Cobra 29LTD Classic

sounds to me like you have antenna troubles.it should talk more than that even stock untouched.i prefer francis antenna with 18'coax.single antenna.to me they dont get the static some metal antenna does.the brand of antenna isn't as important as it being tuned right.a million dollar radio on a 2 dollar antenna is a 2 dollar setup.as far as kicker goes i have 1 wouldn't want to be without it.don't use it often but when i want to be heard i want to be heard.many types of them are good.you do not need more than a 250 watt one.to talk from miami to seattle well i suggest att lg vu

 

To talk coast to coast you need side band channels which the Cobra29 doesn't have.
Your current issue resolve is to get the radio matched with the antenna's
SWR set.
Buy your description on modulation it sounds like you may have a cracked
or loose antenna.Stock out of the box 29 will talk and receive better then a half mile with a steel coat hanger.

Those that choose to express or believe that linear amps are over rated
can keep crying the river.
Amps are like race cars and speed cost money,the more you spend the faster you go.
If you want to lock a channel down in a truck stop it will cost you about $700.Again like race cars there is always someone faster due to their investment.

 

I about choked on my coffee reading this, lol.

 

What gauge hanger would you need? Would a thicker one work better? Do you leave it in the triangle shape or straighten it out? I would think if you put a couple together you could make a "directional" antenna.

If you have a hanger for an antenna I think you should have a plastic cup and some yarn for a mic. 10-4!

I make myself laugh sometimes.

 

NO$h*t ! I snapped a Francis off one time by hitting some kinda large bird on a dark Texas 2-lane.
I straightened out 3 regular wire hangers and twisted them together,I hollowed out the francis stub and forced the hangers in as far as they would go.I clipped off 3-4 1" pieces from another hanger and wedged (hammered)them in the stub to fill the gabs and remove the slop.
A few wraps with black tape finished it out.
Took about 30 min and I was back on the road.
Receive sucked but she was talking out about 2 miles.

Last Francis I would ever own as well as the last time I would be caught without a spare stick.

 

one thing it could be your coax stock coax is crap, having your SWR set is the main thing buy a SWR meter and tune it yourself takes about 5 minutes then a decent antenna I would go with a Predator 10K or a Wilson 5000 trucker antenna the Wilson is easier to find at truck stops but the predator has to be mail ordered and is by far a better antenna. one thing also if your going to have your CB tuned try not to get it done at a TS CB joint try looking for a radio shop those TS joints are in it for the money they will jack a radio up fast so that is my .02

 

The new volvos antenna system seems to work pretty good for a factory setup. The company I work for bought 10 new volvos this year and 10 last year and they all seem to work pretty good with even an off the shelf radio. They are getting well over 5 miles of transmit and receive.

I perfer Wilson antennas because they work and I don't have to order them. Predator is no longer making antennas so you can't get them hardly anymore. Not worth the money anyway as they don't work any better then a properly tuned Wilson whip or fiberglass.

Turn the RF gain all the way up, use the squelch to tune out the static and turn the mic gain/dynamic all the way up and have at it.

If you want to be a super trucker then open the radio up and clip D11 and get your magic screwdriver out and you will be talking just like the guys with their supertuned radios and be awful close to having something equal to a Super Wack packed radio as far as performance.