Actually, Cobra waiting could have been a wise move. This way they could see how they could improve on the other FM's that came out earlier. A NEW Cobra Base with AM SSB and FM.. That would be awesome.
I’m on the fence between the AM/FM president walker III vs. McKinley AM/SSB. Just not sure that FM is the way to go because so few units are in circulation. 🤷♂
I hear that guy all time time here in northern Indiana on channel 19 always talking something about the desert and back to the bench. He gets really wound up. Its hilarious.
About a year later and I just heard the same person say that exact thing, some words about the desert and going to work on something on the bench hahaha old timers living on cb is great
That's an awesome 29. I would love to see Cobra make a new base station as well. With all the options and trimmings. Also, update the 148 would be nice
@@FarpointFarms Hey Eric I forgot to mention. It's great to hear that Cobra is on the AM/FM page as well. Hopefully the FM thing catches on fast. Again, Congratulations.
I went for a few years without a CB in my truck but I've been back at it for the past 3 or 4 months now. From your review, I'm running a President McKinley, 102" whip and I'm definitely not running an RM Italy 203P. Been talking all over the US, Canada, Ireland and Bahamas when conditions are right. I'm considering a new President with FM capability if a model has the features I'm looking for: -Scan -SSB -Capable to lower output so you don't burn up the amp we would never use. -I'd really like to be able to skip channels on Scan. I'd be happy to never hear Ch6 again! Thanks for your channels. Hope to catch up on a Livestream sometime, it's been a while since I've made one!
Reminds me when I drove my Ford Crown Victoria...I figured an old school car should have an old school radio..so I put a Cobra 19 Nightwatch in it. I traveled all over the Northeast with that car. That radio has helped me avoid numerous traffic jams in my travels. But I remember one particular day, I was at a dealership I frequently went to for my job. One of the salesman, an older gentleman, asked me "ok I hardly see CB radio anymore. What kind of radio you running in that car?" I told him it was a Cobra 19. He said "Cobra? damn..you're an old soul" lol
@@FarpointFarms Yeah, that green glow kicks ass. I've been told by a few it burns out quickly but mine has been running strong for a few years now. Have fun!
@@lawncaregeneral keep the dimmer knob at the 12 o clock position and no further and you won't blow out the transformer for the Night watch feature. It'll last forever.
Since hooking up my rci 2970n3 (a year or so) I've yet to hear any conversations on FM, iam thinking its due to my location here in Palm Springs, but holding a 10 min conversation with Dallas Rife on SSB is a piece of cake!!!🤠👍
Great radios, I had a 29NWT back in the day. Thanks for your reviews and honest opinions on this channel. Hopefully I can get my base antenna installed properly and maybe talk to ya on the airways some day
@@09DARKORANGEJK I also have both in a galaxy 99v2 shooting ssb skip easily cross the pond compared to my uniden grant in using the 99 I was talking to fellow in Idaho ( me being in WI) he asked to try FM and lo behold we carried on 45 min conversation in FM mode that surprised me !!
@@georgegetterdone896 that’s great. From my experience FM travels further than AM. My buddy will jump in his jeep and I’ll catch him barely on am. Jump to FM and it’s great. No static just clear voice. I shoot ship across the pond as well which I think is very cool.
