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Message |
    
Hotwire
Intermediate Member
Username: Hotwire
Post Number: 428
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Monday, July 11, 2005 - 11:10 am: | 
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Thought this could be interesting. New or old what is everyones opinion of the worst radio they have owned or know of? I think maybe a Kraco like the Mayday emergency cig lighter cb. |
Tech808
Moderator
Username: Tech808
Post Number: 6318
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Monday, July 11, 2005 - 12:29 pm: |
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Hotwire,
WOW that is an easy Question to answer! 
Any Non-Working Radio New or Old 
If they are working then they are a good radio no matter what make or brand. 
Lon
Tech808
CEF808
N9OSN |
Brewdirect
Intermediate Member
Username: Brewdirect
Post Number: 132
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Monday, July 11, 2005 - 12:32 pm: |
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Cobra 18 WX II by far the worst radio in all respects.
Even had a Kraco that outperformed this radio. |
Coyote
Intermediate Member
Username: Coyote
Post Number: 289
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Monday, July 11, 2005 - 12:40 pm: |
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I pretty much have to agree with Brewdirect. Had two of them, only have one now because my wife likes the weather radio part for traveling in the van. |
Bruce
Senior Member
Username: Bruce
Post Number: 2952
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Monday, July 11, 2005 - 1:00 pm: |
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midland 77-115 TOTAL JUNK. |
Yankee
Advanced Member
Username: Yankee
Post Number: 732
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Monday, July 11, 2005 - 1:28 pm: |
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About the worst I can remember to be on the top of the list of Lemons is the Uniden PC-122 mini sideband rig. The receive on those was broader than a barn, heard AM like it was on sideband while the radio was in the sideband mode. I don't think the Uniden PC-122 had very much receive filtering. Also the receive and transmit audio left a lot of room for improvement. I can only speak of sideband radios, as I don't own any AM only radios.
Carl CEF-357 |
Nobodyknows
Junior Member
Username: Nobodyknows
Post Number: 37
Registered: 4-2005
| | Posted on Monday, July 11, 2005 - 3:40 pm: |
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TRC-511 rat-shack bare bones 40 ch cb, has ch9 switch and vol/squelch.. Noisy recieve and 3 watts out. No vr's to turn it up past 70% modulation. Bought it on clearance for $19.95.. I paid too much for it. The LED's are 30% burned out after a year of being in a car. bad bad radio. |
Patzerozero
Senior Member
Username: Patzerozero
Post Number: 1042
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Monday, July 11, 2005 - 4:30 pm: |
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2nd loaded question on the 'open forum' today!
again, i ain't sayin' NUTTIN' |
Grumpy
Junior Member
Username: Grumpy
Post Number: 30
Registered: 4-2005
| | Posted on Monday, July 11, 2005 - 7:35 pm: |
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dak mark x stay away from this junk box |
Iluvrf
Intermediate Member
Username: Iluvrf
Post Number: 152
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Monday, July 11, 2005 - 8:35 pm: |
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Yankee there was something wrong with your pc-122 because that board has one of the BEST recievers ever made in a 40 channel cb. |
Yankee
Advanced Member
Username: Yankee
Post Number: 736
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Monday, July 11, 2005 - 9:34 pm: |
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The PC-122 I had, had nothing wrong with it. It couldn't come close to it's bigger cousins, the original 148-GTL or the Uniden Grants. The PC-122 just wasn't a good radio. your statement of the best receivers ever made in a 40 channel CB goes a lot better when discribing the original 148-GTL and the Uniden Grants. |
Brewdirect
Intermediate Member
Username: Brewdirect
Post Number: 133
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Monday, July 11, 2005 - 9:34 pm: |
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Yeah I'd have to agree with Iluvrf..you musta got the one bad one.
I believe the board in the PC-122 was also used in the 146 GTL and it is known for being one of the best older SSB boards/setup out there. My 146 GTL beats out almost all of my other SSB radios. |
Snowfire
Intermediate Member
Username: Snowfire
Post Number: 114
Registered: 2-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 12, 2005 - 7:49 pm: |
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I agree with Lon, any non working radio is the worst. If it work's and you can reach someone on it then it is a good radio, may not be the best but it is still a good radio.
Cef 294 Snowfire |
Iluvrf
Intermediate Member
Username: Iluvrf
Post Number: 154
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 12, 2005 - 9:25 pm: |
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Cobra 146 GTL, Realistic TRC-453 ,Uniden PC-122 & AR-144 ,Uniden Pro -810e Base, and the PC122XL all used the same board. It was without a doubt one of the best all around radios ever made. They were hard to add channels to, but the reciever wat awsome in all these radios. Yes they do rival the 148 reciever.
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Coyote
Intermediate Member
Username: Coyote
Post Number: 290
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 12, 2005 - 9:44 pm: |
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I use a TRC-453 as my mobile unit. For what I paid for it, ($30 with a small kicker included) I can't say a bad word about it. I did get a report the other day that is was a little low on the freq on side band. Guess I need to get it in for an alignment, and maybe have the clarifier unlocked in the process..
