Suggestions for my Cobra 29 Classic

I dont think you can get 50 watts out of just your standard cb.When first get them right out of the box they are putting out about 3.5 watts.I know if you turn one up to much you can burn one up.If you are looking for power get you a linear then yo can turn it to what ever wattage you want when you want it.I think your cb man is pulling your leg on your cobra putting out 50 watts.It would be the first ive heard of it.

 

On my cobra all I did was put a road king mic on it and I get out good.

 

You have to watch some of those shops.

 

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Over the years I've seen shop after shop tune a radio for "less" receive sensitivity as a means to fight "skip" & atmospheric noises.

I'm not in love with this idea.
I prefer to see someone get a radio with an rf gain control & teach them to use it properly.

An rf gain control is used to limit the rcv sensitivity so you don't hear the average noise below a certain level.
Your squelch control, used in conjunction with the rf gain, can be set so you only hear someone that can make it over the average noise.

My description of average noise is the noise in which you cannot actually hear or understand anyone thru.
It's comprised of skip & many locals all yapping at once.

I set my rf gain so that the average noise is around a 1 or 2 s units.
Then I set my squelch to just cutoff that noise.
This way I know that anyone who can actually get over the average noise will be heard & I don't punish myself because of the noise.

When shops intentionally reduce your rcv sensitivity by mistuning the circuits, you can never obtain the maximum sensitivity when the channel is quiet.

It's ok if the band never gets quiet.
But, at night when the skip goes away or when you're out in the middle of nowhere, I want that sensitivity available.

As for the 50 watts, it ain't likely unless the meter calibration has been "fudged".
I've seen truckstop techs take a really expensive meter like a bird or equiv & mess with the calibration to show a little high.

In my mind that's disgusting for 2 reasons.

One being that I am a test equipment fiend that hates miscalibrated gear & (2) I despise techs who resort to that kind of shananigans to make a name or a buck for themselves.

 

I'm toying with the idea of putting together a reasonably full service cb shop again.
I'm asking opinions here to see if there's still any need for a decent shop.

I'm not talking about gimmicks or noise maker stuff, just creating decent, no nonsense, all around good performance mobile cb setups.

Let me ask;

What do you consider a fair price for "peaking" a standard am only mobile cb.
By "peaking" I'm refering to just making sure the radio is performing to the best of its design for sensitivity, best/safest carrier power, on freq, at least 100% mod etc.

For a export radio, the same question?
In this case, all the above applies with the plus that the radio meets or beats spec across its entire operating freq range.

How about antenna systems.
Would anyone pay to have a pro visit the truck & spend time optimizing the grounding & basic installation?
What do you consider a fair hourly rate for this?

Does the tech need to have a shop at/near the truckstop or can he be mobile based?
Would you trust a mobile shop tech if he said you'd need to leave your radio for repair or proper tuning because parts weren't on hand or the job just takes that long to do well?

What do you think makes a good cb shop?

These are a few questions to start with.
I appreciate any insights you can offer.

 

that 50 watt they are talking about is swing wattage not rms wattage. so basically as you talk the wattage is swinging witht he intensity of your voice. you can't get 50 watts rms out of a cobra. you just let her swing and modulate the hell out of it. they can sound okay but they they won't get out like a big radio. I doubt you will get 10 miles. You have to remember allot of these big radio's you are hearing on the road start at 250 watts and go up to a few thousand.

the 29 is a good radio (not as good as they used to be) depending on what you expect from it. It will ast forever, be trouble free but it's never going to be a powerhouse with a linear amp.

get a GOOD antenna and wire for it