Help with Cobra 148 GTL ST

[jonah]

Yes, tried the the entire range. When turned up all of the way, others could pick up a faint transmission.

[chris142]

Did it ever work on AM?

[jonah]

Nope, not since I have had it.

[chris142]

Well we have a decient CB guy in Hesperia at the Pilot truckstop.

I wonder if you lost a ground on the antenna end?

[jonah]

I am using a magnetic base antenna that came with the radio. When I first hooked it up and tested the SRW it all looked good, but then it just didn't work. I guess I have to take it in.

I was just thinking. People with AM CBs shouldn't have been able to hear me on the LSB should they? I am not sure how that works, but it was coming through loud when I transmitted on LSB.

[chris142]

If you talk on SSB and somebody is on AM all they should hear is garble.

Back when CB was new the radios could be damaged by having too high of an SWR. Later on the manufacturers(sp?)added a circut that dropped the output power if the SWR is too high.

I'm wondering if your SWR is off and it's cutting the output power. But that does not explain why they heard you when you were on SSB.

[jonah]

Hmm, it did sound a little garbled, but you could understand it. Maybe I should get my hands on a real SWR meter and check. Perhaps the built in meter is way off.

Or take it in...

Thanks for the trouble shooting!

[chris142]

Did the guy that you bought it from say anything about it being modified in any way?

[jonah]

No, he said like he knew nothing about the radio. I wish I would have checked it earlier, but when I powered it up it all acted normal so I thought I was good.

[chris142]

Well keep us posted. I'm curious to find out what the fix was.

[jonah]

Will do. I think I might take it to the only shop within 50 miles (Torrance) tomorrow and have it looked at. It drives me crazy when things aren't working right.

[Matt2001TJ]

Is the mic gain turned up?

Like he said,...And, do not trust the factory swr meter. Check it with a swr bridge inline. What kind of antenna are you using ?

[jonah]

Thanks for the input. I ended up taking it to the shop in Torrance. The mic was bad, the capsule was damaged which he said was unusual and that the mic must have been hit very hard.

While it was there, he tuned it up. He said it was running at about 80% of what the stock reading should be and he took it to 110%. So I just hooked it up, my SWR readings (with the built in meter) are still just over 2, I guess I need to get my hands on an inline swr bridge, to see what is really going on. But I need another CB to see if it is really working at all now.

[Nipple Twister]

Cobra 148 GTL

Jonah, I will be home all day tomorrow if ya wanna do a radio test or I have a 148 that you can have for comparison purposes....they are great radios.

Lemme know, I'll check back here in the AM..



John

PS, I'm at Warner/Bolsa Chica

[Nipple Twister]

Btw....

....was it Albert the radio guy you saw in Torrance?