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UNIDEN 980

doctor

Supporting Member
Aug 1, 2006
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indiana
HI EVERYONE;
I GOT ONE OF THESE UNIDEN 980 FOR THE MOBILE, OUT OF THE BOX IT RUNS 6 WATTS ON AM, NO BIG DEAL ON AM, BUT ON SSB IT RUNS ABOUT THE SAME, IS RT203 THE ALC???
TNX/73
DOCTOR/795
 

HI EVERYONE;
I GOT ONE OF THESE UNIDEN 980 FOR THE MOBILE, OUT OF THE BOX IT RUNS 6 WATTS ON AM, NO BIG DEAL ON AM, BUT ON SSB IT RUNS ABOUT THE SAME, IS RT203 THE ALC???
TNX/73
DOCTOR/795
HI EVERYONE;
I GOT ONE OF THESE UNIDEN 980 FOR THE MOBILE, OUT OF THE BOX IT RUNS 6 WATTS ON AM, NO BIG DEAL ON AM, BUT ON SSB IT RUNS ABOUT THE SAME, IS RT203 THE ALC???
TNX/73
DOCTOR/795
ALC is RT203
I've got 2 of these radios. Mine only does around 3.5 on AM out of the box swings around 7
On SSB it's around 10 max. Not exactly super modulators by any means.
 
ALC is RT203
I've got 2 of these radios. Mine only does around 3.5 on AM out of the box swings around 7
On SSB it's around 10 max. Not exactly super modulators by any means.
OK sounds good, did you turn your ALC open wide or shall we say 3/4, maybe will get to 10 watts also.
tnx
DOCTOR/795
 
Leave it at the wattage its at. The couple extra watts won't be noticed by anyone but you and the radio will run cooler. Drop the dead key to about 3 watts and turn the modulation up and it should swing to about 8-10 watts pep on am. The pots are marked on the board as well as to what they are I believe. I use one and when you push the radio beyond about 8-10 watts on SSB it gets hot back there. Too hot to touch for sure if you have a long ragchew. A heat sink or small fan at rear or radio would help a bunch. Use a good mic and the audio will be clean and clear and sorta loud if you want it to be. Use a 2018 extreme mic. Or use the Bluetooth mic that they make. It's not loud but it is clean and clear and no wires. I was using this until I loaned it out and can't seem to get it back now LOL!! But seriously, the radios are anemic when it comes to power but are clean and clear on air. Run an clean amp with one and it will be a good setup. See lots using the kl203p from RM Italy a lot with these radios and get 60-80 watts out of them I believe. Anyway. Hope some of this text wall helps!! Have a good one.
 
I agree with 222DBL. I turned my AM power down to 2 watts to run my kl503. It only swings to 6 watts but sounds good with the amp. I left the ALC along on sideband. The 10 pep from the factory does well enough. I put a galaxy heat sink on one of my 980's because they do get hot in the rear. A seller on e-bay has them for around 7 bucks brand new. For the 980 to have such a small output they do get hot fast. To hot to touch sometimes. If you turn the AM power down too far (below 2 watts) the diagnostics won't function properly. Rf fail antenna fail SWR won't calibrate etc.
 
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anyone know where u can buy te kl-203 tese days??avent seen them in coppers lately
H&Y has them.
They won't show up on the site unless you type in kl-203 or kl203 under the search bar. If that doesn't work a phone call and credit card will. They ship fedex also.
 
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anyone know where u can buy te kl-203 tese days??avent seen them in coppers lately

I'd keep the Dead Key (AM carrier) from the radio at no more than 2-3 watts into that amp and plop a small 12 VDC fan on top.

As far as turning up the Uniden 980, you may want to add small fan to the back even though it doesn't have a finned heat-sink. The back plate is the heat-sink. I'm a fan of fans. Been reading where many have had the final blow. Mine has been working well over the years with proper cooling.
 
I backed my power down on SSB and don't use much it much on AM, since backing power to about 8 watts pep on SSB the radio stays cool even with a good ragchew.
 
And I just got my uniden Bluetooth mic back and man I remember why I wanted it back LOL. The darn thing has good audio that is clean and clear. Only mod I did was to open the mic hole to 5/16" with a drill bit. Works great and no wires.
 
See lots using the kl203p from RM Italy a lot with these radios and get 60-80 watts out of them I believe.

That's the setup in my DD exactly. And while they're hard to find from the usual shops these days, Fleabay always has 'em available. Beware the OVERSEAS sellers, though...
 
And I just got my uniden Bluetooth mic back and man I remember why I wanted it back LOL. The darn thing has good audio that is clean and clear. Only mod I did was to open the mic hole to 5/16" with a drill bit. Works great and no wires.

The Uniden BC906W wireless speaker mic utilizes DECT 6.0 digital format at 1.9 GHz to communicate with the BC906 mic "cradle" box. It's hard wired from there to the 980. I still have to drill out the mic element hole in mine. Amazon has got them below $40 now.


It's the Cobra 29 BT CB radio that utilizes Bluetooth at frequencies between 2400 and 2483.5 MHz to connect to Bluetooth equipped mobile phones. DECT has a lot better range.
 
For under $40 you can't beat that for a mic that is wireless per say. Yes it has a cradle and cord to radio for powering the Bluetooth. The mic has good audio. I had to drill mine BBB, no way I was going to fight looking for the mic hole all day LOL! It really did help the audio. Thanks for the info as well. And yes it has good range. Like I said the speaker that receives I the mic itself isn't the best but it does the job. People are understandable. No problems there. I like it as I can move about and still talk and listen if needed. When I say about I mean further than 6ft from my radio. Yep I see it now, dxing from the restroom LOL. Can't miss it dangit!!
 
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