CBradiomagazine Cobra 200 GTL DX Test CB Radio

[EmpireLS56KW]

WOW the back lit display was wicked cool on the snake, don't get that with 148 GTL-DX!

[djpate246]

is this superstar.....?

[generallee12]

... Im jealous. lol. My 29 WX NW ST with echo has nothing on this radio!!

[lowsg69]

one ?

i have a cobra exactly like this one just the radio itself

living in southern california were would be a good place to purchase

the power cord and antenna also a pa system plz help me out

from one cb enthusiast to another thanks

[coheher]

It is not a bad radio, but the frequency display is a joke, very inaccurate in the kHz and 100Hz digits. For those digits, it is not a frequency counter but a voltage sensitive indicator, tied to the coarse and fine frequency adjusters. Assuming it is calibrated correct in the factory for the center setting of that adjuster (which it mostly is not), it will be totally off at the edges of the coarse adjuster. I cannot understand why Cobra got cheap on this issue for an otherwise decent radio.

[96xr400]

i want to find one of these radios where can you get one

[MegaBigste]

i do agree with certain comments about earlier versions of this radio,i have a revision six and have no problems wotso ever,nite watch works great,output power is ver good,about 70 to 80 on sideband,and 30 on fm,make sure if you fancy one of these radios that you get a ew one,as for looks it in my opinion looks super,.the old 148s were not without there issues remember that,mine kept blowing its carrier regulator, i like this radioi!

[sweetgyy]

for that matter ill get a real ham radio for the money

[anginka]

Pure Beuty!!

I've got 148GTL Made In Chicago 1990

3 years younger than me :D

Quite big i want to put my at home, and find something smaller for the car, or buy Cobra 2000 to put at home, and keep 148 at car :D

[2627mhz]

This radio is over rated once again.

[JTLAGG]

how do you turn on the night watch lights ?????

[JTLAGG]

how do you turn on the night watch lights ??????? how do you get it to aliumninate ? thanx

[dxcc62]

This Radio is not really Good

[animalcorvair]

@dxcc62 they later ones are not bad i have one in my chevy 4x4 kicks ass ..not as good as a galaxy 88 but not bad i have run them all

[scottishsanny]

148 GTL - DX..... The daddy,,, never to be beaten... fuck the rest.... bn usin them since 1981.. no probs...

[animalcorvair]

i like mine  ..but mine is the newer one

[morgietheblackdog]

The Edsel of radios for Cobra. Bad design and assembly practices resulted an early demise. The finals were not in contact with the heat sink. The first long QSO resulted in the transistor finals smoking.

Piece of crap. Couldn't give me one.

Echo sucks, as well. Sounded better with it off.

[morgietheblackdog]

The Edsel of radios for Cobra. Bad design and assembly practices resulted an early demise. The finals were not in contact with the heat sink. The first long QSO resulted in the transistor finals smoking.

Piece of crap. Couldn't give me one.

Echo sucks, as well. Sounded better with it off.

[morgietheblackdog]

The Edsel of radios. They got a bad rap early on because of poor design and assembly problems. For one, the final transistors were mounted in such a way that they never touched the heat sink. First long QSO resulted in them heating up to the point of destruction.

Damn echo...

By the time they fixed the bug, it was too late.

JUNK... Couldn't give me one.

[MrJohnnyrace]

Has anybody had problems with their 200 ?? I have heard a lot of people having problems with them. I spoke with the local Tech. he said not to buy one.

[77whatzup]

nice radio, sounds good

[243270357]

get you a Galaxy!! that is if you want to be able to get out of your yard. and I'm back quiet, 236 the BOBCAT just got down!! Central North Carolina we gettin UP!!!

[digzdirt]

@243270357 get yourself a ranger !

[maurilucca]

...good!

[KOMARpce]

nice radio

[Silverado307]

2yrs of problem free 11m operation. Peaked to 140watts. The standard mike is poorly constructed good sound though. Replaced with rk56. All other 2pill radios output 250watts,cobra 140max. For the cash still a good purchase. Dr.jeckyl on the side at 27.1850

[weazlechin]

they dont sound great with the stock mic, but i use an astatic teardrop and it really does sound special now

[die74801]

I wish my STRYKER sounded that good...

[offroadaznet]

I must say it is a NOT a ham radio it has echo and a rodger beep two sure signs of a CB radio. also these radio sound really bad on sideband no audio bandwidth at all very thin sounding. Get a old 148 gtl or uniden grant with funnies and an open clarifier and you will be set.

[leemer12]

oh yea forgot to mention even at that being a 10m radio still illegal to be sold within the united states, cause you don't see the FCC sticker on the back do you? All radios sold in the US must go thru a test center before being sold in the US. The purpose is to make sure the radio meets all the requirments of the FCC if they didn't do that you would have RF all over the place! Trashing everything

[leemer12]

This is NOT a CB and looks like it has been converted to 11m which is illegal to use in the US of A.

