President Randy FCC Handheld CB Radio AM 40 Channel - Full Walkthrough

Now available - amzn.to/3G986AK We give the new President Randy FCC Handheld a full walkthrough and test. Exciting to see a new, more compact designed handheld radio for the CB radio community.
Manual - president-elec...
Radio from President Electronics USA
Service Menu - • President Randy FCC Ha...

[@Thor-y1s]

I strongly recommend the President Randy. I speak from 43 years of experience as a licensed HF radio operator

[@jnelson16701]

Just got mine today. Your video was very helpful. The Randy will be a nice companion to my President McKinley for which I'm using as a base station.

[@rubberneck19er]

CBtricks is gone. I look to you for guidance. Thank you for what you do, and for coming back to KZbin.... Tips and tricks videos welcome on popular radios as well as your opinion on new and improved radios coming out. I've bought both the Lincoln 2+ and Anytone 6666 by your guidance, and they've both been great radios. Currently playing with the iCom 7300 and General HP40 respectively. Thank you for taking your time to do these videos, I know it's time consuming without much return. 9Twenty5, 45 minuets South East of Dallas, Texas.

[@rondellschuyler7074]

What happened to CB tricks website?

[@christophersmith1155]

i just bought this radio from Bell CB 4 weeks ago after watching Far Point Farms on KZbin. It has been my daily carry . My Midland 75-822 has 120 channels and 18 watts pep 3.5 rms. I wish I knew how to modify the Randy, but I still enjoy listening.

[@christophersmith1155]

trust me. been looking everyday.

[@baronedipiemonte3990]

@Radioman Hurricane That's what I want !

[@charliefloria96]

I've got uniden , Midland and cobra handhelds I use on the job. But they are big and bulky, I just ordered 4 of these, I'm hoping they will be more like uhf Motorola hand helds. We use cb to be able to talk with the dump trucks coming on the site.

[@2DE808]

Great review, I have one and it is a lot of fun. I like to listen to the DX roll on it when I am cooking on the grill. Wish it had side band, Albrecht makes one for about $300, but that is a lot of money. 808 Central Delaware waving a hand!

[@baronedipiemonte3990]

Wishing for the same. But I'll settle for the Euro model with CTCSS/DCS and FM

[@grumpy_ken]

@@baronedipiemonte3990 fcc just opened up fm on citizens band in the US. looking forward to getting that euro model

[@ComputerLearning0]

@@grumpy_ken Funny thing is the manufacturers were the only ones affected by preventing them from including FM mode in CB sets (in the USA) but Americans still used FM anyway through the use of "export" CB's and amatuer radios. Most of the people I talk to on CB use modified amatuer radios anyway but I'm still glad the FCC finally got their act together and approved FM. It was long overdue.

[@RFMaster6]

You've got a really good channel, on of my go to's for unbiased product reviews.

[@TrafficCamWatch]

The fact "red" isn't a color option is a massive oversight since red is the best light to use in the dark.

[@jacknorris3572]

I'm in the USA, and I was able to order the RANDY 3 from Amazon UK, no problem. Cost me a little more, but the car kit and CTCSS & DCS capability, is worth it to me. It doesn't have the weather option though. Impressed with all of these, enjoy.

[@benwille6680]

Love your very thorough reviews. Keep 'em coming !

[@baronedipiemonte3990]

I'm waiting for the FCC to approve FM for our CB spectrum and President to market an FM AM version for us, and hopefully add SSB

[@MrEzplay]

Just got one on market place for $60 bucks and so far I really like it 👍

[@TwoFeatherChannel]

I haven't been on a CB since the early 70's and the people you heard on DX still sound the same.

[@bigbone88]

Same idiots :)

[@TwoFeatherChannel]

@@bigbone88 No, just the way they talk. Putting emphasis on words or a name by repeating it three or four times.

[@TwoFeatherChannel]

@@bigbone88 Besides that, ham operators have a lot of idiots and they are hypocrites. Example: (Pile-up) People talking over each other to contact one person. Just so they can win a Badge of Hypocrisy and place it on their wall.

[@bigbone88]

@@TwoFeatherChannel On cb they do worst for less.

[@skoffco]

Breaker, Breaker one nine, this is the Rubber Duck. I am eastbound and down loaded up and Truckin! ( boy now those were the days)😄

[@slidewaze]

Nice radio. Waiting for the FM version once the FCC makes it official, :^) 73!!!

[@thuff3207]

Nice radio and yes FM would help as well as Side band. Thank you for this video.

[@geraldcampbell6834]

I’m waiting for an am fm version of this radio for the US!

[@charliefloria96]

I just ordered 4 of these. We use handheld cb radios instead of uhf, we have cobra 29 or Galaxy 66 or 46 in all the equipment and trucks to talk on the job site. Was thinking of uhf Motorola radios but I'm going to try these first.

[@radiokiller1452]

Great video, have always enjoyed the way you show a radio thanks again and keep them comming

[@lambrettadave7]

Great radio and a great review. Keep up with the good work

[@outdoorman808]

What magnetic vehicle mount do you recommend with this radio?? very good video and review of this radio nice job. Also how long does this battery last? How much are the replacement batteries cost??

[@luiscosta9761]

The flash Light have 4 options fixe, blinking, blinking fast and s.o.s. in Morse code. I love your video by the way 😉 I have a Randy III in europe but is almost the same 😄

[@RyanHannaProductions]

I'd like to see some distance/range test footage. Some recorded audio via an SDR or something be cool. Nice to see more videos being made!

[@tonysigsby870]

Where's the button for upper and lower sideband

[@josephcampbell1693]

It also has a charging cradle that can be bought on line.

[@thavato9991]

Do you have to adjust the swr on these president handheld radios? The instructions say to adjust the swr before use... please help

[@maddog57ful]

Their is a service Menu for adjusting the Modulation Output. It can be set at 100%. Be careful because any higher and you will Flattop.

[@Jim-oh2ip]

very good tutorial. What is DX?

[@reidtillery2856]

Can you power it with alkaline batteries for use in a grid down situation.

[@chrisc4660]

There is a power gain and a modulation power out put. Push and hold anl/scan at the same time and turn radio on. Then you in control mode

[@tommyj1811]

Bought one! great radio, thanks

[@kishascape]

Do this again but with the new Randy II fm version please.

[@lesgobrandon]

Great to see you again. Yeah this is way overpriced if it had ssb I’d be onboard

[@wqnd300]

same

[@matthewdavies2057]

Very overpriced.

[@davidaix5771]

@@spaghettibender9893 Icom makes an HT that works on single sideband on 11m?

[@davidaix5771]

@@spaghettibender9893 you mean youkit tj2b?

[@davidaix5771]

@@spaghettibender9893 yeah they're out of stock everywhere you can't get your hands on one but that's a slick little rig

[@davidmorales8644]

Finally a real portable ( CB ) radio

[@R4002]

I second 5.56 NATO / .223 Remington's comment - this is a really nice looking radio...but if it did SSB and covered the high/low channels like the Midland 75-820 / Midland 75-822 handheld CB radios I would be a lot more interested in one.

[@maddog57ful]

Their is Mods for this Radio to get many more channels and for FM. Requires a bit of Solder on Jumper Pads below the Display. Have to open Radio, that does void the Warranty.

[@animosity100]

No built in swr meter?

[@bdokey2]

How many hours do you get from a full battery charge?

[@Pipefitter310]

Good video, can anyone recommend a better antenna for the randy FCC ?

[@baronedipiemonte3990]

You mean a "rubber duck" antenna ? If yes, you might try (no guarantee they'll do it) SMILEY ANTENNA in California. It's not a stock item. They'd have to do a custom. Good luck

[@Pipefitter310]

@@baronedipiemonte3990 thank you.

[@MRLUGNUTS]

Excellent review, I was or am i should say... PERFECT for jumping from one vehicle to another or for a convoy..

[@felicciasc]

We got a rocking convoy... CON VOYYYYY

[@jamespiroli823]

How long do you charge the battery? Not listed in the manual

[@Rusted_Link]

Very nice form factor. I may have to get one.

[@cactusland88]

I bought one of these radios and I think it's a step- up in hand-held CB radio technology. However, President markets this radio in Europe in several different ways. Most importantly, it has a selectable AM/FM mode, that could have been included in the stateside model, since the FM mode is now legal in the U.S. Secondly, the European model comes with a break-out cable that plugs into the bottom of the unit and has an SO239 connector, allowing one to plug in an external antenna at the bottom of the radio Also, when will we we have an external speaker mike for the unit. There are jacks for this feature on the side of the radio. I hope President will eventually catch up to U.S. consumer demands. Until that time I'll have fun testing this new rig.

[@VickyGeagan]

The new US radios do to. The Walker TXUS 100 does just went on sale.

[@josephcampbell1693]

You did not show the ASC (auto squelch).

[@furonwarrior]

Wouldn’t mind it being bigger for SSB.

[@VintageBarbie1]

Ah man too late I purchased cobra one I would of purchase this one if the video is early. Great video thank you

[@Brantastic07]

I’m curious why the don’t make ssb handheld cb radios

[@Brookspirit]

Albrecht AE2990 AFS SSB

[@cbradiomagazine]

Cost and demand. There were SSB handhelds made previously and as pointed out one version is still available in Europe but the cost becomes prohibitive. At $300 for a SSB handheld there is a much smaller market and less sales. Like any company they design radios based upon demand and it's much easier to sell a AM handheld than a more expensive SSB handheld.

[@baronedipiemonte3990]

I'm sure wanting a SSB Version of this. de AE-1575. "Trident 101"

[@donklaing]

Can a 300 W lin amp work with this OK?

[@christophersmith1155]

the president randy radio is ok, but the antenna falls apart. I have six radios and all the antennas they are not soldered welded or crimped. I had to but tnc to bnc adaptors and use Midland antennas on each radio.

[@mred3660]

According to the website this is supposed to have there new compander and noise gate circuit but I did not see you demonstrate it did they decide after the fact to not include it or was it just overlooked in your review

[@mred3660]

Okay I should have watched to the end you are tops the new Andy is supposed to have the other noise filters as well but no one has demonstrated them yet much less acknowledged that the radio had them

[@cbradiomagazine]

I didn’t really get to test the compander function as I discovered it after my initial testing - I should have read the manual more carefully - but it might be hard to really get a good feel for some of these new features with a radio that already has nb/anl hi cut etc. I’ll continue to test though!

[@mred3660]

@@cbradiomagazine your even mentioning it is more than anyone else other than Simonthewizzard has done so far And I am not sure how much those techs will help a hand held I think it could possibly shine in a noisy mobile environment hopefully it will be in the next gen ssb radio that maybe on the way 🤞now that the pandemic is all but over

[@bluedeval03]

I haven’t had a cb since the 80’s. Can someone explain the am/fm? I have read in some radios that to use fm the other radio you’re talking to also has to be an fm radio.

[@cbradiomagazine]

Yes you would need to talk to someone with a radio that is set to the same mode. Here's a good video on the new FM rules for CB - kzbin.info/www/bejne/in2qYq1vl75kkNU

[@bobdillashaw4360]

Does the antenna come with the radio or does it need to be purchased separately? Seems like most of the websites have the radio pictured without the antenna.

[@maddog57ful]

It is included.

[@Kruz8er]

ive had mine for less than a year and it all of a sudden stopped charging a few days ago. I bought a new charger, I bought a dock, nothing will charge it. The battery is now down to 1 bar, but I have no way of charging. As soon as I plug the charger in the red light immediately goes out. Anyone experienced this and know how to fix?

[@VickyGeagan]

I can not wait for the review of the new President Randy TXUS that is coming out within the next month or so. It contains the new FM mode with The new FM CB band 27.435 - 27.535.

[@thomascallahan8292]

What! Really….

[@thomascallahan8292]

Can’t find any info on a President Randy TXUS…

[@tango-bravo]

Does a H/T CB with a removable antenna violate FCC rules???

[@dougstout3663]

No

[@Thor-y1s]

My mobile rig is the President MCKINLEY and at home my rig is the Anytone AT6666 PRO

[@bogoney]

I still have my 2 Cherokee 100 and the Cherokee 1000 SSB . With the mods .

[@okhamradio]

We are waiting a Qyt qb100 for the next test

[@johnm4579]

I like this handheld CB, works good, my only complaint is the units battery dosen't hold charge. Battery no good.

[@rt4476]

Do you need a license?

[@dougstout3663]

No

[@Link-channel]

Best review!

[@chrisjurd4302]

thank you ,,,,,the american reveiws are so much more informative compared to these so called clever clogs in the uk that just like the sound of their own voice,,,,saying,,,,,,look how clever I am,,,,,,lol too many of them over hear I prefer all the American reveiws,,,,,good work ,,,keep it up thnks

[@douglassnyder8163]

Order mine today

[@davidjason1116]

Very nice I believe they have one with ssb now thanks for sharing

[@wqnd300]

do tell us because per the website only the Mckinley is the only one with ssb

[@baronedipiemonte3990]

Not as of last night (6/7/21)

[@maxdonoghue8935]

I've been hoping for a secret key press sequence to open up FM similar to the EU version. No such luck. Pressing the CB/WX and flashlight button on power up results in a blank screen with the word TEST. It then defaults a second later to the normal screen. If you press and hold the SCAN and EMG buttons and power up, it displays TOT ON, repeat and it says TOT OFF. Time out timer? No way to adjust any setting.

[@maddog57ful]

Has to be done internally with jumper pad 7 I believe. You have to Bridge the Pad. Be careful and don't burn the Board.

[@maddog57ful]

I have seen A modification and it can get 400 channels and FM. Proceed at your own risk. Bridging numbered Pads under the keypad.

[@matthewdavies2057]

Can you get a good antenna to replace that crap rubber duck with that screwy connector? Does it take the standard Kenwood speaker mic plug? How long do the batteries last? Extra channels? Leather case? Is The Trump model coming with sideband?

[@cbradiomagazine]

There is a handheld microphone available - www.walcottradio.com/president-electronics-acmr405-lapel-microphone-for-president-randy-p-3492.html I've heard that President is going to release a much larger folding antenna, but haven't confirmed that yet. Other options might be the Albrecht Hyflex CL 27 but only available in the EU. Based upon the plug setup I'm guessing it will work with the Kenwood KMC-21 but I don't have one here to confirm, perhaps another user will let us know about that. NO extra channels in this one. Battery life will really depend on use. I haven't had it on for more than 3 hours at a time RX so not sure on the battery life, I'll try to do a full test and include that with my next video which will include how to access the service menu.

[@matthewdavies2057]

@@cbradiomagazine The Kenwood speaker mic plug is the one that Baofeng and every other HT maker uses these days. It's a standard.

[@cbradiomagazine]

@@matthewdavies2057 Yeah I know which one you're talking about. My buddy has one for his UV-5R. I'll borrow it and test, but I'm guessing it will work based upon the sizing/spacing of the inputs. I'll post up in my next video if it works.

[@cbradiomagazine]

@@matthewdavies2057 I tested with the one he had which was a generic version but it did not work, radio went into TX mode when plugged in. Guess we'll have to use the president version www.walcottradio.com/president-electronics-acmr405-lapel-microphone-for-president-randy-p-3492.html

[@baronedipiemonte3990]

@@cbradiomagazine The flat, bendable "tactical" antenna is on the President website. Don't remember if on the US or Euro site. I'd love if they'd come out with a SSB Version... even if was called "Sleepy Joe". I'd just put tape over it

[@TARDIS76]

whats a good antenna to get for this?

[@ManuelPinner]

FM is Now Allow in the US CB Band,

[@josephcampbell1693]

The US is the Randy ll that has AM and FM.

[@digitaldobbie]

I can pick up the Super Bowl 6 from the uk

[@VickyGeagan]

Yes they call it that because the fellows are runny a kilo watt or more amplifies. You may pick-up the owner of Cousins CB shop down in the Carolina's. He runs a home built 250 kilowatt amplifier mobile in his suburban along with a custom built high output alternator.

[@pedersteenberg2010]

WOW

[@josephcampbell1693]

You forgot the key lock

[@ChiefMade]

CL stands for clear..🙂

[@Flaming-Hedgehog]

President Randy. Didn't know there was a Clinton CB.

[@terrgove9186]

Excellent by if you're looking for $150 flashlight

[@furzkram]

CL = clear

[@renekrautz1780]

We Need SSB mode!!

[@josephcampbell1693]

The key lock

[@terrgove9186]

I bought this expensive handheld I live right on an interchange of i-80 extremely heavy truck traffic no response to my message and I hear nothing at all and radio traffic do not buy this piece of crap

[@terrgove9186]

Just received this radio for 150 bucks I'm a truck driver live off directly off the interstate it will not transmit or receive any check traffic at all complete scam

[@barneymm2204]

First!

[@garyvickers9474]

Yes, the lots of videos Out there saying the radios are good to purchase one. They suck and Company about it from Montana. I had it for three days or four days and they will not take it back. That really sucks. Don’t fall for this trick. These radios are not good.

[@cbradiomagazine]

Been using the one in this video for 2 years no problem. You’ll only talk a couple of miles on flat terrain. If you want to talk farther you need a bigger antenna. Nothing wrong with this radio.

[@garyvickers9474]

These companies are appetizing D’s radio and I don’t tell you that it will not work with the shark antenna. If I knew I had to buy a note and tell her to stick on top of my truck I would not buy it but they just try to sell it just to get rid of it.

[@cbradiomagazine]

@@garyvickers9474if you want them to talk farther you just need a better antenna. It’s been this way with hand helds radios since the 1960’s. That’s not on the manufacturer to explain. If you didn’t understand that I’m sorry but it’s a learning process like anything else. In the video I made I try to explain the limitations.

[@garyvickers9474]

They should sell them radios with better antennas before they send them out to the customers because I watch the KZbin videos they say they can get out at least a couple miles with a small antenna and that’s not true

[@cbradiomagazine]

⁠​⁠@@garyvickers94741-2 miles on open flat ground is very possible. In my video I did a test which was about 4 miles from a hill.

[@terrgove9186]

You can talk all the mumbo jumbo you want I just paid $150 for one live right off of i-80 the truck driver these radios do not work at all

[@thomasspinard]

These radios are useless, they do not have a range of more than 100 feet

[@cbradiomagazine]

Did you watch the video? I easily transmitted further than 100 feet :) Most people can expect a couple of miles when outside with a stock antenna. Up to 5 miles in line of sight instances or possibly more.

[@indiana146]

Why don't they do a model like the albrecht ae 2990 afs Which has am fm USB LSB AND AMATEUR BANDS