President is well established as a reputable manufacture of quality mobile CB radios. A few years ago, they made waves on the CB band with the introduction of a handheld model, the President RANDY FCC, and we covered it in episode 155 of The Two Way Radio Show Podcast. The RANDY proved to be popular, so when the FCC approved FM on CB, President wasted no time in adding it to their lineup by creating the RANDY II.
This upgraded version of the original is very popular, with one caveat. It's the price. Some CBers complain that it is a bit too pricey for an ht CB. They aren't wrong. When compared with Cobra, Midland and Wouxun handheld CBs, the RANDY II is the most expensive model on the market.
It seems that President was listening, because they just launched a brand new model, and at a lower price point. Introducing the President Jerry FCC AM/FM Handheld CB Radio!
The JERRY FCC is a lighter version the RANDY II. Think of it as the RANDY II Lite. It works in AM and FM modes and has many of the standard features of its higher end cousin. Although it does not include some of the advanced functionality like the companding, noise gate, scan skip and VOX, it does have the weather channels and alert, which many users consider is more important anyway.
The display is also not quite as customizable. The RANDY II featured a 7 Color multifunction LCD display, and although the the JERRY retains the same crisp, easy to read screen, it is limited to one color only. President chose orange, which makes sense, as it is probably easiest on the eyes.
There are also a couple of very notable differences with the included accessories. Of course, both come with the same 1800mAh lithium-ion battery pack and removable antenna. The rest of the kit is quite a bit different. While the RANDY II comes with a drop-in charger, external mobile antenna adapter, microphone/radio hanger, belt clip and even a wrist strap, the JERRY has none of those. Instead, it has a combo vehicle charging/antenna adapter and fuse. This combo cable performs a dual function, to power and charge the JERRY and provide an adapter for connecting an external antenna to it, so you can turn your handheld into a mobile radio.
The RANDY II currently sells for $164.00. By eliminating the extra features and the drop-in charger, President was able to get the price of the JERRY down to only $129.00.
The following chart is a comparison between the new President JERRY FCC and the RANDY II CB radios.
| President Handheld CB Radio Comparison Chart | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | JERRY FCC | RANDY II FCC |
| Band | CB | CB |
| FCC ID | 2AEOCPC209 | |
| Maximum Transmit Power | 4W AM/4W FM | 4W AM/4W FM |
| Channels | 40 | 40 |
| Modulation | AM/FM | AM/FM |
| NOAA Weather Channels | ✔ | ✔ |
| NOAA Weather Alerts | ✔ | ✔ |
| Keypad | 9-Key | 9-Key |
| F Function Key | ✔ | ✔ |
| Multifunction LCD Display | ✔ | ✔ |
| Display Backlight | ✔ | ✔ |
| Display Colors | 1 | 7 |
| Display Channels/Frequencies | ✔ | ✔ |
| Channel Scan | ✔ | ✔ |
| Scan Skip | ✔ | |
| Emergency Channels (EMG) | ✔ | ✔ |
| EMG Customizable | ✔ | |
| Manual Squelch and ASC | ✔ | ✔ |
| Digital S-meter | ✔ | ✔ |
| ANL Filter | ✔ | ✔ |
| Signal Strength Meter | ✔ | ✔ |
| Noise Blanker | ✔ | ✔ |
| HI-CUT Filter | ✔ | ✔ |
| Noise Gate | ✔ | |
| Compander | ✔ | |
| Dual Watch | ✔ | ✔ |
| VOX | ✔ | |
| Beep Function | ✔ | ✔ |
| Roger Beep | ✔ | ✔ |
| Emergency Frequency | ✔ | ✔ |
| Up/down Channel Selector | ✔ | ✔ |
| Monitor Function | ✔ | ✔ |
| Volume Control | ✔ | ✔ |
| Battery Meter | ✔ | ✔ |
| Hi/Lo Power Modes | ✔ | ✔ |
| ECO Mode (Battery Saver) | ✔ | |
| Low Battery Alert | ✔ | ✔ |
| Key Lock | ✔ | ✔ |
| Built-in Flashlight | ✔ | ✔ |
| Built-in Front Speaker | ✔ | ✔ |
| 2-pin Audio Connector | ✔ | ✔ |
| Lithium-ion Battery | ACMR402 1800 mAh | ACMR402 1800 mAh |
| Dimensions (inches/millimeters) | 5.98 x 2.62 x 1.46 (in)/ 152 x 66.5 x 37 (mm) | 5.98 x 2.62 x 1.46 (in)/ 152 x 66.5 x 37 (mm) |
| Weight (ounces/grams) | 0.67lb / 305g | 0.67lb / 305g |
| Antenna Connector Type | TNC Female | TNC Female |
| Warranty | 2 Year | 2 Year |
| Price | $129 | $164 |
Looks like a winner! I’m sure it will sell well. But I would miss the skip scan, and new laws here in PA might make VOX a legal necessity when being used in a moving vehicle. I’ll stick with the Randy.