Radioddity CB-500 CB Radio Review, Tear Down & Modification

[@rightherepatriot]

The CB-500 is the same as the Anytone AT-500Mii not the AT-500M. Great video! Now if we can only figure out the entire service menu! I would like to know how to turn up the modulation? 👍

[@NLKMediaGroup]

I have asked my contact at Radioddity for any documentation they might have on the various settings. If they provide anything I will do another video to clarify but am not holding my breath. It is rather confusing having a Mk1 and Mk2 that look identical and having four different manufactures selling them. The give away is the microphone, if it has wider grills and a centre button its the Mk2. On the President radios the AM amplitude adjustment is AL (for low power) and A2 (for high power). It would make sense for it to start with an A in the menu. Thanks for watching and for commenting. All the best MJ7NLK

[@garymitchell6490]

Me too

[@26DR302]

I have the CRT Alpha and think it's a fantastic little radio. Expanded by jumping the jumper gets you the same power output as the CB500 however it doesn't have NRC or the ability to change FM deviation upto 4Khz like the CB500. Both great little radios for base or mobile with enough power to be heard. Great video and content as always 👍

[@NLKMediaGroup]

It certainly is confusing with four manufactures all selling radios that look the same on the outside and then also having a mark 2 variant. The identifying factor is the microphone. If it has the wider grills and three buttons then it is the second revision with NRC. So, the CB500 is the same as the AT-500MII as you say. It's great to see them add options outside of the factory services menu for FM deviation. It's a great little radio. All the best and thanks for watching :-)

[@lbbalesdirtracer]

I have a question,went you move the jumper into is hf, did you lost wx or weather mode for us in state?

[@richardmillican7733]

Fred in the shed also reviewed this little radio. its the modification that sells it to me! Not available on ebay at the moment! great review as always!

[@NLKMediaGroup]

Thank you Richard, its a solid little radio and I really enjoyed using it. You can buy them directly from Radioddity and they also have an Amazon store (affiliate link here amzn.to/3xO5hEj and is also in the video description) so you can pick one up from there. Its great that these latest radios have NRC built in and it works really well. I hope you manage to pick one up and get lots of enjoyment from it. All the best and thanks for watching

[@petesworld1967]

You can have mine Fred i bought it from e-bay it arrived today does not work the menu system is faulty impossible to navigate you are supposed to hold down EmG button to enter menu just does not work now i have a radio that i can not fix waste of money not saying all these radios are like this but be on your guard if buying second hand better still buy new.

[@CyborgAlienBariaur]

I'd be interested in what happens when you use the Radioddity mic on the other units you spoke of, does it give you other options inaccessible with the default mics with no 3rd button?

[@m0ogy]

You did well, Radiodity couldn't even be bothered to reply to my Emails🤔......I assume they chase KZbinrs with larger subs. BTW great videos, I enjoy your videos. thanks for sharing.☺

[@NLKMediaGroup]

Thank you for the feedback which is greatly appreciated. Radioddity response times were really good for me but as you say could be down to undertaking a review of their radio. Sorry to hear about the lack of response from their support team. I have asked them for documentation on the factory service menu options so will see how that goes. If they provide then I will do another video on that for clarity. Glad you enjoyed the video and thank you for watching. 73 MJ7NLK

[@steven67856]

Hi back in the 80s when I was on the cb my call sign was a name but now watching your video and many more every one is using fanatic call signs, is this a common practice or are also a ham operator. Many thanks Steven.

[@NLKMediaGroup]

Hi Steven, that is my HAM radio call sign which i also use on CB or it becomes too confusing for me to remember which to use. Back in the day I also had a CB name but just use my allocated HAM call sign now. on CB you can use anything you like unlike on Amateur Bands. all the best and thanks for watching. MJ7NLK

[@Udx369]

On the raddioddity cb500 is band d for usa? When on expanded hf mode? Im in the us. So id like to make sure i am on us band. Any help much appreciated.

