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Is there any consensus on the best available CB being produced now?
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Tightwad schrieb:
Is there any consensus on the best available CB being produced now? Yes. CB-rigs are ALL crap. Cheap HAM-rigs wich are in the same price range as expensive CB-rigs or so called '10mtr-radios'. But the HAM-rigs are galaxies ahead in quality. Take a Yaesu FT-817 or 897 or even one of those 'outdatet' early Icom 706 or Kenwood TS-50 |
On a sunny day (Thu, 22 Sep 2005 23:19:37 -0500) it happened Tightwad
wrote in : Is there any consensus on the best available CB being produced now? Ranger 2790? |
On Thu, 22 Sep 2005 23:19:37 -0500, Tightwad wrote:
Is there any consensus on the best available CB being produced now? If you want an AM only, Uniden 68, don't get the ones with weather channels. These are readily available. If you DX on SSB, get a Uniden Grant LT. These will be tougher to find. I would stay away from new Cobra. ALso, Galaxy will drift like an unanchored boat. Vinnie S. |
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I have a nice looking 20 year old Cobra148 GTL in the trunk of my car.
It has been bouncing around in there for ten years or so. What is the difference between it and the new one coming back on the market? On Fri, 23 Sep 2005 11:14:54 -0400, Vinnie S. wrote: On Thu, 22 Sep 2005 23:19:37 -0500, Tightwad wrote: Is there any consensus on the best available CB being produced now? If you want an AM only, Uniden 68, don't get the ones with weather channels. These are readily available. If you DX on SSB, get a Uniden Grant LT. These will be tougher to find. I would stay away from new Cobra. ALso, Galaxy will drift like an unanchored boat. Vinnie S. I Am A Man...and nothing human is alien to me. The Earth is One Great Country, and humankind it's citizens. Join the worlds greatest no-spin discussion forum for only $100,000 a year USD http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_big_picture/ |
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"J.A. Rodgers" wrote in message ... I have a nice looking 20 year old Cobra148 GTL in the trunk of my car. It has been bouncing around in there for ten years or so. What is the difference between it and the new one coming back on the market? They may look similar but the insides are completely different and the UK ones are very easily expanded to cover over 10 blocks with just a solder blob. The Nigh****ch ones whole front panel illuminates in the dark and looks quite swish.... I dont think much of the soundtracker system though unless the few ive owned have just been bad. |
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Thanks for the comeback,
Well Magnuml, The greatest and most honest electronics technician in the USA, Mr. Lorberg, fixed my old Cobra 148 GTL for only $35.00 All the lights and switches work, the needle moves again when I click transmit. He put a new plug on to fit in the cigarette lighter. All in all, I suspect I saved quite a bit of money instead of paying nearly $200.00 for the new one which looks the same on the outside. Do you think there is $150.00 of difference in the distance they will transmit, or how they will sound? On Tue, 18 Oct 2005 17:43:17 +0100, "The Magnum" wrote: "J.A. Rodgers" wrote in message .. . I have a nice looking 20 year old Cobra148 GTL in the trunk of my car. It has been bouncing around in there for ten years or so. What is the difference between it and the new one coming back on the market? They may look similar but the insides are completely different and the UK ones are very easily expanded to cover over 10 blocks with just a solder blob. The Nigh****ch ones whole front panel illuminates in the dark and looks quite swish.... I dont think much of the soundtracker system though unless the few ive owned have just been bad. I Am A Man...and nothing human is alien to me. The Earth is One Great Country, and humankind it's citizens. Join the worlds greatest no-spin discussion forum for only $100,000 a year USD http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_big_picture/ |
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"J.A. Rodgers" wrote in message
... Thanks for the comeback, Well Magnuml, The greatest and most honest electronics technician in the USA, Mr. Lorberg, fixed my old Cobra 148 GTL for only $35.00 All the lights and switches work, the needle moves again when I click transmit. He put a new plug on to fit in the cigarette lighter. All in all, I suspect I saved quite a bit of money instead of paying nearly $200.00 for the new one which looks the same on the outside. Do you think there is $150.00 of difference in the distance they will transmit, or how they will sound? It's gonna sound like crap and give you years of problems. Best to just sell it to me real cheap : ) |
