@ivandubinsky1857 this radio isn't really high enough wattage to earn a visit from the FCC. They really only care about operators who disrupt other bands, bleed over into emergency services comms etc. There are many people running 10X the wattage with no issues. One of the last guys that got caught did so because his radio was completely blocking the communications of his local ambulance service
@@ivandubinsky1857 never in a million years would you get a knock on the door from the FCC for running power on 11 meters and if you disagree you are living in a fantasy world
After some proper modifications , you can get a clean true 400 watts out of them normal voice talking , 475 loud audio peaks . The problem is heat They’re not properly cooled from the factory . Out of the box the average power is sad and swings backwards But they have their place . Once they get hot they drift everywhere and are just a nuisance on SSB 10-11 meters By the time you buy the radio , have it modified correctly , upgrade the finals , upgrade the cooling , you’re in over 1200 dollars easy and it’s an AM only radio . Worthless for SSB For that money you can buy a good used HF Rig , all mode , all band and a nice clean built transistor amp , (4 pill) ,, and be in about $1200 also and sound like a champ with 700 watts . Just my 2 cents and lessons learned . But they’re definitely nice radios . I’m just not willing to spend that much money on a drifter SSB rig and that’s what they are . RCI refuses to address the problem year after year
My RCI fleet of three have never drifted while working SSB, but yours may of, IDK. All I do know is how my Rangers have been no matter where they are worked from, mobile or base. It gets hot inside a pickup during Aug in South Carolina or in the freezing cold of some winter days, but they just keep working. I enjoy using Ranger RCI 29** series rigs on 10, 11, &12 meters SSB as much as I enjoy using my Icom 746 Pro on six meters. 73/Gd DX!
You will get more PEP in AM than SSB on that radio, they will hit slightly lower average, but up to 400 PEP on AM. Side note, I really really want one of these, but they are way out of my budget
I have a friend with the ranger ffb4 model 4-500 factory noted and had the sales shop set it up when he got it it actually pep 650 in the 10-11 meters used both mobile and base had the maco shooting star 4 element vert hori zontal antenna skip worked no matter the conditions!!!!
It's not for a keyer, it's just a PTT. And it's a CB all day. No filters, no noise reduction, no dsp, no video rejection, totally unstable SSB compared to any Yeasu or Kenwood or even Icom. RCI is just CB garbage.
There's so little gain with 400 watts over 40 watts. You'll be a bit louder but you won't gain much, if any distance. Give me a good antenna any day. Power sells equipment but only because people are inexperienced. I've been at this over 55 years. I learned a lot. Amateurs kick the power up to 1,000 watts and the meter bumps a fraction.
I agree. I commonly use only 1 watt and exchange signal reports with 800 watt stations. My report is 5.7 His 5.9+ so big power is not all that. As you said, a good antenna is worth hundreds of watts. Like wise 1500 watt is not worth squat if your antenna sucks. 73's
Well , you’re probably getting more power out of yours because of the coalition friction angle of your antenna , the SWR wax on the coax , and the anti reflect mule tape you coated the antenna with . Plus you probably got a bus tire spinning on an electric motor feeding your solar panels via a 9 inch wide ribbed belt like a blower motor on a small block Chevy . I know your tricks UDX-4570 , I haven’t quite been able to reproduce your shenanigans but I’m working on it !!!! ,,,,,,,, Gotcha !!! If you ain’t laughing you don’t have a pulse !! 🤣🤣🤣
Might be a good radio for vehicle use as it is hard for find compact radios now days. A+ Brenton. So you did not use phonetics for Tamb....Tambagaltta.......bloody Victorians spelling of place names...I have a sister who lives just up the road from there you are...
CB radios will run circles around any HF rig on AM..... HF ham rigs are designed for SSB and will run circles around any CB on SSB.... Yes, this 2970n4 will drift when it gets hot....... just like a icom 9700 (and others) will drift without the help of a William Bodnar external GPS disciplined oscillator. So, pick your poison.
for 900€ there are PAs that easily do like 500Watt HF out; Not worth spending 900€ on a cb radio that does 400Watt. then that heatsink on that radio is to small.
A Ranger is not a Ham radio LMAO. It's a CB that happens to have Ham frequencies. They did that so they could get by with selling high power CBs in the States. I do like them ALOT. I have quite a few 2950 models, all the way back to the 1970s.
@@mikehiggins2694 Not here in United States, it is classified as a ham radio a 10 m amateur radio.Just everybody converts some and believe illegal.That's why they're called the c.B
The same as the Uniden2830 I had, a CB with digital display. Mine had been modified to give tighter or narrower FM filtering. It also did 60watts SSB, 40watts FM and 20-30watts AM across the bands. It lasted 10+ years and the small transistor that put it between RX and TX blew. A 5p repair. Only ever used it on 10m once, from the UK for a FM 10m repeater in a different country and SSB for a QSO abroad. Used it on CB every day on FM mode.
