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yeticom Optima3

Im runnibg my Optima in a Peterbult. I spend all my windshield time on the blacktop. U would think if your a dirt or rock hauler then the optima might fall apart after a few years.
I run the power at 5watt carrier swinging 40 and am gwtting 100% modulation with a noise cancelling mic. This being on AM. On 10M the conditions have been so bad that the only qso i had was to mexico. Hope it gets better soon.
 
I will say the icom hm-36 mic, not the knockoff one either, has improved the experience for me with the optima mk3. Love the mic!! The knockoff I bought just isn't of the same quality of the icom mic. JMO. But there are some major differences between the 2 when you take them apart. The icom mic is more robust and has the mic element in the center of the mic with a metal plate to hold everything in place. Also there are some mods done to the icom mic that I don't see on the knockoff one. Don't know if this is factory or not, but I am happy with Real ICOM mic!! Works well with the optima mk3. Been using the radio all week and I will say that for the money it's worth it!! I have made several contacts with it. And get good audio reports from everyone I talk to. The clarifier is a bit touchy, almost too much slide either way IMO. The filter works great for covering up the hash, but at the expense of some receive strength. But it does let you know who's on frequency or not. I wish I could lock the clarifier on tx as I seem to bump my clarifier at least 10 times a day lol. Anyway, just updating my findings thus far. The optima mk3 is a solid performer and is very stable on SSB. With the addition of the icom mic it has become the center piece in the mobile for now. The magnum 257hp does have a bit more punch to it from my experience, but the optima is a better built radio IMO. I am going to try a few different mic's as soon as I get my 8 pin to 4 pin cobra mic adapter. Will continue to update. Thus far I am a happy camper! Happy Independence Day!! God bless America and 73's to all.
222 Daytona beach, FL mobile.
 
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You just hit on something I've been curious about, longhaireddwb. How do these little radios, the Optima 3 and the Magnum 257hp, hold up against vibration. I've been thinking about picking one of these up, and it will wind up going in a Freightshaker Cascadia. Most of my windshield time is on the blacktop as well, but when I do go offroad, it's always down some rough ass, 20 mile long, oilfield road. I'm just afraid the shock and vibration will wind up destroying the innards of one of these little radios. Does anyone else have any thoughts or experience with this?
 
Used the magnum 257hp for over a year in the work van and I am off road all the time, mine is mounted under a computer stand it gets or got it's share of vibration and held up fine. The front knobs don't like to get hit hard as they are soldered to an SMT board, but other than that the radios are built well.
 
Thanks 222DBFL! That's good to know. I'm actually leaning towards the Magnum 257hp. Another radio I've been considering is the Stryker 955hpc. I know it has issues with adjacent channel rejection and being extremely noisy on the recieve end, but there's just something appealing about that radio to me.
 
The Stryker is smokin' COOL. It's great on AM and excellent on SSB. They're as good the optima on SSB. However, many they seem to have issues sooner than later. Yesterday I got one in for a customer and it had no talkback. I don't know what the deal is with Stryker. I'm not sure if it's indifference or incompetency. Receive problem? Well, fix the ffrickin' problem. No noise filtering in the 89Mc, well, fix the problem. Very frustrating.

If you get within a half a block from somebody, turn the rf gain all the way down or you won't underrated them.

I love the rest of the radio but receiving is just as important as transmitting. I just can't handle the noise.




CbRadiosPRONTO
 
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Yep, forgot to mention that, the 257hp definitely needs a fan or like what you have there CBRadiosPRONTO!! They get hot if not an will start to see a drop in power and the ssb stability becomes compromised as well. Great radios they are, but a fan they do need!!
 
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222DBFL said:
Yep, forgot to mention that, the 257hp definitely needs a fan or like what you have there CBRadiosPRONTO!! They get hot if not an will start to see a drop in power and the ssb stability becomes compromised as well. Great radios they are, but a fan they do need!!
Click to expand...
That's why I liked my Optima mk II.
 
I like the optima mk3, it's in the mobile now! Well built radio I will say, receive us on the hot side a bit, but the filter knocks that out great! I am impressed with the optima myself, with the icom HM-36 real mic, it gets good reports from everyone. It's what the magnum 257hp should have been built like, if I could merge the 2, I would have the radio I want LOL. But at any rate I am enjoying the simplicity of the optima mk3, it's just a good little radio for the money IMO.
 
I don't know what's going on with Magnum. I thought the 257hp was coming back. They're driving me nuts. I really live the sound of their S series radios on AM and the 257'is a fantastic SSB radio.


CbRadiosPRONTO
 
Yeah I wish that rf limited would drop a few new radios like they said they were. I love my magnum 257hp, but they aren't built like the optima mk3.
 
Yeah, I'm a little hesitant to pull the trigger on a new radio right now with the anticipation that something new might be coming out. But, I'm also suffering from the old "kid in a toy store" syndrome, where I want something now. Life sucks so bad that it feels good sometimes lol!
 

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