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"J.A. Rodgers" wrote in message ... Thanks for the comeback, Well Magnuml, The greatest and most honest electronics technician in the USA, Mr. Lorberg, fixed my old Cobra 148 GTL for only $35.00 All the lights and switches work, the needle moves again when I click transmit. He put a new plug on to fit in the cigarette lighter. All in all, I suspect I saved quite a bit of money instead of paying nearly $200.00 for the new one which looks the same on the outside. Do you think there is $150.00 of difference in the distance they will transmit, or how they will sound? I wouldnt have thought so. The last Cobra UK29 LTD ST that i bought though cost me £40 GBP mint in the box. It glows lovely in the dark but i think the sound tracker bit is pants...unless my one is a bit faulty. I have no idea how much they cost in the states but having yourself a great rig doctor makes all the difference when you look at older rigs so your lucky. Then again it depends what you want in life. I personally dont understand people spending many thousands of pounds on old bangers (cars) and doing them up. The ride is no better than when the car was made, its bumpy and doesnt have any mod cons... id rather have a newer model and to heck with old bangers... but thats just me... some people feel the same about Cbs. They would prefer something modern and all singing all dancing rather than a piece of old nostalgic Cb history. Other people wouldnt touch new CB stuff and stick with the old favorites. Nothing personal, its horses for courses. One mans meat is another mans poison as they say... 10-4 ;o) |
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Well,
I'll have to see how she performs when I hit the Autostrada next week. If I can give and receive smokey reports, ask for a radio check every few miles, then I will be as happy as a mouse in a cheese factory. On Fri, 28 Oct 2005 18:07:29 +0100, "The Magnum" wrote: "J.A. Rodgers" wrote in message .. . Thanks for the comeback, Well Magnuml, The greatest and most honest electronics technician in the USA, Mr. Lorberg, fixed my old Cobra 148 GTL for only $35.00 All the lights and switches work, the needle moves again when I click transmit. He put a new plug on to fit in the cigarette lighter. All in all, I suspect I saved quite a bit of money instead of paying nearly $200.00 for the new one which looks the same on the outside. Do you think there is $150.00 of difference in the distance they will transmit, or how they will sound? One mans meat is another mans poison as they say... 10-4 ;o) I Am A Man...and nothing human is alien to me. The Earth is One Great Country, and humankind it's citizens. Join the worlds greatest no-spin discussion forum for only $100,000 a year USD http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_big_picture/ |
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Squeek squeek... lol
Good luck, but im sure it will work fine. Graham "J.A. Rodgers" wrote in message ... Well, I'll have to see how she performs when I hit the Autostrada next week. If I can give and receive smokey reports, ask for a radio check every few miles, then I will be as happy as a mouse in a cheese factory. On Fri, 28 Oct 2005 18:07:29 +0100, "The Magnum" wrote: "J.A. Rodgers" wrote in message .. . Thanks for the comeback, Well Magnuml, The greatest and most honest electronics technician in the USA, Mr. Lorberg, fixed my old Cobra 148 GTL for only $35.00 All the lights and switches work, the needle moves again when I click transmit. He put a new plug on to fit in the cigarette lighter. All in all, I suspect I saved quite a bit of money instead of paying nearly $200.00 for the new one which looks the same on the outside. Do you think there is $150.00 of difference in the distance they will transmit, or how they will sound? One mans meat is another mans poison as they say... 10-4 ;o) I Am A Man...and nothing human is alien to me. The Earth is One Great Country, and humankind it's citizens. Join the worlds greatest no-spin discussion forum for only $100,000 a year USD http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_big_picture/ |
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Ok I picked up my Cobra GTL 148. It works fine I guess, but Joe didn't
repair the meter that used to swing back and forth showing signal strength. Joe Lorberg says that isn't really important. I did talk to a few people locally. I'm using a magnetic Radio shack antenna. I noticed on their site it is not rated more than a "1" out of "5" I'm thinking about buying the 24.95 one on their site that is rated "5" stars in an hour or so. I rarely drive faster than 70 MPH so I need one that will hold on up to 90 at most. What would you all consider to be the best magnetic mounted CB antenna under $100.00? Live Longer amidst Phosper. :-) On Fri, 28 Oct 2005 21:39:46 +0100, "The Magnum" wrote: Squeek squeek... lol Good luck, but im sure it will work fine. Graham "J.A. Rodgers" wrote in message .. . Well, I'll have to see how she performs when I hit the Autostrada next week. If I can give and receive smokey reports, ask for a radio check every few miles, then I will be as happy as a mouse in a cheese factory. On Fri, 28 Oct 2005 18:07:29 +0100, "The Magnum" wrote: "J.A. Rodgers" wrote in message .. . Thanks for the comeback, Well Magnuml, The greatest and most