Corba 25 or 29

[Hossbaby50]

Who has used one of these CB's? I am looking to put a CB in my Dodge towrig/DD and really like the way the oldschool Cobra's look. I also like the fact that the higher end 25 & 29 have the weather channels which I really am after.

Any insight would be great. Thanks

Harley

 

[divorced]

Both are good radios with the only big difference being that the 29 has an SWR meter built in. In stock form both will transmit/receive the same distance. I don't really care about an SWR meter so I prefer the 25. It's smaller and cheaper too. Stay away from anything that says "Sound Tracker". These radios are sometimes called "Sound Crappers".

I do some work on mine to make them louder and get out farther, and the 25's can be louder then the 29's. I add an echo board, swap out the driver and final transistor with parts for a Galaxy radio, install a "swing kit" (which is just a capacitor and a resistor), swap out some resistors and capacitors, add some capacitors, tune the coils, and sometimes cut the modulation limiter.

 

[Hossbaby50]

Thanks for the advice. I have a couple questions for you. You say stay away from Sound Tracker but one of the most important features the radio has to have is the weather channels and if I buy the Cobra 25 or 29 with weather channels is comes with the "sound crapper". Am I SOL on getting the best of both worlds?

What is a good antenna to match it? I have a Wilson 1000 magmount on my K5 but was wondering if I should go with something more permanent on the Dodge towrig this new radio is destine for. Thanks

Harley

 

[Z3PR]

Thanks for the advice. I have a couple questions for you. You say stay away from Sound Tracker but one of the most important features the radio has to have is the weather channels and if I buy the Cobra 25 or 29 with weather channels is comes with the "sound crapper". Am I SOL on getting the best of both worlds?

What is a good antenna to match it? I have a Wilson 1000 magmount on my K5 but was wondering if I should go with something more permanent on the Dodge towrig this new radio is destine for. Thanks

Harley

I used too like the older Cobra 29 LTD Classic myself. I prefer the ones made in the Philippines. You can see where it was made on the tag on the back of the radio. The ones made in the Philippines seam too be of higher quality. (Ebay can be a good place too shop for CB radios) I modifie my radios. Peak and tune, swap out the 29's finals for 148's finals. It's all about the modulation, not carrier power. Put some swing in that thing. As for a antenna, That Wilson 1000 is a pretty good antenna. I'd personally go with a 102" Stainless Steel whip if you have the room. Anymore, I don't bother with strait AM CB's. It's gotta have sideband for me. But a strait AM CB would be find for the trails I guess. I get into DXing, so sideband is a must for me. Well, I've gotten away from regular CB's and more into the export radios.

 

[k5blazin]

Yup i have a cobra 25 with the sound tracker and it does suck...ill be getting a new one without it here shortly..

 

[divorced]

You can try the sound tracker radio, and if you don't like it, the sound tracker feature can be disabled by doing something inside the radio. I had a radio that I disabled the sound tracker in and it worked great. It's been about 5 years since I've done it, and I've only done it once, so I don't remember exactly what needs done. It was easy to do though.

Are there any CB shops near you? They may be able to remove it.

The antenna type depends on how you want it to look. I'm all about performance, so I use a 102" whip. The big whip isn't everyone's cup of tea though... If you go with a permanent mount and want smaller antennas, check out the Francis antennas. They are fiberglass whips and do real well, and only cost about $12 each.

 

[Hossbaby50]

I know of a few good CB shops that I pass in AZ and CO so I might ask them on disconnecting the sound tracker on a Cobra 25. I think that will probably be the radio I get for my Dodge. The next choice will be antenna's and how to mount them. I like the way dual fiberglass whips look but I also like the way my Wilson 1000 works too. I know that I can do a permanent mount with a Lil' Will or a 1000 but am not 100% on what I want to do yet. Thanks for the advice.

Harley

 

[divorced]

Do you have an aluminum tool box? What year is the Dodge and how nice is it? Do you mind drill holes for a mount?

Here is a pic of the 2 Francis antennas on my '95. I have the mounts screwed to the stake pockets in the front of the bed and it works real well like this. You could do it similar to this with a toolbox also.