UK CB Radio Anniversary - 5 Years Of Legal AM and SSB

It's difficult to believe that FIVE YEARS have passed since the legalisation of AM and SSB here in the UK. Over that time regular nets have sprung up and are more popular than ever. 

Myself, I was out mobile at a local high point trying out the new President McKinley EU. I made 7 contacts on the SSB calling channel 27.275 USB, which is pretty good up here in the North East and I was able to hear many more stations calling but wasn't able to contact them due to only having 12 watts output on the McKinley.

I also called into the North East Net and spoke to several stations around Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Durham and Yorkshire.

Reports online seem to suggest that many hundreds of stations were active across the country. 

If you were one of them or if you've got an old CB radio tucked away in the cupboard, why not take part in the next big UK CB Radio event on 2nd November 2019 when we celebrate THIRTY EIGHT years of legal CB Radio! (Yes 38 years!)

CB Radio Skip - President McKinley EU

5 Years Of Legal AM/SSB

Just a reminder that this Thursday the 27th of June 2019 is the 5th Anniversary of the legalisation of AM and SSB here in the UK.

To celebrate, stations right across the UK will be on the air from 18:00 hours BST on the mid-band (26.965 - 27.405). There will be organised nets in many parts of the country and stations are encouraged to use the UK calling channels when looking for contacts outside the organised nets:

AM Calling on channel 14 - 27.125

USB Calling on channel 27 - 27.275

(Please QSY off the calling channels once contact has been made)

So make sure you are on the air this Thursday as it will your best chance of making new contacts which will hopefully lead to more activity on the bands in the future. 

Later in the year on 2nd November 2019 we will also have a celebration for the 38th Anniversary of legal CB in the UK. One giant nationwide net will take place on channel 38 UKFM (27.97125)

President McKinley EU - Menu Settings

President McKinley EU CB Radio Unboxing

Well I took the plunge and got myself a new President McKinley EU - After all, it does have SSB, and that's exactly what we like here in the UK!

Now, I've made no secret that I think the radio was overpriced at £279, and I felt a price point nearer £229 would be more reasonable so after a bit of digging around I found one at a price I was happy to pay. Delivery took 7 days, so it was on a slow boat from China (Or in this case Vietnam) but that's the trade off for a cheaper price. The price has started to fall since I ordered this radio and I've now seen it advertised on the Nevada website for £249

Watch out for more videos in the coming weeks but so far I'm happy with the radio. Audio is excellent on AM and SSB with FM audio being a little low (In common with most modern radios) but my trusty old Cobra Dynamike Plus soon sorted that out.

Output power is bang on 4 watts on AM/FM but again in common with several modern radios, the SSB output power appears to be a little low (Around 8 watts). Still most people will run their radios into an amplifier these days, so not a big problem.

More to come soon.....

Inside The President McKinley EU - First Photos

Here we have the first photos of the inside of the new President McKinley EU (You can click the images to enlarge them)

As you can see the radio is packed full of components and there are plenty of adjustment pots should the need arise.

And here is the President McKinley EU EXPORT MOD (Do at your own risk)

President McKinley EU - PRICE DROP @ Nevada

I've said right from the start that the McKinley EU was overpriced but it now looks like the price is heading in the right direction as Nevada announce a price drop to £249.95

They guarantee they have the lowest UK price on this radio.

LINK TO NEVADA SITE

SSB On The 305

Video:YouTube/fredintheshed1

Some DX action on the 305 net here in the UK....

President McKinley EU @ Nevada 'Next Week'

LINK

Ranger RCI-63FFD4 Tune-up Report

Video:YouTube/Bells CB

Yes that's 500 watts PEP out the back of this radio.....!

Manufacturers Specifications:

*New Final Amplifier Design...