honest electronics technician in the USA, Mr. Lorberg, fixed my old Cobra 148 GTL for only $35.00 All the lights and switches work, the needle moves again when I click transmit. He put a new plug on to fit in the cigarette lighter. All in all, I suspect I saved quite a bit of money instead of paying nearly $200.00 for the new one which looks the same on the outside. Do you think there is $150.00 of difference in the distance they will transmit, or how they will sound? One mans meat is another mans poison as they say... 10-4 ;o) I Am A Man...and nothing human is alien to me. The Earth is One Great Country, and humankind it's citizens. Join the worlds greatest no-spin discussion forum for only $100,000 a year USD http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_big_picture/ I Am A Man...and nothing human is alien to me. The Earth is One Great Country, and humankind it's citizens. Join the worlds greatest no-spin discussion forum for only $100,000 a year USD http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_big_picture/ |
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This is the one that is 5 star rated.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...entPage=family This is the one I'm using now: http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...entPage=family Ok I picked up my Cobra GTL 148. It works fine I guess, but Joe didn't repair the meter that used to swing back and forth showing signal strength. Joe Lorberg says that isn't really important. I did talk to a few people locally. I'm using a magnetic Radio shack antenna. I noticed on their site it is not rated more than a "1" out of "5" I'm thinking about buying the 24.95 one on their site that is rated "5" stars in an hour or so. I rarely drive faster than 70 MPH so I need one that will hold on up to 90 at most. What would you all consider to be the best magnetic mounted CB antenna under $100.00? Live Longer amidst Phosper. :-) On Fri, 28 Oct 2005 21:39:46 +0100, "The Magnum" wrote: Squeek squeek... lol Good luck, but im sure it will work fine. Graham "J.A. Rodgers" wrote in message . .. Well, I'll have to see how she performs when I hit the Autostrada next week. If I can give and receive smokey reports, ask for a radio check every few miles, then I will be as happy as a mouse in a cheese factory. On Fri, 28 Oct 2005 18:07:29 +0100, "The Magnum" wrote: "J.A. Rodgers" wrote in message .. . Thanks for the comeback, Well Magnuml, The greatest and most honest electronics technician in the USA, Mr. Lorberg, fixed my old Cobra 148 GTL for only $35.00 All the lights and switches work, the needle moves again when I click transmit. He put a new plug on to fit in the cigarette lighter. All in all, I suspect I saved quite a bit of money instead of paying nearly $200.00 for the new one which looks the same on the outside. Do you think there is $150.00 of difference in the distance they will transmit, or how they will sound? One mans meat is another mans poison as they say... 10-4 ;o) I Am A Man...and nothing human is alien to me. The Earth is One Great Country, and humankind it's citizens. Join the worlds greatest no-spin discussion forum for only $100,000 a year USD http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_big_picture/ I Am A Man...and nothing human is alien to me. The Earth is One Great Country, and humankind it's citizens. Join the worlds greatest no-spin discussion forum for only $100,000 a year USD http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_big_picture/ I Am A Man...and nothing human is alien to me. The Earth is One Great Country, and humankind it's citizens. Join the worlds greatest no-spin discussion forum for only $100,000 a year USD http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_big_picture/ |
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J.A. Rodgers wrote:
This is the one that is 5 star rated. http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...entPage=family This is the one I'm using now: http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...entPage=family Go get a Wilson 1000 or a K-40 if you must use a magnet mount. A body grounded full size antenna will always work better. |
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Well,
I went to the truck stop and purchased a 5' Firestik. I it worked great on the interstate the five miles from the truck stop to my house. Then it fell off the top of my car a couple of times as I was driving. We did have high winds around 30 to 40 mph last night as the thunderstorms approached. After I put the antenna on the trunk, the radio refused to light up any more after it lit up for a few seconds. Well, I walked outside just now and looked at the box the magnet came in. It said it was good for antennas up to 48". So that is probably my problem. I need to take it back and get one large enough to hold a 5' long antenna, or get a 4' antenna. I was able to talk to a trucker who was 4.5 miles up the road from me so it must have been putting out well. Then the radio just died. Maybe the antenna was to much for that 25 year old Cobra 148 GTL? On Sat, 05 Nov 2005 21:19:20 -0500, Scott in Baltimore wrote: J.A. Rodgers wrote: This is the one that is 5 star rated. http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...entPage=family This is the one I'm using now: http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...entPage=family Go get a Wilson 1000 or a K-40 if you must use a magnet mount. A body grounded full size antenna will always work better. I Am A Man...and nothing human is alien to me. The Earth is One Great Country, and humankind it's citizens. Join the worlds greatest no-spin discussion forum for only $100,000 a year USD http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_big_picture/ |
