Custom radio setup, will it work?

I hear this a lot, even the radios I have to repair that come from Doug. Thanks, and that's all I have to add to this post.

 

hear that crawfish tail smacking the floor . . . . .

 

Tank 33
Doug at Custom is supposed to do good work. I have not seen or heard one of his radio's yet, but I do know he worked for Al, at Sparky's for years before going on his own.

Now the main thing to keep in mind when any of these shops start tossing numbers out is they are feel good watts. What that is you ask? power 101
True power is measured on a Bird meter ie, Bird watts. Then you have pep watts, which is the SWING wattage hence feel good watts.

Now this 50 watt Cobra just might, might get 50 watts pep, but I don't think so it is a single final radio. maybe 35 pep which is about 8 or 9 Bird.

Now I have been around some darn good sounding 25's but they were not the NW.

You did not say what kind of bells an whistles you might want. Echo, talk back, toy's.

You have a number of way's to go. But lets stay with a Cobra 29. Get one that is peaked an Tuned and aliened. Make sure the shop does not clip the Modulation limiter. If they tell you it is part of the P & T = RUN !!!! they are just HACKS. All that does is make an over Modulated crappy sounding radio. Have the dead key set at 2 watts get a good noise canceling Mic.
Then for your power you said you would like to talk a few miles and be heard. You can get a 2 pill amp, which is a two transistor. Easy to install and will have no effect on the trucks computer or charging system.

Antenna & Coax.
Sorry the factory coax will not work for you. If it is a newer truck the Antenna on the right side is for your music radio anyway.
Stay away from most truck stop coax, it mass produced junk.
Get a good quality RG mini 8 coax. Then for your antenna look into a Wilson trucker 2000 or 5000 why? it is one of the best and it is tunable, the Francis is not. Then you will have a set up that will give you years of trouble free service and not bust the bank getting.

 

Sorry but Francis fiberglass sticks are very much "tune'able"
Ive tuned a many over the years using a fine tooth hack saw blade.
With good mounts and coax its easy to get the sticks under 1.5

 

lol till you cut off to much and have to get another one.
Admit it, I know you have.

 

Only once while trying to tune a co-phase,the single sticks come around real good with-in two cuts of about 1/8"(plus the blade thickness for each cut)
The 6' sticks get 1/2" on the first cut and 1-2 cuts at 1/8"
Ive done several center mounts on rock buckets using this method.

People around here know my radios and seem to think I'm a "Shop" and
bribe me to look at their "this or that" for a few cold brews.
Hard to say no when they bring what ya like
I just purchased 38 brand new 108" whips for $9.00 ea.
Wont be buying beer for quite some time and them rock heads will be talking loud and long real soon.