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Mayor513
Junior Member Username: Mayor513
Post Number: 36 Registered: 3-2002
| Posted on Thursday, March 02, 2006 - 11:55 pm: |
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--Hi, all. I am having trouble finding much information on the 'net regarding the General Sherman AM/SSB CB radio. Can anyone tell me what mods are available for this rig? I have been told that it is basically the same rig as the old style Cobra 148 and also the Texas Ranger TR-296, but I am NOT for sure. Is this true? If so, I figure an EXPO expander kit for 40 above and 40 below, or the 26.805-28.045 frequency mod would be what I should expect. --I looked on the modification list to the left of the page here, and found nothing regarding any General brand/model. I also looked on several CB mod sites regarding this radio, but found nothing...kind of odd. Anyway, thanks for your help! |
Paganville
New member Username: Paganville
Post Number: 1 Registered: 2-2006
| Posted on Friday, March 03, 2006 - 9:48 am: |
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Hello...You beat me to the point...I just bought a GS and haven't found much info either...I hope someone can help us...Thanks |
Patzerozero
Senior Member Username: Patzerozero
Post Number: 2504 Registered: 7-2004
| Posted on Friday, March 03, 2006 - 5:50 pm: |
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open it up & look at the main PLL IC, it SHOULD be RCI8719. in that case, EACH & EVERY MB8719 MOD FOR GRANT XL/LT/COBRA 148/TEXAS RANGER 296 will work on that radio! have seen 2 shermans where the IC # was marked out with magic marker, but, MB8719 mods worked just fine! |
Paganville
New member Username: Paganville
Post Number: 2 Registered: 2-2006
| Posted on Saturday, March 04, 2006 - 9:30 am: |
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Good morning...Thanks for the response Pat... mine does have the RCI8719 piece...I would like to say thanks to Copper as well for a site like this...I am a newbie and have learned so much just by reading the discussions...for instance the true wattage I can expect from my Palomar 300 elite...let's just say it's not the 300 like I thought when I bought it...and speaking of wattage, I am familiar with "db's" from working with other equipment (hometheatre,stereo,PA systems, etc) however I learned that a "doubling" of "cb" watts is only a half of S unit gain...WOW...that really hurt to learn, but is great to know for purchase of future equipment to reach my specific goals...I went back 2 and 3 years ago in the archives and saw a discussion about swing and whether it was good or bad and it did confuse me a little...is the consensus now that a low dk with swing up to whatever brings the amp to nearly max, better than a large steady carrier with little swing to accomplish the same goal?? I would think that a lower dk and good swing would generate a little less internal heat on a sustained key up, but maybe not...I would appreciate any advice... |
Patzerozero
Senior Member Username: Patzerozero
Post Number: 2508 Registered: 7-2004
| Posted on Saturday, March 04, 2006 - 11:19 am: |
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your last sentence, while maybe not technically correct, does have merit. 1 part dead key & 4 parts swing is USUALLY where things sound best. also, garbage in = garbage out, at any ratio. heavy QRM/noise in DX conditions does mask imperfections, so a 1 to 4 ratio can sometimes be upped to 1 to 3, or even MORE dead key to swing then that. but, you must be sure the amps transistors are up to the task of handling the input that causes a 1 to 3, or better, ratio. in 'local', quiet conditions, you may experiment to see where things sound best. 1 to 3, or even 1 to 2 MAY sound 'tight', 'crunchy', 'not good' over a few miles, as well as 1 to 10, which may have a 'sideband' type of affect-no 'carrier' but lots of swing & MAYBE an 'odd' sound. go to www.rfparts.com, & you can see what the transistors in a particular amplifier(or radio) are rated to handle, inputwise, & what they will produce for output. while those #'s can vary, you'll have a better ballpark figure, then what some amp manufacturers claim |
Mayor513
Junior Member Username: Mayor513
Post Number: 38 Registered: 3-2002
| Posted on Saturday, March 04, 2006 - 10:19 pm: |
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--Cool beans. I hope the General Sherman radio will be a good one...and I hope it really IS like the TR-296 and the old style Cobra 148. It's got the mic. connector on the front, so that is handy. I ordered two of them, and they should be in next week, so I will look at the insides then. Thanks for your help. |
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