@@09DARKORANGEJK I have. Not had local luck like that I was staying away from FM use first years I got the galaxy a friend had the ranger big rig ( 600 watt tranciever ) and lived some 30 miles away we would go FM to about 20 and then switch to ssb cause it tightened the transmit power and recieve narrows giving the range back but like I said skip is different animal and I get good FM skip but so few monitor you have to ask if their gear is capable
sweet rig, and looks like soon, they'll offer it in full chrome, and pink as well. which tells me Cobra is acknowledging the fact that more women are getting into truck driving, i don't see any other CB manufacturers doing that! ☮
As you probably know Eric, I run a Cobra 148 ssb with night watch in the truck and have the 2000 on the bench. I would also like to see a new Cobra Base Radio. 40 channel, ssb, am/fm. Still trying to figure if fm will take off and if it's the wave of future cb radio. Great job
well i just stumbled on your channel and couldn't believe what i was hearing ! Why you may well ask ! I have that very cobra 29ltd nightwatch, but here's the kicker, i'm in the uk, and bought it the early 90's when i was a young trucker here in the uk ! Now mine was only 27mhz and 80 channels FM, until a buddy in a truckstop informed that it has the AM and sidebands already inside it just not connected for the uk/eu market, needless to say he recommended a guy to connect it inside and it worked ! So now i'm wondering if the opposite was true for you guys ! and yes i still have it collecting dust in the cupboard ! Thx for bringing a smile to my face, all the best and enjoyed your video. 😁
Just got myself a Cobra 29 from Black Fridays sales (coming from the USA to Australia, should be here today/ tomorrow). Also snagged a Cobra external speaker too. Will be mounting it in my shed, and will be putting a Stationmaster (Aussie brand antenna for 11m) up on the hill just behind the shed.
I have not owned a CB since early 80s. I recently restored a 1980 f350, and want to put on in. Was thinking going SSB, but really could not find one with that classic look. Was going to get the 148 but Cobra discontinued. Because of this review, though, This one is tops of my list and will likely be the one I purchase. Thanks!
I love Cobra CB radios. My favorite ones are Cobra 148 GTL and Cobra 148F GTL. I'm waiting for the Cobra 148F GTL AM/FM/SSB to purchase my next Cobra mobile CB radio. Thanks for the video, always good stuff here.
He’s a ham radio guy that freebands off repeaters on 19’s frequency in Ohio one of the antennas used is the array at the of 70 and 142 exit. I’ve thought about cutting the wires and putting an electrical tag on them that reads Drivers are tired of Mud Duck. If broadcaster start loosing antennas they will self police him.
Hoping to avoid listening to that asshole ( mud duck in the desert)while trying to talk to someone locally is the main reason I bought a new radio with fm mode. 16:24
Back in the UK in the 80’s ( Live in Alberta Canada now) CB was very popular. I owned a Cobra 29 AM rig. When on night shift I would take my car up onto the high coal heaps on the coast at the mine where I worked. Had a great experience getting out and enjoying some very long distance conversations due to skip. Then the schools kids got in on the act and rich daddies bought these kids fancy rigs with power mic’s and they would bleed out all over the place and interrupt conversations. There where even those who where nicknamed bucket mouths. They would key the mic and scream bucket, bucket, bucket constantly. Or just key their mic and stay silent because they had high power rigs it spoiled the experience. Then the government decided to outlaw AM CB rigs. We where forced to got FM only. It was a disaster. Max output was a lousy 2 watts. You where luck to get out two miles tops. Also FM doesn’t gently fade away like AM does if your moving, it cuts off like a light switch and bang your connection is gone. We could do some modifications to get out a little further but in the end the hobby died off. All that was left was the standard questions, of what’s your twenty and how much power am I putting out. Constant radio checks and zero conversations to be had. And that’s my story. I still have a Cobra 29 in the basement, hasn’t seen power for a good 28 years plus now. Probably blow up now if I switched it on, but I still need an antenna so I doubt I’d spend the money. My future I hope includes getting a HAM licence and going that route. Otherwise CB is dead to me and only good for the truckers and logging guys who use LADD 2 Thanks for the video, very enjoyable.
Sounds like a lot of 80s users stories. It go bad here for a while too, but the kids moved on, and we were able to keep the 4 watt AM mode here so little by little it came back.
I've got an old Cobra 25 NW ST hiding around here somewhere, have had it for over 15 years. It still works, except for parts of the NW lights which has a spot which burned out pretty early. That was a disappointment but the basic function of the radio is fine. Got a few old snakes , Cobra 89 base, 138 & 139 Base and mobile, as well as the 25NW ST.
