The 5 pin DIN jack they used on these were replaced with a standard 4 pin Cobra configuration. That's something I do with most of my radios. I hate DIN jacks. I also replaced all the electrolytic caps and LED's with bad segments. The odd thing is all 3 radios had a few bad LED segments. One radio looked like it was hardly used. That leads me to believe they either were applying too much current to the display (resistance too low) or they installed a defective batch. The good news is that this radio uses the same 16 pin LED format that Cobra and many others use. It doesn’t matter if the LED is Common Cathode or Anode with this radio. The channel selector wafer controlling the LED is isolated. Simply reversing the polarity on the wafer will make it work one way or the other. At one point I ran out of replacement LED displays. A salvaged one from an old 386 computer case (fake display) did the trick. Also, when I replace LED’s I usually add extra resistance to dim them down a bit. I’ve yet to have any segments fail.

For better clarity this is a stock photo, not one of the actual radios.

 

[jdobbs2001]

I would love to own one day a complete CPI 2000 setup That is a beautiful commercial quality radio.

 

[autotuner]

My favorite oddball AM mobile is the Formac 40. These show up occasionally on Ebay. I believe the brand was sold more in Europe. I have three of these and use them in my vehicles on trips. IMO this is one of the best PLL02A Cybernet AM only radios. Basically it has same Cybernet board (small variations) used in many GE, Hygain and Midland radios, but the build quality IMO is a little better, more shielding, more bypass caps etc. The 5 pin DIN jack they used on these were replaced with a standard 4 pin Cobra configuration. That's something I do with most of my radios. I hate DIN jacks. I also replaced all the electrolytic caps and LED's with bad segments. The odd thing is all 3 radios had a few bad LED segments. One radio looked like it was hardly used. That leads me to believe they either were applying too much current to the display (resistance too low) or they installed a defective batch. The good news is that this radio uses the same 16 pin LED format that Cobra and many others use. It doesn’t matter if the LED is Common Cathode or Anode with this radio. The channel selector wafer controlling the LED is isolated. Simply reversing the polarity on the wafer will make it work one way or the other. At one point I ran out of replacement LED displays. A salvaged one from an old 386 computer case (fake display) did the trick. Also, when I replace LED’s I usually add extra resistance to dim them down a bit. I’ve yet to have any segments fail.

For better clarity this is a stock photo, not one of the actual radios.

That looks like an 18 Channel model that was available in Australia called the Bandit. Nice solid radios and I know there was a couple still in use on a relatives farm, at least they were a couple of years ago.

 

[sunbulls]

That looks like an 18 Channel model that was available in Australia called the Bandit. Nice solid radios and I know there was a couple still in use on a relatives farm, at least they were a couple of years ago.

Thanks for the info. I wasn’t aware of the Bandit version. After doing a little research I finally found a photo of one. Not the easiest thing to look up since everything points to “Smoky and the Bandit” CB’s. LOL In the past, I also seen photos of the 120 channel version. The great thing about having an easily expandable PLL radios like these, is that it can be made to order for different countries. I wouldn’t doubt your relatives are still using them, if not, request that you would like them. They’re workhorse radios that deserve to live on in good hands.

 

[midnight special]

diferent and odd ball cb?? how bout this one,,,

 

[BBB]

Yes the Cobra 2K shown has a black decal kit on it. I bought a set before Deb sold out.

TRS Challenger, Teaberry Stalker XX with FM, Pal Coyote 23 and 69X, Hygain 623 Utopia, Mark Sidewinder 46 are some more rare vintage rigs.

 

[Unit 194]

Rare radio............

 

[sunbulls]

Nice! I love that RCA. As a kid in the 50’s I remember being fascinated with those Top Hat diodes. During their day it was a vast improvement over selenium rectifiers. Selenium’s had the unhealthy smell of death when they started to go bad. It’s a toxic smell that is guaranteed to cause permanently ingrained memories of them. TV repairman would know instantly what the problem was when they arrived at your door. I don't remember having any failure problems with Top Hats on their own, only when something else created a current they couldn’t handle. Like the video, I’ll probably start thinking about replacing those too.

 

[Hurricane145]

Neat old stuff! This is a rare one from 1962. I used to have one when I was first into CB radio. Got it from my cousin when he went to Nam. The Mesur Matic Saturn CBX-15 (USA made).


This is one I just ran across a picture of. I don't know much about it but it certainly looks like a VERY early CB transceiver!

 

[Retro CB Guy]

Anybody have the service documents for the MARK Sidewinder 46 ssb base let me know please ASAP...

Cheers, Retro

 

[El Kabong]

My 2000 looks exactly like the one pictured. Black and chrome. The stickers were $35 on eBay. Well made and worth it. I replaced the bulbs with LEDs and they are a lot brighter. It gives the TRANSMIT and RECEIVE a more colorful look that works well with the black radio face. The LEDs in the meters make them a bit harder to see. The AM USB LSB look great and more colorful too. The whole look of the radio doesn't feel like your father's 2000 GTL.

 

[Jeff L]

Don’t know the rarity of it but I’ve only ever seen one myself. The K40 Speech Processor, I wouldn’t mind having one again just to keep it in my collection.

 

[357magnum]

I have to dig it out and take pic's of it , Realistic 3 channel base , it takes crystals like the Citizen Bander pictured . Just a huge Gray radio that crystals change in the front with a huge hand mic . Ps , I have some of those crystals if anyone can use them , not sure of what channels . I'll never use them if anyone can use them , Pm me we can work out a deal of some sort . 73 and God Bless , Leo