zimm
Caught the Bug
I upgraded from the compact Midland 1001lWX to a new President McKinley SSB CB radio. What a difference!
https://president-electronics.us/CB-Radios-Ham-Radios/AM-SSB-transceivers/MC-KINLEY-USA
The Midland is a solid little compact radio with NOAA channels.
The President allows for upper and lower sideband (USB/LSB) on all 40 channels. If you have a buddy with SSB also, the signal is 12 watts instead of 4 watts and because of voodoo with the carrier signal and AM stuff, it's supposed to travel even further.
The huge differences are the automatic squelch which is awesome and the built in automatic SWR meter that beeps as you tune the antenna. I got channel 20 at a perfect 1.0 SWR using a 2' fire stick between the spare and hard top- incredible! It doesn't even stick up above the roof.
It also has NOAA weather channels, auto scan, multiple channel monitoring, 3 colors of display, etc. It's a DIN size, so bigger than the little Midland. Forward facing speaker too. It fits on my rugged ridge bracket. I drilled the holes so the radio is offset to the right, it's centered on the windshield and not the footman loop so it'll clear the sun visors. It doesn't block the rear view mirror and the mic cord isn't in the way of the rearview mirror like it was on the midland.
Downside? It's a $200 radio vs the $45 Midland.
My dad still has a 1970's President base station at his house that still works. He loves that brand.
Overall I'm super happy.
Now to get the other members of my jeep club to jump on the SSB wagon.
View attachment 313383
View attachment 313384
https://president-electronics.us/CB-Radios-Ham-Radios/AM-SSB-transceivers/MC-KINLEY-USA
The Midland is a solid little compact radio with NOAA channels.
The President allows for upper and lower sideband (USB/LSB) on all 40 channels. If you have a buddy with SSB also, the signal is 12 watts instead of 4 watts and because of voodoo with the carrier signal and AM stuff, it's supposed to travel even further.
The huge differences are the automatic squelch which is awesome and the built in automatic SWR meter that beeps as you tune the antenna. I got channel 20 at a perfect 1.0 SWR using a 2' fire stick between the spare and hard top- incredible! It doesn't even stick up above the roof.
It also has NOAA weather channels, auto scan, multiple channel monitoring, 3 colors of display, etc. It's a DIN size, so bigger than the little Midland. Forward facing speaker too. It fits on my rugged ridge bracket. I drilled the holes so the radio is offset to the right, it's centered on the windshield and not the footman loop so it'll clear the sun visors. It doesn't block the rear view mirror and the mic cord isn't in the way of the rearview mirror like it was on the midland.
Downside? It's a $200 radio vs the $45 Midland.
My dad still has a 1970's President base station at his house that still works. He loves that brand.
Overall I'm super happy.
Now to get the other members of my jeep club to jump on the SSB wagon.
View attachment 313383
View attachment 313384
Last edited: