I’m probably on my own here, but I like CB’s that look like CB’s rather than HAM radios, Call me crazy but I prefer simply flicking the appropriate switch, than having to navigate a bloody menu system! It’s a yes from me.
I think what we really need in the UK is a Desktop CB Radio, with larger screen, bigger box, purpose build CB radio. With knobs and switches but modern, it could have SWR meter built in, and high quality audio, rx and tx. Something that you can put on your desk and it's substancial, I'm fed-up with the fact that each time I grab the mic, I pull the radio around the desk with me! Base station is what we need! If you agree, give me thumbs up, maybe someone will listen.
a big box of air with a mobile cb and a 240-12v power supply with a few sockets on the rear, hmmm, i guess you wherent about during the cb radio days in the 80s
also a suggestion, if your cb is in its place then maybe slap a couple of screws through a bracket to stop it sliding about. this channel is another that sucks anyway
I'm a retired American trucker, of 25 years on the road. That cb looks like a direct clone of the old Cobra. But then most all cb's pretty much all looked alike because of the necessary switches and buttons. With the blackout knobs on this one, it looks rather nice. FM isn't really very good on these radios because it requires more power output for any decent range. A buddy and I both had our radios boosted to 50 watts output, and being separated by 7 miles, we couldn't hear each other. SSB was the way go.
Hi Fred, looks like a good radio with a handy mic but i would have prefer a frequency counter like the 3900EFT or 148FGTL, also it has no USB/LSB or clarifier which should be a no brainer. If they really want to make a great radio, get hold of a Cobra 148FGTLDX + and make a radio to the same quality or improve the quality/design but don't cheap on components... and they will sell really well. Also a removable head would be handy for most. Thanks for the video Fred and a great review.
Looks Fab.. Love it and would buy one of it had USB/LSB and the 5 bands including the UK Legal FM and the band above.. Yeah agreed, a USB programmable socket. Loved the display ! 👍
You didn't realise in export mode you have adjustable deviation now (Not legal) but it goes up to 4K , so should be far louder on audio .I like the one I own. 🙂
USA here I like what they offered....however it needs more power and SSB I wouldn't buy without SSB. The display I love needs more power and SSB everything else is great if you don't like echo or talk back turn it off don't take it away because some of us like those options if you're listening Radioddity give it all the features including the meter readout more power am fr and SSB a lot more customers will bite ty Fred for the review cheers from Alabama
Fantastic little radio at a cheap price. Fun in export 10M ham mode as well (29.600FM), although still rather basic in the featureset. (Move the internal jumper, it unlocks the bands and adds RF POWER (4/8w) FM DEVIATION (2K/4K) and -5KHz menu options. Double tap the CH knob to change bands). UKFM would be a good addition. It can be added by the factory easily, however it all depends on the market feedback. The only extra things I wish it had was CTCSS/DCS for FM, and also a repeater shift (-100KHz) for export mode 10m repeater use. 73
I think I'd stick with a crt 6900. Even the older models. I have a ham licence but where I am there is not a great deal of activity. The crt 6900 covers 10m, and all the CB frequencies on am/FM/ssb. So it's pretty versatile. Add a TYT th9800 and VHF/UHF is covered. I run these radios mobile as I live in a ground floor flat so going "up the hill" is my easiest option. Do have to switch antennas over depending on use. I do have a Watson 9 band antenna which is a bit of a faff when tuning. Especially in the rain. At present most of the contacts I have are using pmr via Zello and other such black magic. I can hit a repeater 6 or 7 miles away using a baofeng or quansheng walkie talkie which works just fine. On 3 to 4 watts. I'm a bit old school as I'm just using the radios without any internet or that stuff. I've tried using Zello but I can't be arsed with the laptop and all that bother. I used them as freestanding radios. I've spoken to guys in the states thanks to the hi tech stuff but I'm just stood up on a hill with what is very simple equipment. I'm not sure how it works but it does. Not all the time mind. CB is pretty much dead round my way but the dark side always works. Until the wife rings me because dinners not ready. I'd recommend getting a foundation licence, it's not that difficult and it's useful if you're interested in radio. I bought a CB radio during lockdown, did the test and bought another rig. I was into CB back in the very early 80's. It's not quite the same now but it can be a relatively inexpensive hobby. I was looking at getting an ICOM ic 705 but then the car needed servicing and I had to replace the exhaust pipes on my bike. Swings and roundabouts. Love your content, really helpful and informative. Cheers! My old "handle" when I was 14/15 was Black Mustang. I can add Mike 7 cjv if I need to. Without any fear of snobbery. 73's and out.
I would have liked the UK channels. I like a white backed meter, so I can see it at a glance, though there are options, shame one was not white background and light green like the Midland meter. Likewise, I hope they take out an SSB option. Furthermore, I like the modded channels and power. Though I tend to stay legal. A black face with white writing might appeal to me a bit more, but I can live with it as it is. SSB would clinch it.
I think that is a seriously cool looking rig! Only thing for me is SSB. AM/FM is pretty much dead where i live. Saying that though, if everyone thinks these are cool and buys one then there would be more people on FM by default...
