The above radios have been out some time now, the Hera not yet. This is possibly the last word on the Bill, there is more to come on the Stryker and also on the Xenon. Don’t like the comments close your eyes, don’t like the way the radio behaves return it. It may sound harsh but compare them to 10m radios, in some cases to Icom and Yaesu radios. These are CB radios! That’s it.
President Bill
First Point:
No modifiable components for ASC, Receive, Power, AM Audio or FM Audio
Second Point:
Presidents are always not ultimately WOW on FM as it’s AM they are interested in. Sometimes a radio is great on FM sometimes not.
FM Hub:
So. Some radios have appeared with 1.7 kHz hub and also 1.5 kHz hub for no explainable reason (Thank You Markus) Thorsten in Germany has (or now hasn’t) a Bill and he wanted 2.0 kHz + FM hub so he sent it to an engineer and answer below
Antwort von Ralf President Bill !! Kein mechanisches Signal vorhanden, 1,6 Hub , Modifikation 0 Chance 😂
Something like no mechanical adjustment, hub is 1.6 and modification = NO Chance
Result:
It’s a CB radio, it’s not a export 11m radio disguised a 10m radio. It’s a simple, not really expensive CB radio. If you put it in the car or truck and use it as a CB it’s fine and does the job it’s designed for.
But Remember:
Many cried as Albrecht 6110 had no detachable Microphone = Bill Has
Many cried about no frequency display on AE-6110 or Team = Bill Has
Many cried about 4-8w and if bridge transistor 15w. Bill Has better control of power
If I want a Chinese dinner I don’t go to a Belgian beer pub and if I want jerk chicken I don’t go to a kebab house. If need big audio buy a Ham radio, if need CB radio it’s a different beast.
English Bill CB Owner Messaged Me
I got my Bill and tested it today from home and I’m really disappointed with it. I’m on air many years and compared it on FM with my CRT-9900 and Yaesu FT-950 and it’s rubbish. Audio reports are way down on the Bill. My answer via email: I’d hope they are lower as other gear is in different league altogether..
CRT Xenon
It’s a little cheaper than the Bill and has a few ideas less than the Bill but it also has a few more somethings than the Bill
Missing:
Channel Change on the Radio
No UK in Export Mode
Advantages:
Cheaper than the Bill
Louder Audio than the Bill
12-10 metres if your stupid and need 24Mhz FM/AM
Let’s say you export Mode the radio and then you’ve various power settings available but you live in the UK so you’ve lost the UK ‘Muppet Channels’ for example. But you’ve got a radio with louder audio from the box. This is tested and confirmed from Germany, Poland, the UK and Hungary the Xenon is louder (currently)
Board:
No end user modifications but you see that you can actually update the Hera via software update so I’d suggest make available an update for the Bill and the Xenon for some features. BUT you want to adjust the radio how you want it then it’s lost and cannot be done as nothing to adjust.
Advantage and Disadvantages:
Xenon Cheaper
Bill more expensive but has UK in export and higher power mode
Xenon has higher power mode and NO UK channels in export mode
No channel Change on radio / Xenon
6 pin microphone versus the RJ-45
Display colours the same
One has ASC and the other ASQ
Currently even with low audio the Bill squeaks home by .1 mm as it can change channel via the radio and have UK40 in export mode.
Stryker SR-25MC
So this radio shares a lot of DNA although not identical to the Xenon. So what’s the changes that needs to be done here in my opinion.
You need three (3) power settings and not just two (2) in my opinion
AM
Low: 2 watts
Mid: 4 watts
High: 8 watts
Microphone
You need channel change on the radio it’s obvious. Truckers like to use old, tried and tested microphones and to force upon them just the supplied microphone isn’t bueno. So needs that too but of course I’m just picky so it’s just talk.
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2/8/18
Hi Simon
The radio fm deviations can be adjusted
Via service menu so tecnically can have deviation adjusted
To 2.00khz deviation
The main issue is audio drive not deviation level,the two are seperste things,user often get this confused by users
Why they sound low dev-well it because your ham hf sets are either set on wide filter and tx fm dev 5khz dev (including some 10m export radios)the fm detector audio level will require 3khz dev min before audio is at resonable level,current multi norm cb are set to 1.8kHz
If you set has narrow filter/dev/fm detector switches in narrow fm mode it should sound fine on hf rig
Old 27/81 cb operated at 2.5khz max dev,fm detector audio 60%=1.5khz deviation
Filters used wider 455G 10khz bandwidth
CEPT radio similar for FM spec
Now the crunch
Multi-Norms cb
These have a even tighter spec on fm
Mainly due to the fact Am is also used and to get type approvals for both required a tigher filter for Am mode
Now what happened the makers fitted the 455HT filter mainly because Am use and acceptance testing
Unfort this ment the fm deviation had to be lowered to accomedate the tighter 455HT filter bandwidth being 6-7khz wide
But the fm detector had to be increased for the now lower fm deviation required 60%dev=1.20khz dev min audio recovery
Where old cept/uk/ham fm narrow using wider filter detects fm at 60% dev =1.5khz
As you can see they is slight difference to levels depending on new or old kit
New to new fine
New to
Now this is fine when using multi norm to multi norm cb
As all levels match fine
The issue is old and new kit intermixed and this is why
Users find dev sounds low on old or ham kit and some 10m exports used on cb with new multi norm cb!
They are ways to fix this but too complicated to explain
But this is why people having troubles
Ive looked into this problem in great depth and solutions
For the mfrs they havnt accounted for this old and new discrepancy counting on everyone using new kit to new kit
Also 10m exports often are set up on FM for USA markets using wide FM,not narrow multi norm specifications and this too can cause the loud and sound too quiet issue that users are not fully aware off.
I have modified new multi-norms (losing approvals) with higher deviation settings and altering the filters more suited for older equipment (uk 27/81) ,in some cases even then the microphone drives to fm tx circuits required alterations to make it sound punchy and get average deviation levels at a accepable level.
Could they add switchable filters possible,switchable cb deviations yes for old and new
Switcable fm detectors levels affecting recovered audio from set-yes
455HT (am & multi-norm) 1.8khz tx deviation
fm detector audio level 60%=1.20khz
And 455G (old Fm specs/uk81/10m ham new EU/Uk specs)
Tx deviation 2.20khz (speech will always show higher up to max limited around 2.4-2.5khz max per mpt1320 old specs)
Fm detector audio set at 60%=1.5khz recovered audio level
But would it cost extra yes and this why they comprimised by lowering fm deviation to accomedate the tighter Am filter and tighter EN /ETSI specs for new Multi Norms cb
So they you have it in a nutshell why and how all this happened and as simon pointed out Am get a higher priority than fm mode ,it works but not as good when used togetger with older kit ,ham,etc in some circumstances model types.
As a note and at greater expense most modern ham hf kit do use seperate filters for Am narrow Fm narrow Fm wide-(fm detector switches audio level in most cases so fmn wont sound quiet) but at a cost premium price wise
Hope that gives some insight as too the whys this has happened Rob 73’s
Excelent reply and exactly my thoughts. Comparing a President Bill with a Yaesu FT-950 ist a little bit ridiculous.
Regards, Lothar
I will never buy these devices, there are export devices or Icom.
I will not be forced to buy this scrap
Simon, have a nice day
Hi Hartmut. Great message as always. Seems they are selling well according to number of people on air, on Facebook messaging me. Made my thoughts clear and move onwards. It’s said in England “today’s news tomorrow fish and chip paper” and indeed many export radios available a few euro more.