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Twowatt
Junior Member
Username: Twowatt
Post Number: 22
Registered: 7-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 12, 2005 - 10:06 pm: |
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as best as i can remember, the radios were Bonsonic & Viewsonic, (i think made by mitsubishi), (i like saying mittsuuuuebiiiishhhii), and had a mpsu31(?) final, that was about as small as the 2sc1957 but was more horizontally made vs the verticalness (new word) of the 1957. this radio was the epitome of baaaad radio. max out as i recall was about 3.5 and swing ~8 on a pep meter.  |
Starface
Intermediate Member
Username: Starface
Post Number: 102
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 12, 2005 - 10:13 pm: |
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I'm with Lon, I think with so many radio's out there CB and Ham alike we expect so much out of the radio's that just don't have the punch..
it would be like putting p wee hurman in the ring with george forman...
I'm sure p wee can throw a punch but it's not going to be nothing to what george forman can punch.
So we need to think if the radio works then it has to be ok for what it is right?
Till Next time
Starface
CEF#476
Southeast Net Control
Auburndale,FL |
Hollowpoint445
Advanced Member
Username: Hollowpoint445
Post Number: 544
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 12, 2005 - 10:23 pm: |
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Actually they didn't all use the same board. They were similar and all used the upd2824 PLL:
Cobra 146 - PC833
AR-144 - PC833
TRC-453 - PB062
PC-122 - PB062
PC122XL - PB062
Pro-810e - PB122
I have a President AX-144 and have owned both a TRC453 and TRC465, and they are good, solid SSB radios. No, they aren't as good as the 148s and Grants because they lack some of the filtering, but they're still nice SSB radios, and you can't beat the PC122/TRC453/TRC465 for their size. The Cobra146 and President AX-144 are larger, but still smaller than the 148/Grant. |
Yankee
Advanced Member
Username: Yankee
Post Number: 738
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 13, 2005 - 1:55 pm: |
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OK, Hollowpoint just backed up what I ment as the reason I didn't care for the PC-122. Quote: "No, they aren't as good as the 148s and Grants because they lack some of the filtering." Honest guys, this is what I ment, if you lived near an interstate as I did and when the big power guys keyed up you could hear them no matter what channel you were on. The receive is not tight enough to be near an Interstate and useing the PC-122 as a base radio. I took the PC-122 to the shop and had it checked out and the technician could find nothing wrong with it. The best part was that the PC-122 stayed at the shop as a trade-in on my second New in the box, first model Cobra 148-GTL. Can't get a deal like that anymore, the 148s were on close out and I traded for $50.00 and the PC-122.
Carl CEF-357 |
Viper_24
New member
Username: Viper_24
Post Number: 6
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 13, 2005 - 3:14 pm: |
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The Cobra 18WX....i have this one in my car and dang does it ever pick up the noise....one of these days i am gonna put me a big radio in there...lol |
1861
Intermediate Member
Username: 1861
Post Number: 266
Registered: 2-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 13, 2005 - 7:50 pm: |
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RIGHT NOW THE WORST IS THE OMEGA FORCE -- I JUST ORDERED MINE AND IT AIN,T HERE YET !! as for the pc-122 , I disagree , I have one and it is one of the best radios i have came across |
Yankee
Advanced Member
Username: Yankee
Post Number: 741
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 13, 2005 - 9:16 pm: |
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The 148s and Grants are tight enough. I'm talking about 4 miles from the Interstate and not right next to it. With my stock 148-GTL in the car I could run on the Interstate, run sideband on the lower side of channel 38 and not have the truckers on AM bother the receive that much. That was over 11 years ago when I lived back home in Upstate New York and now here in Oklahoma, my home is less than a mile from Interstate-35 and I'm running a Grant XL base on sideband with no problems from the Interstate traffic on AM.
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Brewdirect
Intermediate Member
Username: Brewdirect
Post Number: 137
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 13, 2005 - 9:22 pm: |
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My CObra 146 GTL is way better on SSB on than any 148 I've owned. Mine is doing 20 Watts SSB! I used all three in my setup and I've ended up leaving the 146 in there because it has better anl/nb filtering than the Mag 257. |
Patzerozero
Senior Member
Username: Patzerozero
Post Number: 1053
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, July 16, 2005 - 10:41 pm: |
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hey grumpy-what was wrong with your dak x? wish i'd kept the 1 i bought new in??? 79? maybe? tubes scared me as much then as they do today, so i had it modded by a ham friend. i seem to remember 40+ watts pep, & 1-10 AM carrier. & it's receiver was better then my ft101e & johnson 40 ch SSB's i had at the time. probably close to the d201a.
d201a, browning mkiva, dak x, robyn 540(?)d & quite a few others went out the door when i thought i'd get over my radio-daze back 25 years ago. kept the 101e & the johnsons though...what was i thinking??? |
Hollowpoint445
Advanced Member
Username: Hollowpoint445
Post Number: 554
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, July 16, 2005 - 10:58 pm: |
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Maybe it was because they used a cybernet chassis that wasn't very good - especially on SSB.