[@NLKMediaGroup]

Hi, yes band block D in HF mode is the standard US 40 channels used for CB. All the best and thanks for watching

[@ravenandthestranger]

I wonder how much trouble it would be to remove the wire and solder in a switch to actively choose ham or HF modes.

[@NLKMediaGroup]

Quite a lot of people do this. There are also modifications on some radios where people add a little board which switches based on the microphone / button combination. Its a basic jumper connection after all so can be done on an external switch if needed. All the best and thanks for watching. MJ7NLK

[@mostlypostie1]

These are greats radios, but PLEASE be aware, you can seriously mess these radios up in that Service Menu if you don't know exactly what you are doing!. For example, some settings you can change, can NOT be set back to the correct values unless you have a signal generator available. Without a full bench of test equipment you can NOT adjust these settings correctly. Most importantly, the power level adjustments in the SERVICE MENU are NOT NEEDED TO BE CHANGED. You simply need to move the internal jumper (HF MODE), which will give you access to new Power menu option in the normal user menu (and other options too, like FM Deviation also become available). That will provide 18W (at least) with no Service Menu adjustments needed. I hope this helps you, and your viewers. 73

[@NLKMediaGroup]

Absolutely, I put various disclaimers and warnings into the video. Writing down the existing settings is a must. You do have three power levels in the standard menu which should be enough for anyone but the only way to tweak these is in the service menu. I like to set Low to 2W, Medium to 4W and High to max which gives some nice optionality. I would recommend leaving all other settings well alone and only playing with PH, P2 and PL settings. It was nice to see them adding FM deviation into the standard menu which I havent seen before, it always hidden away on other radios. They did a nice job on the CB500 it has almost everything you need except SSB and is a perfectly capable unit for a bargain price. I appreciate you taking the time to comment and thank you for watching. 73 MJ7NLK

[@mostlypostie1]

@@NLKMediaGroup I couldn't agree more. I'm really glad you like the radio. A lot of time and effort went into this one. It's very pleasing to see so many positive reviews. Enjoy! 73

[@cariboooutlaw4852]

Excellent review as you always seem to have. You've peaked my interest in this radio. Very interesting compare to the CRT version. I suspect that the Anytone 500M is identical to the Radioddity version and the CRT is the older version of the Anytone 500 (non M). Looks like I'll be buying another radio again. Thanks for the review! Your Canadian friend in British Columbia. Cariboo Outlaw (AM) 58 X-RAY 959 (SSB) Catch you on the air sometime soon.

[@NLKMediaGroup]

Thank you Cariboo Outlaw, glad you liked the video. I spend a few hours on the road with the CB-500 and it worked flawlessly and the NR feature really does work well. I tried to capture the difference in the field test and you can hear the interference when NR is turned off vs when it was on. A must have for the collection and to play with. All the best and thank you for watching. MJ7NLK

[@cariboooutlaw4852]

@@NLKMediaGroup your welcome. Just out of curiosity, what mobile antenna do you use and will you be reviewing any antennas in future videos? I've seen many antenna review's of North American brands here in Canada but very rarely do we see antenna reviews from Thunderpole and other UK brands. Just a thought for future videos as the Thunderpole antennas look interesting and I may be interested in purchasing a Thunderpole mobile antenna in the future. Thanks again, look forward to the Thunderpole T-X review soon.

[@garymitchell6490]

How do I turn the modulation level up,turning mic gain up I only get 60% audio output

[@petesworld1967]

Can the CRT be moded in the same way for more power

[@michaelosiecki-x8x]

I have the cb27 pro but can't find a video of menu and service menu and expansion please help thank you

[@NLKMediaGroup]

Coming soon, the CB27 Pro is next up for review on the channel. Its being worked on at the moment. All the best MJ7NLK

[@adrianfora]

Hi again, what kind of antenna are you using in this clip?