I LOVE IT, it has that old school look of rigs from the 80's does it not ? I really like the multi function display. Don't mind that "80's Delorean" meter either! I cannot afford to buy one though. I live in Ukraine and have been displaced twice for obvious reasons, my home in Pokrovsk is about to get bombed to ruble within the next month or two but man would I like to be able to DX it to the UK in summer and maybe get a QSL with Fred himself on 27 Megs sideband, when they bring that version out. that would be something! If I bought the rig, then I'd need a station master antenna on the roof of my block of flats (and have to pay a professional to install it and run the coax down from the roof above the 9th to 6th floor), I'd be well in for over 200 bucks. Great review as always Fred, especially the "haxing" and a very nice rig! 👍📻
US comment Fred if you don’t mind. For me, the lack of sideband is a deal. Killer would understand a little higher price if it had it and a small heat sink would be nice for rag chewing. Thanks, Fred watch all your videos.
Looks like a good simple radio with a (hopefully) decent modulation. I like the grey faceplate over the usual gaudy silver ones. I hope they bring a UK version out.
My 2 cents worth, great looking radio, LOVE the the digital meter, looking old skool but displaying the frequency, that's always nice, I like the TX/RX setup, only lights up green when recieving a signal, love the look of it.......would ideally need SSB, would love more power, like most radios nowadays, today's standards are, 40/60/100 watts is the new 4/8 watts, a bit like the car scene, 400bhp is the new 200bhp, the menu option is an easy interface which is good 👍🏻 Keep: Signal Meter TX/RX feature Bleeps Echo 4pin VOX ANL NB NR Add: 40FM SSB Power Shorten the depth of the unit 👍🏻
I did not see you test the NB/ANL switch in the AM Mode. Noise Blanker use to work good on AM radios. Even most Ham Radios do not have Noise Blankers that work in AM mode GE made noise blankers for FM radios in the low bands around 48 mhz and 6 meter bands. R.L. Drake made on of the best back in the day in my humble opinion. Great review as always Fred Well Done Sir. 73
Everyone saying to add sideband but why would they do that? Just buy the qt-40 and program the UK 40 in it and have more power. By the time they add SSB the cost difference wouldn't be that far off. So I doubt it would get SSB. But it would be nice if they could introduce a new cheap SSB radio with minimal functions with 15-20 watts ssb keeping the cost to bare minimum like around $100 US and that would be around $70 cheaper than the next option. But I still think they should try coming out with a Base radio version of either the QT-60 or QT-80.
I live in the US. The retro look is fine. I'm not a fan of the black knobs but they are acceptable. I would like to see a larger meter display and more power on high, like the CB 500, but it would require a larger heat sink. The RX doesn't sound as clear as I expected but it probably needs to be heard in person.
Nice radio. their is a few of them in the US . sound great . I wonder if one of the letter bands is the UK band. I did see a 5 KC shift for some countries . The CB-500 had country code and big heat sink for more power. Have to chart the whole range .I have the QT 60 older model same as Anytone AT 5555 N II . does 60 watts and SSB. The QT 80 is a step over that. I would get the SSB model. I talked all over the UK on my QT 60 from the USA on just radio and LiFePO4 battery and a homemade end fed half wave or 5/8 wave wire antenna or even the T2LT coax antenna on a fiberglass pole .All done from a park in NY . The stock mic sounds great on them. I set my SWR to 2:1 on my QT 60 it came 10:1 from factory . CTCSS and DTC codes are legal as long as you keep power legal. Some radios have them. For 10 meter amanture band we have FM Repeaters that need PL tone. But if want you can set a PL with a friend to cut noise down and unwanted signals but if that stronger they still interfere. Wish the UK had weather stations. Maybe that's why when the UK skip comes into the USA I hear lots of talk about the weather in the UK. LOL Cheers from NY !
An analogue meter with a little bulb behind it always looks great (better). SSB is needed for sure on this simple to operate radio. I'm currently looking for and easy to operate radio with SSB for an elderly friend of mine and, with the addition of SSB, this would have been the one.
Nice looking radio and hopefully with a UK model would be at an affordable price range. Its a shame that there is no SSB and USB input which seem to be the main features that are missing. Ideally a UK 40 channel frequency allocation to transmit , UK , Euro and USA receive frequencies , remove the WX alert , add SSB and USB input would make a big difference. Maybe there is room to amend the transmit power from High/Low to include medium as well.
Fred deffo 1980's retro but if you want to make an AM / FM only radio in this day and age without SSB make it do VHF & UHF and 10m AM / FM with repeater shift that way it would be bang upto date and be of interest to a much wider group of people.
I love these style radios with having the 148 GTL DX and cobra 29. Be interesting to see the price but I think I would go for the QT40 if I wanted that style of radio.
the ch9 switch on the 148 and 360 was used a 10khz jump, not the hi lo control, the tone switch ( which said hi lo ) was used instead, the nb/anl was bleep on off, my one has a double pot with variable power and still keep the swr function, band switch has been opened up and has 7 bands ( 14 in all ) vco starts locking out on the lo lo lo lo bands as radio is set for 10m. thats the layout for all the modded 148/360 swtches unless cobraworxshops has screwed up your rig and then its just a doorstop after that
Looking for more upvotes on this comment above! Additionally, get rid of those horrible slide switches and put mode and noise selection on a rotary switch. Dumping all the aforementioned switches also opens up lots of face plate space for separating pots, those double ganged pots are so unnecessary. Of course ssb is a must.
