President McKINLEY II FCC CB Radio REVIEW (Pros and Cons)

[@bt5029]

So glad to see "just" a good solid CB radio. Im not a Ham, dont particularly want to be a Ham. This radio is a solid performer with as much planned future capability with AM FM and SSB. Im tired of bait and switch 10M ads advertising as "CB" when in fact they arent legal. If you want Ham, buy a dang Ham and dont ruin it for the rest of us

[@udx-294tn5]

Great review Mike. It’s nice to get a review from a seasoned hobbyist who truly puts these radios to the test. Waivin a hand your way 👋👋

[@delmarbish3926]

I have had the McKinley I for about 3 years in my work truck and have talked all across the country with it barefoot just put a good antenna with it.

[@Bootyhunter1971]

Exactly, people (usually dudes with tiny penises) get all worker up about "watts" and dont understand the basics of radio. Lots and lots of watts do very little for the actual talking distance. They might make it louder but rarely adds alot more range. I have talked to numerous countries on 4 watts.

[@Macjohn1419]

I’m happy to see these radios cannot be modified. Every time someone puts their paws inside a radio claiming to be a tech, they totally ruin it. I run only stock equipment and they sound fabulous. Any real and honest tech would refuse to modify anything for whatever price. Time to clean up the hobby. Well done President.

[@2148aa]

Having a legal CB is like having a car governed to go the speed limit. You might be legal but you will get ran over. I run a President Bill in the car that is always on. Two radio checks with trucks and and some kid in town wanting to know if his radio was "puttin out" Is my traffic for the last year I conversed with. The "puttin out" kid was so disappointed to find out I was only 3 miles off. I didn't have the heart to tell him he was my record distance for 2 years.

[@Macjohn1419]

@@2148aa cars and CB are two different things. Don’t get the analogy.

[@spaceflight1019]

​@@2148aaIt's all in what you want to do with the radio. For the occasional user box-stock is good enough.

[@AEZAEZEL-187]

Hey @breakerbroke23 You said on this video this radio is not modifyable but that is not true. The european model of the President MCKinlley there is a jumper you move from jumper 1 - 2 to jumper 2 - 3 and also there is a white wire on the european MCCKinley you just cut and you have a President MCKinley that is an export model which puts out 20 watts on FM AM and SSB! So what i try to say is the european President MCKinley can be modified! I hope that helps! Best 73'S!!!

[@GOBRAGH2]

I have both the President McKinley 1 and 2. This is my experience as I used both on the same driving routes. On the original the SSB transmits and receives at a longer range than the 2. The FM on the McKinley 2 has less range than the 4 watt AM, which after testing is not a true 4 watt as it's less. Test and see on your radio. On my McKinley 2 it doesn't receive as well as the original. The FM if in range with another FM capable radio sounds good. I use it more for caravan travel. The auto squelch control is a good feature. I use the President Thomas mic as the cord is longer than what comes with the 1 or 2 on my President 1 radio. I use the default mic on the 2. It would be interesting to see a power test when transmitting on the 1 vs the two as I haven't had time to do that yet.

[@Bootyhunter1971]

I had the original Mckinley for years in my old truck, removed it when I bought a new truck and ended up selling the Mckinley. Loved the radio, it was the best mobile cb I ever owned. Just ordered this model to put in my work truck that I use now. President makes awesome radios.

[@macmiles278]

Love this radio. 8-10 mile chat right out of the box, peaked and tuned. Wire up a power mic put a little heater on this McKinley now you'll be cooking!!

[@timmotel5804]

What do you use for additional Power?

[@paulwilson1555]

The UK model can be easily modded to be 25 to 30 mhz

[@brianwinger7293]

Which is a better choice --- this one -- McKinley II or the NEW Pres George ?? Is the price premium worth it for the George? My uses: shtf, apocalypse, emergency comms, local comms, etc... I am not a trucker - but would like a decent durable radio for the long haul... thoughts?

[@breakerbroke23]

After using both rigs for many many hours/Days. IMHO the GEORGE FCC for the win. This is both TX and RX. Thanks for watching.

[@timmotel5804]

12/21/2023: Good Day. I just placed my order for this radio this evening. I've looked a lot and much research before placing my order. I think I'll like it just fine. Thank You for this information. Merry Christmas.

[@Diki58]

Hello, Is the MC KINLEY II CB station equipped with the NRC filter? Sincerely

[@dguiley]

I got one of these as soon as the FM model became available. There are some features I really like about this radio but a few drawbacks as well. I seem to get a lot of alternator whine in my pickup truck, and I’ve read other user comments with the same issue. I’ve only played a little with the usb/lsb and have never heard anyone else using FM. The scan feature is kinda nice but also wish there were other scan modes. I bought a Cobra 75 AllRoad at the same time and it allows a scan of only stored memory stations, which is very useful to me. Also when scanning, pressing the up/down buttons on the mic will move on to the next active channel but I wish using the knob would return you to manual channel mode. I used to drive dump truck and like to monitor just the channels the local construction companies use. My biggest gripe with the C75AllRoad is that it doesn’t have any knobs so no way of quickly muting the sound except unplugging it if I get a phone call. But like you said, there’s no perfect radio. Would be nice to tweak some of the software tho.

[@turboomni848]

I have had the Version 1 Mckinley for a few years now and I still like it very much. It's in my truck all year round and has no drift problems and is a very stable radio. Front firing speaker is a real plus too. I often get compliments and they ask what gear I'm running. I tried a power mike and it didn't like it at all so I stuck with the stock mike. May try the Digimike President now offers. Just discovered your channel and subscribed ,nice stuff and thanks.

[@cornbread-KO5RN]

🤷‍♂️

[@Martin-hq1if]

🤔who’s the Emergency nob, why did the EMG ‼️ 9/19 button disappear 🙈‼️

[@JustinPartridge-v3f]

👍

[@spaceflight1019]

I just looked to see what mods are available for the Bearcat 980 SSB, and the overwhelming response is "buy another radio". There are plenty of choices for those who have to cover everything between 25 and 30 MHz, and the popular choice is the Icom 7300.

[@breakerbroke23]

This is a good springboard radio for new comers and the seasoned op. A 7300 is a whole different animal Hihi. Not everyone wants or needs a heavily modified rig. Lots of Galaxy 959s, 979s 980s and the like out there, the MCKINLEY will stay put on SSB the Galaxy's will drift all over the place. There is a place for this type of rig IMO. Take care Dave. Cheers.

[@Kehtomasa]

176.5 F. Sauna temperature? I like McKinley and all good report this radio, now I have to think again. George 2 is too expensive for me. Superstar 3900 or McKinley 2, difficult to choose. Very good video! Thanks 👍

[@breakerbroke23]

I understand the new 3900 is a good rig ( new surface mount board ) and the McKINLEY FCC is street legal. The 3900 will have many more channels. Tough decision.

[@SK-rj1ti]

Thank you for the video! I got my radio today, and a digimike. Your videos contributed to my decision. I have a question about the internal SWR meter. It seems to be jumpy compared to an external SWR meter. Which readings should I trust? Do you or your viewers have any suggestions?

[@breakerbroke23]

The radio sends out short low power bursts of RF to get the SWR reading. Perfectly normal and easy on the radio's finals. The radio SWR readings are very close compared to external meter. BTW..... you could compare a few meters and not all will give the same reading. Like watt meters, it is all relative.

[@ThistlesJones]

Thank you for the great review of the McKinley! I am looking to purchase one along with the Digimike. For now I will be running a Little Wil antenna on top of my pickup - will upgrade later. Will be on major highways across the midwest this summer so want something versatile. Any recommendations for trying to adjust to the Little Wil type antennas???

[@breakerbroke23]

They are pretty easy to tune, I put the whip done in the base all the way then bring it back up 1/8" or so then check SWRs. Use ch 19 or 20. The big upgrade in magnet mount antennas is the Wilson 5000 mag mount, absolutely awesome ears compared to the Lil Wil.

[@chucktomlitz9148]

Any idea of how these radios hold up in a very dusty environment? Looking to replace a uniden pc78 thats over 20 years old and holds up very well in that kind of environment.

[@breakerbroke23]

Only thing I can think of is you may get dust collecting in the speaker grill area. Other than that the radio should hold up very well. Cheers EDIT....... I dust off the face of my radios with a soft ( good quality) paint Brush, that Brush is used only for my radios. Keeps them looking new and does not scratch the plastic lens, meters and face plates. Oh yea, dirt does not get behind and into control knobs.

[@boggerscbshop]

Price of these radios I can buy the anytone for a few dollars more

[@breakerbroke23]

There are buyers out there that don't want all the DX add ons, no out of band stuff to confuse a user. Just a simple radio with front firing speaker.

[@ericdee6802]

Is the manufacturer saying it can't be modified, or is that just your observation?.

[@breakerbroke23]

From President Eric.

[@Wildersport]

It's finally time to upgrade my 1992 Realistic TRC-465 AM single side band radio and I've been itching for something with weather channels and FM. Mine has already been shipped and will arrive in a couple of days can't wait to install it. Building an overlanding rig to run with friends who have recently upgraded to FM capable radios. Will likely run FM on the trails as the distances are so short... Love the DIN footprint as well. Should fit easily in the overhead console on my camper van. (Soon to be a 4x4)...

[@agustinmoralesrodriguez1242]

I envy you with that Realistic, a jewel. Take good care of it. Some of us still miss ours after more than twenty five years.

[@clydeosterhout1221]

I have the same radio. It was given to me for free from a guy moving totally to amateur radio. Got her tested and tuned and have been enjoying SSB ever since. I am trying to decide between this and the President George, but I am keeping my vintage realistic CBs as well!

[@Wildersport]

@@agustinmoralesrodriguez1242 I have 3 of them. 1 is more or less trashed. It lived in a Jeep with no top for too long. 2 of them I picked up off of Ebay about 18 years ago for next to nothing each in great shape. I don't do FM or need WX from home so the TRC-465 is being set up as a base station... Clarifier on the Radio Shack is way easier to deal with than the President.... I really like them both though. Been using the McKinley now for a few months now, and really like it. Skip has been a dream on SSB.

[@agustinmoralesrodriguez1242]

@@Wildersport Best wishes. 73s

[@RhythmicSensations]

Thank you for the review Mike. I'm hoping to find this radio under my tree this Christmas. I do wonder about that dedicated weather board. You are the second person I've seen to say this. I believe the previous version also had weather included, but this one now includes FM. My first thoughts were that this board is for the added FM mode. One nice thing about President is that they will supply the service manual, which I've yet to look at. Thanks again for the review.

[@breakerbroke23]

I hope you get one of the McKINLEYS, it is a good little rig. Thanks for watching. Cheers

[@ПорапнНорроагш]

Is that new model Of mckinley?i mean “2fcc”? Why I don’t see this model on oficial site? What antena is the best for truck compare to this station?

[@TM-gv6zv]

Is there a engineering menu available for this radio

[@breakerbroke23]

Yes. look on the net

[@roberthoffman4713]

I don't understand why people unlock the clarifier. I have a radio that you can lock and unlock it and it seems when it's unlocked if I tune in the person I'm talking to and they tune me in we can ratchet jaw no problem but when I unlocked it and talked to someone else I tuned to them and they had to return me. When both radios are unlocked we would keep chasing each other. What am I missing???

[@breakerbroke23]

Great comment........ A unlocked Clarifier is a nice thing to have when talking to many stations at once, some times not all are on frequency, so having the ability to move around and average the freq is nice. When someone unlocks a radio and does not properly align the TX and RX it will throw you off as well, so you can tune in a station (RX) but you transmit (TX) freq is off, you or the other station will be chasing you or vise versa. The misalignment can happen on locked radios as well. You are transmitting on 27.405.00 but receiving on 27.405.20. Does this help?

[@mostlypostie1]

@@breakerbroke23 yep exactly. It is all down to the alignment, not the unlocking of the clarifier itself. As a side note, the better the radio (the more stable it is), the less need there is for an unlocked clarifier at all (in many cases). 73

[@spaceflight1019]

It's been a problem ever since sideband first appeared on the ham bands. Radios drift with temperature, some more than others. The advent of the Phase Locked Loop greatly reduced the problem but hasn't eliminated it. If you only talk to a few locals, a "rockbound" clarifier may not be a problem. Start working skip, and the inability to move off the "center slot" works against you. To your point, pretty much every ham radio made since 1970 except Swan and Siltronix come standard with a clarifier, or RIT, short for Receiver Incremental Tuning.

[@roberthoffman4713]

​@@breakerbroke23many years ago I was introduced to the local electronics shop when I was on the fire crew. I got to know the guy very well and we are still good friends to this day. Anyways he got me into sideband and I asked him to unlock the clarifier and he said it is a bad idea. I said but everyone is getting it done there's got to be a reason for it. He invited down on a weekend and he put a radio in my vehicle with a unlocked clarifier and he had one hooked up in his shack and he said drive about 8 miles away and we can try them out. I did and I tuned him in and then I talked and he tuned me in and then I had to retune him in each time. When we switched to radios with locked clarifiers I tuned him and he tuned me and that was it. We had a 3rd guy join us and I had to move my clarifier a little bit to hear both of them. It seemed like he was right. But it is still a big thing. I think the Stryker 955v2 has a clarifier that can be locked and unlocked and I think it also has a vfo I think that's for moving the transmitting frequencies and the bfo I believe is like a clarifier? I am having a hard time wrapping my head around it. That being said I usually learn best hands on or by watching. I wonder if there's any videos showing it working where it would help me understand it? Maybe something you could do a video on??? I think I saw a video on unlocking the clarifier on the McKinley fcc not sure if they have figured it out on the McKinley 2 yet. I was told that you need to disable the 24 volt ability to get more power out of them. That being said I haven't touched any of the radios I have that have fm because I don't know enough to not mess up stuff on the fm side of the them. Have you been into the hiden menu on it yet???

[@ericzerkle8486]

Around here, if you run a stock clarifier and you're off, YOU WILL get bitched at. Best to run it open..

[@ainttakenanyshit]

Instead of watching the damn "38" channel being displayed, how about a REAL review of the "typical" output power, (AM, FM, and SSB) as examples. I have heard that a lot of the Presidents have issues with outputting less than advertised power, AM/FM < the 4 watts allowed and way < than the 12 watts PEP allowed on SSB.... As for the unit running HOT, proven, published testing states that for every 10 degrees, C or F, I forgot, increase of temperature, the electrical components life DECREASES by HALF while running cooler the life INCREASES with a lower operating temperature. Again, reviewing a transceiver without a transmitting power measurement is like reviewing a car or truck, without measuring top speed = useless review...