My First SSB Adventure

[Idaho Annie]

Hi Guys,

Okay, I got my Cobra GTL DX and tonight I am going to fire it up and play with it! I have a slinky dipole set up for the moment until my 'tuned' dipole arrives. Here come the questions....lol:

On the regular CB channels I kinda know where to go to find some action...but do any of you have a list or can you post a list of the best/most common frequencies for me to play around with? Rather than going through every single freq. available on this radio, it sure would be nice to have a list of 10-20 or so common freqs that people use a lot....maybe I will actually hear one of you SSBers out there!......as always, any help will be greatly appreciated!

[copyguy]

27.385lsb is very popular and almost the "superbowl" of sideband.

I also hear a lot of traffic (especially when skip is rolling) from 27.415 up to 27.615. I seem to do most of my sidebanding from 27.445 to 27.505, all lsb.

I also think it was 316 on here said that 27.555usb is popular, but I still need to check it out.

[Pocono Redneck]

QSL on 27.385 LSB --very heavy traffic when the skip is rolling and evenings even when it's not. (ch 38 LSB)

Also up here--any channel from 36 to 40 LSB when 38 is full up.

[HOUNDOG]

I had my first SSB contact last night on 27.385. Good stuff. I'm hooked.

[Circuit Breaker]

Annie, did you get a Cobra 148GTL DX? And if so, where did you get it? I'm looking for a radio but I can't decide what to go with. I really want an HR-2510, but I can't find any that are in good condition. I've got two Cobra 148GTL-F radios here but they need some work, which isn't a problem. Al at Sparky's said he could take care of that. What I really need is face plates and then these radios would be like new.

[MOONSHINER]

Annie, did you get a Cobra 148GTL DX? And if so, where did you get it? I'm looking for a radio but I can't decide what to go with. I really want an HR-2510, but I can't find any that are in good condition. I've got two Cobra 148GTL-F radios here but they need some work, which isn't a problem. Al at Sparky's said he could take care of that. What I really need is face plates and then these radios would be like new.

if ya can, keep hunting for a 2510, I luv mine!! If ya want a good ssb radio, they dont get much better!!

[Idaho Annie]

Annie, did you get a Cobra 148GTL DX? And if so, where did you get it? I'm looking for a radio but I can't decide what to go with. I really want an HR-2510, but I can't find any that are in good condition. I've got two Cobra 148GTL-F radios here but they need some work, which isn't a problem. Al at Sparky's said he could take care of that. What I really need is face plates and then these radios would be like new.

Hi Circuit Breaker, no I bought the Cobra 200 GTL DX...

I know I know, some people say they suck...but I read a couple good reviews and I got it on eBay for a good price....if DXing and SSB work out for me, I'll get a better radio, heh....hooo boy, it sucks a lot of amperes, heh...I had to go to Rat Shack and get a 25 amp 13 volt power supply to run it in my house....

But tonight is the night! I'm gonna fire it up and see what's what! I hope once I figure out the antenna situation I'll be able to talk to some of you guys out there.....I'll cross my fingers!

[Circuit Breaker]

if ya can, keep hunting for a 2510, I luv mine!! If ya want a good ssb radio, they dont get much better!!

I'm watching two on eBay right now. I loved the one I had between 1996 to 1999. I should have kept it but it wouldn't fit anywhere in the truck I got in 1998 so I decided there was no sense in keeping it. If I can't get on in good condition, then I'll have to find something newer. But it needs to have a good NB. When I put my FT-100 in the truck (Ford Ranger), all I heard was fuel pump noise. I hooked up the 2510 to the same power source and same antenna. I hit the NB button and no noise. Why a $1300 mobile amateur HF radio has such a crappy NB and a $200 10 meter mobile doesn't is beyond me. Although, it probably has something to do with the wider frequency range of the receiver on the FT-100.

[DX47]

Ham radio noise blankers just plain suck in general, I don't know why. I have a Kenwood TS830 that has a decent NB, but most I have tried are terrible. You really have to work on cleaning up noise when putting in a HF rig in a car these days. I just got a new F150, and I have about 20 ground straps to put on it this weekend, and copper tape to cover up and ground some wire harnesses and COPS (coil over sparkplug assemblys) to quiet it down.

From what I hear, if you keep the golden screwdriver techs out of your 200 as far as audio goes, you should be ok. I wouldn't let anyone mess with it outside of expanding it to 11meters.

[dud muck]

Ham radio noise blankers just plain suck in general, I don't know why. I have a Kenwood TS830 that has a decent NB, but most I have tried are terrible. You really have to work on cleaning up noise when putting in a HF rig in a car these days. I just got a new F150, and I have about 20 ground straps to put on it this weekend, and **Sensored** tape to cover up and ground some wire harnesses and COPS (coil over sparkplug assemblys) to quiet it down.

From what I hear, if you keep the golden screwdriver techs out of your 200 as far as audio goes, you should be ok. I wouldn't let anyone mess with it outside of expanding it to 11meters.

i think that *sensored* tape must be c-o-p-p-e-r tape!
don't forget about the 31-mix split-beads on the ignition wires and fuel pump.
don't ford trucks have noisy fuel pumps?

I think a noise blanker just masks the noise so you cant hear it.
but the noise is still there stomping on your weak signals.

[DX47]

Yes, c o p per tape

Fords do have a noisy pump, however I think that has been fixed on the later models. I have not experienced it on a the 03 or 07, just tons of ignition noise that varies with throttle. I wish it was only the fuel pump, you can just make a new harness extension for it and wrap it around toriods to kill the noise.

[doctor]

Ok Annie who did you talk to??????
Chanl 38 is good lsb, 27.475 is good also a lot of American Kangaroos on it.
The guy who wanted hr2510 there was one on ham trader a few days ago........

Did the tuned dipole you ordered is it a aktenna ???????

doctor