Base Set-Up: Decide on a Galaxy

[Brass Monkey]

I've decided to go all out and set-up a base station CB antenna. I've talked to the neighbors and they don't seem to have a problem with it so I'm good to go. I've been looking at two rigs and I'd like to get your opinion on them...

The Galaxy DX959 and the Galaxy 98VHP. Could you give me your thoughts on both radios and what would be some differences to consider.

Thanks,

[army1975]

well, one is a cb, other is a 10 meter. cb is cheaper, 10 meter is twice the price. ahhhh...........go for the gold. go 98VHP.

[1206FL]

Between the 2 radios you posted, the 98vhp all the way. But before you do this have a look at the Uniden 980 and rm Italy kl203p amp. Spend as much as you can on your antenna setup before you buy a radio like the 98vhp. That is JMHO. Get the best antenna you can afford and coax, surge arrester and a proper grounding system before you go spend $4-500 on a radio. This is JMHO, but again, have a look at the radio/amp combo or even a TNT 350hd or Texas star 350hd and the 980. They aren't power house radios, thus the reason for the amp. The kl203p should yield about 80-100 watts or more on both am and SSB. And the other radios can get as much as 200-250 watts out with the 980 as the radio. The 980 makes up for its anemic power by having clean and clear audio that is pleasant to the ear, and even with a power mic it doesn't sound distorted and/or muffles or crunchy!! Great radios for the money and best bang for the buck IMO. For less than $110 you get a CB/SSB radio that are normally dead on freq out of the box, they are rock solid on SSB, and all that is really needed is to adjust the dead key down to about 2 watts on AM for use with an amp. This keeps the internal swr meter and other tests correct when ran. Add a heat sink to the back of the radio or even a very small brushless fan. This is about a must if you ragchew much. Or stay on the key for a while. At any rate, sorry for the text wall so early. Hope it make sense. And oh yeah don't forget you'll need a good power supply to use the 98vhp. A megawatt s400-12 @ 30+ amps or the s700-12 @50+ amps are both well worth every penny!! Again, sorry for the long post, just wanted to maybe give you some other ideas as well as to make sure that you get a proper antenna before you buy a $4-500 radio and then get a crappy antenna setup. Sirio makes some pretty good antennas as well as the SPT500, Maco v5000, and the good old IMAX 2000w/GPK.
Hope some of this helps and makes sense. HAPPY NEW YEAR DAY!! 2016 here I come LOL!!!

[MDYoungblood]

Both radios are okay, you need to add in the cost of a good power supply, in the case the Galaxy DX2547 would compare in price with the DX959 and a PS, same mods can be done to the 2547 as can the 959. The 98VHP has more power which means a larger PS and I wouldn't skimp on one for it, always check the continuous amperage not the surge.
The "search" function on the forum has been repaired so looking around the site for info is a lot easier, I would check on a few topics and make your own opinion.

3's

Greg

[Rabbit Ears]

98VHP.......uhhhuh!! YEPPER!!

Nice unit! Damn nice!!

[army1975]

98VHP.......uhhhuh!! YEPPER!!

Nice unit! Damn nice!!

yepper, If I wanted another big radio, that is the one I would get.

[Rabbit Ears]

DO IT!

Try it, you'll like it

[army1975]

DO IT!

Try it, you'll like it

as 4 me, mighty tempting. look good in my lil pick'em up truck.

[Rabbit Ears]

Save your money.... suffer a while in patient waiting... then get it. Keep your ears open for the village drums....

Right now I'm saving up for a nice NIB Yeasu FT1000D $3500.00 (ultimate score). Most likely, we'll get a very nice one for maybe *not as pretty* for $2200-2500.00.

Save and wait. Sighhh... dream on, Rabbit Ears.

[army1975]

yepper, here in Asheville, NC we have a thang known as the drum-circle that takes place in downtown. bunch of people gather together and bangs on different insturments from buckets to drums. yippies and hippies. break out Mary Jane and pass her around, yehaw. reckin I will just stay with the Galaxy DX-979 in my lil pick'em up. well, enjoy when get the big rig.

[1206FL]

Ain't that the truth Rabbit Ears!! We can all dream can't we!! I'm an Icom guy myself and the 7100 or even the 9100 would be a nice one to have for me. Dreaming more the 7851 is the one I would have if I won the lotto LOL!! That and a very nice tower and antenna array!!

[Rabbit Ears]

Ohhh yeh dude!! Mary Jane..... ahhh Pink Floyd or Credence Clearwater Revival in the background, munchies, endless beer, that nice glass thing that bubbles and the hot August sunshine.

