*PRODUCT REVIEW* TTI TCB 1100 CB

This month’s article is a little divorced from the normal stuff as this featured radio needs to be mentioned and sometimes there is not enough space to put a review. 

Article courtesy of RadioUser magazine

So for a one off I will show you the new tti as it is not so bad and works really well indeed…

Also enclosed here will be a mention of two new radios that will be coming along soon — one from Cobra, the name from way back, and the other from our friends in France President and there “niece” marketed radio.  

So sit back for the mega CB inspired month of Comms from Europe…



Cobra DX19 IV EU

Pictured above, that’s the name of the new Chinese made Cobra rig that will be coming along in September.  

For me, it seems to be more Intek than Cobra but that is not confirmed of course and can be far off the mark.  All the legal norms are on the inside and it seems the price will be set at around 70 euro here on the mainland of Europe.


President Johnny III ASC

Now President who had one of the radios available on the AM market have up-dated it and have just released the new revised version called the Johnny III.  

It is a total re-design and the photos are now here and can be seen.  

Johnny CB

This is the first of a new range so I am informed so I guess there will be the new Harry III along afterwards and then maybe also the Grant II. 

This seems to have been withheld to “punish” the paying public who criticized the Jackson II which has its outputs blow in static situations when connected mostly to an Antron or IMAX antenna.

The President Johnny III ASC has all the usual ASC, roger-bleep and is multi-EU but this time for AM countries.  

The bands are DE German 1w, PL Poland 4w, and EU Europe with 4w also.  

As you will see, the radio is using a similar channel display to the JFK II and this seems the way that President is now heading.


So, next to the tti 1100

Now and then a manufacturer comes along and has a sort of rehash of a design that has been before and this could be said of the tti tcb 1100 as it looks remarkably like the Team Roadcom series that came along with a DIN mount so it can be fitted into the dashboard or indeed any small place where a normal radio would fit.  

With in mind I waited for DHL to deliver a radio for some tests here and to see what was the score indeed, how it was and if it was the same, better or indifferent.



In the Box

481100Inside the box as expected are the usual things that are needed to get the radio on the air and a DIN bracket for the car or truck where the normal radio would normally sit.  There is also a bracket for the normal mounting inside the car.  

Electret Mike (NOTE, tti use a different way to wire mics so they are not compatible with other 6 pin mics) Multi Language manual, mic mount and a power lead that seems to me a little short but will get the job done.


The Radio Itself

Seems this is a good ole tti from the past made a little different in another case and with some bells and whistles added.  

There are the 38CTSS tones (Continuous Tone Squelch System) so you can share the same channel as someone else and not interrupt them as you have a different tone and so many can exist on the same channel.  

The display can manage orange, blue and green colour and from my experience I can say that the blue seems the best in the different lighting conditions.

Channel and also frequency are shown* (more to come) and the overall design is nice and not cluttered at all.  Normal and ASC (Automatic Squelch) now called DSS are there so there are no noises when out in the car.  

Press the channel display button IN and it jumps 10 channels at a time — this is a nice edition also.  

A front mounted 4 watt speaker means that the audio from the radio is well driven and the tone remains fine even when the radio is turned up high.

The radio comes with a “compander” function which means basic layman terms the radio has stronger audio over distance.  

Memory channels and roger bleep are all there and the price is good also.  I cannot make many complaints about the features V price with this radio.  

It seems for the price the options are excellent.

The rear of the radio has an external speaker socket, the same as an external s-meter socket and a white piece of metal that seems to be screwed on for no apparent reason and looks like a second thought?  Can it be?  More on this also a little later into the review…


On Air

My radio luckily landed while there was some sporadic e conditions on the air and the UK was easily contactable.  

tti tcb 1100 back

Delboy from Delboy Enterprises, Ray Strike Force and others that I have known for many years were worked and all without any issues at all.  

The only comments were that the audio was a little muffled at times.  This was due to me eating the mic, where you need to hold it a little further from the mouth.  

So my fault and lesson learned there J

What’s interesting is that in the UK configuration the radio does not switch to the CEPT band but there are bolted onto the end of the UK40, so in-fact you go from Channel 40UK and the next channel is 1 CEPT.  

Maybe a last minute idea as it seems to be something a little lost somewhere, but when used to it there is not any cause for concern.

The receive is excellent.  There are not any birdie noises and no coughs and splutters from the processor like you sometimes get on other branded radios. 

All the time the radio performed well in my eyes.

There are lots of features to explore when you press the MENU button long time.  These include the memory channels, settings for the VOX and CTSS.  

The annoying channel change bleep can be killed here also and a nice feature for the bright and dim display lighting is also under this feature too.

Reading the manual carefully is the key. 

It is not greatly explained there at all and seems to have issues with the translation but I would have missed some features if it was not for Markus @ Neuner who supplied the radio to me.  

Too much haste and not enough reading was the issue with me, so my advice is read the manual and then there will be no mistakes or missed items.


If I supposedly lived in Russia…

On the box you will see Russian writing.

Sure, this radio there will have a HUGE market there and this market was obviously thought of when the radio was in the planning and production stages.

If only I lived in Russia...

So, what is there when you really take a look inside?  The modifications listed here are mine, which I took my time to find and are credited to me on some websites.

The radio on International sites comes as a 4w and also a 10w radio — two versions.

Well, of course they are indeed one of the same and that is why there is a plate on the back of the radio to help with the heat issue.

Mine never once was that hot to be fair and indeed does not and cannot make 10w.  My rig was tested and came out at between 5w and 9w on various legal bands where the radio was tested.

Extra Channels… I’m always am getting mails in the box about this subject.

I will once and for all (again) put the record straight here…  The radios’ warranties are ruined when I look for the modifications, and indeed I will and do make all the modifications that I find and test the radios in both guises.

And when completed, the radios are returned to their normal status and are not left otherwise most of the time.

So yes there are hidden bands on the radio and when these function they are the following: rc, ru, PX, PC and these are covering frequencies of between 25615-30105, 25610-30110 and some are just the A (Alpha) channels from between 25-29 MHz.

These hidden bands are mentioned here for the international readers that can perform these modifications and not for those where they are illegal to have.

Remember, for me too the modifications are not legal, nor is it for me to call on the 27/81 in the summer to hear friends in the UK but its something we have all done or tried in the past.



Conclusion

I am not sure how this review will come out, if it will be edited and how some of the words I use here will be interpreted. 

Lid off

So I will now make as best a detail on how and what I think of the radio.

I tried when this review was written to see the radio in the UK and could not find it anywhere.

Here the cost is between 109-129 euro (94-111 pounds) so that’s a guideline to go by when looking to purchase one for yourself.  

Mine was 109 euro with the delivery for example.

It is an excellent unit for the price and has many features that are excellent and indeed well implemented. 

That is a great start definitely. 

You can change the display colour, turn off the dreaded channel bleep and can indeed have a nice experience with the radio.  

I would like to see the radio as a normal radio and without the DIN mounting etc; it would be nice to see without a doubt.

73 de Simon, 13DA007