DNTTRY

Anyone here running one in their rig? What antennas did you go with?

prerunner1982

I take it you have the proper license to operate a radio on those frequencies.

I would imagine that if talking about removing a catalytic converter is banned from CF that discussing illegally operating a radio would be as well.

DNTTRY

I'm looking into getting a license, and who said anything about illegally operating one?

CheapCherokee

the group i wheel with uses 2 meter HAM radios, and those who operate them have licenses to legally do so (ya happy prerunner1982?). I'm not sure if 10 meter is an improvement, but 2 meter seems to work fine and we have been separated by a few miles at times. its all going to depend on terrain, radio power, and the antenna but you get the idea.

KF2M

It's best to have a license before you press the PTT. Ham's don't appreciate bootleggers on their bands. Especially when the band is split into areas for different modes (AM/FM/SSB/CW/Digital/RC/RTTY). Most CB'ers windup talking in the lower portion (28.0-28.3 MHz) of the band which is reserved for CW (Morse Code), RTTY, and Digital. Voice op's is a no-no there.

But to answer your question a regular CB antenna is usable, but you will have to shorten the whip to properly tune the antenna. Rule of thumb is the more radiator is in the air the better your performance. A 102" steel whip will out perform any "loaded" (has loading coils) antenna any given day. What 10M rig do you have? I'm running an ICOM IC-706MKIIG.

About getting a Ham license. It very easy to get one now (even CB'ers have made the switch). The test is a 35 question exam, and NO CODE to get your Technicians License which allows operation on 80M (CW only),40M (CW), 10M (CW, and Voice on a very small section), 6M/2M/70CM+ (Full Priv's). There are also two other license classes (General, and Extra) which give's you more progressive privilege's on more bands (mainly HF (160-10M)).

Bustedback

Is a trucker hat required to use one of these radios?

DNTTRY

Thanks for the responses. I don't have a radio yet, been looking into one as well as antenna options for the GC.

Question, I might get one before I finish my license, yes I know I cant transmit until I have that done however, do any of the CB bands operate off it and if so can I transmit only on those?

d4xycrq

If I were buying a new 10M radio, I would buy a 2950. That said, a Uniden HR2510 behaves real well in a mobile. Use a 102" whip if possible.

Both radios mentioned here can be modified for 11M (CB).

Best regards,

Ray

Morat

I have an Anytone-5555 which I use in the Jeep but I haven't actually mounted because I tend to use it static on hill tops for DXing with a 9ft tank whip. When moving I use a Sirio antenna on a magmount.

If I were going to mount permanently I'd got for one of these which I think are very similar to my radio - they're not cheap but they do fit in a DIN slot.

KF2M

No, but wearing coveralls that haven't been washed in years (to go along with the BO), or jeans that allow your buttcrack to show are standard fare. Actually a good number of truckers have made the switch to HR. One driver (UPS) tapped out CQ in code over his airhorn to get my attention on the NJ Turnpike. Had a nice chat driving down to Delaware.


If you are going for your license go for something better. Locking yourself into one of those "export" rigs isn't a wise investment. First off they are overpriced, second they are illegal as hell to be sold in the US (not Type Certified by the FCC) which you will learn when you start studying for your test, and third they suck performance wise (poor audio, adjacent channel splatter, and no PL tones so no repeater use for you).
Stay with the tried and true gear like ICOM, Kenwood, or Yaesu/Motorola. Trust me you key up one of those 10M rigs (unless it is an old Radio Shack 10M rig) everyone will know and not in a good way. Most Ham's (and a good number of retailers) will not sell you a radio unless you have your ticket.


As far as I know none of those 10M rigs are legal here in the States, modifying them (or any radio transmitter for that matter) for 11M operation is very illegal. Plenty of truckstop radio shops have been shutdown by the FCC for selling that junk. I do mean junk. Put those units on a service monitor and you can see how crappy the output signal is which is why are not FCC approved for use here (and a good number of countries overseas). If it doesn't have an FCC Type acceptance tag on it walk away. I forget which state it is but truckers have had their export radios confiscated by the State Police at weight stations with the blessing of the FCC and DHS.

d4xycrq

Curiously, the ARRL tested a 2970 a few years back, and at 28 megs had greater spectral purity than the Yaesu FT-100 they tested. (-53 versus -50) That's not supposed to happen. The Yaesu is triple the price.

Ray

KF2M

Yes they did. W1K1 did the write up for it. Though it wasn't spectral purity but selectivity of the receiver front end (-53 db vs -50db). But on other models they found that selectivity was more like -38db. Effectively if someone was a 1/4mi away on ch20 they will be splashing every channel on the receiver (1-40) with an S9 signal with 1W. Technically 10 meters is from 28.0Mhz, to 30MHz. What was also found once you broadband the radio things started going downhill.

Comparing it to the Yaesu FT-100 is like comparing a single gear bicycle to a 10 speed. The RCI 2970 is a 10M only rig with AM/FM/SSB with very basic controls and IIRC max 25/50W. The FT-100 is a DC to Daylight rig which covers from 160M to 70CM(440MHz). It also has an electronic keyer (CW), DSP bandpass filter, IF Shift, IF NB, Dual VFO (you can run split frequencies (transmit on one freq, receiver on another)), 300 memories, CTCSS (PL tones), notch filter, and you can separate the front face so that the main unit can be mounted someplace else, and the headunit by the operator. In essence alot more radio than the RCI.