[digzdirt]

@leemer12 i runa cobra 200 all the time they hardly monitor the AM band i also own a ranger ham radio sideband b am

27185 for channel 19

[LAZYDOG505]

hey john if you look on the video there diffentley talking on the 11 meter cb band 38 lower sideband

[ospreymate]

Ya Correct.

Lazydog your right...

CH 38 = 27.385 (mid Band D ) CB Frequency

It may be a ham Radio !!! but its TX on CB.

What harm is that????

[leemer12]

because it is illegal in the US to use on CB band and there are alot of free banders spread out everywhere from 25.900- 28.000 sometimes higher than that. causing QRM to different services. ie high band CB in UK, ulitily stations and yes even HAMS. All those mistuned over modulated radios and amps on 11m trash 10m operators at times. How many times has a ham interfered with a 11m operator? and if he did oh well its the 11m ops problem.

[johnlwilkers]

This is NOT a CB radio. It is a ham radio.  You CBers stay away from our bands!!!!

[akabambam173]

I would think that most would realize this is a 10 meter but how many do you think stay stock and are not bought for the purpose of converting?.......OH wait that's right! That's why I bought mine! And no I don't talk on YOUR bands as you put it. And may the F.C.C. have fun chasing me! BamBam 173 Death Valley Az

[jumpinprods]

Who cares dude... As long as he transmits on 11 meter ,, you can't say a damn thing to him. 73's

[LAZYDOG505]

boy that voice sounds fimular almost sounds like sparks 454

[kwarnisplayer]

Is this radio newer than the 148 GLT? Where is it sold. Can't find it on the internet...

[cbtalker205]

you maen tha Cobra 148 GTL? yes it is if the 148 is an export model

[scott231us]

I love mine.. I bought mine online at Peanuts CB Shop. They had the best prices on the internet.

[dazzazmc]

alot of people put these radios down. they say its shit. how the hell would they know if they dont own one??. i own one and it was the best choice i ever made. i have only had it about 2-3 months and already i have QSL'D differend divisions in europe. on tripple 5. if any one is thinking of buying one for dx-ing on ssb get one you wont do wrong. 73's 26-RSN-111

[lifeslittleoutcast]

I imported one from america, Im absoloutely overjoyed with mine, its a wonderful radio,and such a bargain,people who slag them off must have bought the early version or second hand. you have to trat these radios with respect and earth them properly and also, give them enough amps to run at full song, mine draws 21 amps at full tilt, what a radio. 73's and good dx mate.

[lifeslittleoutcast]

the only problem I have encountered was on a freinds 200, he tried a power mic and the finals got too hot because it was driving too hard for too long, once we re soldered the finals back in and went back to a standard mic the rig was back to normal, a brilliant radio, I love mine, just dont use power mics with them.

[dazzazmc]

i did use a power mic but no problems occured. the only thing i didnt like about the power mic was that the audio wasnt clean. so i went back to the standard mic for perfectly clean audio. dont you think it looks sexy in the dark with nightwatch on.

[lifeslittleoutcast]

yep, you are dead right,it has to be one of the best looking radios ever made,better perhaps than a magnum s9? I really wish cobra hadnt rushed these radios onto the market like they did,if they had just taken more time to get em right these radios could've been such a legend,just like the 148. a guy at work,a very good freind of mine,was a radio guy in the army,even he commented on the build quality of the 200,as he repaired the damaged one.just goes to show eh?

[lifeslittleoutcast]

I do like s9's I justwish people wouldn't crank the mic gain all way up on them on fm, you always hear them overmodding and the needles bouncing when they talk, yeah sure the 200's arent as loud,but they are a lot smoother sounding. lol.

[dxheaven]

Any idea what the driver is for the 2SC2290 finals? Thanks.

[Timber30472]

Here is a Q, Why wasnt the meter showing the diffrence of the low, high power exc? Why didnt you show the meter on the recieve radio instead of the brodcasting radio? To see how the diffrent output levels of the 200 GTL realy come out and how much diffrence it would make to ones reception of the 200 GTL.

[cbradiomagazine]

The meters on most radios are completely inaccurate. For a true measure of output power you need an external meter. What the meter shows for receive really doesn't mean much as well, the radio had very good receive. Often one radio will show 5 S units while another will show 3 S units yet on both radios you will hear the transmitting station at the same volume and signal strength. Never trust a meter.

[MegaBigste]

@cbradiomagazine i agree with ur comments about signal meter,irelevant signal strenth ect.

[carnalorganicanagram]

nice cb its exactly like the cobra 150gtl

[btstma123]

where can i find mods online to turn up my cobra 29?