[@NLKMediaGroup]

I use a Diamond HF10FX which is a 10 meter band antenna. Extend it to its maximum height and it works really well on 11 meters. I have a video on this antenna on the channel. kzbin.info/www/bejne/q4moe4uViq13rpo Hope this helps and thanks for watching. MJ7NLK

[@DickieBird888]

Worth the extra money.. great radio..

[@NLKMediaGroup]

Absolutely, having NRC is worth it alone and the better microphone is the cherry on top. All the best and thanks for watching. MJ7NLK

[@26DR302]

Would you buy the CB-500 or President Harrison 2? Which is better in your opinion? Thanks 👍

[@NLKMediaGroup]

That is a difficult choice. I am a big fan of President radios but the CB-500 is just under £100 and the Harrison is around £170. If price is a driving factor then go with the CB-500 its a lovely radio. They both compare well on the features front. You can't go wrong with either radio. All the best and thanks for watching MJ7NLK

[@richardmillican7733]

Quick one... NLK, Where did you get the world map mat?

[@NLKMediaGroup]

Hi Richard, I got the mat from Amazon. Affiliate link to the same mat is here amzn.to/3QCQumJ they cost £7.99. Hope this helps. All the best and thanks for watching

[@michaelosiecki-x8x]

Liked your video can u do 1 other cb 27 expanded mode or factory service menu please and thank you

[@NLKMediaGroup]

I posted the CB-27 video a few weeks back. Hopefully you have seen and watched. All the best and thanks for watching. MJ7NLK

[@PD4GB]

What a nice am/fm radio ! I'm going to buy one too real soon, thanks Radioddity for all the nice options ! And offcourse MJ7NLK for the very good review! 73 Geurt PD4GB/19CT032

[@NLKMediaGroup]

Radioddity did a great job on this radio, its well priced and has some nice expansion options. All the best and thanks for watching. 73 MJ7NLK

[@whoaedgy7345]

Ok, i have decided this channel is most emotionally durable to take note of1 flaw of this radio, yet the comment won't just be deleted, but might get a witty response. The radio has 1 flaw: There is a slight lag from mic to tx that creates a natural delay, wether echo is on or talkback is on, or not. It also is not fixed by using a dynamic mic, and selecting that in the menu. It is bonkers when trying to time and level the echo, but still not a refund demanding flaw. Great Unit!!! p.s. don't crank it to20 watts without nearly 1:1 swr, or it will become a reciever. 🙃😁

[@NLKMediaGroup]

Have you tried turning Roger Beep off as there is a delay built in to allow the jungle goodness to transmit. When it's off I don't see a noticeable delay on my review unit. thanks for commenting and for watching. all the best MJ7NLK

[@WillemHosking-lz7tx]

How can i get one to promote for dem

[@johnarnell664]

Nice one I'm going to get this radioddity for my car looks a great radio

[@NLKMediaGroup]

It was lovely to use and the NRC is super useful. Its good to see more radios coming with an NRC feature and it filtering down to mid range units. All the best and thanks for watching. MJ7NLK

[@johnarnell664]

@@NLKMediaGroup I've just sent for a radioddity cb-500 it was your video that persuade me lol. I'm hoping to get the new radioddity qt 60 for Christmas it looks fantastic ssb ect hope you do a review on the radio at some point. I never miss your videos very informative

[@Sui778]

Where can I get one of those little test tone generators? I could make use of one of those..

[@NLKMediaGroup]

Its made by On-Stage and is a GTA7000 tuner/metronome. I think it was around £30 but it was a while ago now. All the best and thanks for watching

[@Sui778]

@@NLKMediaGroup Yeah looks like it's still available on Amazon - thanks for the info.

