On Wed, 06 Oct 2004 15:07:47 -0400, Alex
wrote in :

I'm off to get me a new radio. I'm trading in the cobra 19 dx III for
a cobra 29 ltd classic. I'm hoping you have some tips for me when I
return. I'm not saying I am going to mess with the inside cause i am
still a little afraid to do that, but if there are some pots to turn
that are foolprrof then i will appreciate any input. I'm so excited
cause I really didn't want the 19 dx III to start with. I didn't have
the money, but I just couldn't wait. I hope I'm making a good choice.
I asked around and several said it was a good choice. Any info you can
give me would be great about this radio


Here's the best advice I can give: If it works, don't **** with it!
The 29 LTD is a very decent radio. Please keep it that way.

Some will suggest tweaking VR-this or VR-that, but avoid the
temptation. You may notice an improvement, but it's usually at the
expense of something you don't notice. For example, if you tweak up
the modulation pot, you will certainly increase your audio. But the
pot is set at the factory for 90 to 97% modulation, which is just
dandy. Turn it up and you run the risk of overmodulation, an effect
you can hear when someone bleeds over onto adjacent channels. It can
also cause interference to your neighbor's boob-tube. The frequent
modification of "snipping the limiter" has the same effect. Another
reason to avoid tweaks: People like to turn the power pot to get an
extra couple watts. Now I already pointed out that a couple extra
watts isn't going to make any noticable difference. But if you -do-
tweak the power you must also tweak the modulation to match the new
carrier or your modulation drops and your audio gets quieter instead
of louder. And after that you must compensate for the increased power
consumption by the radio, assuming the heat-sinks for the power
transistors are capable of the increased power. If not, you could fry
your driver or final and your radio goes to the shop. Another tweak is
to the voltage regulator, but that can change the voltage regulation
of the PLL (frequency circuit) and send your radio transmitting
anywhere but where you want. Etc, etc.

CB radio is a plug-n-play concept. If you want to start tweaking
transmitters, look into getting a ham license. They are cheap, the
test is unbelievably easy (you get to memorize the questions before
the test!), and there are lots of hams that are more than willing to
help you get started with the hobby.

Anyway, back to your new radio. First, get an external speaker. Not a
horn speaker, but one you can use inside the vehicle. Even an old car
stereo speaker will work. There are two speaker jacks on the rear of
the radio: PA and EXT. Use the EXT jack. You will notice a =-BIG-=
improvement in sound quality over the cheap little speakers that
usually come inside stock radios.

Next, find a good place to mount it. Try to mount it on, or as close
as possible to, the chassis or dash. Run the negative power lead to
the closest point that contacts the chassis -- the closer the better,
and cut the lead as short as possible. If you can mount it directly to
the chassis (like the transmission hump or under the dash), run the
negative lead to the mounting bracket. Or, as an alternative, run both
power leads to your power source and run a third wire (again, as short
as possible) from a screw on the back of the radio to the vehicle
chassis/dash. Make sure all connections are good, clean and tight.

Let me know when you get ready to install the antenna and coax.