Hang loose!

I ain't doing that anymore.... but for Pink Floyd and a few double-shots of Jack when I had a really rough or a killer cool day.

[army1975]

-- Thursday, 07 January 2016, 9:16 AM --

Ohhh yeh dude!! Mary Jane..... ahhh Pink Floyd or Credence Clearwater Revival in the background, munchies, endless beer, that nice glass thing that bubbles and the hot August sunshine.

Hang loose!

I ain't doing that anymore.... but for Pink Floyd and a few double-shots of Jack when I had a really rough or a killer cool day.

[bbqradio]

I agree with the suggestion of running a more modest radio with a linear.

1 - Big radios with 10M/VFO require a license, and if you use them on licensee's frequencies and aren't in the "know" of things radio, you will be found out and shamed/bullied a/cast out.

2 - Big radios, just like the smaller ones, can suffer output damage if toyed with. Son even a pumped-up Galaxy 959 can be a risk to run.

3 - A stock radio is unlikely to burn, if used on a well tuned antenna. Add a linear, you get a power gain, and you can upgrade in power while still operating a radio you've become familiar with.

4 - A burnt linear is often cheaper to replace/repair than a big expensive radio, and you still have a working radio if something happens to your amp. Cheap/used amp can be purchased as a spare to fall back on if you start tinkering with output power.

5 - A 980SSB or 959 with a KL 203P is a nice spot to start, because you won't need to play with a radio's output level. With the KL 203P, turn down a 959's power output to ¾ of the way, or use the 980SS as-is, and your within the KL's rated input specs. Doing so leaves more money to spend on a good external SWR/power meter, good quality coax cable and a good antenna, which is more than half of the equation making a good radio experience. Don't forget that using a mobile radio as a base station, you also need a regulated power-supply, or at least a large booster pack (High rating of at least 30 A/h so you can talk for a while.)

Now a word about the devices:

The KL-203p is fantastic device. No reason not tyo own and use one. It may require you to attach a 80mm computer cooling fan to keep it cool if your a motor-mouth heavy on key time. They are inexpensive and can be purchased at any computer gear outlet.

The Galaxy 959 has a roger beep and variable output, which is nice, but a single speed clarifier know, which is obnoxiously frustrating to get bang-on when the remote SSB stations are weak and a little off, each on their own side of the actual channel.

The Bearcat 980SSB doesn't have a RogerBeep, so some stations may not pick-up your presence as easily. Also, it doesn't have a variable output, so you HAVE to choose your linear to be one which can take 10~12W input on SSB. The KL-203p can do this.

Another option(If you own a house, don't try that big of an amp in a rental unit, you may cause interference in the neighbors' devices and start a neighbor war.)

You could start with a used radio-shack TRC line base radio, which can be acquired for next-to nothing, get a bigger linear, like a KL-503p, wich sports a variable power output. This will give you more total power, control, over said power. Once you familiar with your new setup, and have worked out the antenna side of things, you can think about moving to something else.

My 2¢.

[Bman]

I agree with the suggestion of running a more modest radio with a linear.

1 - Big radios with 10M/VFO require a license, and if you use them on licensee's frequencies and aren't in the "know" of things radio, you will be found out and shamed/bullied a/cast out.

2 - Big radios, just like the smaller ones, can suffer output damage if toyed with. Son even a pumped-up Galaxy 959 can be a risk to run.

3 - A stock radio is unlikely to burn, if used on a well tuned antenna. Add a linear, you get a power gain, and you can upgrade in power while still operating a radio you've become familiar with.

4 - A burnt linear is often cheaper to replace/repair than a big expensive radio, and you still have a working radio if something happens to your amp. Cheap/used amp can be purchased as a spare to fall back on if you start tinkering with output power.

5 - A 980SSB or 959 with a KL 203P is a nice spot to start, because you won't need to play with a radio's output level. With the KL 203P, turn down a 959's power output to ¾ of the way, or use the 980SS as-is, and your within the KL's rated input specs. Doing so leaves more money to spend on a good external SWR/power meter, good quality coax cable and a good antenna, which is more than half of the equation making a good radio experience. Don't forget that using a mobile radio as a base station, you also need a regulated power-supply, or at least a large booster pack (High rating of at least 30 A/h so you can talk for a while.)

Now a word about the devices:

The KL-203p is fantastic device. No reason not tyo own and use one. It may require you to attach a 80mm computer cooling fan to keep it cool if your a motor-mouth heavy on key time. They are inexpensive and can be purchased at any computer gear outlet.

