New guy, with question...

[77vwwesty]

First, hello... I am an "old" CB guy who hasn't done much in about 12 years or so...

Actually my older brother was into CB's and I inherited a car with an old cheapo special...

anyway... I was searching ebay for the heck of it (saw an old Cobra 29LTD in his back seat when I visited for Tday) and did some "shopping"...

Needless to say I ended up bidding $45 on a radio set up and the bid went to $43.06....

I got the following...

Cobra 25 LTD WX Classic (dated 96), original mic (good shape) a Wilson 1000 magnetic base antenna (long whip), a PA speaker (cheapo but figure I might hook it up) and a Road Noise powered mic...

I did a quick hook up via the hot on my sig ligher and a good ground (antenna mounted on my bumper and did a radio check... got a reply on the first hit with the OEM mic... so I am happy in thinking it works fine...

Just wondering if I got a decent deal (it cost me $10 to have it all shipped, and arrived the next day)...

Lastly, is the radio a decent radio... I remember back in 94-95 time frame... the cobra radio's were a good radio... just wanted to know you guys thoughts on the radio and price I paid...

after a little reading, sounds like the antenna is a really good antenna... so I am pleased with it... just need to figure the best place to mount it on my 1977 VW camper bus (fiberglass top)... thinking the front bumper with the whip bent over and attached at the luggage rack (to avoid damaging the bus or windows)...?

[Phaze91460]

GREETINGS ! And Welcome To The Forum !

[THUMPER]

Cobra 25 LTD WX Classic is a good radio to have lots of mods you can do to it too

[77vwwesty]

Cobra 25 LTD WX Classic is a good radio to have lots of mods you can do to it too

Still waiting for a reply from the previous owner to see if it's already been tweeked or anything... looks like the screws have been used a couple times as a couple of them have screw driver wear... so maybe it's already been tweeked to max for the radio...? If I'm lucky that is...

Got it all installed and looks good... tomorrow, will test her out to see how my reception is...

Thanks for the welcome and looking forward to being a productive member on here.. if nothing else, lurking and gathering info...

77VWWesty

[38Special]

it's a good radio, but it is what it is. I have one that is coming back to me from the shop "mod-less". My 1996 (china made) 25 LTD/WX Classic I am told is not a good candidate for anything (other than what it is), which probably explains why I never was able to get a roger beep to work in it. The Cobra 25 LTD Classic is suppose to be a super radio for enhancement, but that radio does not have the same board as the 25 LTD/WX Classic. And the WX is an additional board that is also incorporated that makes a mess out of it! Set the power and modulation and let er rip. The radio does fine with a foot warmer. Mine is so cheezy you can squelch it and put your ear by the speaker and hear the weather faintly broadcasting.

[Mr. Fixit]

Welcome to the Forum, You will find a great bunch of guys in here with a Ton of knowledge to help you. Don't be afraid to ask anything in here. No question is off limits here.
I guess you have checked your SWR'S ????
:D

I personally like running my power & ground lines straight to the Battery.....Less Engine noise, etc.

Anyway... Welcome

[77vwwesty]

I have not checked my swr's...

I need to see if I can get a meter from my brother sent over for a test...

I don't plan on anything fancy... just something to toy with while on the road... and if I happen to break down... I do drive a 1977 Aircooled VW, so that does happen sometimes...

One question I do have... will it negatively effect the reception if I have the whip bent slightly to mount so it won't damage my vehicle...?

Here's a picture of how I have it mounted... the one part I don't like, I have no flat metal surfact that the magnet will sit on completely... the top is fiberglass, and the bumper only covers about 3/4 of the magnet...

[Mr. Fixit]

YES, It will affect your reception for sure

You will get out better behind you.

[grease monkey]

nice lookin van.

now how concerned are you about putting holes in the roof?you can get a piece of sheetmetal thats a little bigger than the magnet and use self tapping screws or nut and bolt it to the roof.but dont forget to run a ground wire to the piece of metal somehow.if the roof aint too thick you can use nuts and bolts and put a ground under one of the nuts and then to a good clean bare metal surface inside the van.if you ever take it off you can fill the holes with vette panel adhesive or fiberglass filler and nobody will ever know they were there.

