Before anyone asks: yes, that is a CB radio in the photo, and yes, it is mine. For all the amateur radio that goes on here otherwise, I have never made a secret of the fact that the 11 m band is part of it for me — after all, for many of us CB was the gateway drug, long before the first HB9 callsign landed in the letterbox. It is just that lately I have simply been QRV there far too rarely. That is about to change.
The nudge came, as so often, from my circle of radio friends: Markus, who goes by Santiago75 on 11 m, recommended the new Albrecht AE 5900 Mini SSB to me — and after one look at the key specs, the order was placed in no time.
Small, but with SSB
The radio is pleasingly compact: 165 × 122 × 35 mm, 700 grams — it fits into any motorhome compartment and under any dashboard without having to remove anything. Yet it is no stripped-down toy: AM and FM with 4 watts, SSB with 12 watts, multi-standard channel selection (in the photo the EU setting is shown on channel 01, 26.965 MHz), a 4.5 cm colour display with a proper S-meter, DSP noise reduction in both directions (NRC on receive, ANC for your own signal), VOX, dual watch and even a repeater function. Plus a three-button microphone with a programmable centre button.
The feature that tipped the balance for me is right there in the name: SSB. That is exactly where the action is on 11 m that appeals most to us radio amateurs anyway — when conditions play along, a surprising amount is possible on the band with 12 watts of SSB, and the sporadic-E season turns it into a little lucky bag all over again every year. If you know my posts about propagation and antennas, you will have guessed: physically, the band is the same playing field as 10 m, just with different rules of the game.
Why CB again, of all things?
Because it is uncomplicated. No obligatory logbook, no contest rush, just pick a channel and talk — and there is a scene on the band that enjoys talking shop about antennas just as much as we do. In a way it is also a return to my own roots, and with a radio that does SSB and is smaller than my logbook, that feels a great deal more up to date than it did back then.
For now, the AE 5900 is moving into the motorhome. The antenna is already there, the mount is still to come, and then you will hear me on the 11 m band again from time to time — under my old handle: Spion 75.
So if you hear a Spion somewhere between channel 1 and 40 soon: say hello. I am happy about every call — and Markus, thanks for the nudge.
73 and 55 de Chris — HB9HJI, Spion 75 on 11 m
Leave a Reply