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Recent content by Christophe Barbe

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    Cobra 148GTL-DX/SS360-FM SWR meter/Calibrate issue

    Hi Andy, you certainly do not harass people, rather, I learn from you and you help folks. Your presence here is very valuable IMO. Back to the beep: I replaced every electrolytic connected with the beep, checked most but not all the resistors (ohmmeter and visually), no luck, same applies to...
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    Cobra 148GTL-DX/SS360-FM SWR meter/Calibrate issue

    Thanks Andy for coming back to me, must be a failed component as the solder side is genuine on this rig. The "peep" orange wire is also as it was ex factory. I'll have a look at these and come back to you with what i have found...
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    Cobra 148GTL-DX/SS360-FM SWR meter/Calibrate issue

    Hello Andi, thanks for all, and i am truly happy you did not waste your time with my issue. I am glad the radio works, i even got a record of its transmit audio and it's outstanding. I do have another 148GTL-DX from 1981 the second i bought from a friend, literally untouched (with the exception...
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    FURTHEST LOCAL NON-DX CONTACT?

    You sure have some terrain specificities in the path as fewer obstacles or some water area, maybe also helped by temperature inversion ducting. 100 mi is a LOT, taken into account the Earth curvature as upper HF, ie. 27mhz does not behave as long wave frequencies where there's ability to follow...
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    FURTHEST LOCAL NON-DX CONTACT?

    My take on the longest contact on CB without any help like: skip from ionosphere, tropo and any temperature related wave refraction back to Earth, elevated antenna system (on a hill) could be no more than 50 miles due to the curve of the Earth. Longer distances are due to the above "helping...
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    Cobra 148GTL-DX/SS360-FM SWR meter/Calibrate issue

    Hi Andy, finally had time to go on with the snake rig. Short story: it had a cut on the upper trace on the SWR board making a short. It was barely visible and i realized the continuity check on this trace had not been done yet. Actually the only one left, as i checked everything else. This...
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    Cobra 148GTL-DX/SS360-FM SWR meter/Calibrate issue

    Hi Andy, thanks for your time and your valuable explanations, this all for sure makes sense, and i'll find out, i need to, as i want this radio to work as it should. I had read and answered if i remember well, it's a PB010AB, so it's got the 145106. Also, the rig started to show again that power...
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    Cobra 148GTL-DX/SS360-FM SWR meter/Calibrate issue

    Hi Andy, yes this is a great idea which will be next tomorrow morning. I just had time today to re-mesure the 2 solder joints at the SWR PCB (red and blue arrows on your drawing) : my measurements on 20K multimeter position were false and good at the same time, I explain: it depends on polarity...
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    Cobra 148GTL-DX/SS360-FM SWR meter/Calibrate issue

    Hello Andy, I did the exact same way you did, -> 200 ohm outer solder joints as on pic and i have a short too -> I do have very similar readings (3.53-ish pot mid way) with testing ground and 3rd or 4th from left and depending on the position of the CAL pot on the front of the rig and according...
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    Cobra 148GTL-DX/SS360-FM SWR meter/Calibrate issue

    Oh great, thanks a LOT Andy, I'll do that today (Friday evening) after work see what readings I get and I'll report you what I find. So i'll be back soon...
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    Cobra 148GTL-DX/SS360-FM SWR meter/Calibrate issue

    Hi Andy, i solved the "self-oscillation" kind of symptom by reflowing solders related to ground on lots of places on the PCB. It helped, i had a nice 15 mn QSO to France flawlessly. SWR issue: still on going even after reflowing the solders of all the SWR-related circuit even the vertical board...
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    Cobra 148GTL-DX/SS360-FM SWR meter/Calibrate issue

    I still did not replace any cap in the driver and final area ; only from the DC in area (1000 uF caps) down to the mike socket area and not all of them (14 pcs if I remember well). Still, I may need to revisit the solder and reflow them and as I still have the OEM grey ones, I can put some of...
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    Cobra 148GTL-DX/SS360-FM SWR meter/Calibrate issue

    Thanks Andy for all the documentation, i'll take a look and report back to you. I appreciate very much your support indeed.
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    Cobra 148GTL-DX/SS360-FM SWR meter/Calibrate issue

    Yep Andy thanks again, i'll be doing this after work, this afternoon, I planned to reflow the solder joints of the replaced caps, i'll reflow the old connections to the chassis, and the old solder joints along the SWR path see what happens (I have already re-tightened the screws to the chassis...
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    Cobra 148GTL-DX/SS360-FM SWR meter/Calibrate issue

    Thanks Andy: I have controlled the resistors, and they are fine and like within 10% of 1kohm as per the schematics and I have also cleaned the switch and the rotary 5kohm potentiometer (contact 61 made electronics). Checked continuity from the resistors R255 and R256 up to the switch and beyond...