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Then the radio just died. Maybe the antenna was to much for that 25 year old Cobra 148 GTL? If the antenna was correctly tuned it would make no difference what it was to the radio you were using. Three things spring to mind. 1/ The co-ax was damaged when the antenna fell off the roof in the first place causing a possible intermittant break of the inner core .. or.. 2/ The radio itself has an intermittant fault. Quite possibly dry joints on the circuit board on a model that old. 3/ The power supply lead you have connected the radio to is dodgy. Try taking a couple of wires (fused near the battery of course) from the battery to the CB radio... possibly through a supressor of some kind ... by-passing any possible faulty wiring in the car itself. There are plenty of heavy duty magmounts available for the larger mobile antennas including a tripod type magmount affair with the antenna mounting on a bracket between the 3. The wind will never blow this off... only thing is you might have trouble getting it off at night but if you leave the base on the car there would be no problem. The surface area of a 5ft firestik is pretty large and suffers from wind shear much more than a base loaded coil. Unless you have something pretty severe as a base you will have problems, even with the 4ft version. Regards, Graham |
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Ok Magnum,
Thanks for the input. I'll check my fuse box to see if I blew a fuse. I was just sitting in the driveway when I started the engine. The CB came on at the same time as the radio. It looked normal for a few seconds, then it went black and no amount of fiddling with it, or the lighter connection would make it light up again. The antenna fell off when I started backing out of the driveway, and it fell off again as I was going down the road about 400 yards away. If the fuse is blown, then maybe I need to install a stronger fuse to handle the CB action? I'm going to look for a larger diameter magnet after while, or go down to the 4 foot. Of course being a novice that might not be the best thing. so I'm open to all suggestions. On Sun, 6 Nov 2005 17:34:14 -0000, "The Magnum" wrote: Then the radio just died. Maybe the antenna was to much for that 25 year old Cobra 148 GTL? If the antenna was correctly tuned it would make no difference what it was to the radio you were using. Three things spring to mind. 1/ The co-ax was damaged when the antenna fell off the roof in the first place causing a possible intermittant break of the inner core .. or.. 2/ The radio itself has an intermittant fault. Quite possibly dry joints on the circuit board on a model that old. 3/ The power supply lead you have connected the radio to is dodgy. Try taking a couple of wires (fused near the battery of course) from the battery to the CB radio... possibly through a supressor of some kind ... by-passing any possible faulty wiring in the car itself. There are plenty of heavy duty magmounts available for the larger mobile antennas including a tripod type magmount affair with the antenna mounting on a bracket between the 3. The wind will never blow this off... only thing is you might have trouble getting it off at night but if you leave the base on the car there would be no problem. The surface area of a 5ft firestik is pretty large and suffers from wind shear much more than a base loaded coil. Unless you have something pretty severe as a base you will have problems, even with the 4ft version. Regards, Graham I Am A Man...and nothing human is alien to me. The Earth is One Great Country, and humankind it's citizens. Join the worlds greatest no-spin discussion forum for only $100,000 a year USD http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_big_picture/ |
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Oh yes Magnum,
I'm not sure the antenna was correctly tuned. I just took it out of the package and installed it on top of the car. On Mon I Am A Man...and nothing human is alien to me. The Earth is One Great Country, and humankind it's citizens. I Am A Man...and nothing human is alien to me. The Earth is One Great Country, and humankind it's citizens. Join the worlds greatest no-spin discussion forum for only $100,000 a year USD http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_big_picture/ |
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How difficult are the body grounded antennas to install Scott?