@@OH2023-cj9if See, that's the problem they're all amateur radios.ACB radio is only 4 W, AM12 Watts side band P.E!P all these RCI.Radios, they're not seeing radios.Their ham radios that people convert to c b
400 watts @ 12 volt supply would require a lot of DC amps that tiny little power supply cable will not handle that current (34 amps) and that is TX power only not including consumption power, you would be lucky if it is 10 watts at best, maybe 30watt PEP on SSB
Rx sounded good, a low noise floor
Thanks for sharing 🇬🇧
Makes me want one of these exact radios. It has 11 meters like I use here in the States.
Only problem is, in the United States, you're limited to 12 watts PEP on 11 meters. Running more than that can get you "the knock" from the FCC.
@ivandubinsky1857 this radio isn't really high enough wattage to earn a visit from the FCC. They really only care about operators who disrupt other bands, bleed over into emergency services comms etc. There are many people running 10X the wattage with no issues. One of the last guys that got caught did so because his radio was completely blocking the communications of his local ambulance service
@@ivandubinsky1857 never in a million years would you get a knock on the door from the FCC for running power on 11 meters and if you disagree you are living in a fantasy world
Very interesting Brenton that mobile out of WA certainly hd a good signal.
400W Sounds good 👂Greetings from NL11593
Had one in the 90s when they were hell popular
After some proper modifications , you can get a clean true 400 watts out of them normal voice talking , 475 loud audio peaks . The problem is heat
They’re not properly cooled from the factory . Out of the box the average power is sad and swings backwards
But they have their place . Once they get hot they drift everywhere and are just a nuisance on SSB 10-11 meters
By the time you buy the radio , have it modified correctly , upgrade the finals , upgrade the cooling , you’re in over 1200 dollars easy and it’s an AM only radio . Worthless for SSB
For that money you can buy a good used HF Rig , all mode , all band and a nice clean built transistor amp ,
(4 pill) ,, and be in about $1200 also and sound like a champ with 700 watts . Just my 2 cents and lessons learned . But they’re definitely nice radios . I’m just not willing to spend that much money on a drifter SSB rig and that’s what they are . RCI refuses to address the problem year after year
My RCI fleet of three have never drifted while working SSB, but yours may of, IDK. All I do know is how my Rangers have been no matter where they are worked from, mobile or base. It gets hot inside a pickup during Aug in South Carolina or in the freezing cold of some winter days, but they just keep working. I enjoy using Ranger RCI 29** series rigs on 10, 11, &12 meters SSB as much as I enjoy using my Icom 746 Pro on six meters. 73/Gd DX!
You will get more PEP in AM than SSB on that radio, they will hit slightly lower average, but up to 400 PEP on AM. Side note, I really really want one of these, but they are way out of my budget
Good video Brenton. Cheers VK5LB
The power knob is turn't on the low side in the beginning and getting 350 watts at peak
Good to see gentlemanly behavior on the gentleman's agreement calling frequency for Australia!!!!
I have a friend with the ranger ffb4 model 4-500 factory noted and had the sales shop set it up when he got it it actually pep 650 in the 10-11 meters used both mobile and base had the maco shooting star 4 element vert hori zontal antenna skip worked no matter the conditions!!!!
No it didn't. No atmospheric conditions means no skip conditions. Doesn't matter how much power you have.That`s just the way it is.
What in 'ell does "reportedly" mean? And I didn't see you check SWR on the wattmeter which certainly affects the reading
Well there you go, always thought that output power maybe have been somewhat optimistic!
Bye the time it's adjusted and peak out 1000 $ USA costs/ pep 400 watt ssb about 150 watts AM butt it's best of all worlds in one box.
What does it put out on 27385 ??
Stahl's Sugar River Area Fish & Wildlife Rules!
RF PWR at minimum and mode at CW? Then adjust the RF PWR but still LSB on 10m?
I wonder how it would go with better power wires?
I was wondering if those radios have provision for a key for CW ??
Yes
If it takes a key…
….it’s not a CB
But very very very occasionally there is some CW on 11m
It's not for a keyer, it's just a PTT. And it's a CB all day. No filters, no noise reduction, no dsp, no video rejection, totally unstable SSB compared to any Yeasu or Kenwood or even Icom. RCI is just CB garbage.
So you’re saying essentially it’s a Cybernet Chassis with a _Big Block_ and a blower
they do
Most Bird watt meters are averaging not pep.
They have a mod you can add to a Bird to add PEP reading
Peak envelope power is RMS (average) power on VOICE peaks.
