powerful CB receive and transmittion

My favorite was the Connex 4400HP and good set of Wilsons or other comp antenna. I never cared much for the sound of the Galaxy's. And their boards were always fragile, prone to cracking. But I don't know if that is still a problem.

Right now I have a Cobra [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]C150GTLDX [/FONT]10 meter. I have had quite a few compliments on the way it sounds from other drivers. You just need someone to tune it to the CB channels, as it uses a new high tech board. It didn't cost anymore money to tune than what you would do to a Galaxy.[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

[/FONT]Just try and stay away from anything you need to connect directly to your batteries. That can reak havoc on these newer trucks electrical systems. So I am told, and most companies will freak if they see such a set up it it is not your truck.[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

Mike
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Yep, you get more output, I don't know the exact wattage, but it is more than a say a Cobra CB off of the shelf. And, legally, 10 meter radios are not supposed to be used unless you have a ham radio license. Someone will chime in on that I am sure. And it has to do with the 10 meter band and the extra power.

I like the 10 meter radios because, at least in my experience, they receive better than a regular CB. A bit more sensitive in that regard. I can hear things much farther down the road with the 10 meter over a standard CB.

But, a well tuned Cobra can be a real solid radio if the right tech sets it up along with a good antenna tuning.

Mike

 

WaterLoo did you know that Connex and Galaxy are made by the same company.

 

Depends on how much you want to pay. I just bought a magnum s-6175 and i am very happy with its performance. I was talking to a guy who was about 30 miles away, so it will get you out.

 

Nope, news to me, but different radios from what my ears tell me. And not to knock Galaxy, allot of guys love em. I just never cared for their looks or sound. I like that simple old Cobra look and sound, which the Connex is pretty darn close too, just more oomph.

Mike

 

I have a galaxy 949 and a fat boy 500 watt linear, for both i probably have about 550 dollars in them. And going with the high power connex your lucky to get 300, i am not saying its a bad radio cause they are very good but for the price of a linear you cantalk over someone with a connex and for half the money. Do a google search on fat boy amps and check out the prices

 

Connex and Galaxy both use boards made by RCI (Ranger Communications, Inc.). Ranger also makes the General Lee radios which are identical to the Connex 3300HP (except in looks and price).
Please, make certain whoever tunes up your radio does NOT remove or disable the modulation limiter circuit. This is usually just a diode, in your Gal949, or a resistor as in most of the Cobras.

The max allowed RF power by law for CB radios is 4 watts. The power will swing up to 8 watts when you start talking (as the radio modulates the signal). Usually the power doubles when the modulation is at 100%.
Your Galaxy 949 (and the 959) can be modified to dual finals for more power. You can either use the "1969" transistor finals that some of the bigger Galaxy's use (like the DX99V) and the Connex 3300HP, or you can use a pair of MOSFET devices.

Before running an amp make sure you have the radio power adjusted for the amp. For most of the comman amps out there this should be a 2 watt carrier. I used to use a 3 or 4 watt carrier with my Palomar but 2 watts will usually make the transistors last longer. You definately don't want to overdrive them. That will ruin the amp's transistors.

Something to keep in mind if you plan on running high power amplifiers: RF radiation. Remember all those concerns about people holding cell phones (which are radio transceivers operating around .75 to 1 watt) to their heads?
Think about radiating 100, 200, 500, or over a thousand watts of RF power from the end of your mirror bracket. That's less the three feet from your head, not to mention the rest of your body.

I had an RCI 2950 pushing a 900 watt Palomar in my International. The engine computer was not affected at all, nor was any other of the electronics (had an electronic CAT). Both radio and amp were grounded heavily and both were wired directly to the battery.
Anytime you wire to the battery (or anywhere else) you will need to put in a fuse as close as possible to the source of power. For example, I had an inline fuse after about 2 inches of wire.
Grounding is one of the most important safety procedures when running high power. It will protect you and your equipment (radio, amp, and truck electronics)

Also, make certain the SWR's are extremely low. SWR's increase exponentially as you apply power. The more power you put out the higher they will go. You want to start out low low low. DO NOT trust the built-in meter on your radio (if it has one) for initially adjusting the SWR of your system. It his best to have that checked/adjusted by a competent technician with an antenna analyzer. If the guy walks out with one of those cheap little SWR meters you can get at the truckstop (usually Barjan brand) then leave. Find someone who has an analyzer. They make real nice handheld models that any competent tech will have. These are more accurate than the old meters. Some analog meters are ok and those usually cost a bit more money than the piece of **** ones, but the digital analyzer is best.

Make sure all your wiring connections are soldered and not crimped. Solder provides a much stronger/reliable connection both physically and electrically.