[77vwwesty]

the bus is pretty much unmolested... I would NEVER think of making a hole in the roof... besides it gets the garage... so no plans on a roof mount...

I would have put something in the bumper as they are easy to get and such...

speaking of which... anyone have a gutter mounted Wilson 1000 they would want to trade for a magnetic mounted one? I'd feel better with one that actually attaches to the bumper instead of a 3/4 (slightly less) magnetic attachment...

[fxstsirider]

I have these dual gutter mounted hustler antennas. They are about 24 inches long. And would mount on the gutters on your roof. They have small springs between mount and antenna. I also have the dual coax to go with it. I think you can find a picture of them at the hustler new tronics web sight. You can have them if you want. Got them with a cb I got off ebay a while back. They worked good and are tuneable. But the only place I could mount them were on the tops of my doors. Let me know if you want them.

[38Special]

Welcome to the forum (I forgot earlier to mention that)

You probably won't like this answer but why not go with a 9 foot whip on the back bumper? You could unscrew it and put it in your garage when not in use, and there are plenty of mounting options for the whip, and they are fairly cheap but rugged. That would look pretty retro on that cool looking van!

In all honesty, if you don't want to mount a plate to your roof for the magnetic mount then that antenna will not work for you. They were designed for roof tops and trunck lids, and when you start putting them in other places the swr goes nuts, or they fly off in traffic. Gutter clips (mounts) suck because they crack your paint when you tighten them down and rust forms shortly, and you'd have to drill a hole somewhere to get the coax up there.

Maybe somebody on this forum would trade you a whip setup if your interested. Just a thought.....

[troy]

O.K V.W. MAN.. FIRST I LOVE THAT VAN. LOL. I HAVE A REAL SWEET SET UP IN MY BIG RIG THAT ROCKS. BUT I TOO WANTED SOMETHING DECENT BUT INEXPENSIVE TO GO IN MY SUV WHILE OUT VACATIONING WITH THE FAMILY. I GOT A COBRA 25 ALSO WITH A CHEAP 25.00 TRUCK STOP ANTENNA. IT DOES THE JOB BETTER THAN I EVER THOUGHT IT WOULD. THE ANTENNA IN A GOOD SPOT & TUNED WILL DO A WORLD OF GOOD. NOW I HAVE A ROOF MAGNET MOUNT & I JUST PUT IN ON THE ROOF. AT 80 MPH IT DOES NOT MOVE! AT ALL! WHY NOT JUST PUT IT ON TOP ?GOOD LUCK & WELCOME HERE. WERE ARE VERY HAPPY YOU CAME HERE FOR YOUR QUESTIONS. THESE PEOPLE ON THIS FORUM ARE FIRST CLASS...

[38Special]

The more I think about this the more I doubt the roof will work at all, even with the metal plate. This may not be the right terminalogy but you'll get the drift, no metal on the roof = no ground plane to reflect from = not so good swr/transmit/recieve. (even if you add the bonding wire to ground)

[77vwwesty]

Wow... lots to process...

I am thinking the gutter mount will fit onto the front or rear bumper as they are basically a "U" shape piece of metal... and as mentioned before, don't mind the bumpers getting a hole or a little rust...

I think I'll just try what I have running right now, and hope it stays on the bumper... (fxstsirider, I will keep your offer in mind if I end up with issues from the current antenna being magnetic).

I'm not looking to talk across states and such.. just something to listen to mostly with the occasional chit chat...

Thanks again for the welcome... and hopefully I can learn more then I knew back in the day... (I don't remember much of it)

[THUMPER]

I have not checked my swr's...

I need to see if I can get a meter from my brother sent over for a test...

I don't plan on anything fancy... just something to toy with while on the road... and if I happen to break down... I do drive a 1977 Aircooled VW, so that does happen sometimes...

One question I do have... will it negatively effect the reception if I have the whip bent slightly to mount so it won't damage my vehicle...?

Here's a picture of how I have it mounted... the one part I don't like, I have no flat metal surfact that the magnet will sit on completely... the top is fiberglass, and the bumper only covers about 3/4 of the magnet...

you really need that coil above the cab . a 102'' whip off the side of your van would work much better than what you have now