There's so little gain with 400 watts over 40 watts. You'll be a bit louder but you won't gain much, if any distance. Give me a good antenna any day. Power sells equipment but only because people are inexperienced. I've been at this over 55 years. I learned a lot. Amateurs kick the power up to 1,000 watts and the meter bumps a fraction.
40 watts VS 400 watts is a 10dB gain, the real magic is when you pair the high-power transmitter with a very nice antenna.
10 times power is about 1.5 "S" unit.
I agree. I commonly use only 1 watt and exchange signal reports with 800 watt stations.
My report is 5.7
His 5.9+ so big power is not all that. As you said, a good antenna is worth hundreds of watts. Like wise 1500 watt is not worth squat if your antenna sucks.
73's
My 2970N3 is getting 450 watts on the Bird, i thought the N4 was more potent?
Well , you’re probably getting more power out of yours because of the coalition friction angle of your antenna , the SWR wax on the coax , and the anti reflect mule tape you coated the antenna with . Plus you probably got a bus tire spinning on an electric motor feeding your solar panels via a 9 inch wide ribbed belt like a blower motor on a small block Chevy . I know your tricks UDX-4570 , I haven’t quite been able to reproduce your shenanigans but I’m working on it !!!! ,,,,,,,, Gotcha !!!
If you ain’t laughing you don’t have a pulse !! 🤣🤣🤣
@@Dallas-Rife-UDX-347-Tennessee 🤣aaaahhhhh ffffffffuuuuuuuucckkk!🤣👍
That power supply can't be cheap? $900.00 for radio .. ouch!
This thing costs more than a HF rig with 2m/440.
No thanks
How much power does it do on 10m FM? I might need to get one..
why is the radio on CW ????
You're on Lower sideband on 10 meters? Is that an ozzie thing ? C B thing? just an oversight ? Never mind...keep watching you figured it out.
"You're on Lower sideband on 10 meters?"
Obfuscation. It will sound encrypted to most listeners.
while working on 27.385 (CB) they do use LSB. Looks like a new rig and was probably converted, the tech probably tested it where he could talk.
That radio looks brand new out of the box, I wonder who put it on LSB? LOL
Might be a good radio for vehicle use as it is hard for find compact radios now days. A+ Brenton. So you did not use phonetics for Tamb....Tambagaltta.......bloody Victorians spelling of place names...I have a sister who lives just up the road from there you are...
CB radios will run circles around any HF rig on AM..... HF ham rigs are designed for SSB and will run circles around any CB on SSB.... Yes, this 2970n4 will drift when it gets hot....... just like a icom 9700 (and others) will drift without the help of a William Bodnar external GPS disciplined oscillator. So, pick your poison.
for 900€ there are PAs that easily do like 500Watt HF out; Not worth spending 900€ on a cb radio that does 400Watt. then that heatsink on that radio is to small.
i see it has a shit hit fan button
One thing its not a cb radio. Its a ham radio.
A Ranger is not a Ham radio LMAO. It's a CB that happens to have Ham frequencies. They did that so they could get by with selling high power CBs in the States. I do like them ALOT. I have quite a few 2950 models, all the way back to the 1970s.
@@mikehiggins2694 Not here in United States, it is classified as a ham radio a 10 m amateur radio.Just everybody converts some and believe illegal.That's why they're called the c.B
The same as the Uniden2830 I had, a CB with digital display. Mine had been modified to give tighter or narrower FM filtering. It also did 60watts SSB, 40watts FM and 20-30watts AM across the bands. It lasted 10+ years and the small transistor that put it between RX and TX blew. A 5p repair.
Only ever used it on 10m once, from the UK for a FM 10m repeater in a different country and SSB for a QSO abroad.
Used it on CB every day on FM mode.
@@OH2023-cj9if See, that's the problem they're all amateur radios.ACB radio is only 4 W, AM12 Watts side band P.E!P all these RCI.Radios, they're not seeing radios.Their ham radios that people convert to c b
Mine only runs at 100 Watt
400 watts @ 12 volt supply would require a lot of DC amps that tiny little power supply cable will not handle that current (34 amps) and that is TX power only not including consumption power, you would be lucky if it is 10 watts at best, maybe 30watt PEP on SSB
I use a 390 amp battery at ,13 voltls AM runs at,,,35 Watt
ｐｗ１ １ｋｗ
The Super Bowl CB Channel is a out right joke. Every one says they just down. Get up and stop playing on the radio and get to work. CB Rambo's
I get 675 ssb on mine all day. 2BS1358.
Would you be interested in selling that UT-106? I have been trying to to find one for a while. 73 de M7GYM.
Those rigs always sound so watery, i always hated the sound.