Standard C-158A reviews

Info on Standard C-158A

jerrag

I have one of these little guys, picked it up several years ago off Ebay and used it while traveling through Arizona. I had one of those little Bofeng outfits but only used it for a scanner since the Standard was so superior to the cheap China rig. Added info for your list -
Battery Voltage = 7.2 Volts 1500 mAh.
Pay special attention to the power plug since the polarity is backward from most with the + on the sleeve and - on center. My charger is in bad shape, I had to disassemble it and reattach the power cord, the cord also broke away from the plug and I could not find one of proper size so I needed to cut away all the plastic around it, cut an inch or so off the wire and re-solder it to the plug, then used heat shrink to cover the bare wires. I have the 12 volt plug for this also but care must be taken to attach it to the radio before plugging it into the lighter port on your outfit. I used it some on the road when in my car, my RV has a mobile rig so no need for it when moving. I got very good range with it in Arizona, hitting repeaters some 15 to 20 miles distant with good reception when talking to other hams in the Bullhead and Lake Havasou areas. The rig stands up well to abuse, it has fallen from my class A motor home floor to the concrete slap with only a scratch, the only problem was with the charger plug and that was a rather hard fix but I could not find another on Ebay or Amazon at the time. I have a mobile antenna on my car so when I get in the vehicle I attach the radio to that, perhaps that was my secret in getting good range on the little set. While the scan mode could, perhaps use a few more channels, it was not a problem for me. This is a rather old set now and lacks many of the modern bells and whistles, but if you are a weathered ham you should find the little radio a joy to use if you can find one. Batteries were still available when I got mine I believe it was 2016, I have not checked of late since the spare I purchased has held up well, in fact the battery that came with the rig is still performing nicely. I am, as I type, reprogramming her for a trip into a neighboring State as I am taking my daughter up to the big city where she will undergo some surgery. It is a long and lonely drive with sketchy cell reception so nice little hand held will keep me in contact should the need arise, however we are leaving at 3:00 AM so perhaps it may not be a good backup for my phone but it beats the heck out of a CB.

Performance
Build quality
Features
User friendliness
Value for money
Aquired
Good condition in 2016
USD 30.00

Review the Standard C-158A