PDA

View Full Version : New to forum. Looking at base station. Need advice please and thank you



odoil071
01-20-2020, 07:47 PM
Hey everyone. New to the forum.. I'm looking at a local Cobra 142 gtl. He told me this base has the regular 40 channels in it but has been modified with 5 extra bands. it has upper and lower side bands plus an extra switch to go 100 channels below channel one, and4 more switches to go over 300 more channels above channel 40.. is it a pain to run this? What's your opinion?

JesseJamesDallas
01-20-2020, 08:09 PM
Only way you would be able to talk on those extra channels is to either have separate antennas tuned for those frequencies, or a "antenna tuner" to where you could tune for those frequencies...Plus, if you plan on getting on the 10-12 meter band, it would be in your best interest to get your HAM License...

I guess if the price is right, it wouldn't be a issue to have a radio with all the funny channels, but realistically, you probably won't hardly ever use them and will spend most of the time on the regular 40 CB Channels and SSB...

I can say that because one of my Base radios is the RCI 2980wx which has a boat-load of channels, and I've had my share of mobile "Export" radios with all the funny channels, yet there's only maybe one or two channels outside of the regular 40 CB Channels that I have ever been on...

One other thing to consider, is the 142 does not have a frequency counter...you would need one in order to see where your at!

ARF2001
01-28-2020, 10:39 AM
The Cobra 142GTL is an outstanding performer and a highly regarded classic radio. Those around you will like how you sound on it, and the receiver is typically crystal clear. The radio in of itself is not hard to operate at all. If you can tune up to them, "upper" and "lower" channels can have their advantages. There are a lot of local CB "mud ducks" in my area who like to break in to everything they hear when they turn their radio on just for the sake of being heard. Or you get the CB dumbos who come in and start roger-beeping or playing stupid sound clips and such to show off their big power radios and double-digit IQ’s that go with them. Uppers and lowers come in handy when you just want to chat with one or two friends around town without being pestered as the "ducks" and "dumbos" rarely scan those frequencies.

-Mark-

Colt97
01-28-2020, 10:20 PM
My first base was a cobra 142gtl. (in the 80's). I had it tweaked and modified and had 40 above and 40 below accessed with 3 toggles. I loved that radio and it never let me down. I had a moonraker 4 on one end of the house and an aluminum 5/8 ground plane on the other...Great times! as for the extra channels, I concur with the guys above, I rarely used them unless I wanted to private chat away from the noise. With all the extras in the one you describes, I hope it comes with a road map or that you have a freq counter.
TC