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Reviews For: Ranger RCI5054DX

Category: Transceivers: VHF/UHF+ Amateur Base/Mobile (non hand-held)

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Review Summary For : Ranger RCI5054DX
Reviews: 26MSRP: 325
Description:
Six meter mobile, all mode - USB - LSB - AM - FM and CW
Product is in production
More Info: http://rangerusa.com/rci-5054dx.html
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00264
KL1PL Rating: 2005-09-14
Good Radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
While there are better 6m rigs, for the $$$ I have invested these radios work really well. Have two, one DX100 and one 25watt model. Both very nice rigs. No PL is not an issue here as there are no 6m repeaters in my area. Have seen no failures at all.
Bought both off EBay (used) for about half the MSRP. So for less than $300 I have two 6m All Mode rigs. Shop around!
KI4GHQ Rating: 2005-09-14
good six meter rig Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
have used the rci5054 and not had any bad experiences
rci needs one for 2 meter 222 mhz and 440 mhz
WB2CMA Rating: 2004-07-05
EXECLENT 6M XCVR BARGIN Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
PURCHASED RANGER RCI-5054DX 07/03/04,WELL PACKAGED AND NO COSMETIC FLAWS.EASY TO SET UP WELL WRITEN MANUAL.I DID'NT EXPECT THAT MUCH IN PERFORMANCE AT THIS PRICE RANGE,BOY WAS I FOOLED THE RECEIVER IS EXECLENT, LOW NOISE FLOOR,GOOD SELECTIVITY & ABOVE AVERAGE SENSITIVITY. THEIRS A REAL 2.4KHZ CRYSTAL FILTER IN THIS RADIO,NOT CERAMIC LIKE MOST OF THE NEW XCVR'S TODAY.THE RECEIVED AUDIO IS VERY NATURAL SOUNDING AND STATIONS ARE EASY TO TUNE IN,JUST BACKING DOWN ON THE RF-GAIN CONTROL ABOUT A QUARTER MAKES THE RECEIVER NOISE FLOOR EVEN LOWER WHILE MAINTAINING THE SAME SENSITIVITY. AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT THERE WAS A GREAT 6 METER BAND OPENING WHILE I WAS SETTING UP THIS XCVR, I RECEIVED GREAT TRANSMIT AUDIO REPORTS WITH AN ASTATIC 575-M6 MICROPHONE WHICH I WIRED-UP,THE STOCK HAND MIC ALSO RECEIVED GOOD REPORTS. THE ONLY PROBLEM I HAD,WAS THAT THE RECEIVER AND TRANSMIT FREQ'S WERE OUT OF ALIGNMENT OUT OF THE BOX,ABOUT 500HZ,NOT A BIG DEAL ADJUSTMENT OF VR8"XMIT FREQ" ON MAIN BOARD AGAINST MY FREQ COUNTER SOLVED THIS GLICH IN A MINUTE. IN CLOSING WITH THE HI-UNREAL PRICES OF USED 6-METER XCVR'S TODAY THE RANGER RCI-5054DX IS BY FAR THE BEST BUY FOR THE MONEY,AND IT'S PERFORMANCE IS BETTER THAN MOST. THEIRS ALSO A 100WATT VERSION RCI-5054DX-100. THE RCI-5054DX IS 25WATTS WHICH IAM USING WITH A 100WATT AMP WITH NO PROBLEMS,THE RADIO HAS AN RF-OUTPUT CONTROL. GOOD LUCK IN FINDING THE RIGHT 6-METER XCVR.
CODEBASHER Rating: 2004-02-10
Good Rig! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have the 5054DX-100, goog rig, mic is funky non standard 6 pin connector (wish everyone used the same 8 pin) Had to solder in the CTCSS board with crummy instructions. Otherwise good quality rig.
N4LI Rating: 2003-12-02
Fair; that's it. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I’m not terribly impressed…

I bought this radio primarily for portable use. I am not sure that it will get much use. In fact, when I left for the Cayman Islands in Summer, 2003, I left my 5054 at home, and took my 5-watt 817. ‘Nuff said.

Certainly, the radio has some serious weaknesses. The receiver seems a bit wimpy. The controls are notchy and stiff. The transmit audio is thin. The lights on the display are not long-lasting. The basic radio lacks PL tones, a severe weakness for local repeater ops.

And a “Roger Beep?” Come on.

Sure, I understand this is not my 756 II. But, for the price, it should be better than it is. If Radio Shack could bring an all-mode 25w 10m radio to market for just over $100, why is this radio nearly $300? It makes no sense, save for the fact that all 6m gear is a bit pricey.

If you’re looking to get into 6m, and can find one of these radios used cheap, it might be worth considering. But at MSRP, I would look for other options. Find a 706 or something used; you’ll get a better receiver, more power, and other bands besides.