@@101jumpit Totally agree. Only used the PA when I got my first car, even then it was just for a laugh, has absolutely no point. The channel 9 is very much obsolete, never used it. Back in the the day people would monitor it voluntarily at set times. I did a shift a couple of times a week but nothing was called in. Modern radios could make better use of the switch gear for sure. Oh and ssb is essential in this day and age and is not as "naughty" as it used to be. The CB/81 stamp was always a bugger. The UK legal channels not being in alignment with most of world. A big compromise at the time.
@@davidcooke3811 !00% David.The thrill and excitement of the late 70's and early 80's on CB will stay with me forever.I have held a full ham radio ticket for over 35 years now,but nothing on Ham Radio compares to the friendship,solidarity,comaradery and pure fun of CB Radio.10 /10 good buddy (Y)
While the skip has been up I have been using my little CRT Xenon for AM/FM conversations which does much the same thing. Good fun but not an Alinco DX10 or a CRT9900 which can do some serious DX including SSB. Being a Ham as well I find a VFO is noticeable by it's abscence on the DX10 and Xenon and I suspect I would feel the same with the CB-900 PRO even though it is a CB rig. Those off frequency rigs can be difficult to copy sometimes and having to dive into menues is a pain.
I like the radio but the glaring miss is no SSB. The retro thing is appealing but no need for CH9 button or PA. I even like the echo and roger bleeps but thankfully they are switchable. Not too sure i would buy one tho unless it was at good price.
Id really like a CB that the unit can plug in boot of car with just a microphone with controls on in front of car, like the cobra 75. I do like the look of the radio. But nothing different so I don't need one
I got Super Star 3900 2003 version I think it is. Has old-school look but some new tech inside. Bit like this cb. I like that Radiosity one has the frequency mine not got that miss that little bit though guess not too important. meter on mine the old-school type but switches etc similar to this. I always go for NR 2 seems just right. Only thing I wish they do away with ch 9 switch and it be more useful have hi and lo. I guess the lcd display might be less to go wrong with no moving parts like how they made it look like the old analogue meter. I think they need swr warning 100.1 lol only joking 3.1 perfect. Oh other thing shame not got ssb. Me superstar 3900 got ssb which is handy. Best noise reduction I've had is on the handheld Thunderpole T-X I think that NR is excellent.
Looks nice but I can't see the point of it without SSB so I'd get the 6900 over this. If retro nostalgia was top of my priorities, I'd get a old-school radio (like the York-863) to scratch that itch occasionly. As for constructive suggestions, I like the screen but it seems too small to me, they should ditch the channel 9 or pa switch and make the screen bigger with the extra space.
This one looks very much like the QT-40 I've bought a few months ago. I really like the classic look but this one has a smart S-meter that combines the (emulated) classic needle and very useful information (frequency display). The QT-40 just has an old-fashioned analogue meter that's not accurate either. I think that they pushed the "vintage" concept a bit too far for the QT-40 Not quite convinced by the QT-40 anyway. It undermodulates in SSB even when things are set to max. Not the same kind of transceiver though, I get it. This is pure AM/FM CB, the QT-40 is a 10m ham band transceiver that can easily be tweaked for CB. This one looks like a much more balanced design, a great transceiver for CBers who want to remain legal.
Hi Fred, I know you're a busy person but is there a way I can message you directly to ask you some questions please? Thank you so much. Love the videos😊
Looks nice, but I think I prefer the smaller radios of today. I spied a "5 kHz OFF" setting in the menu after you changed the jumper. Does that setting get you in between?
Liking the big black case but, not liking the fact there's no SSB. An AM radio is pretty pointless in the UK except for listening to the US when the skip is up so, that leaves us just with a low powered FM radio which are 10 a penny.
Nice radio... but a shame it does not do lsb or usb... My 2023 Superstar has that plus a real meter, so... As a cb it is good! Not so much for skip is it?
Ok so it does look nice the classic CB look. I love the modern display for the meter/ frequency but with older eyes i think it is too small, i struggle the with crt1v display. as for would i buy it? probably not as no side band for me i would like to see a multinorm version with possibility to mod it for export. Now for what all modern cb radios i have seen is missing blue tooth headset support would love to be able pair a nice set of bluetooth headphones to a cb radio wireless so can move about private in that it wont annoy the neighbours well apart from my yaking... as it stands nice radio but would need to have multinorm i live where the German 80 channels are used and repeaters on the legal german cb band co ctss and sideband without it would need ctss i think correct me if i am wrong to open a repeater and price well not sure but for sure under the price of a type approved am fm ssb cb radio
Like the retro look but not keen on the black dials with brushed aluminium faceplate insert and the black outer trim around it looks a bit like the cobra gtl 150 and the dsp can be useful but don’t use a standard speaker with it (use a bhi with the dsp fitted it stops the watery effect). Downsides I can see… 1 No SSB …. Which is a shame and won’t probably sway people to buy this instead of a new 3900 or ARES 2 or equivalent. 2 the amount of information they try to cram in such a small display for the S-meter is beyond silly especially if you’re out mobile it’s difficult to see. 3 THE MUTING WHEN CHANGING CHANNELS IS SO FRUSTRATING 😡. Please radioddity and ALL NEW RADIO MANUFACTURERS regardless if they are transceivers or general coverage receivers only try to come up with a better chip that can stop the muting between channels. The reason why we love the classic cb radios is there’s no muting when changing channels and the build quality is much better and capable of prolonging the life by being able to adjust frequency and realign. To summarise it’s the same as majority of the current multinorms Available. Nothing new to see here.
In its current form I’d think there’s no real market for it in the UK unless they can add the 27/81 UK 40 channels. Even at that though I also think that there’s already plenty of cobra clones and re-issues on the market, and there’s other very similar looking radioddity models that have SSB, so I think this model is a bit of a dead horse to flog.
Anytone AT-900 Pro and Anytone AT-29 Pro are basicly the same, all of these are multinorm. In export mode these are 8w and the Anytone AT-29 Pro being 14w Please redo your coax plug as it is hurting my OCD
Hello Fred, I'm an old breaker from 1977 but quit when FM came into fashion. I have a Stalker 4 AM rig circa 1978, 40 channels lower, flick the switch 40 channels upper. I have power, the question for you would be, is it worth setting up or is AM dead? Thanks in advance.
I’m not sure who this CB is for. If it’s supposed to be a base station in 2024 it needs SSB, as others have pointed out. On the other hand it is awfully big for a mobile. It doesn’t do anything my Radioddity CB-27 can do for less $$$$ and 1/4 of the size.
Not for a while. I do have one boxed but its not being released in the UK yet. In the mean time check out Daves videos as his being doing a lot with the 8900 recently. www.youtube.com/@m0ogy/videos
I’m probably on my own here, but I like CB’s that look like CB’s rather than HAM radios, Call me crazy but I prefer simply flicking the appropriate switch, than having to navigate a bloody menu system!
It’s a yes from me.
Love the retro look of this...proper 1982... good features. UK version would be lovely. Thumbs up from me.
uk ch19 would do as 99% park there and never move
Looks great , old school, easy to use and a decent size . UK version please.
I really like the meter read out.
Defiantly would pick this up if released. Very 80's love it
In my opinion it's a good radio cool oldschool look and the little display is awesome i hope it's not going to be overpriced
73
$109.00 on Amazon plus has a $10.00 off coupon.
I think what we really need in the UK is a Desktop CB Radio, with larger screen, bigger box, purpose build CB radio. With knobs and switches but modern, it could have SWR meter built in, and high quality audio, rx and tx. Something that you can put on your desk and it's substancial, I'm fed-up with the fact that each time I grab the mic, I pull the radio around the desk with me! Base station is what we need! If you agree, give me thumbs up, maybe someone will listen.
Bang on 100%
a big box of air with a mobile cb and a 240-12v power supply with a few sockets on the rear, hmmm, i guess you wherent about during the cb radio days in the 80s
also a suggestion, if your cb is in its place then maybe slap a couple of screws through a bracket to stop it sliding about.
this channel is another that sucks anyway
@adamhousden6349 you must be fun at partys
I'm a retired American trucker, of 25 years on the road. That cb looks like a direct clone of the old Cobra. But then most all cb's pretty much all looked alike because of the necessary switches and buttons. With the blackout knobs on this one, it looks rather nice. FM isn't really very good on these radios because it requires more power output for any decent range. A buddy and I both had our radios boosted to 50 watts output, and being separated by 7 miles, we couldn't hear each other. SSB was the way go.
Hello Fred, I am so excited about this device that I ordered it immediately. Thanks for your video. best numbers. 13 LA72 from southern Germany
Enjoy it
Hi Fred, looks like a good radio with a handy mic but i would have prefer a frequency counter like the 3900EFT or 148FGTL, also it has no USB/LSB or clarifier which should be a no brainer. If they really want to make a great radio, get hold of a Cobra 148FGTLDX + and make a radio to the same quality or improve the quality/design but don't cheap on components... and they will sell really well. Also a removable head would be handy for most. Thanks for the video Fred and a great review.
This reminds me of my old Barracuda 27/81 CB radio. I'd prefer it with a black front panel really.
We wish that radio had SSB mode. Thanks for your time.
Nice to bring back the old fashion case of the Cobra/ SuperStar
Looks Fab.. Love it and would buy one of it had USB/LSB and the 5 bands including the UK Legal FM and the band above.. Yeah agreed, a USB programmable socket. Loved the display ! 👍
You didn't realise in export mode you have adjustable deviation now (Not legal) but it goes up to 4K , so should be far louder on audio .I like the one I own. 🙂
Looks good, when the ssb version comes out I will have one.
me too .
