Guess its time for a radio

Nice radio, pretty much the same Cobra 29 we've been used to, with some nice extra features on the front panel.

My suggestion, speaking as a commercial tech and somewhat of an audio purist, is to leave the radio stock and invest in a decent antenna. Cobra wants people to be happy with their products, so they actually supply a decent microphone to go with it. Most "modifications" to radios entail some sort of "lousing-up" of the audio to make the radio *appear* to be more powerful, even if most of the power change is wasted, and will make you sound *less* clear.

The antenna is the single most important factor in your installation, and will do more for helping your range on both send AND receive than anything you can do inside the radio or plug onto the back.

The longer the antenna you can fit onto your truck and still have up in the clear, the better off you'll be. And as long as you're running stock (i.e., legal) power, no amount of snakes or huge coils or glowing lights on it will help your actual performance.

Others will doubtless weigh in with other opinions. You've got mine, and hope they help.
-- Handlebar --

 

My suggestion as an advid radio user on air at least 14 hrs a day is to take it and get it tuned first thing. Have them turn up the modulation to 100%, get the frequencys alighned for better tx/rx, invest in a wilson 2000 truckers antenna(sparkys cb shop has them on sale for 39.00). I got mine finaly and its the best thin since sliced bread as far as I am concerned for a truckers antenna that is not running any serious power. You wont have to worry about Ice freezing on them and snapping in half if you get into cold climates.

A properly tuned radio will out perform a stock radio in every aspect. The QC these days of radios is not what it use to be.

 

QC problems may be true however ....

1) WHO is going to adjust it and how and what will they use most shops can't do this and on AM there is little reason to mess with the radio. FEW shops have $12 - 40 K test stations.

2) If you don't like the audio get a preamp mike keep your paws out of the radio. You might gain some power output but there is also a limit too ...

Remember no company would send out a radio that was BADLY tuned maybe not tweeked all the way but I doubt off all that much .....

BUY A GOOD ANTENNA

 

What about one of those East Coast power amps that goes between the radio and the antenna? Or are they illegal?

 

The Dynamike adjusts how loud the signal going into the radio from your mic will be. I usually keep mine at the 3 o clock position. Any more than that and you might sound distorted.

I've never owned a radio with a delta tune but it supposedly is supposed to make the incoming transmissions clearer. However that's really only needed on a single side band radio, which yours isn't. My belief is the knob is added so you can have the guy at the truck stop CB shop use the otherwise useless knob for adding an echo board or an adjustable talk back volume.

Road King mics are good mics and are an improvement over stock. If it's a noise canceling mic they're good too but it requires you put you're lip right up to the mic on the lip guard.

Any amp used on a CB radio to produce more transmitting power is illegal.

 

The chrome rk 56 works just as good as the brown ones.

 

You can get alot more out of a tuned radio. better recieve and TX. By alighning the frequencies you will gain a better sound quality. There is alot you can do to modify a stock radio with out buying a pre amp. A pre amp will bring in alot of garbage along with further transmissions. I doubt he wants to go through the trouble of adding an amp to the radio.

Get in touch with a reputable cb shop. Not one located at a truck stop.

Custom CB repair is tops in my book but lacks in customer service. Sparkys is reputable along with GIJOEs' and Bells CB. That the reputable ones that I know of for sure. Ask them what you will gain buy tunning one.