Friend of my wife's at work scored me a Cobra 29 nightwatch limited classic am only and I just got the antenna and power cord in the mail and I'm testing it now in the oil field. I have not been able to pick up anything as of yet
Nice radio. It's unfortunate that the CB manufacturers haven't realized that channel 9 (REACT) is basically dead since the cell phone has taken over. They should do like President and make it so you can choose your 2 emergency channels instead of 'wasting' one of the switches. Just sayin ....
I don't disagree at all, but this "Classic" is literally that. It's the same layout that Cobra has used since around 2000. I'd love to see something similar come out from them with modern updates like scan and priority channels as well, but with that classic look and feel. I really want an updated 2000!
I had an old Cobra 29 LTD in the 1980's and wish I could afford to get back into it. I never want to own anything but a Cobra I met some cool people on mine that I turned into a base station
Off topic does height effect swr. If u have a antenna 15 foot with perfect swr then raise it 30 feet will swr change The thing that would be different is height the coax would be the same and location thanks
With you not changing coax length you should be fine but then again I'm running an old a99 and their pretty forgiving. I've done the same a few times without issue except after I installed metal roof on the house. That was a little tricky. Good luck! 👍
Excellent video Farpoint Farms :) yes loud on is horrible he pins my needle on 30 over when have 1/4 RF Gain and very ignorant person sorry say but true! Also yes I have 1989 & 1990 Cobra 29 LTD CLASSIC have mic on sides need get shop tech fix up and I have 2014 Cobra 29 LTD Classic with mic jack on front still in box and fire up every couple months to! Plus have Realistic and Uniden radios too one should try is Midland! Also should check watts on meter for Am and Fm see if differences on new Cobra !
@@FarpointFarms I like to had my share of 29 ones two from 1989 also 1990 ! Plus had 139XLR also 142 GTL base station one plus 2 was mobile wished keep was 146 GTL and Cobra 25 GTL Classic but sold them all except 2 of 29 models and 2014 model have! But might have get new 29 with am / fm try out too see like too!
Cobra is the company that partition the FCC to allow FM on CB band.many years late but we now have, The UK CB started FM CB in 1981. years back in 1970's we had 23Ch and TV in the US was NTSC format and CB would interfere with ch 2 and 3 the most.causing some tension. FM would have minimum this. That why the UK did FM only. with the switch to ATSC TV this is no longer a problem . some day a 2000 base with FM and SSB or a 148GTL with FM . years back I had Midland CB and they still have them. I miss Radioshack CB's . had a bunch and worked pretty good.
Why do virtually all CB radios specify a 13.8 volt input when many of them go into a vehicle with a 12 volt power source? Why not build radios for a 12 volt input and use an old computer ATX power supply for the power source when at home? That would give you the expected 12 volt source.
Car batteries actually sit at 12.6 Volts when fully charged and a running car's alternator puts out 13.4 on average. We call them 12 volt batteries and 12 volt systems, but 13 Volts is a lot closer to the truth.
Outstanding review as usual. Presently setting up the base station in my garage. Work bench and tool area does not allow much room for mounting options. Would using a metal mesh desktop organizer as a shelving unit for radio and power supply cause signal issues or just general problems with all the metal around the radio?
It can depending- Sometime metal can interfere with signals coming from equipment. You might have to play with it and see if it gives you trouble- I would love to hear your feedback. I am still setting up my new studio and space is limited for my radios
Yeah ok new 29ltd still worth only $119 cobra owes it to all to put FM in there radios without raising prices. If it's $200 best off buying another sideband radio . F M did not catch on near Pittsburgh PA. yet . Great informative video . So wheres the 148 gtl with FM ? They need bring that back with mb8729 Pll chips.
@@FarpointFarms I know everything's going up except people's incomes. Compared to some people's $100 per month contract cell phone bills' CB is best budget service if we can get more people on . In my area last loaded AM channels were in early 2000's local went silent since then even ch 19? I enjoy the sideband on 36-40 LSB. Still got an radios collected and sideband best deal was a 1988 cobra 148gtl stick in box at a hamfest $25 I got exports to ain't giving up.