Sure were pretty though. I liked the big meters too. |
Oldpirate
Member
Username: Oldpirate
Post Number: 71
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, July 23, 2005 - 8:01 am: |
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Cobra 148NWST,Bought new and turned out to be the worst radio I ever bought. Wouldn't stay on frequency drifting off by as much as 300hz. Eventually got a good tech to sort it out but was really annoyed at the money that had to be spent to get it right. |
Happy_hamer
New member
Username: Happy_hamer
Post Number: 8
Registered: 2-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, July 23, 2005 - 11:24 am: |
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I think the worst radio was the Superstar 3900, on SSB I could never keep it on frequency, drift drift drift |
Hotwire
Intermediate Member
Username: Hotwire
Post Number: 453
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, July 23, 2005 - 11:29 am: |
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Hey Lon your right. Any radio that works is a good radio. Its like with Oldpirates 148 and my 148. He hates his I love mine. Oldpirate your are correct, My 148 NWST out of box was terrible but after the tech I have who uses oscilloscopes and the right equipment tuned it up and modded it out works great. My 148 screams and the recieve really has no noise at all. I never use the soundtracker at all. Agreed the stock radio is wimpy. Get a good tech and it will compete with any radio in its power class. |
707
Member
Username: 707
Post Number: 84
Registered: 5-2002
| | Posted on Friday, July 29, 2005 - 2:01 am: |
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Nothing wrong with the Dak 10 main chassis. It is the same used in the GE Superbase, and Midland 78-999, a beautiful base. I believe there was also a Robyn or Royce that used it as well. It is a Cybernet TRF dual board with the capability of doing 80 below and 80 above with toggle mods. It did not work well at all with a UFO DigiScan, as I recall. It has a very quiet receive when properly tuned. It is also VERY susceptible to getting out of whack with improper screwdrivering. I also had the same chassis in a Midland 78-574, and that one would do 20 watts SSB and sound good doing it. The board was not much on AM audio, though, and could be easily driven to distortion. The Superbase made the most of it with the addition of the speech processor circuit. |
Heavyweight
Junior Member
Username: Heavyweight
Post Number: 20
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Friday, July 29, 2005 - 10:59 am: |
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Anything sound tracker! |
Freebird
Intermediate Member
Username: Freebird
Post Number: 242
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, July 30, 2005 - 4:49 am: |
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Any galaxy moblie junk!drift boxes on sideband. |
Hotwire
Intermediate Member
Username: Hotwire
Post Number: 467
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 02, 2005 - 9:57 am: |
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I will put my Sound Tracker 148 up against to any radio as far as audio clarity and low noise recieve. The tech I have is very good with Cobras and always trying something new. My 148 was actually an experiment radio. Started out with a 70 dollar tuneup. This guy has done so many amazing things with Cobras. While working perfect he still asks me to bring it back to try some new ideals. He rarly had the chance to perfect a radio with SSB working for drivers. I would buy another soundtracker in a heartbeat and have him tune it up. |
Poppathree
Junior Member
Username: Poppathree
Post Number: 30
Registered: 2-2004
| | Posted on Monday, August 08, 2005 - 10:06 am: |
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Every Midland radio I ever had has been crummy, hands down......73...Lee |
Theozz
Junior Member
Username: Theozz
Post Number: 20
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 09, 2005 - 4:01 am: |
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lol, hmmmm thats easy a broke one |
Big_rigger
New member
Username: Big_rigger
Post Number: 3
Registered: 8-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 09, 2005 - 11:36 am: |
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cobra soundtracker any of them |
Kid_vicious
Intermediate Member
Username: Kid_vicious
Post Number: 469
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 09, 2005 - 3:07 pm: |
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cobra 2010gtl/wx
cruddy in its own right, but it wins the award for worst CB radio ever because it followed the 2000gtl which is the best radio ever. (wanna fight about it?)LOL
that's like John Denver going onstage after Led Zeppelin!!! |
Road_warrior
Advanced Member
Username: Road_warrior
Post Number: 737
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 09, 2005 - 8:58 pm: |
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Rocky Mountain High in Colorado.
Like a Rhine Stone Cowboy, ooops thats
Glen Campbell isn't it...LOL...
All radios are good if there working great.
Stink if there not. Didn't care for older
Cobras. Midlands are not in my top 100.
Galaxys are also not my favorite. At least
the ones i had weren't. |
Wolverine
Intermediate Member
Username: Wolverine
Post Number: 415
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 5:14 am: |
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The older version of the Midland Powermax radios with the LED S-meter. Pure junk.
Wolverine. |