USA here I like what they offered....however it needs more power and SSB I wouldn't buy without SSB. The display I love needs more power and SSB everything else is great if you don't like echo or talk back turn it off don't take it away because some of us like those options if you're listening Radioddity give it all the features including the meter readout more power am fr and SSB a lot more customers will bite ty Fred for the review cheers from Alabama
Fantastic little radio at a cheap price. Fun in export 10M ham mode as well (29.600FM), although still rather basic in the featureset. (Move the internal jumper, it unlocks the bands and adds RF POWER (4/8w) FM DEVIATION (2K/4K) and -5KHz menu options. Double tap the CH knob to change bands). UKFM would be a good addition. It can be added by the factory easily, however it all depends on the market feedback.
The only extra things I wish it had was CTCSS/DCS for FM, and also a repeater shift (-100KHz) for export mode 10m repeater use. 73
making the black bits chrome would be a nice touch like the 148
Nice radio Fred remind me a bit like my old Cobra back in the early 70s😂👍
I think I'd stick with a crt 6900. Even the older models. I have a ham licence but where I am there is not a great deal of activity. The crt 6900 covers 10m, and all the CB frequencies on am/FM/ssb. So it's pretty versatile. Add a TYT th9800 and VHF/UHF is covered. I run these radios mobile as I live in a ground floor flat so going "up the hill" is my easiest option. Do have to switch antennas over depending on use. I do have a Watson 9 band antenna which is a bit of a faff when tuning. Especially in the rain. At present most of the contacts I have are using pmr via Zello and other such black magic. I can hit a repeater 6 or 7 miles away using a baofeng or quansheng walkie talkie which works just fine. On 3 to 4 watts. I'm a bit old school as I'm just using the radios without any internet or that stuff. I've tried using Zello but I can't be arsed with the laptop and all that bother. I used them as freestanding radios. I've spoken to guys in the states thanks to the hi tech stuff but I'm just stood up on a hill with what is very simple equipment. I'm not sure how it works but it does. Not all the time mind. CB is pretty much dead round my way but the dark side always works. Until the wife rings me because dinners not ready. I'd recommend getting a foundation licence, it's not that difficult and it's useful if you're interested in radio. I bought a CB radio during lockdown, did the test and bought another rig. I was into CB back in the very early 80's. It's not quite the same now but it can be a relatively inexpensive hobby. I was looking at getting an ICOM ic 705 but then the car needed servicing and I had to replace the exhaust pipes on my bike. Swings and roundabouts. Love your content, really helpful and informative. Cheers! My old "handle" when I was 14/15 was Black Mustang. I can add Mike 7 cjv if I need to. Without any fear of snobbery. 73's and out.
Great radio, a nice mix of vintage and modern. I only buy CBs with SSB capability though, with that it would be a must buy
I would have liked the UK channels. I like a white backed meter, so I can see it at a glance, though there are options, shame one was not white background and light green like the Midland meter. Likewise, I hope they take out an SSB option. Furthermore, I like the modded channels and power. Though I tend to stay legal. A black face with white writing might appeal to me a bit more, but I can live with it as it is. SSB would clinch it.
we cant do black face nowadays lol
I think that is a seriously cool looking rig! Only thing for me is SSB. AM/FM is pretty much dead where i live. Saying that though, if everyone thinks these are cool and buys one then there would be more people on FM by default...
This is a lovely radio. Only reason why I wouldn't buy it is because there's no SSB.
I LOVE IT, it has that old school look of rigs from the 80's does it not ? I really like the multi function display. Don't mind that "80's Delorean" meter either! I cannot afford to buy one though. I live in Ukraine and have been displaced twice for obvious reasons, my home in Pokrovsk is about to get bombed to ruble within the next month or two but man would I like to be able to DX it to the UK in summer and maybe get a QSL with Fred himself on 27 Megs sideband, when they bring that version out. that would be something! If I bought the rig, then I'd need a station master antenna on the roof of my block of flats (and have to pay a professional to install it and run the coax down from the roof above the 9th to 6th floor), I'd be well in for over 200 bucks. Great review as always Fred, especially the "haxing" and a very nice rig! 👍📻
Like it a lot. Meter options and noise reduction appeal to me along with the old school style.
US comment Fred if you don’t mind. For me, the lack of sideband is a deal. Killer would understand a little higher price if it had it and a small heat sink would be nice for rag chewing. Thanks, Fred watch all your videos.
Looks like a good simple radio with a (hopefully) decent modulation. I like the grey faceplate over the usual gaudy silver ones. I hope they bring a UK version out.
I have got to have one. Going to order it now.
My 2 cents worth, great looking radio, LOVE the the digital meter, looking old skool but displaying the frequency, that's always nice, I like the TX/RX setup, only lights up green when recieving a signal, love the look of it.......would ideally need SSB, would love more power, like most radios nowadays, today's standards are, 40/60/100 watts is the new 4/8 watts, a bit like the car scene, 400bhp is the new 200bhp, the menu option is an easy interface which is good 👍🏻
Keep:
Signal Meter
TX/RX feature
Bleeps
Echo
4pin
VOX
ANL
NB
NR
Add:
40FM
SSB
Power
Shorten the depth of the unit
👍🏻
I did not see you test the
NB/ANL switch in the AM
Mode.
