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Can you use a generic cigarette lighter adapter for a Cobra 29?

garydan

garydan

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I just bought a cobra 29 ltd classic, and I got a cigarette lighter adapter from walmart (along with a cheap antenna for now) and attached it to the power cord of the radio. I'm wondering if the voltage isn't enough.

All I get is a light humming noise from the radio. Moving all the dials...etc.. doesn't do anything. Once I get home today, I'll hook it up more permanently do see if it makes a difference.
 
Should work fine but you might get some engine whine through it. Do you have your mike hooked up along with your antenna ? Remember you need to check your swrs on your antenna cause if they are to high you will blow up the radio also don't ever key up up the radio with out the antenna hooked up or you will blow it up also.
 
Sounds pretty easy to "blow up the radio" for a $100 piece of electronics. I had the mike and antenna hooked up, but its as if the mike didn't work at all. If I hit the button on the mike it did recognize it and try to transmit. There is no sound coming out of the mike at all. I'll try and do the SWRS calibration now to see if that helps any. I was expecting to at least hear some static when I turned the volume up.
 
With the newer radios it's very hard to kill them in stock form. The final transistor has a limiting circuit that will shut it down if the SWR's are too high on x-mit. Also, if the antenna is not tuned to the proper wave length, your recieve (or RX) will be less sensitive as well.

Have you owned CB's before or is this your first radio?
 
Where do you plan on mounting it? That'll make a big difference. You want 2/3's of the antenna above the highest metal point on the vehicle. With a fiberglass antenna like the Firestik, the tightly wound section of the coil at the top (top loaded antenna) is easier to mounted where it will work.

I prefer Wilson Silverload antennas to Firestiks. Wilson even makes one that will flex well enough to live a decent life on an off road rig. I believe it's called the FireFly, but it's been a while since I've looked into them.

I went with a 102" S/S whip and have not looked back. With a 6" S/S extension (or spring if you feel like running them). Perfect SWR's w/o any tuning or adjusting, can be mounted almost anywhere as long as 2/3's of it are above the roof line. I can also fold the antenna back till the tip touches the ground behind my Cherokee and no breakage.

Plan on running one on the K5 when it's time to install a CB.
 
The reason your 102 " whips works so well is because of the spring you added. The ideal length is 108" with the big whips. I agree on the wilsons much easier to tune.
 
I know this is an old thread, but how did you mount your 102"? Back in the day, I had one on my S10 but it was with a bumper clamp and I ended up losing it while offroading one day.

I've seen those ball mounts, but most are plastic and I dont need to lose connectivity or break it from weather rot. Plus I think it'd trap water under the base plate and would rot the metal around it. I was thinking a bumper mount again, but something better than the clamp I used years back.
 
cabledawg said:
I know this is an old thread, but how did you mount your 102"? Back in the day, I had one on my S10 but it was with a bumper clamp and I ended up losing it while offroading one day.

I've seen those ball mounts, but most are plastic and I dont need to lose connectivity or break it from weather rot. Plus I think it'd trap water under the base plate and would rot the metal around it. I was thinking a bumper mount again, but something better than the clamp I used years back.
Click to expand...

See my thread in this forum. "K5 Got her ears on..."
 
I'll have to check it when I get home tomorrow. I was trying to see what you did but the gov computer wont let me see the pics :(
 
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