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Looking for CB repair shop near southern NY

B

Break It

Member
Oct 28, 2010
12
0
11
New York
Happy Holidays -

I live in Orange County NY, and am in need of a qualified CB tech.

I just installed some old gear I had, and would like to get it checked & tuned. Galaxy 99V -> Cobra 450XL -> Predator 10K. I spent quite a bit of time freezing my tail off making the installation neat, proper, and modular. Any piece can be replaced as a unit as I upgrade to ham gear. Yes, I'm licensed, just short on $ for new equipment.

I don't want anything clipped, I'm looking for clean radio output. The radio had been tuned 8 years ago, and it still seems on point, but only test equipment can verify that. The amp was purchased brand new about then as well, and this is the first install. The green LED over the Cobra emblem only lights when the main amp is off, and the pre-amp is on - it shuts off during transmit, and fades back on. It's powered with 8 ga wire to a HD amplifier fuse block, home run to the battery with 2/0. Maybe that's normal for this amp, but I just want to get it all checked out to make sure it's actually working properly.

I really don't want to smoke this setup, it's all I have for now. I would think the system needs to be tested as a whole, hence needing a local shop with proper equipment.

I appreciate any suggestions. Thank you.
 

If you are going to have to send it anywhere, might as well send it to a fair place, like Sparky's CB Shop. There is another name that escapes me at this time that is in the New England area that is better than Sparky. I think Captain Kilowatt knows who it is - for one.

I have a 99 and use it to talk to truckers when driving cross-country; fits right in with them. But as far as the amp goes; that remains to be seen. Doubtful that the XL amp is really 'clean'; but that depends on its intended purpose. If for 10m operation; I would have to say 'no'. If for 11m/CB applications; then it would be typical for that band. So long as it wasn't overdriven and properly voltage fed; it should be cleaner than those who don't pay attention to these kinds of details. But not Ham 'clean' in that sense.

As far as a clean signal goes; maybe a HR2510 radio choice would be better. Hams have given it a seal of approval. Clean receive and transmit. However, a tube amp with a HR2510 would be ideal - if that is where you need to go. Nice antenna choice.
 
Scout943 -

Tell me about it. I've stopped at a few truck stops, with less than stellar results. Some of these guys are good at getting a radio to work, sort of, and that's the clientèle they cater to. Nice enough guys, just not what I need.

I'm even willing to drive out to someone within reason. It's looking like I will have to pull the gear and mail it to a reputable shop. I'll even take suggestions for that as well.

Robb -
I'm not looking for broadcast quality from this setup, that would be ridiculous of me to think that. I just want the best I can get out of this gear - for 11 meters. I will eventually get better equipment when funds become available. I would much rather do my learning with what I have. It's a huge difference between sneezing a final on a 99 versus transmitting on the wrong freq on a $1500 SGC. Or smacking a snow laden branch with my Predator versus a Scorpion. The current gear is cheaper to operate and slightly more forgiving. How to hide / protect it is a learning process as well. Once you start advertising you have something of value in your vehicle with a giant 8 foot tall locator bolted to it, it's a good idea to prepare for that ahead of time.

As for my antenna, I really like my Predator 10K. 27 inch shaft, on top of a Jerry Breedlove fold over QD mount, on a custom stake bed mount I helped him design. It looks almost factory, no wires outside the truck, and you would rip the quarter panel off the truck before the mount gives way. It tunes with a SWR meter to a flat 1.1 across the CB 40. I'll post pictures soon, the quality difference between this mount and anything off the shelf is incomparable. I would like to get an MFJ 269 on it to see where it's resonant, ad that's back to my original post...

Thank you both for the replies so far.
 
Last edited:
Mack -

He's the guy I actually had in mind. About 260+ miles out. In these tough times, I can't clearly justify spending $160 in gas, plus tolls, and 8 hours driving, plus scheduled time on scene for the actual checkup - just to double check my radio. It's not all that bad :D

I will be hunting around for a few more days, asking some locals on the air. If that doesn't pan out, I'll be contacting DTB for his services.

Thank you for the positive feedback on this shop, it was actually going to be questioned in another post.
 

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