So guys I’ve been in touch with Petteri in Finland whose idea and skills were in place when he found his cure for the high levels of noise in some locations (not all) on the Grant II and Premium. So I’ve got the $1,000,000 question here that needs to be answered and it’s not that easy when you sit and think about it.
So the question is compromise?
We’ve seen the Bearcat 980 and it’s noise levels. You’ve read on the blog Robert and Petteri reasons why there is noise and what is the cure.
*So, is it better to match the receive on the Bearcat 980 thus making the receive lower so not fine tuned as before? Or is it better to leave it as is.
*Not all people get noise, it is not the same everywhere and when adjusted it can or could mean lower noise but also lower incoming receive as in effect the radio is “dumbed down” But this is also not sure as Petteri modified radio was quite sensitive in receive.
Also remember this is chit chat, no official word from anyone at all. Not any single comment other than hits on the statistics.
I ask as a user, got 3 radios all boxed, all with noise and all doing nothing. But go sit on an island and the radio will be I guess quiet the same as is the case with the Lincoln II. Now retired as backlights died.
So is it dumb the receive like we’ve had mentioned before, leave it as is and hope people use them away from noises.
Snitching easy in 2015
Use the contact or the space below to write
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=X7lSFogX2WU
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IgREsn95NI0
We are balanced here, so a modified, a non modified and a radio used in the mobile
Or do we say Grant II is sold as a mobile radio so if used at home it maybe does not work due to noise? So not usable. Guess need send my 3 back to Markus as can’t use them, and I’m living in a house not a warehouse to store stuff that can’t be used.
Mobile Radio: Don’t use at home as maybe gets noise, if gets noise and your not a mobile station return it for refund as not fit to use as a base station. But: If gets no noise at home then use it.
I’ll add here comments of those who’ve wrote to me:
Ondrej Trebic: Happy your AE5890EU has no noise as Grant II was unusable due to noise. Great you could get the 5890EU
Bernd Konigsee: Sent back 2 radios not fit for purpose
Get it off your chest guys.. Make your feelings known
Andy Doncaster: My Grant Premium gets noise so I’ve already shipped it off to get the modification here copied. Hope it works? When you get it back post the video for us all to see
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One thing that bothers me about the noise conversation is S-units. When we look at for example Grant 2 the S-meter practically shows the AGC voltage. Nothing to do about the usable signal. Ok now we can make an easy mod that slightly reduces voltage that AGC cirsuit see and the S-level goes down. At the same time it must be keeping in mind that the strong signals must also be able to be heard clean. The beauty of Grant 2 AGC cirsuit is that it has separated cirsuits for SSB or FM/AM timing and decay. It’s a serious + in CB-radio! SS3900 for example doesn’t have it while still being the best all mode CB-radio if done and tuned correctly. Well at least in my shack.
Big guestion in Grant 2 is the RX gain. Grant 2 is the most sensitive CB-radio (well 10-12m radio) that have measured in the SINAD meter. In SSB and FM. In my benc and some others. Period. It’s in the same line with much more expensive HAM rigs in the test bench. Now you have to remember that SINAD measurement takes account of usable signal, noise and distortion. Well Grant 2 have a very pleasent darkish audio with HI-CUT on all modes. If you test LINCOLN 1 in SINAD meter it is quite a lot less sensitive. Or so it seems. Put it in the antenna line and you hear a difference. BOW. Usable signal is coming in while the audio might be little restricted. But who cares? You hear the transmitting station with a poorer audio quality.
Put it this way. Grant 2 uses dual superheterodyne conversion in RX. Now the rigs Grant 2 beats in SINAD test uses triple superheterodyne conversion.
So there must be some good parts in Grant 2 which makes received audio sound good. But there is definetily some gain to be dropped down in AGC or RX amplifier stage. You dont get good real world results by looking meters only. As i mentioned, well tuned SS3900 is still the n1 CB-radio in my desk. Qixiang makes very good SSB radios with very good SINAD measurements and useability. But they don’t last quite long. Bummer.
Hope Uniden doesn’t think that the sensitivity in meters is the goal or is there any competition going on in that matter. People still want’s president radios because they are stamped as a quality.
Simon, it made me smile to hear that your Lincoln II is retired to backlight failure, perhaps the haters were right? Why should people have to sent the Grant off for modification at huge cost, paying to send it there, paying to get it back and paying for the mod. Surely as this is a President factory made rig, they have the R&D to sort the rig out and it should be QC tested?
I must admit, that if I switch my DR135UK on at home, it picks up a lot of noise, from the plasma TV next door and static from the laptop. The SS3900EL that I had until recently, seemed fairly immune to it. As is my FT-450d, if I flick down from 10m, to have a listen to activity, there isn’t any noise either. On the DR135UK, if I flick through the channels and move from 11m to 10m, the noise disappears instantly. There is notch filtering on the amateur bands, but nothing on 11m.
But back to the Grant, why can individuals provide mods to sort it out and the factory can’t or won’t.
Hi Good Morning. Yes it’s sure, nothing these days is made to last like the older radios thats sure. President don’t have a factory, as you know am sure Uniden make the majority in Vietnam but it is still designed in Tokyo like always. Some have noise on the Grant II and some don’t. Of course those who don’t won’t comment as nothing to say, and those who do will shout from the hilltops so all can hear.
A dealer made a good point to me. Why do people tell you and never ask at President? Maybe they do, maybe they don’t? But social media people go to the first source, that’s It.
Can the noise be fixed? Some people have done it.
Do all people have the noises? No.
Lincoln II is retired, they are not made to last a lifetime and so they won’t last a lifetime. My first 5555 way back in 2009/10 is RIP long time (was called a Hannover)
We the customers have decisions to make going onwards more than in the past. Is it better to stick to the tried and tested no noise route “pay more go HF not use CB as amateur radio” OR hope that someone somewhere reads the views, believes them and then acts on it.
Myself, need look very hard into the radios here and decide what must sit, what to use, and what must go…