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View Full Version : New President Mckinley question.



Turboomni
06-23-2020, 04:29 PM
My 980 Unidens display is fading and will get it fixed this winter. Want to get a President Mckinley and was wondering if it is a good idea to have it checked by a shop like Bell's CB for example and tweeked for power and modulation etc. Or are they really good out of the box to run with my little KL 203 Italy amp.

thanks

JesseJamesDallas
06-24-2020, 10:02 AM
I answered your question over on Bozo's forum...

watch this video, all that needs to be adjusted on the McKinley is the modulation pot and ssb to 12w...The video shows you where the pots are at, and what to do...or you can have a shop charge you 25-35 dollars to do the same thing that the video shows you for free....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMp-GBLZxYw

Turboomni
06-24-2020, 11:33 AM
Thanks a million Mr Dallas. I was hoping you would respond as I know you own one and are very happy with it. Seeing the video I can see it is very doable. What meter would you use? I have a watt meter/swr [old radio shack] but do not have a modulation meter. Or do I need a Mod meter?

JesseJamesDallas
06-24-2020, 12:08 PM
Just watch the meter on the radio if you don't have a inline meter...When adjusting the modulation, just key the mic, and go "AUUuuddddiioooooooo" and be looking at your meter...turn pot till you see it peak, then stop.

On ssb you would need to do the same thing, turn pot and say "auuuddiioooo" into the mic and watch your watt meter and stop around the 12w marker....The radio might can go higher than 12w's, but might not sound as good if you set the ssb higher than 12w.

Turboomni
06-24-2020, 02:10 PM
Well you made my day Mr Dallas as this is something I can do I believe. Ordered up a McKinley radio today. I will get the Uniden fixed this winter and either sell it or just keep it in my truck permanently.

whiteastro
06-25-2020, 05:49 PM
Well you made my day Mr Dallas as this is something I can do I believe. Ordered up a McKinley radio today. I will get the Uniden fixed this winter and either sell it or just keep it in my truck permanently.
So where did you order it from and what was the price tag? They can get pricey depends where you get it from!

Turboomni
06-25-2020, 06:45 PM
I got it on Ebay for 164 bucks free shipping. 10 bucks tax. He still has a few.

JesseJamesDallas
06-25-2020, 07:51 PM
I got it on Ebay for 164 bucks free shipping. 10 bucks tax. He still has a few.
Good price...I bought mine a few years ago when they first came available in the U.S. and it was over $200...Price has came down some since then...

There's a EU version out now that has more bands like the exports, but I have yet to see one for sale in the US.

On this link, press the "More" tab to see all the features of the EU version.
https://www.kcb.co.uk/contents/en-uk/p55170_President-McKinley.html

Turboomni
06-25-2020, 07:56 PM
Yeah thanks,,most I saw were 179 and I saw some were charging over 200. It is also being shipped from NY State so close to me. I checked JNL where I got my Sirio mobile antenna but they don't seem to sell cb radios anymore....weird.

Turboomni
06-25-2020, 08:49 PM
The over the pond Mckinley looks impressive!

whiteastro
06-26-2020, 05:20 AM
I got it on Ebay for 164 bucks free shipping. 10 bucks tax. He still has a few.

Yes that is a good price. Good for you. I hope it works good for you. Walmart.com wants $179.00 plus tax with free shipping. Bob's CB Shop wants almost $200.00 plus tax & shipping and if you get it tuned it is another $30.00. I made a contact in my Cobalt with my 979 on 38lsb the other day that I have talked to before and he said it was the best he has ever heard me before. So I'm going to run with my 979s but if they ever let me down I will try the McKinley. Good Luck!

JesseJamesDallas
06-26-2020, 07:41 AM
The over the pond Mckinley looks impressive!
It will eventually be available here...Seems like all the New radios that come out, first show up overseas at least a year or two before making their way to the US...Guess there's a bigger demand for them there.

Turboomni
06-26-2020, 09:23 AM
Well I will say whiteastro if my Uniden 980 didn't go sour and if I could have had it fixed promptly instead of a 4+ week turn around I wouldn't have bought the McKinley. Yesterday I was on Mt Greylock and during a DX lull I was talking to South East CT. They figured out it was a 117 mile trip to the furthest guy no problem.

whiteastro
06-26-2020, 12:56 PM
Well I will say whiteastro if my Uniden 980 didn't go sour and if I could have had it fixed promptly instead of a 4+ week turn around I wouldn't have bought the McKinley. Yesterday I was on Mt Greylock and during a DX lull I was talking to South East CT. They figured out it was a 117 mile trip to the furthest guy no problem.

There is nothing wrong with a 980 when it is paired up with a small amp for performance. I think you just happen to get one of the Friday afternoon or Monday morning radios and that can happen in any brand. My 980 just happen to be the first version and you couldn't shut the beep off and I'm an old traditional guy and didn't like the BS Menu, and I must be a control freak. My 980 still works so I might throw it on griegslist or keep it around for a spare.It's not eating anything right now so I'm not to worried about it. Happy DXing!

whiteastro
07-14-2020, 05:50 AM
Well I will say whiteastro if my Uniden 980 didn't go sour and if I could have had it fixed promptly instead of a 4+ week turn around I wouldn't have bought the McKinley. Yesterday I was on Mt Greylock and during a DX lull I was talking to South East CT. They figured out it was a 117 mile trip to the furthest guy no problem.
Hey did you get the McKinley yet?

Turboomni
07-14-2020, 10:03 AM
Yes I did. Very nice radio and the display still works LOL!!!

whiteastro
07-14-2020, 12:59 PM
Strangest thing I got a notification in my email that someone posted that LCD display problems can be caused by poor grounding issues. I read it in my email but couldn't find in the new posts or anywhere on the junkies site. I'm still scratching my head on that one!

avalanche
11-20-2020, 12:01 PM
One of the things I like about my McKinley is the receive is good on it, and it's compact. The squelch and seek are great too. However, mine only swings about 7-8, so it has very little power behind it. I suppose a shop could do something.

JesseJamesDallas
11-21-2020, 09:22 AM
One of the things I like about my McKinley is the receive is good on it, and it's compact. The squelch and seek are great too. However, mine only swings about 7-8, so it has very little power behind it. I suppose a shop could do something.
The McKinley is NOT a power house radio, and what your getting is about it, but there are a couple of things you can do yourself that will improve the "Audio" on AM and the watts on SSB....(this is the same thing a shop would do, and charge you 25-30 bucks for)

Watch this video from CB Magazine...there are two pots that you can adjust to improve audio and the ssb wattage...He also talks about another mod, but just do the two pot adjustments (dummy prof, so you really can't mess things up if you turn the pots too far...You just need a tuning screwdriver and a external watt meter.

If you don't want to watch the whole video, skip on down to about "24:20" on the counter, thats where he talks about the two adjustment pots and shows you exactly what to do, and where the pots are at so you know what to look for.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMp-GBLZxYw