Stock Cobra 142GTL receiver sensitivity test. Proving the classic radios did it better.

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MikesRadioRepair

7 жыл бұрын

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Пікірлер: 66

@ronedwards8239 6 жыл бұрын

I just picked up a NOS 142GTL. Didn’t work, had it fixed in 30 minutes. Manufactured 11/84. Absolutely amazing on SSB. Total recap and alignment.

@cozzconM 4 жыл бұрын

I had a 142gtl as a kid. Long before I was a ham. Thanks for this video... brought a tear to my eye.

@computernuts69 7 жыл бұрын

I love my 148gtl classic, i take it any day over a import radio ! nice job mike

@homefront3162 6 жыл бұрын

I had one of these, It is what got me into CB then HAM... fine CB radio

@parkerriverrat1 Жыл бұрын

I have a 142 just like that one. Love it

@jeffminnick5209 4 жыл бұрын

Used to hqve a 142gtl equipped with a digiscan...amazing rig and yep i miss it...by the way mike, have been missing your videos...come back soon man... Big fan of your work along with buddy and paul Carlson Jeff de WD8JM

@billb6029 2 жыл бұрын

I don't think he's coming back, man. I don't know if he got a bit too popular or what, I hear guys like Fine Tune talking about him

@jeffminnick5209 2 жыл бұрын

@@billb6029 yeah I know... he got sick of the BS although I still hear him on the ham bands

@billb6029 2 жыл бұрын

@@jeffminnick5209 I don't understand why he quit, then. Because if he still talks on the ham bands, he could work on ham radios.

@jeffminnick5209 2 жыл бұрын

@@billb6029 not sure exactly why... but he had some words with snakes radio customs and shortly thereafter he was t doing vids...I still believe he still has the shop though...south east of breeze breezewood pa

@user-rs7po7if7j 2 ай бұрын

Older video I know I have 142 original owner since it’s old school. Nobody wants to work on them anymore. I’ll keep watching and trying.

@BassheadGTP 7 жыл бұрын

What makes these old radios have great receive is that big crystal filter in the middle of that board, Uniden made those in house.

@mikesradiorepair 7 жыл бұрын

Partly, many many great old radios had crystal filters made by many other companies. It was the quality of the overall build of the older radios. Crystal filters are only part of it.

@coldandaloof7166 2 жыл бұрын

My 135xlr received so much better than my Galaxy Saturn or anything newer I have. It does not talk as far with as much output but it does receive so much clearer

@RobertTKlaus 7 жыл бұрын

Nice video, been looking at a few. Curious if the single conversion board is more sensitive than say the dual conversion board in a Madison, or does the extra filtering just affect selectivity reducing bleedover? I have even seen some Ham transceivers and receivers that are triple conversion, but don't remember owning one...

@ironman7261 7 жыл бұрын

glad I bought 2

@iphyllvallonl3460 Жыл бұрын

Mike. I wish i had that radio

@ronedwards8239 6 жыл бұрын

This radio really shines on SSB. Not so much on AM. The issue on AM is it being single conversion and the receive audio is a bit muddy. I just picked one up NOS! No receive or transmit. Found 2 short electrolytic caps. Needs a complete cap job. Are you upping the capacitance on the power supply and the large filter cap on the PC board?

@matthewdavies2057 5 жыл бұрын

I recently bought a Galaxy DX-2547. Man oh man I wish I had not. My old Cobra 2000 that needs new cap's hears 5X better.

@stephenbutler6252 4 жыл бұрын

Mike. Love your videos. Question I have is, I'm getting a Cobra 142gtl soon and it has no sound and it trans, it has modulation, use another radio and can hear, what points do I look at to fix this radio. Ty

@glennclark7472 3 жыл бұрын

I have a mint 142 phillipine model.is it any better or different than the taiwan model? It has amazing audio rx and tx

@andrewagner9212 4 жыл бұрын

What is the schottky modification, and in what section of the receiver is this mod done? How exactly is it supposed to increase sensitivity?

@robertmanning3922 4 жыл бұрын

Interesting. What is that bench test piece of equipment?

@michaelrawlings8908 4 жыл бұрын

Hi Mike I have a cobra 142 gtl it will receive but will not transmit anything I could do or can u look at it please help

@glennclark7472 3 жыл бұрын

Whats my 142 in 9 1/2 condition worth??

@adammeece3678 5 жыл бұрын

How can I get ahold of you to go thru a radio or 2 for me. Im pretty new to the CB world. Please help me out. Thanks

@iz7fmm 4 жыл бұрын

Hi Mike, maybe you should say S/N -12db and not Sinad since you are not on FM. Anyway, overall test is great! I'd just tested a DX-88 and at -133dbm imput I just hear NOTHING!