Noise Blanker use to work good on AM radios.
Even most Ham Radios do not have Noise Blankers that work in AM mode
GE made noise blankers for
FM radios in the low bands
around 48 mhz and 6 meter bands.
R.L. Drake made on of the best back in the day in my humble opinion.
Great review as always Fred
Well Done Sir.
73
Thanks
Everyone saying to add sideband but why would they do that? Just buy the qt-40 and program the UK 40 in it and have more power. By the time they add SSB the cost difference wouldn't be that far off. So I doubt it would get SSB. But it would be nice if they could introduce a new cheap SSB radio with minimal functions with 15-20 watts ssb keeping the cost to bare minimum like around $100 US and that would be around $70 cheaper than the next option. But I still think they should try coming out with a Base radio version of either the QT-60 or QT-80.
Good point.
Okkkkkk my friend is fantastic and beautiful thank 👍 ✌️ 🙂
I live in the US.
The retro look is fine. I'm not a fan of the black knobs but they are acceptable. I would like to see a larger meter display and more power on high, like the CB 500, but it would require a larger heat sink.
The RX doesn't sound as clear as I expected but it probably needs to be heard in person.
Still a good radio for commercial purposes. Here in NYC. Channel 13 is used at job sites. Still 19 on the road.
Nice radio. their is a few of them in the US . sound great . I wonder if one of the letter bands is the UK band. I did see a 5 KC shift for some countries . The CB-500 had country code and big heat sink for more power. Have to chart the whole range .I have the QT 60 older model same as Anytone AT 5555 N II . does 60 watts and SSB. The QT 80 is a step over that. I would get the SSB model. I talked all over the UK on my QT 60 from the USA on just radio and LiFePO4 battery and a homemade end fed half wave or 5/8 wave wire antenna or even the T2LT coax antenna on a fiberglass pole .All done from a park in NY . The stock mic sounds great on them. I set my SWR to 2:1 on my QT 60 it came 10:1 from factory . CTCSS and DTC codes are legal as long as you keep power legal. Some radios have them. For 10 meter amanture band we have FM Repeaters that need PL tone. But if want you can set a PL with a friend to cut noise down and unwanted signals but if that stronger they still interfere. Wish the UK had weather stations. Maybe that's why when the UK skip comes into the USA I hear lots of talk about the weather in the UK. LOL Cheers from NY !
An analogue meter with a little bulb behind it always looks great (better). SSB is needed for sure on this simple to operate radio. I'm currently looking for and easy to operate radio with SSB for an elderly friend of mine and, with the addition of SSB, this would have been the one.
Nice radio, some interesting features. Great retro look though 😀
Indeed!
@@CB-RADIO-UK hope the price will be reasonable 😀
Frid in the shed your RUclips videos are awesome my friend
Got your GMRS licence sorted yet, Greg?
@@Perthshire Grig is probably painting it as we speak as his dog watches 😉
awesome video ... great job!
Love It
Nice looking radio and hopefully with a UK model would be at an affordable price range. Its a shame that there is no SSB and USB input which seem to be the main features that are missing. Ideally a UK 40 channel frequency allocation to transmit , UK , Euro and USA receive frequencies , remove the WX alert , add SSB and USB input would make a big difference. Maybe there is room to amend the transmit power from High/Low to include medium as well.
Fred deffo 1980's retro but if you want to make an AM / FM only radio in this day and age without SSB make it do VHF & UHF and 10m AM / FM with repeater shift that way it would be bang upto date and be of interest to a much wider group of people.
Love the retro style
Ay up "Frid" i think you have a new friend 😂😂😂
Frid in the shed you do a awesome job at explaining how CB radios work my friend
It's Fred, not Frid and you are annoying, "my friend".
@@FunkyDisco79 Greg is a true believer! 😉
Got your GMRS licence sorted yet, Greg?
I love these style radios with having the 148 GTL DX and cobra 29. Be interesting to see the price but I think I would go for the QT40 if I wanted that style of radio.
Nice radio, just needs the UK 40 added
Hi Dell. Yes agree and maybe a SSB version. Dell you going to start pushing the OCT BIG CB net ? If so i will make a announcement video.
@@CB-RADIO-UK Yes, 2nd November, 43 years of legal CB radio in the UK, and it's a Saturday so could be an all day event.
ch19 would do as 99% park there and never move
good radio and just like us all being able to mod it, awesome....
Lovely looking radio.
Nice retro look, pity no SSB
The Americans have mastered AM audio
the ch9 switch on the 148 and 360 was used a 10khz jump, not the hi lo control, the tone switch ( which said hi lo ) was used instead, the nb/anl was bleep on off, my one has a double pot with variable power and still keep the swr function, band switch has been opened up and has 7 bands ( 14 in all ) vco starts locking out on the lo lo lo lo bands as radio is set for 10m.
thats the layout for all the modded 148/360 swtches unless cobraworxshops has screwed up your rig and then its just a doorstop after that
Looks like a Binatone 5 star I had in the 80's
We dont need a CB/PA/WX switch,or a Channel 9.Niether do we need the talkback pot.They're of no use over here in the UK Fred :)
Looking for more upvotes on this comment above!