The Galaxy 959 has a roger beep and variable output, which is nice, but a single speed clarifier know, which is obnoxiously frustrating to get bang-on when the remote SSB stations are weak and a little off, each on their own side of the actual channel.

The Bearcat 980SSB doesn't have a RogerBeep, so some stations may not pick-up your presence as easily. Also, it doesn't have a variable output, so you HAVE to choose your linear to be one which can take 10~12W input on SSB. The KL-203p can do this.

Another option(If you own a house, don't try that big of an amp in a rental unit, you may cause interference in the neighbors' devices and start a neighbor war.)

You could start with a used radio-shack TRC line base radio, which can be acquired for next-to nothing, get a bigger linear, like a KL-503p, wich sports a variable power output. This will give you more total power, control, over said power. Once you familiar with your new setup, and have worked out the antenna side of things, you can think about moving to something else.

My 2¢.

Good Lord I hate to ask what you are doing here LOL maybe on the wrong forum. 10 meter radio my friend and a good base antenna. Ya Rad shack had some good radios but there kinda out dated now I have several. But everyone seems to like the audio out of my 2510 the best. Bman/Dave

[bbqradio]

Good Lord I hate to ask what you are doing here LOL maybe on the wrong forum. 10 meter radio my friend and a good base antenna. Ya Rad shack had some good radios but there kinda out dated now I have several. But everyone seems to like the audio out of my 2510 the best. Bman/Dave

Well, a first base station antenna setup can wreck havoc with neighbor's TVs, home theater and stereo kit. If he does not have a HAM license, it means he's likely not in the know on how to deal with certain technical problems. A more modest radio with a linear can allow low powered barefoot radio interactions with other locals over the airwaves and perhaps find someone who can come in and help if there's interference problems with high wattage transmissions when using the linear.

In my area, many people on the airwaves consider vintage RS radio models as respectable gear. Recognized as being built like tanks, easy to repair and mod. Considered to be a good way to start tinkering with welding in new outputs, RBs, echo boards and stuff like that. If one blows a an RS output due to persistent SWR problems that took too long to remedy, at least, one is not out of a costly radio.

Different mentality and outlook, perhaps, but I don't see anything wrong with using affordable vintage gear to experiment and learn. In this case at also takes care of the power supply question which hasn't yet been covered. He may or may not have it covered, but I just thought I'd suggest an as-of-yet undiscussed possible way of going about this..

My 2¢.

[Brass Monkey]

I've been off the computer for a while and didn't a chance to answer all of you back after I posted, but thanks to all of you for the help and suggestions.

I actually am a licensed ham operator so understtand what some of you were talking about. I did not realize the 98 VP was a 10 meter rig. Does that mean it only get the ten meter range or it has both the 11 meter and ten meter capabilities. I come from from the experience of always being a barefoot type CBr and have never run power. My hometown was small and anyone I wanted to talk to was always within a couple mi.es from my house.

Please clarify something; How would a good antenna system burn out a stock CB? Also, I have a new Uniden 980 but that beep drives me crazy and I don't know how to get in there and do that mod. I just like the style of the Galaxy 959 and I'm just after a simple SSB rig.

[1206FL]

Watch the videos on the beep mod for the 980. Simple as smashing a small resistor. Not much too it with the SMT board. Just a pair of tweezers will work! Takes longer to take the covers off and put back on then to perform the mod. I was scared too at 1st about doing it. But the beep got to me LOL! I finally said to heck with it and performed the mod and am happy I did!!!

[MDYoungblood]

Watch the videos on the beep mod for the 980. Simple as smashing a small resistor. Not much too it with the SMT board. Just a pair of tweezers will work! Takes longer to take the covers off and put back on then to perform the mod. I was scared too at 1st about doing it. But the beep got to me LOL! I finally said to heck with it and performed the mod and am happy I did!!!

Best to use an Exacto Knife to remove the resistor by cutting the solder, watch as it may fly while your doing this. Smashing it may leave small particles that can short the other components.

3's

Greg

[bbqradio]

How would a good antenna system burn out a stock CB?

Well, now that I know your a Ham and know not to run a radio on CAL or SWR and that you know the importance of antenna SWR, little chance of that happening, I guess. Some neophytes, though, don't give SWR due attention, and will burn out perfectly good radios, in my locale, people tend to recommend used RS gear to setup base antennae and then proceed to bigger, better and newer radios. In my part of the world it is so common for people to just plow ahead and set things up half-hazardly without proper knowledge, it's almost a rite of passage.