[@michaelosiecki-x8x]

Please do a video of cb27

[@NLKMediaGroup]

The CB27Pro review is currently being worked on. Should be releasing next weekend. All the best MJ7NLK

[@trrpettus]

The power cable is a problem if you want to route in, then you have to cut it

[@NLKMediaGroup]

Absolutely, I much prefer to have a plug like the President McKinley and President Richard have on the back. Not a big fan of fixed cables but almost all of the cheaper radios have them. All the best and thanks for watching MJ7NLK

[@chris2crazzy]

Good stuff, wish you'd do another video on this radio and it's secret modes lol

[@NLKMediaGroup]

The CB500 expansion is included in the video. Radioddity are quite good with the expanded mode as it adds extra options into the normal menu. I haven't found any additional hidden menus on the CB500. I just posted a video on the CB900 which is about to be released. All the best and thank you for watching and for commenting. MJ7NLK

[@tonyweavers4292]

Brilliant video, thank you.

[@NLKMediaGroup]

Thank you Tony, very much appreciated and thanks for watching. All the best MJ7NLK

[@nxesr]

Yet another brilliant thank you 🎯💯‼️

[@NLKMediaGroup]

Thank you for watching, all the best MJ7NLK

[@miscy]

Nice radios - after a few days use the only gripe I can see is that the ‘sound path’ menu item offering : Sound to int speaker, Or hand mic or both .. is a bit pointless as the supplied mic contains no speaker at all and no spare wires in the cable I’m dropping the rating to 99% perfect 😂

[@NLKMediaGroup]

Interesting option and there must be a way or the option in the menu would be pointless. Further investigation needed here. Lets give it 99.5% due to it being an unknown at present 😀

[@bobbynewton4555]

I have the Anytone 500M it's a great radio under 100 bucks

[@NLKMediaGroup]

Definately worth the money, a surprisingly capable little radio and a pleasure to use. All the best and thanks for watching.

[@michaelosiecki-x8x]

A review of cb27 expanding

[@NLKMediaGroup]

The CB27Pro review is currently being worked on. Should be releasing next weekend. All the best MJ7NLK

[@etzow]

One question to the others owners. When using the talkback or PA mode my speaker makes some noise, like distorted feedback. Thankfully it's not in the HF modulation, but sounds really ugly and annoying on the speaker. Does any(t)one else experiences this, too?

[@NLKMediaGroup]

I did not see this on my unit when testing. Talkback worked fine and as I would have expected. Have you tried plugging in an external speaker to see if the same feedback can be heard on that?

[@whoaedgy7345]

How to hear rodger beep over talkback???

[@miscy]

I'd imagine The FR is reference frequency (Adjust for TX Freq drift) - need a cold to hot to cold cycle and an accurate frequency counter to touch this (its generally spot on at 33 (default) so leave well alone The ascending numbers starting S0 and up to S1 are S meter calibration points S1 - ( and up to 100% Scale ) C1,2,3 's are AM carrier while P's are FM carrier Write them all down before even thinking about tweaking or you need a Lab to put it right again Warranty gone, Approvals gone No guarantees - So All for interest only and at your own risk !!

[@NLKMediaGroup]

Wise words, its not worth messing with anything but PH, P2 and PL unless you have the equipment. I don't recall seeing the CB500 as having an S meter built in so could be adjustments for Squench unless I missed that. I have asked Radioddity for documentation on the various settings but am not hopeful of getting anything. If I do get further info on this I will make another video to go through them for clarity. All in all, its a nice little radio and at a good price point, I enjoyed using it. All the best and thanks for watching and commenting. MJ7NLK

[@miscy]

There's a full S-meter in the LCD display, but it may also form part of the Manual or auto squelch setting too as you say

[@NLKMediaGroup]

@@miscy Apologies, I miss-read your comment and though you said SWR meter, it definately has a signal meter front and present :-) All the best MJ7NLK

[@rpcomms1]