Additionally, get rid of those horrible slide switches and put mode and noise selection on a rotary switch. Dumping all the aforementioned switches also opens up lots of face plate space for separating pots, those double ganged pots are so unnecessary. Of course ssb is a must.
@@101jumpit Totally agree. Only used the PA when I got my first car, even then it was just for a laugh, has absolutely no point. The channel 9 is very much obsolete, never used it. Back in the the day people would monitor it voluntarily at set times. I did a shift a couple of times a week but nothing was called in. Modern radios could make better use of the switch gear for sure. Oh and ssb is essential in this day and age and is not as "naughty" as it used to be. The CB/81 stamp was always a bugger. The UK legal channels not being in alignment with most of world. A big compromise at the time.
@@davidcooke3811 !00% David.The thrill and excitement of the late 70's and early 80's on CB will stay with me forever.I have held a full ham radio ticket for over 35 years now,but nothing on Ham Radio compares to the friendship,solidarity,comaradery and pure fun of CB Radio.10 /10 good buddy (Y)
there's no SSB.
While the skip has been up I have been using my little CRT Xenon for AM/FM conversations which does much the same thing. Good fun but not an Alinco DX10 or a CRT9900 which can do some serious DX including SSB. Being a Ham as well I find a VFO is noticeable by it's abscence on the DX10 and Xenon and I suspect I would feel the same with the CB-900 PRO even though it is a CB rig. Those off frequency rigs can be difficult to copy sometimes and having to dive into menues is a pain.
Looks cool just needs SSB
They should have put SSB on it!
Yes they should have put a sticker with SSB on it!
looks like a real nice radio. But don't like the black knobs, my opinion is better in chrome.
I like the radio but the glaring miss is no SSB. The retro thing is appealing but no need for CH9 button or PA. I even like the echo and roger bleeps but thankfully they are switchable.
Not too sure i would buy one tho unless it was at good price.
I use the PA function
Nice radio looks like a cobra with many extras like it
Id really like a CB that the unit can plug in boot of car with just a microphone with controls on in front of car, like the cobra 75. I do like the look of the radio. But nothing different so I don't need one
For the car I think it's too big looks good and user friendly, but if they made it more compact I would have considered in buying one.
Looks good, but an SSB band and heat sink would make it sell more for around 199 pounds in uk
A 50 watt output to warm the heatsink up would be nice too but I don't think that's the market it's aimed at 🙂
Like it. Reminds me of the Midland 150M I had confiscated by West Midlands police
I got Super Star 3900 2003 version I think it is. Has old-school look but some new tech inside. Bit like this cb. I like that Radiosity one has the frequency mine not got that miss that little bit though guess not too important. meter on mine the old-school type but switches etc similar to this. I always go for NR 2 seems just right. Only thing I wish they do away with ch 9 switch and it be more useful have hi and lo. I guess the lcd display might be less to go wrong with no moving parts like how they made it look like the old analogue meter. I think they need swr warning 100.1 lol only joking 3.1 perfect. Oh other thing shame not got ssb. Me superstar 3900 got ssb which is handy. Best noise reduction I've had is on the handheld Thunderpole T-X I think that NR is excellent.
Looks nice but I can't see the point of it without SSB so I'd get the 6900 over this. If retro nostalgia was top of my priorities, I'd get a old-school radio (like the York-863) to scratch that itch occasionly.
As for constructive suggestions, I like the screen but it seems too small to me, they should ditch the channel 9 or pa switch and make the screen bigger with the extra space.
Hi Fred, Rig looks good but I would like to see side band as well
This one looks very much like the QT-40 I've bought a few months ago. I really like the classic look but this one has a smart S-meter that combines the (emulated) classic needle and very useful information (frequency display). The QT-40 just has an old-fashioned analogue meter that's not accurate either. I think that they pushed the "vintage" concept a bit too far for the QT-40
Not quite convinced by the QT-40 anyway. It undermodulates in SSB even when things are set to max.
Not the same kind of transceiver though, I get it. This is pure AM/FM CB, the QT-40 is a 10m ham band transceiver that can easily be tweaked for CB.
This one looks like a much more balanced design, a great transceiver for CBers who want to remain legal.
Hi Fred, I know you're a busy person but is there a way I can message you directly to ask you some questions please? Thank you so much. Love the videos😊
Hi. fredintheshedyt@gmail.com
There's a lot of fresh air inside that box.
Looks nice, but I think I prefer the smaller radios of today.
I spied a "5 kHz OFF" setting in the menu after you changed the jumper. Does that setting get you in between?
I am not sure. I did notice alpha channels added.
Liking the big black case but, not liking the fact there's no SSB. An AM radio is pretty pointless in the UK except for listening to the US when the skip is up so, that leaves us just with a low powered FM radio which are 10 a penny.
