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Cobra 148 GTL Meter Part Number

Retro

Well-Known Member
Dec 26, 2015
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I've got one of the newer Chinese made Cobra 148 GTLs with the front facing microphone plug. I've used the thing for a decade or more now and the meter has gotten slightly deformed from the heat of that incandescant bulb so that the needle is stiff and doesn't move properly. I've found the part on cbworld(dot)com, but there are two different part numbers that look identical that list the 148 as a compatible radio.

C29
320006N001

Does anybody know what the difference is in those two part numbers? I've seen some of this style of meter that had a resistor across the back, but both of these list the 148 and are the 3 row meters. Mine does not have the resistor across the back. I'm just not sure if there's even a difference and would like to have as "plug and play" style of an experience as possible by ordering the correct part in the first place.
 

Other than price, I can't find any difference between the two.

*edit to add*

I "think" the C29 is manufactured by workman and the 320006N001 is the OEM part number, which would explain the price difference.
 
Last edited:
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Don't toss your damaged meter. With my grab bag of old meters, I sometimes replace damaged housings or use the scale plates on other meters. Switching the scale plates is usually not too difficult. The housing is held in place with scotch tape. I usually cut around it with a razor blade to help remove the tape.
 
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The after market and OEM part numbers makes sense. As long as it's accurate "enough" for normal operation then that's all I'm worried about; let me know if there's any major problems with my antenna, let me see whether I'm modulating properly, how strong incoming signals are, etc. I've got an external watt/SWR meter if I wanna get anal about accuracy.

As far as tossing the old meter, I didn't plan on it. Odd thing is, I actually prefer the OEM incandescent bulbs. They are less harsh on the eyes and seem to last a lot longer. I've gone through dozens of those cheap Chinese 12V 3mm LEDs and for a radio that's in the house and left on basically 24/7, you drive one with 13.8V 24/7 for a month or two and it burns out, but those incandescent ones do much better.

I've already ordered the C29 so if it seems wildly inaccurate, I believe, if I recall correctly, there's an adjustment point inside the radio for setting the meter. If there's not I may order the OEM one, heck I may order it anyway just to have a spare on hand. The radio itself is basically stock and I've used it for so long I pretty well know where that needle should land under various circumstances. I'll have to double check the manual to see if there is indeed an adjustment/calibration point for the meter. Hopefully it just works as intended out of the box, but I remember replacing one in a different radio for somebody else years ago and it showed wildly different readings than the one that came out. Then again, it was one of those "peaked and tweaked" finger jobs where somebody cranked everything and it bled for 13 channels, so the meter may have actually been accurate, :p
 
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Sometime try the newer “warm white” LED’s. Experiment with additional series resistance to tone down the brightness to your taste. I typically use 3.3K. The warm white LED’s have a little more yellow content, but unless you compare the two side by side, there’s not a huge difference. For me, a little more yellow is suitable to my eyes anyway. A single LED that is used with proper current limiting resistance is the key to longevity, it will outlast last any incandescent bulb hands down. The resistance on those ready made 12v LED's is simply too low. At least double that resistance if not more. I also usually go with a diffused 4mm for better coverage.
 

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