Just a info/comment for users 4khz dev setting --- is for USA10m band use only best not to use in other countries due to tighter fm bandwidth soecifications. EU,UK 10m bands including cb now uses the super narrow fm 2.00khz dev 8ko F3E bandwidth etsi stds. Only need to up this in service menu if talking to older spec 27/81 MPT1320 or later HO specs radios if users are stuggling to hear you ,most wont need it Because mpt specs where much wider fm specs 11ko F3E 2.20khz (max 2.50) ,that the reason why the indifferent fm dev levels on older cb kit from past, nothing to do with sets just older specs vs newer specs. Only adivise using proper test gear if venturing in this area Fm deviation meter or comns testset ,and test tone 1khz generator. Summerize EU/UK/FCC USA FM and 10m ham EU/UK all now use super narrow fm 8ko F3E Only USA and some others use Mid-Dev 4.00khz on 10m fm band due to history and country regulations,repeaters specs in North America. Just some handy info for end users As theres very little clear information on this subject on fm bandwidths regarding cb history vs ham history fm wise 🎉 Obviously if using the set on 10m ham band talking to usa dx from uk then yes can select narrow and mid fm or operating in USA . Common sense really 😉 Loved the video 👍 Think these will fly of the shelfs quite impressive new features Rob.P 73's

[@NLKMediaGroup]

Thanks for the info Rob. The deviation setting only appears when expanded and should be left alone unless there is a specific need or it will just cause interference bleeding into other channels . The Malahit DSP2 has various options for narrow and wide FM which is handy for scanning around and shows it well visually on the waterfall / screen when switching modes. In most of the President service manuals they recommend 1.9k as the deviation so anywhere between 1.9k and 2.0k is safe. All in all, its a nice and capable little radio at a really good price point. Just make sure you get the mark 2 radio with NRC if shopping around brands. I am a big fan of NRC as it works so well and glad to see that the mid range radios are now coming with it built in. Next up is the Tunderpole T-X / PNI Escort HP 82 / Jopix CB-514 which is proving to be lots of fun. All the best and thanks for watching, 73 MJ7NLK

[@ERICtheLATE]

Cool radio, tons of features, don't be a noob and runnit peaked out and not master swrs. I really hope FM gets a bit more popular. 11 Meter Simplex is good for the ears. Who is the Fly Honey on the thumbnail????😊

[@miscy]

My biggest worry is three tiny screws in the bits bag. Two small black ones and a longer silver one At least they are still in the bag not left on the bench 😂

[@NLKMediaGroup]

Lots of hardware for mounting brackets and mic clips. I think everyone has a pot for random screws, they belong in there :-)

[@petesworld1967]

YEP its the power mod that sell it to me.

[@johnlwilkers]

Great vdeo!

[@NLKMediaGroup]

Thank you John, very much appreciated and thanks for watching

[@johnlwilkers]

@@NLKMediaGroup you are very welcome. It covered everything!

[@chris2crazzy]

You forgot the echo settings lol

[@NLKMediaGroup]

ha ha, yes, some breakers just love maximum echo and the most annoying roger beep they can find in the menu. I really enjoyed using the CB-500 out on the road and Radioddity have a hit on their hands with this radio. All the best and thanks for watching. MJ7NLK

[@chris2crazzy]

@NLKMediaGroup yup now they need a ssb version

[@lisocampos8080]

Why do amatuers post their name and address on youtube?

[@keithgooch1805]

like the video that you are doing radio is dead in most parts of Suffolk where Iam based

[@NLKMediaGroup]

Hi Keith, there is more action on SSB these days so you might have more success using side band. The frequencies are very quiet in my region as well but that adds to the challenge and working the skip on a nice sunny day is a lot of fun. All the best and thanks for watching. MJ7NLK

[@dermanni3908]

gutes Video

[@NLKMediaGroup]

Thank you, appreciate the feedback. All the best and thanks for watching

[@PeterOssmans]

U got a 👍and à sub 😬

[@NLKMediaGroup]

Thank you @PeterOssmans, very much appreciated. MJ7NLK

[@vicpsyops4095]

I wonder what Godzilla doin in that area?

[@NLKMediaGroup]

I am not sure I understand the question but thanks for watching. All the best MJ7NLK