Nice radio... but a shame it does not do lsb or usb... My 2023 Superstar has that plus a real meter, so...
As a cb it is good! Not so much for skip is it?
Ok so it does look nice the classic CB look. I love the modern display for the meter/ frequency but with older eyes i think it is too small, i struggle the with crt1v display. as for would i buy it? probably not as no side band for me i would like to see a multinorm version with possibility to mod it for export. Now for what all modern cb radios i have seen is missing blue tooth headset support would love to be able pair a nice set of bluetooth headphones to a cb radio wireless so can move about private in that it wont annoy the neighbours well apart from my yaking... as it stands nice radio but would need to have multinorm i live where the German 80 channels are used and repeaters on the legal german cb band co ctss and sideband without it would need ctss i think correct me if i am wrong to open a repeater and price well not sure but for sure under the price of a type approved am fm ssb cb radio
The first thing that jumped out at me was the meter display should be a little wider. Too narrow as it is. Nice box though.
Looks like the 1980s called and asked if we wanted their CB radio.
Do you think even at the higher wattage setting by moving the jumper that you could run this into a very small amp like a RM Italy?
Should work. Just need to make sure you dont overload the input on the amp.
Like the retro look but not keen on the black dials with brushed aluminium faceplate insert and the black outer trim around it looks a bit like the cobra gtl 150 and the dsp can be useful but don’t use a standard speaker with it (use a bhi with the dsp fitted it stops the watery effect).
Downsides I can see…
1 No SSB …. Which is a shame and won’t probably sway people to buy this instead of a new 3900 or ARES 2 or equivalent.
2 the amount of information they try to cram in such a small display for the S-meter is beyond silly especially if you’re out mobile it’s difficult to see.
3 THE MUTING WHEN CHANGING CHANNELS IS SO FRUSTRATING 😡. Please radioddity and ALL NEW RADIO MANUFACTURERS regardless if they are transceivers or general coverage receivers only try to come up with a better chip that can stop the muting between channels. The reason why we love the classic cb radios is there’s no muting when changing channels and the build quality is much better and capable of prolonging the life by being able to adjust frequency and realign.
To summarise it’s the same as majority of the current multinorms Available. Nothing new to see here.
Nice enough radio, but not having SSB is a no thank you from me.
Nice old school rig, but not great for trucks due to the size. Just slightly oversized for dash fitting.
It's the exact same size as a Connex 3300 and the Cobra 148 5 pin which is THE most popular radio for truckers.
Frid the new RADioDDiTy CB radio-900 pRo that you are viewing is awesome my friend
Got your GMRS licence sorted yet, Greg?
Frid in the shed I learn lot from you about bying cb radios and antennas for cb radios and power supplys for cb radios my friend
like it but think ssb would be better
SSB please on the radio...
In its current form I’d think there’s no real market for it in the UK unless they can add the 27/81 UK 40 channels. Even at that though I also think that there’s already plenty of cobra clones and re-issues on the market, and there’s other very similar looking radioddity models that have SSB, so I think this model is a bit of a dead horse to flog.
Anytone AT-900 Pro and Anytone AT-29 Pro are basicly the same, all of these are multinorm.
In export mode these are 8w and the Anytone AT-29 Pro being 14w
Please redo your coax plug as it is hurting my OCD
Should have a F band maybe uk 40 that’s how I get them on my anytone ares 2 in the states
i wonder if the dots on the export mode meant the alpha channels? 03, 07, 11, 15, 19
100% correct!
wish it had ssb
Radioddity, Its looks nice but I won't but it. NO SSB? NO BUENO!!! Keep trying ...
Hello Fred, I'm an old breaker from 1977 but quit when FM came into fashion. I have a Stalker 4 AM rig circa 1978, 40 channels lower, flick the switch 40 channels upper. I have power, the question for you would be, is it worth setting up or is AM dead? Thanks in advance.
Afraid to say that AM has mostly died. FM still used for chat. Nowadays SSB is the most popular mode for shooting skip
Thank you for your reply, much appreciated. Your content is great btw.
No idea why manufacturers still insist on using those silly little inaccurate and unreadable meters, I would not Buy one.
A,b,c,d,e bands, what exactly is at denoting?
What is the standard CB band I live in the United States.
Depends on how the radio is programmed. You channels are spread from 26.965 to 27.405 MHz
I’m not sure who this CB is for. If it’s supposed to be a base station in 2024 it needs SSB, as others have pointed out. On the other hand it is awfully big for a mobile. It doesn’t do anything my Radioddity CB-27 can do for less $$$$ and 1/4 of the size.
Have you noticed if there is a clear plastic protective coating on the faceplate that has to come off?
No i did not notice one.
Hi Fred any chance of a review on the new CRT SS 8900 as I have one turning up next week
Not for a while. I do have one boxed but its not being released in the UK yet. In the mean time check out Daves videos as his being doing a lot with the 8900 recently. www.youtube.com/@m0ogy/videos
@@CB-RADIO-UK Thanks Fred so when is supposed to be released as PJ Box and Knights are selling them
They sell them so well in the USA that they cannot get enough stock for the UK. I do keep reminding them i still have it.