With the nature of AM, it is never crisp and clean like FM. The best way to be heard would be to be loud. Not only the preamp microphone you'd want, but you'd definitely want to crack open the case and at the very least find the pot for the modulation limiter and turn that all the way up. I'm sure it violated FCC rules but it's not like we were hooking up a Linear Amplifier or something. If you wanted to be loud and proud and be heard, you did these things. FM is all different. The quiet people you can hear, if you turn your volume up. With VHF FM radios the squelch is often automatic now so you never hear the open air. The CB still has a manual squelch. But what I'm wondering is what it's going to sound like if you turn the modulation limiter up to get close to 120 percent as opposed to maybe only 85 percent. Will that make the FM sound better or will it splatter or something?
Nightwatch is super cool but they just missed the mark for me without SSB. Excellent price point though, I was expecting them to milk the new FM feature for a bit more money.
HEY FARPOINT FARMS i WOULKD BUY THAT COBRA IF IT WOULD HAVE USB AND LSB! I HAVE A PRESIDENT MC KINLEY AND THAT RADIO IS ONE OF THE BEST RADIO OUT THERE!
Thanks for the video. Do they make after market 12v plugs that would go into the back of these various CBs and then into the 12v socket for power? I want to be able to move it from car to car if I need to so don't want to hard wire it.
Thanks for the video on this particular model. I had a cb, can’t recall what I had back in the early eighties but only had it for a couple years. I’ve been wanting to get one now that my daughter lives 7 hours away and plus the wife and I like camping I figure I should get one. I was looking at the Cobra 29 LTD Classic AM/FM and almost purchased one over the weekend, glad I didn’t since I seen this video on the NW model, thank you for that. Now I have to wait till Friday before making the purchase, I did use your link and signed up to the Cobra club to get $20.00 off, again thank you for that as well. One question I have, when I calibrate the antenna ( looking to get the Wilson 1000 magnet roof top) should I be in AM or FM? Thank you, Scott
That guy you hear broadcast i hear super clear out my way too. I never can make contact with him, he knows what he is talking about, but talks so much i cant even contact my local people.....
are any of the mods/improvements the same with the new FM radios? I LOVE the 29 but really need that extra bit of power/audio on the road and the skip talking shown here is the exact reason why.
FM is maybe good for clear short range communication. AM with the much lower noise floor is much more pleasant to listen to weak stations with the squelch open. Weak FM signals start to stutter, a weak AM signal stays much longer in the air. AM also does not suffer from the 'capture effect'. Multiple FM signals suppress each other, only the strongest FM signal comes through, I think this is a major disadvantage if you listen to a weak station on a busy channel. In AM you hear all the stations. Personally, I like AM much better!
Im thinking about this purchase for my Standard 2018 Honda Pilot, moving to Wyoming... would I need a additional Antenna for the outside of my car, or would it work for me distance wise with just what comes in the orginal box as you opened it? Thank You in advance for the help. Tbis is more for my saftey in an emergency such as an accident, or to warn other drivers,truckers about road conditions or ask about road conditions etc...
Best buy offers the add on antenna for 40 bucks so I'll purchase that as well. Thank You in advance for the response. Lastly are these relatively easy to install in a standard vehicle? Im surebincould youtube that as well, but seeing as your very well informed wanted to ask. Thanks again, New Subscriber as well!
Since DAS industries bought Wilson antennas they have no service techs available.I hve a Little Will antenna that has gone awry and non consistent on the swr. Removing the bottom cover reveals moisture and some rust flakes dancing around but there is also some sort of small component like diode or a capacitor or something that is soldered onto the coax and covered with a piece of heat shrink tubing so tht you can't identify what it is or its electrical value. Wolcott nor some of the other dealers seem to know what it is either. DAS has no clue either. Do you know anything about the Little Will components? Time to trash everything Wilson? I think Hustler is still USA made.
Do you have an Anytone ARES II ? I have a new one still in the box that I would love to trade for one of these Cobra radios. The ARES II has to be self programmed and that is far over my abilities and I can't find anyone who can program it. Let me know. I'll even send the ARES II to you first. I just want a good radio I don't have to enter the frequencies.