That is beginning t sound like the best way to go. On Sat, 05 Nov 2005 21:19:20 -0500, Scott in Baltimore wrote: Go get a Wilson 1000 or a K-40 if you must use a magnet mount. A body grounded full size antenna will always work better. I Am A Man...and nothing human is alien to me. The Earth is One Great Country, and humankind it's citizens. Join the worlds greatest no-spin discussion forum for only $100,000 a year USD http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_big_picture/ |
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"J.A. Rodgers" wrote in message ... Ok Magnum, Thanks for the input. I'll check my fuse box to see if I blew a fuse. I was just sitting in the driveway when I started the engine. The CB came on at the same time as the radio. It looked normal for a few seconds, then it went black and no amount of fiddling with it, or the lighter connection would make it light up again. The antenna fell off when I started backing out of the driveway, and it fell off again as I was going down the road about 400 yards away. If the fuse is blown, then maybe I need to install a stronger fuse to handle the CB action? The fuse has blown for a reason (if it did actually blow) If the antenna feeder was damaged and the rig was struggling with high SWR on TX then it would draw more current which might possibly be why the fuse blew (if it did). I wouldnt go over a 3A fuse if you do put a higher one in though... I'm going to look for a larger diameter magnet after while, or go down to the 4 foot. It will still come off in high winds without a decent magmount... Of course being a novice that might not be the best thing. so I'm open to all suggestions. Go for the triple magmount base.... Good luck, Graham On Sun, 6 Nov 2005 17:34:14 -0000, "The Magnum" wrote: Then the radio just died. Maybe the antenna was to much for that 25 year old Cobra 148 GTL? If the antenna was correctly tuned it would make no difference what it was to the radio you were using. Three things spring to mind. 1/ The co-ax was damaged when the antenna fell off the roof in the first place causing a possible intermittant break of the inner core .. or.. 2/ The radio itself has an intermittant fault. Quite possibly dry joints on the circuit board on a model that old. 3/ The power supply lead you have connected the radio to is dodgy. Try taking a couple of wires (fused near the battery of course) from the battery to the CB radio... possibly through a supressor of some kind ... by-passing any possible faulty wiring in the car itself. There are plenty of heavy duty magmounts available for the larger mobile antennas including a tripod type magmount affair with the antenna mounting on a bracket between the 3. The wind will never blow this off... only thing is you might have trouble getting it off at night but if you leave the base on the car there would be no problem. The surface area of a 5ft firestik is pretty large and suffers from wind shear much more than a base loaded coil. Unless you have something pretty severe as a base you will have problems, even with the 4ft version. Regards, Graham I Am A Man...and nothing human is alien to me. The Earth is One Great Country, and humankind it's citizens. Join the worlds greatest no-spin discussion forum for only $100,000 a year USD http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_big_picture/ |
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"J.A. Rodgers" wrote in message ... How difficult are the body grounded antennas to install Scott? The wind shear factor of the firestik at medium speed would still need a heavy duty base. One like the DV27's used to come with would be no good (just in case he thinks of it). Were talking 5ft Firestik here which, like i said perviously, has a big mass in comparison to..say a modulator or half-breed type antenna. Unless he goes for a base loaded antenna with a steel whip of course which i think he has the base for right now. It certainly isnt a Firestik base. That is beginning t sound like the best way to go. On Sat, 05 Nov 2005 21:19:20 -0500, Scott in Baltimore wrote: Go get a Wilson 1000 or a K-40 if you must use a magnet mount. A body grounded full size antenna will always work better. Agreed............ I Am A Man...and nothing human is alien to me. No comment :oP The Earth is One Great Country, and humankind it's citizens. Depends where you are.. :o) Join the worlds greatest no-spin discussion forum for only $100,000 a year USD Nah... id rather buy beer with the $100,000 :o) http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_big_picture/ |