[jhenny55]

Cobra 29 and 29 classics are better

[humormeplease]

Try a Connex...you'll love it.

[chippydick111]

The worst radio ever made under the cobra name.

i was glad to get rid of it a complet piece of rubbish

[lifeslittleoutcast]

they got it right on the later ones rev3's and such

[foolinlove88]

Hope it does the trick for you Bud!! Looks complicated!! LOL-Peace

[TB2NCC]

verry good cb radio...

[jeffschefke]

well thay are not cb radios to start you have to mod it i had one for 2 1/2 years it is on ebay now dos not work now but it can be fixed with some wook it has the cb mod it is a good radio for a free bander and a ham but dont freeband the fcc is up now stay on the 40 cb ch and yes to all im a ham (kd8hln)to all that are going to buy one have a tec do the mod ti is not easy my radio on ebay needs pills and finels thank you

[lostboyuk1956]

I bought one,having owned a 148gtl dx for many years~it was a pile of junk in comparison,I`ve since read who made the internal board~no wonder its a piece of crap.

Since bought a Magnum s9~Far superior.

Don`t touch this with a barge pole its complete rubbish.

[Dflip003]

how can you reach other business radios in your area on an AM radio?

[Megddio]

The internal design is so poorly thought out it beggars belief.

The NightWatch technology was superb for nightime mobile use, all mobile rigs should have this! I would expect Cobra to further refine and develop this chassis, calling it a Ham Radio is a bit of a liberty given its current performance, my old Cobra 2000GTL would run rings around it in terms of well thought out design and quality, so back to the drawing board Cobra!

[FEZMADHEAD]

I have a revison three of the 200gtldx and its still has the same faults of the rev 1 & 2 albeit they seem not so bad.I still cant get it to shift to an honest zero frequency but it does get close.The counter is also useless and the RF leakage from this radio is awfull.All my HF stuff and other 11m radios dont spatter about at all!

[dxheaven]

These things have a poor reputation in the UK where they're sold primarily for ssb use - however, the audio sounds 'clipped' & the coarse shift will not track enough to reach the zero's (ie - 27.560Mhz) Makes a pretty door stop.

[tattoodtruckr]

i'm not a big fan of Cobra's.i have a Magnum S-9 that i bought 2 years ago.probably the best radio i've ever owned.should i decide to buy a new radio it'll be a Galaxy 95T or 99.

[14ZK058]

Nice matérial ! the cobra is just a little too expensive !

73's

[RaiioDude]

I have a Cobra 200 GTL DX for mobile use. I am Getting 180 watts SSB and 140 watts am. Great power BUT BIG BUT HERE....The modulation is low on am great on SSB. I am using a Browning open coil antenna. I get good reports but I would buy a Magnum S9 or a Galaxy top of the line and get GREAT REPORTS.

[cbradiomagazine]

I don't know which switch you are talking about but everything except for the 10 khz switch works after the conversion. The 10 khz does not work after conversion - it won't effect your use of the radio that it no longer works.

[darrenm1eqn]

You say the Control frequency switch doesnt work after the 11m conversion . Can you explain what this control does and if it is hadicapped by not having it ... Thanks Darren

[cbradiomagazine]

Please see my comments below in regards to their quality and their output. Thank you!

[rockintheswamps]

Hi im thinking of buying a cobra 200 gtl..can you tell are they good radios and how many watts they will do on high and low on am and sideband?thnaks!!!!!!!

[cbradiomagazine]

Type: 10 meter (export radio) - will cover 11 meters after conversion

Frequency range: 28 to 29.7 MHz from factory - 26.0650 to 29.6950 after conversion

RF power: 4 watts low power - 30 watts high power (deadkey)

Transistors: Dual 40-watt SC2290 finals

Control frequency switch: 10 kHz - does not work after conversion to 11 meters

Bands: 4

AM/FM: Yes

SSB: Yes, 100+ watts

Channels: 320 (80 per switch setting)

Warranty: 1 year parts and labor

[cbradiomagazine]

The radio will work on all CB channels after the conversion and will have expanded range beyond that....

[cbradiomagazine]

To do the mod you are basically just removing the surface mount resistor located at R138 and moving it to the open spot immediately above at R619. Please visit the cbtricks website for info and pictures on this modification.

[cbradiomagazine]

Frequency Conversion for Cobra 200 GTL

1. Remove power from the radio.

2. Remove the covers and locate the TMP87PP21DF Microprocessor near the front right of the unit.

3. Locate and Remove the surface mount Resistor R138 to the left side of the Microprocessor

4. Install the resistor that you removed from R138 to the R619 pads.

5. Remove Power from the radio by disconnecting the Power leads for 15 seconds to reset the

Microprocessor.

[cbradiomagazine]

Okay guys - there is way too much mis-information being posted here. I'm the one who did this video - I also posted a full review on the cbradiomagazine website so that you can learn more about this radio.

