Well I got one of these in yesterday and started looking it over. It really is a small radio with no frills. The cbradiomagazine review indicated that the unit did not have ANL, but I've read elsewhere that it does and it just not switchable and is always on. We shall see. Having the audio/pa jack is nice because you can add talkback easily after you get the covers off, which isn't as straight forward an affair as it is on most other units.
The speaker on this thing sucks. There just isn't an easy way around it. If you were going to use this for an extended period of time, you would probably want an external speaker. The volume control is also not very precise. It seems like that initial 5% turn to take you from very quiet to what you think would be just getting some audio goes from silent to loud, or better yet, noisy. The control just isn't very linear. Receive seems pretty good but of course there is no adjustment other than squelch.
Transmit power actually seemed pretty decent considering the radio. I noticed around 3.5 watts on deadkey, swinging to 8 on a whistle and about 10 on a long AHHHHHHHH. I tried a power mic and an Astatic 636 and the power output remained the same although I can't say what it sounded like on the other end.
Considering how small and light this thing is, I think it would make a great loaner CB for one of your buddies to borrow when you are heading to the trails or when caravaning on a long trip. That is the exact role that it is going to fill for me. I don't want to spoil any of my friends with really nice loaners, because I may never get them back or I may never encourage them to get their own.
With the price of these things, it might not be a bad idea to wire one up with a power port plug and a basic 36" mag mount and throw it in the truck or under seat area on a friend or family members car for emergencies.
These are just my initial thoughts and I'll post up if I find anything as time goes on. Not sure if I will spread L205 or not but I might.