@bigdave7430 5 жыл бұрын

what do you charge to align a 142 gtl

@dennisqwertyuiop 7 жыл бұрын

my first cb was a johnson messenger one 5 channel chrome mic tube, crystals I been watching ebay for some time and wat to get one all I seen had holes in front old black mics, guess i am too fussy

@mikesradiorepair 7 жыл бұрын

Nice ones show up rather frequently on ebay. Just check on a regular basis.

@VintageElectronicsGeek 7 жыл бұрын

I had one of those also back in the mid 70's, it was called the "White Face", Johnson made a "Black Face" of this radio. It was a great radio, but it was also frustrating to only have 5 channels, it was cool just the same. ~ Jack, VEG

@dennisqwertyuiop 7 жыл бұрын

back then we only needed 3 channesl living 8 miles from wi,ill,iowa 9 was iowa 11 was wisconsin 18 was illinois

@VintageElectronicsGeek 7 жыл бұрын

Thats cool! I lived in a bigger area and albeit my home channel was 11, I did flutter to the other channels when activity was dead, I didn't have the Johnson to long, but like you, I never forgot it and have toyed with the idea over the years of another, just for GP sake! And watching Mikes channel has started the embers to smoldering about radios again. ~Jack, VEG

@mikesradiorepair 7 жыл бұрын

+Vintage Electronics Geek The old Messenger 1 white face and Messenger 2 black face or "shoebox" radios are some of my favorite early tube type CB's. If I remember correctly the first tube type CB I ever restored was a white face.

@1tuff455 Жыл бұрын

I need my radio repaired and body out there????

@1112223333111 7 жыл бұрын

Mike how can I clean the mode switches on these? It seems to be sealed thanks

@mikesradiorepair 7 жыл бұрын

If you have a rotary tool and small carbide burr you can try boaring a smsll hole in it that you can then spray cleaner into.

@1tuff455 Жыл бұрын

I need my 142gtl repaired

@chickenhawknwc 7 жыл бұрын

So I am curious how does a dedicated Shortwave receiver or a Ham Radio Receiver fair on your SINAD tester

@mikesradiorepair 7 жыл бұрын

Some better, same or worse. Depends on the radio and its condition. This radio was definitely not a Monday morning or Friday afternoon build. For a stock unmodified radio it really doesn't get better than this.

@scottmerrow7617 5 жыл бұрын

NOT as well as the best dedicated CB radios of old.

@soylentgreen6476 7 жыл бұрын

My question is which is the better radio, the Cobra 142GTL or the Cobra 2000GTL?

@mikesradiorepair 7 жыл бұрын

The 2000GTL. It uses a double conversion receiver where the 142GTL is single conversion.

@soylentgreen6476 7 жыл бұрын

I thought the 2000GTL was the better radio but I wasn't 100% sure.

@tommyhorne1039 4 жыл бұрын

Are you still in business? Tried calling the number on your KZfaq and got someone else?

@64samsky 7 жыл бұрын

I have a 142GTL that I would like to send you. I don't know what has been done to it, but I'd love to have it working the way it was meant to be.

@mikesradiorepair 7 жыл бұрын

Just add @gmail.com to my KZfaq user ID.

@PapasDino 7 жыл бұрын

Ok, I'll bite, what kind of mod swaps in Schottky diodes? Can't be the power supply bridge rectifiers.

@mikesradiorepair 7 жыл бұрын

It's common in CB's for people to swap out the AM detector and noise blanker diodes with schottky diodes.

@PapasDino 7 жыл бұрын

Hmmm, gonna have to think about that! ;-) Thanks Mike.

@mikesradiorepair 7 жыл бұрын

+Dino Papas Just Google search "CB schottky diode mod." and you'll be reading post until next year.

@PapasDino 7 жыл бұрын

Yeah, was just doing that...I'd have to see some empirical data that supports swapping a Schottky in for a germanium diode in an AM detector. Only took me 2-3 links to see this is one BIG rabbit hole to go down! I suppose you might make the case for a pair of them as an input protection scheme to turn on faster in the presence of a huge RF field vs. 1N914/4149's which are pretty much standard. Enough for this rabbit hole!

@mikesradiorepair 7 жыл бұрын

+Dino Papas Its one of those "mods" everyone thinks they need and shops are more than happy to take their money to do it.

@bassblaster505 7 жыл бұрын

those Nichicon caps look like the VR or VX series.

@mikesradiorepair 7 жыл бұрын

I use both VR and PW series in CB's along with caps from other Japanese companies.

@buckaroobonsi555 5 жыл бұрын

Well I say it all the time. That said I am not making a living in the two way radio world so I do not care if someone get's offended when I comment on Black box radios being junk compared to the vintage FCC type approved Part 95 CB. That said I have owned black box radio's and I understand why SSB people buy them. The Uniden Bearcat 980 is a nicely polished turd. The RCI built Cobra 148 is not that hot and Galaxy FCC approved CB's are not as well built as vintage radios.