Tunring up a cobra 150 gtl/dx

need to get a watt meter hooked up to then go the where the final is and look aroung for a tuning slug marked L38 and that is the baby you have to turn in order to power down this radio.

http://www.cbtricks.com/

Open radio up and adjust rv9for am fm high power or rv 14 for ssb for high power,do not use a screwdriver,a matchstick would be better.board information is available from cb tricks.com

sounds like the dead key might be set to high on the high side and you're not gettin any swing.

The output stages were very poor on these radios and if it still has warranty I would contact Cobra for an upgrade or replacement....

you do not do it by resistance. To turn up the radio it is a variable resistor. What you do is connect a watt meter that can read PEAK or PEP watts AND AVERAGE or dead key watts.

First you check it on avg watts. Hook the radio up in line with the watt meter and set it on avg watts. key the radio. Stock is 4 watts. A lot of times when you peak a radio, you lower the dead key.(thats keying with no audio.) This allows you to get more modulation wattage, or swing wattage. If that has been done it will probably do 2 or 3 watts. If it has had the AM power raised in it, it could be more, this is no good. You want your dead key a bit lower.

Now check it on peak. Flip the meter to peak and make an AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH noise into the radio. It should swing to anywhere between 15 and 20 watts.

You adjust the AMC while giving it audio and watching the meter on peak to adjust the modulation. 4 watts is legal modulation.

you can write to parts department requesting price if you have a truck stop around you which has a cb shop they can sell u one

On the meter you are using, does it mesure Average power or peak envelope power?

This is very important to know when you are measuring.

AVG measures basically your dead key. It usually will very little if at all.

PEP measures your peak output, or swing. Modulation.

So even if you have a radio that has been peaked, on a meter that reads AVG, it will still read around 3 to 4 watts. And, if it has a swing kit in it, it will read even less. A swing kit lowers the dead key it increase modulation. Higher PEP.

For example. I peaked my cobra 29 and it does some where around 22 -25 watts PEP. I have variable power in it as well, but usually run the dead key at 2 watts because I have a linear. The Radio alone, when mesureing on PEP with key up at 2 watts, and then when you talk, swings to about 22 -25 watts.

If I flip the meter to AVG, it stays at 2 watts even with talking.

If you have one of those cheap pyramid meters, etc, they usually only read AVG.

Get a meter from radioshack. They have a fairly decent radio for the money. It reads both PEP and AVG and has SWR as well.

If the radio has been peaked and it has a swing mod, it will most likely be swinging to some where in the 20 watt range.

On a side note. According to FCC regulations, a CB radio is only allowed to transmit with 4 watts of final power. Most times the manufacturer will have it a hair under so that they are leagal.

Basically it is illegal to use a CB that puts out more then 4 Watts.

But its a free for all these days. There is no more funding to the FCC for monitoring CB radio, so they do not want anything to do with it. As long as you don't over do it, have over 50000 watts and terrorize a small community with RF, you can do what you want.

Now a days most cb radio's bought have already been peaked if you got it from a cb shop, or off a website that does it.

Look into the Workman Saturn B100 antenna. It's what I would use.

I believe it's 2.5 amp,but you could get away with a 3-5 amp.