Hi all! I recently decided to make the jump to better quality radios after having an entry level Cobra 19 for about 2 years now. It actually has served me well on the road. I decided I wanted to step up to another and I bought a Cobra 25 WX NW ST brand new. I also came across a Cobra 29 WX that needs some love for free. The CB shop about 25 miles away from me quoted me $30 to fix the 29 up and transmit again. I have a bit of a dilemma on which one I want to use now as I want to lower the deadkey to >2 watts for my everyday use, as I don't want to hack up into my brand new 25 if it doesn't require it in case I want to undo it down the road. So I was curious on the procedure of lowering the deadkey on the 25 so I can decide if I would rather do it to my already hacked up 29. Thank you!
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Cobra 25 WX NW ST Lowering the Deadkey Question?
- Thread starter Sinonymous
- Start date
If you are just wanting a lower deadkey, you just have to remove a jumper, and add a resistor. What are you trying to accomplish exactly?
I bought a RM Italy KL-203P that is new to play with. I know a lot of people hate on them, but I wanted to play with one before getting a better one. I read that they do well with 1.5 watt DKs. Plan on putting a fan on it.
If it was me, I would leave the 25 alone and have your tech fix up the 29. The 25 should sound pretty clean stock, then you could compare stock vs the modified 29. It is always nice to have a tech checkout a used radio anyways. I'd have him install a variable deadkey in the back and have him tune it at 1.5 watts and mark the pot where he tuned it.
A variable power is the way to go!! May want to have the variable dead key go down to about .5 watts. Some of the threads I've read abou the RM Italy amps is that the ratings for power are very inflated. Adding an NPC mod might help too and keeping the PEP power on AM to no more than 6-10 watts. On SSB, 12 watts max is where I would keep it. But for AM, these amps do not require much input drive at all to get them to the proper carrier level. This is just what I have read many times and there are many threads on these amps here on this forum explaining exactly what it took to produce a clean signal using the proper equipment. Wasn't much power surprisingly. Anyways. Just some food for thought. And I agree with 338 as well about the cobra 29 being the radio to use. Keep it clean and limiters intact. Have a good one and hope some of this helps. 338 is right about having a good tech check out the radio as well and adding the variable dead key and a tune and alignment as well. Again, have a good one, and best of luck.
73 and God Bless.
73 and God Bless.
To be honest, I wish you would have done some research before you bought the Cobra 25 WX NW ST. Probably one of the worst radio's Cobra ever stamped their name on. The soundtracker radio's have earned the nickname of soundcrapper. Something like a Galaxy 919 would have been a great choice, it already has variable dead key control on the front of the radio. Next up for a great price is a Galaxy 949 in case you want to try SSB.
At this point I would find a cb shop that does good tech work and either have your 29 fixed up, or have then check the 25 over and add variable power or a hi lo switch. Good luck.
At this point I would find a cb shop that does good tech work and either have your 29 fixed up, or have then check the 25 over and add variable power or a hi lo switch. Good luck.
I personally like the Sound Tracker. If you want to monitor a channel the ST acts like a automatic gain control knocking a lot of static/white noise out.
If you get an amp with variable power, you can turn the power on the amp down and run the 4 watt dead key into it. I have a KL 503 the amp works great with a 4 watt dead key with the power level on 1.
However anything higher than 1 could cause damage to the amp.
If you get an amp with variable power, you can turn the power on the amp down and run the 4 watt dead key into it. I have a KL 503 the amp works great with a 4 watt dead key with the power level on 1.
However anything higher than 1 could cause damage to the amp.
The whole soundtracker thing was designed to work when the person you are talking to ALSO has a soundtracker radio. Any way glad you like yours, there are plenty for sale on e-bay for next to nothing. When yours breaks you can just buy another one for 20 bucks.
IIRC, there is Cobra service bulletin that explains how to disable SoundTracker. Other than that, it is still the same radio chassis as will work just fine w/o it. Done this to a 148GTL; so I know it works on that - too . . .
Can you post the info from Cobra that it requires two radios? As far as I understand it work as intended just by itself. Cannot tell a difference between people who are running ST or not.
http://www.angelfire.com/fl2/cbradiorepair/cobramods.html
Here is one quick link I found, the information is in many different places on the web and numerous forums.
But thats no from Cobra, its just another radio myth that got started and now everyone believes you need two radios for Sound Tracker to work correctly.
The Sound Tracker only operates as a expander/compressor for RX/TX, in mobile applications it actually helps a lot.
Straight from a Cobra service manual
JoeDirt,
for a "compander" arrangement to work correctly, both the receiving and the transmitting station should be equipped with the technology.
This tech was actually developed for the telephone industry, but made it's way into the two way radio world. Secret CB tried to sell a kit that was basically the same thing as the sound tracker technology, and they called it the "Voice Signal Booster 1" or "VSB1". you can read about it in volumes around 7-10.
the transmitting station's signal is compressed, and then the receiving station expands the compressed signal.
obviously the radios will work whether the other station has the tech or not, but the tech won't be helpful in those situations, and some say it actually makes things worse than if neither radio had it.
i will see if i can find some of Cobra's old literature from back when they thought it would work well. LOL
LC
for a "compander" arrangement to work correctly, both the receiving and the transmitting station should be equipped with the technology.
This tech was actually developed for the telephone industry, but made it's way into the two way radio world. Secret CB tried to sell a kit that was basically the same thing as the sound tracker technology, and they called it the "Voice Signal Booster 1" or "VSB1". you can read about it in volumes around 7-10.
the transmitting station's signal is compressed, and then the receiving station expands the compressed signal.
obviously the radios will work whether the other station has the tech or not, but the tech won't be helpful in those situations, and some say it actually makes things worse than if neither radio had it.
i will see if i can find some of Cobra's old literature from back when they thought it would work well. LOL
LC
well it looks like joedirt is right about the fact that cobra never said that both radios needed the tech.
probably a suggestion from the marketing dept. i figure.
that doesn't mean that it's not so, just that cobra never admitted to it.
if it helps anyone understand the tech being used, here is the datasheet for the IC cobra used in it's ST radios.
this was posted by a friend of mine on another forum and he deserves the credit for finding it.
LC
probably a suggestion from the marketing dept. i figure.
that doesn't mean that it's not so, just that cobra never admitted to it.
if it helps anyone understand the tech being used, here is the datasheet for the IC cobra used in it's ST radios.
this was posted by a friend of mine on another forum and he deserves the credit for finding it.
LC
But thats no from Cobra, its just another radio myth that got started and now everyone believes you need two radios for Sound Tracker to work correctly.
The Sound Tracker only operates as a expander/compressor for RX/TX, in mobile applications it actually helps a lot.
Straight from a Cobra service manual
The article I posted the link to hits the nail right on the head, believe what you want.
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