Getting Ready for install. Few Questions?

My personal opinion is to install it and get it to work right before you hand it to some Bubba with a golden screwdriver to screw it up.

As for mods:

Peaking: With a properly done realignment, you can get 20-25W peak out of the radio without replacing components. (Remember, stock is 12W peak.) Doubling your power isn't going to double your range; in open terrain, you'll get about a third farther, all else being equal (and it rarely is).

"Swing": Don't mess with it. "Ye canna' violate the laws of physics, captain!" An AM signal at 100% modulation has 3x the output power (at peak) compared to a dead carrier (DC). Reduce the carrier, and you're overmodulating. If you look at the signal on a spectrum analyzer, you'll see that the in-channel power doesn't go up; the signal gets wider. 5W DC and 50W peak? 15W is in your channel; the rest is splattering all over the other channels. Might as well have stayed stock.

Echo/Roger beep/fart/burp/background music: No. Just no. A little echo does NOT make you sound "better". If it did, you can bet that the talk show guys on AM broadcast would use it.

As for wiring, I'd use #12 stranded from the battery. Fuse both positive and negative within 6" of the battery terminal. I'd recommend using a 30A headlight relay to switch the radio on/off with the key.

 

I've never understood the purpose of fusing the negative wire. How are you going to know if it blows? Your still being grounded thru the antenna and unless that is unplugged, radio still works. Performance might be degraded but radio will still look like it's on .

 

Mount it securely. I mean REALLY securely. Next to excessive heat, vibration is the number one killer of radios. I have my 148 GTL bracket secured with six (count 'em SIX) 1/4 inch bolts with both lock and flat washers. Don't forget to use the little rubber spacers between the mounting bracket and the screws that go into the side of the radio as they will help absorb vibration. Make sure everything is tight. You don't want the radio to move any more than absolutely necessary.

 

I'm in a similar boat so I'll ask my questions here. Seems like some real knowledgeable answers.

I had an old 29 LTD NW WX with the "noise buster" (that was a POS feature) - the first year they came out with them. Tells you how long ago it was. Had it peaked and tuned. Nothing overboard. Just it's full potential stock without bleeding. Replaced the stock mic with a good Cobra upgrade. I know a lot of people say they sound like crap but maybe I just got lucky. Mine was clear as a bell. Ran twin fire sticks. The upgrade ones. Had the CB guy that did the P&T set the SWR after we ran new upgrade coax and grounded it. It was not a big box by any means but a real nice, clear radio that got out and pulled in from a little farther than I needed it to. I really liked it. When I catch the SOB that stole it I'm gonna do terrible things to him. Me and that old Cobra logged a million miles together and traveled more than we logged. LOL.

So, same thing as the OP has now (I think): Brand new 29 LX digital. I just went with the new digital thing because . . . well to be honest; it looked good with this new truck (and it was free - Loves rewards points, so if I don't like it; no harm no foul) and I'd heard nothing really bad other than since it's digital it defaults back to ch 9 and factory default setting on the color, brightness etc. after a battery kill. But it doesn't. Hasn't yet anyway. I have a Cascadia and I kill the batteries with the floor switch when I go home. Radio comes back on right where I left it.

So I guess what I'm asking is: Would I go about setting up this digital thing like I did my old 29 LTD? Can you even peak and tune these modern digitals? Do I take the same thought process as I did with the old one about the antennas and coax and grounding? I wish my old CB guy was still in business but he retired. Every six months or so I'd take it in to him and he do a check up and "tune up" for $15 and set the mic gain and RF gain and SWR and I'd be good to go til next time. Hell, to be honest I don't even know what mic gain and RF gain are. He'd pop the cover, hook up some gizmos, tweak anything that needed tweaking which a lot of times it didn't and he'd say everything's good, it'd sound just right and he'd say: "Plug her up and don't mess with the dials". I wouldn't either. I'd put a little Sharpie dot where he had them set in case I turned the knob by mistake.

So; What'cha think? set this one up like I did the last one; or do I have to do something different for it being digital?

Thanks in advance for your reply. You seem to really know your stuff about this. I never even heard of "swing" before. I don't pretend to understand it, but it's pretty clear you do. Thx.

 

A 29 LX (and its derivatives) will peak up as well as any regular 29 because it has the exact same board in it that Cobra has been using for years in all 29s.

 

The RF boards may well be the same. The logic board (which runs the front panel) is likely different, due to the digital nature of the new rig.

As for fusing the negative (ground) wire...

Yes, if the fuse blows, the radio will likely still work just fine, assuming that it gets a ground somewhere else (antenna, mounting bracket, etc.). You may not even realize that it's blown. That's not what it's there for.

What would happen if the main wire that connects the negative terminal to the chassis broke/came loose/corroded/whatever, and you hit the starter? You'd try to pull a couple of hundred amps through your antenna mount, through the radio, and down that piece of 12 gauge wire that connects to the battery. You can bet that something along the path will do a good impersonation of an incandescent light bulb, at least for a few seconds. Who knows what else it will take along with it.

 

Thank you MSJamie. I don't claim to be the brightest one around, and your explanation made perfect sense to me.

 

Ms Jaime is on target. If it ain't broke don't fix it.
really
As far as a negative fuse. I have blown one and the radio don't work unless you have a good ground via the mounting bracket, This is really a high power setup. like for an amp or high output 10 meter radio. It's kinda simple... If you dont' have an adequate ground the negative fuse will blow first. Can help isolate a problem. Again not a failsafe like the positive fuse. It's more like a belt and suspenders approach. In some of the newer vehicles where plastic or composite console may exist the negative fuse nay be more appropriate.