*400 Watts PEP Output Power

*RT-1 mosfet transistors

*Variable RF Power Control

*6 Digit Frequency Counter

*New Smoke Chrome Front Panel

*Heavy Duty, High Power Heatsink

*S/RF/SWR Front Panel Meter

*Real Channel Selector Control

*SRA-198 Chrome Noise Cancelling *Mic Included

*Variable Echo and Talk Back Controls

*Dimmer Switch

*Cool Blue LED Channel Display

*4pin Front Panel Mic Jack

Price: $539 (Equivalent to £425) 

President McKinley €269

The price steadily falls for this new radio with it being in stock now at Rapace Telecom in France for €269 which equates to £239

The only major UK dealer to announce a price has it £279 but the radio has been seen online for around £239 so maybe this is the price it will settle at for now.

Look forward to the 'Black Friday' deals later in the year and it may just go sub £200??????? Hint Hint!

Link: Click Here

President McKinley EU @ Rigsearch

Video:YouTube/rigsearch

Jon from Rigsearch has his hands on one of the first President McKinley EU radios. Bought from Jabber Products (Cost believed to be around £255).

Prices are certainly beginning to fall on this new radio. Many potential buyers believe that the early prices are simply far too high. Yes, they are happy to pay a small premium for a great radio but as I've said before I feel a price point below £250 and possibly nearer £229 would be about right.  I have seen a small number of radios on eBay for under £250 and i think that it will be these sellers who see the most sales. 

In any event enjoy Jon's video and I look forward to many more McKinley videos in the coming weeks.

Hopefully people will get their hands on their new radios in time to celebrate FIVE YEARS of legal AM and SSB in the UK on 27th June....

International Space Station Contact 08/06/2019

International Space Station Contact 08/06/2019

Nick Hague, KG5TMV talking to participants at House Of Children Youth, Olomouc, Czech Republic on Saturday 8th June 2019 at 13:05GMT.

Contact was direct between OR4ISS and OK2KWX in the Czech Republic.

Downlink signals were heard on 145.800 MHz across large parts of Europe.

PRESIDENT McKINLEY Review (GoTechnique)

Video:YouTube/GoTechnique

Another look at the President McKinley EU, this time in French... For those who don't speak french, I'm sure you'll still be able to follow whats going on!

President McKinley EU £279 @ Knights

So Knights are the first to put a UK price to the President McKinley EU... £279

At the top end of the rumours, this may just kill this radio stone dead. What do you think????

I think we need a price more around £229 then people will be more interested.

President McKinley EU Soon!

Jabber Products (Formerly RadioZing) here in the UK have announced the imminent arrival of the President McKinley EU

So get your wallets ready if you fancy this radio.

Link: www.jabberproducts.co.uk/index.html

President McKinley EU CB Radio Final Thoughts

Video:YouTube/M0OGY

Dave gives us his final thoughts on the new President McKinley EU....

The radio should be available from dealers in the coming week or two. In my opinion, how well it sells will depend a great deal on the price.....

President Walker II FCC

Video:YouTube/LestersCustomTrkShp

A look at the FCC version of the Walker II. 

I find it interesting that the EXPORT jumper and white wire are present in this radio.... Maybe someone can tell me if cutting the wire and moving the jumper has any effect in this version of the radio when, as we all know, they are very strict with regards to the sale of export CB radios in the US. 

President McKinley First UK Contact!

Video:YouTube/M0OGY

Another video from Dave showing the new President McKinley EU in action....

My initial thoughts.. I think it's sounding very good. Taking Dave's local PLT noise into account the audio on SSB sounds really good and certainly a big improvement on the Lincoln 2 and possibly the Grant 2 as well. Personally I'm not a big fan of it's looks, I'm not keen on the front facing speaker. Don't get me wrong it's a great idea for mobile operation especially if the radio is mounted in the dash, but for home base I'd prefer just to use an external speaker and have more space on the front of the radio for switches and buttons, and maybe a larger display. 

The fascia and controls look a little cheap to me, but I guess they are! 

In common with most modern stuff they are made to a very tight budget so this is to be expected and I don't suppose they are any worse than controls on some modern Ham Radio sets. 

However, the most important thing is how the radios performs and Dave's video appears to show there's nothing to worry about in that respect. There would be little point in making a beautiful radio that performed poorly!