Peter, N4LI
KD5VHZ Rating: 2003-09-23
Great way to get started on 6 meters Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I purchased my RCI5054DX over 6 months ago as a economical way to get on 6 meters ssb. I have worked most of the US / Canada and several other countries with this radio and MFJ 3 element yagi antenna up 25 feet. I've now upgraded to an ICOM 706MKIIg and more antenna but the RANGER is staying in the shack. It flat listens and it's noise blanker beats the ICOM's hands down (I have intermittent power line noise). When I'm working another band I'm still using the Ranger to monitor 6 meters for an opening (or talking local). I'm using a ASTATIC 575M6 hand microphone with this radio and it really woke up the radio. Since the Ranger doesn't have DSP I've added a Clear Speech digital speaker which tones down the white noise. I've found that when the band is open (E skip) you only give up 1 or 2 s units to a 100 watt radio, so the Ranger's 25 watts serves nicely. I have used this radio for a few FM simplex contacts to 40 miles but with only 10 watts FM and no pl tones I would look elsewhere if I was interested in 6 meter FM. I have had no problems with this radio.
W8KQE Rating: 2003-07-22
Update! Great portable rig! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This rig performs like gangbusters for what it is. For the recent CQ WW VHF contest, from FN30, running 25 watts and a 2 element homebrew 6m 'broomstick yagi' (at only 13 feet off the ground on a fiberglass mast placed in a patio table!) made from, you guessed it... a broomstick and inexpensive Radio Shack telescoping indoor TV antenna elements, I worked 26 states, and 58 grids!!!! Both on SSB, and with a hand key on CW. Operationally, this radio is a joy to use, and the receiver is excellent sensitivity/selectivity-wise. I had it powered by a portable 'Prestone Jump-It' 12v car battery charger/power supply, which powered the radio at full power output ALL DAY! This radio is a great way to get on six meters, especially if you want to explore 'Sporadic-E' summertime and wintertime openings. If you operate portable or rover from rare grid squares, the Ranger is ideal for this purpose as well. For a great, definitive introduction to 6 meters, I HIGHLY recommend Ken Neubeck's (WB2AMU) milestone book titled "6 Meters: The Magic Band". If this book doesn't get you into 6 meters, nothing will!

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Earlier 5-star review posted by W8KQE on 2003-06-28

For a 'street price' of under $275, all things considered, this is a great little 6m radio that will get you on 'the magic band' in a minimal cost, no hassle kind of way! It seems to be well made and 'feature rich' for the most part, and can be used in a base, mobile, or portable setting (hilltopping, outside portable use while camping, vacationing) etc. I like the variable output power (goes from 1 watt up to maximum output), the up/down controls on the microphone, and the SSB/CW/FM/AM multi-mode capabilities. The noise-blanker works well, and transmit and receive capabilities are excellent as well. Hopefully, given the increasing popularity of the band, more manufacturers will join the 6m bandwagon in the near future and release affordable 6m monoband multi-mode radios like the Ranger 5054DX!
KC0HLY Rating: 2003-05-21
time owned 3 months Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
i owned it for two weeks then the backlitghts went out but other than that i like the radio
W8MMQ Rating: 2003-01-27
Good radio Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
First of all, to anyone who is wondering about the "roger beep" and P.A. features, keep in mind that the company that manufactures this radio is a CB manufacturer. Anyway, I have owned this radio for a little of a year, and really enjoy it. It is a great rig for anyone wanting to try out six meters, and it makes a good backup radio for the more experienced operators. It works well with the Mirage six meter all mode amp, and the two make a perfect pair (150-W output), although for less money than the Ranger and the Mirage, Ranger is offering a 100-W version of this radio now. So you spend less money on a single piece of equipment than on two pieces of equipment. Using a wire dipole strung up in the trees about 25-ft. I have made numerous contacts across the country and into Greenland and Europe (band conditions were up).
KD5JDG Rating: 2002-03-21
Great Radio - BAD RFI! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Have real bad 6m RFI at my QTH. Even with the power set back to 1 watt. I have a dipole at about 18' and a high-q tunable bandpass filter and the RFI still continues. I don't know if its the radio or what. A dipole at 20' with 1 watt FM/CW/SSB shouldn't interfere. Its a great radio if you don't have alot of money to spend (I'm 14, got it as a christmas gift), but the RFI from this radio is horrible. Im' going to try a Vectronics 3 element 6m beam, I just hope my TV mast can handle the weight of the rotor. Its hard being a ham when you're 14, especially when it comes to RFI, everyone says its your fault and you have no say in that argument. I'll let you know of the results...TNX & 73's, Fabian C. KD5JDG