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"J.A. Rodgers" wrote in message ... Oh yes Magnum, I'm not sure the antenna was correctly tuned. I just took it out of the package and installed it on top of the car. Oh god.... get yourself a SWR meter man and give it a good checking out. You might even have the inner and outer wires of the co-ax shorting out in the PL259 plug. Unless its a top tuned Firestik you might need to cut bits off it to SWR it in... might be a good idea to read up about that though before attempting it... Have you tried powering up the Cobra on another setup? Regards, Graham On Mon I Am A Man...and nothing human is alien to me. The Earth is One Great Country, and humankind it's citizens. I Am A Man...and nothing human is alien to me. The Earth is One Great Country, and humankind it's citizens. Join the worlds greatest no-spin discussion forum for only $100,000 a year USD http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_big_picture/ |
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J.A. Rodgers wrote:
How difficult are the body grounded antennas to install Scott? That is beginning to sound like the best way to go. I purposely bought a vehicle with a metal bumper. I have a massive Francis stud holding my Firestik KW-7. It is dirctional on the rear bumper, but it makes skip work real well toward the front of the vehicle. Sideband and a 2x455 box make this setup talk some skip. Screw AM. I do 11 meter sideband and 2 meter FM simplex. Catch you on the air! On Sat, 05 Nov 2005 21:19:20 -0500, Scott in Baltimore wrote: Go get a Wilson 1000 or a K-40 if you must use a magnet mount. A body grounded full size antenna will always work better. |
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Well,
I went to Joe Lorberg the CB expert and he found a blown fuse in the Cobra 148. I haven't used the unit for about ten years so that is not such a big deal. He replaced that and the unit was working fine again. The antenna blew off the trunk as I was driving along at about 30 MPH There was no wind blowing. So the 5' Firestik mounted in the 5" diameter magnetic base is not going to work. It is really odd because I drove five miles up I-55 from the truck stop at about 65 mph and it stayed on. It now keeps coming off in town at speeds of 30mph or lower. I need to find someone who can install a permanent mount on my trunk I guess. :-(( On Sun, 6 Nov 2005 20:36:20 -0000, "The Magnum" wrote: "J.A. Rodgers" wrote in message .. . Oh yes Magnum, I'm not sure the antenna was correctly tuned. I just took it out of the package and installed it on top of the car. Oh god.... get yourself a SWR meter man and give it a good checking out. You might even have the inner and outer wires of the co-ax shorting out in the PL259 plug. Unless its a top tuned Firestik you might need to cut bits off it to SWR it in... might be a good idea to read up about that though before attempting it... Have you tried powering up the Cobra on another setup? Regards, Graham On Mon I Am A Man...and nothing human is alien to me. The Earth is One Great Country, and humankind it's citizens. I Am A Man...and nothing human is alien to me. The Earth is One Great Country, and humankind it's citizens. Join the worlds greatest no-spin discussion forum for only $100,000 a year USD http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_big_picture/ I Am A Man...and nothing human is alien to me. The Earth is One Great Country, and humankind it's citizens. Join the worlds greatest no-spin discussion forum for only $100,000 a year USD http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_big_picture/ |
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