This radio IS a DUAL FINAL RADIO it uses (2) SC2290 although the first run versions used the mosfet transistors but not anymore.

[cbradiomagazine]

The first and second versions of these radios had some problems, but in the third run that they are now selling Cobra claims all the problems have been fixed.

[cbradiomagazine]

You can see around 80-100 watts on AM and 120-140 on SSB depending on how it is tuned. Claims of anything higher are by people with happy meters or people who have peaked the radios so much they will only last a week.

My Cobra 200 stopped modulating on SSB after 2 months of use. Cobra refunded my money. I would not buy another one unless it was the 3rd version where the problems havd been solved.

[matt9c1]

From a guy who hates cb , that was a pretty decent video.

[gasjocker19]

ha ha i guess ur right

[jeffschefke]

2 plls for side band

[Kcy101]

Does anbody know if this radio does cb am at full pwr

[gasjocker19]

what kind of full power? full legel power or full power within the radio? i know usb and ssb are 12 watts

[bearprovedyouwrong]

The fact that the radio goes above 40 and below channel one in itself makes it illegal along with the fact it has FM that's illegal as well but, nobody said it was legal and the chances of getting caught are close to the same as winning the Powerball.

[Kcy101]

lets just say...does it do CB

[gasjocker19]

well yeah it does cb im shure you can send ur signal way farther with this radio than a walmart mobile

[superbeartube]

Don't forget about the antenna that's equally important.

[bearprovedyouwrong]

After modification it will go to all 40 CB channels.

[pakko72]

To my it seems to me a good very complete equipment and I practice. I have one of those.

[jeffschefke]

ballbreaker1900

it is good if you know how to mod on a new bord

[ballbreaker1900]

radio is a peace of shit. go with the galaxy 95 and hear it speaker

[bearprovedyouwrong]

them galaxy 95s are the piece of crap full of ground loop problems RF getting back into the mic circuit and galaxies typical out of sink asyncronous sideband mode. Getting the TX and RX in sink requires a very good radio tech to syncronise.

[bearprovedyouwrong]

Virtually all Export CB radios are junk in comparison to a FCC type accepted one such as an old 148 GTL.When you use an exotic CB for the extra power channels and features you sacrifice durability, i.e You can drive a viper 160 miles and hour plus but drive it fast over a bumpy field and it falls apart same as a CB.

[patchcords]

LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOLm LOL

[calbaja]

Good video and great CBradiomagazine website.

[27A1]

Nice Cobra radio.

73s

[psyfertech]

very nice, why did he keep sayin auuuuuuuuuudio

[akdude47]

Lot of the problems that this radio has is idiot techs who can't work with surface mount boards like this rig has. The early models had problems, the latest batches sound good and have had some issues fixed. For the price, you can't beat this rig. Freq display, 100 watts out, all mode, night watch display. It is mainly a SSB rig. If you want a loud AM radio, keep looking.

[BruceZL1AAO]

I have a 148 GTLDX needing a dust off someplace. That 200 sounded good! I always got great reports with my Cobra.

[norom117]

thes radios however they are very good sounding radios. i do not like the craftsmanship, i do not like some of the features that cant be turned off, and i do not like there lack of durability. ranger 2950 or magnum s-9 any day

[Trollpunisher]

I agree with you norom117 the Ranger 2950 or magnum s-9 are more stable radios except for one flaw in the older 2950s the channel rejection was awful. Add a rejection filter kit and then there Greeat! The only other thing i don't like about rangers is there is virtually no analog Metors or knobs on the radio and that takes some of the fun out of it.

[umpalumpa101909]

i have a harvard 402 mpa  :( lol im in cardiff under the name of raven claw :D

[OneNitro]

Most of those Cobra 200GTL's are junk radios.

[czbaby12]

How did you mod it to work on cb frequencies

[plinkplonk234]

Not a touch on the old 148 GTL or 148 GTLDX

[bigfootkeith]

I'll take a couple... what the damage?

[bigfootkeith]

Nice radio, I'll have 2!

[frogman296]

nice likin that...keep it up ... i think your on lsb .. the knobs are a lil hard to see.. oh well good stuff looks sweet at night

[frogman296]

nice likin that...keep it up ... i think your on lsb .. the knobs are a lil hard to see.. oh well good stuff looks sweet at night

[charlie0scar]

that sounds better than the ones ive heard here in the uk , where you on lsb for that test ?

[heavyweighttrucker]

Read the reports around the net form people who bought this thing and you will soon understand that these is the biggest piece of junk that they every built! Anyone who buys one must be cheap or out of there minds!

[zeproo]

hey PLEASE put more tests like these on youtub + also try FM and AM modulation THANXXXXXXXX

[cubwolf]

Nice looking radio but i have heard lots of bad things :-(