Copper Talk » Product Reviews » Radios » Cobra Question's & Comment's » Cobra 200 gtl dx

« Previous Next »

Author Message   Nickle New member Username: Nickle Post Number: 8 Registered: 5-2005 Posted on Friday, June 17, 2005 - 7:23 pm:        I am going to buy a new mobile and was thinking hard about this radio. anybody own or know anything about them.they are priced fairly cheap. Any help on this or what is a good mobile to get?   Pig040 Advanced Member Username: Pig040 Post Number: 819 Registered: 7-2003 Posted on Saturday, June 18, 2005 - 10:29 am:        Yeah, Lon it is funny I did a google, and came up with a bunch of places with them for sale, some didnt even mention that they were not available yet! Rich   Tech808 Moderator Username: Tech808 Post Number: 6115 Registered: 8-2002 Posted on Saturday, June 18, 2005 - 10:36 am:        Yep there are a Lot of places advertising them but isn't it funny that No One has one. One guy even has an add on one of the Internet auction sites to LURE people in and then say Back Ordered but you can look at all of his other stuff. Lon Tech808 CEF808 N9OSN   Nickle Junior Member Username: Nickle Post Number: 10 Registered: 5-2005 Posted on Saturday, June 18, 2005 - 1:21 pm:        Tech 808 The reason I asked about them i bet i looked at 30 web sites advertising them $200.00 to $230.00 and did not say a word about not having them. makes you realy trust those people!!!!   Hollowpoint445 Intermediate Member Username: Hollowpoint445 Post Number: 414 Registered: 6-2004 Posted on Saturday, June 18, 2005 - 9:44 pm:        I'd like to see them made. I'd really like to see them made with repeater offset and tone encoder/decoder capability. If they're sold at the prices already advertised they would be an excellent deal.   Patzerozero Advanced Member Username: Patzerozero Post Number: 956 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Saturday, June 18, 2005 - 11:52 pm:        i don't care what ANYBODY says, EVEN cobra. should that radio make it to the market it will NOT sell for $200. i still say look at 2970, 6900ftb, 95t-the cobra-if it's made-will sell for over $400! just watch....   Yankee Advanced Member Username: Yankee Post Number: 678 Registered: 7-2003 Posted on Sunday, June 19, 2005 - 12:47 am:        ,Question is why would anyone want to spend over $400.00 for a radio that will only operate on maybe 10,11 and 12 meters? When they can get all the HF bands for another $200.00 or so, and I'm talking cream of the HF mobiles the ICOM IC-706 or the Kenwood TS-50. Just another 2 cents worth. Carl CEF-357   Bluegrass Intermediate Member Username: Bluegrass Post Number: 350 Registered: 12-2004 Posted on Friday, June 24, 2005 - 1:45 pm:        All i can say about the new Cobra 200 GTL DX is-I WANT ONE I WANT ONE I WANT ONE I WANT ONE!!!   Jon666 Intermediate Member Username: Jon666 Post Number: 355 Registered: 11-2003 Posted on Friday, June 24, 2005 - 5:51 pm:        from what i understand its a mobil radio so you would need a good power sopply   Dale Intermediate Member Username: Dale Post Number: 120 Registered: 12-2002 Posted on Saturday, June 25, 2005 - 8:38 pm:        i saw on on internet auctions   Mrbigshot Member Username: Mrbigshot Post Number: 64 Registered: 2-2005 Posted on Monday, June 27, 2005 - 10:47 am:        they were shown at the mid america truck convention this winter, they are set to be delivered in early july. july 7th at ******as deb told me.   Mrbigshot Member Username: Mrbigshot Post Number: 65 Registered: 2-2005 Posted on Monday, June 27, 2005 - 4:36 pm:        there are actual pictures of the 150dx out there, they are due early july, the 200dx is late july early august. i like the way they work 4 bands 80 channels per band 1-40 and than .1-.40 i realy like the built in heat sink on the bottom of the radios, should work well. im shure coppers will have them soon. once i get home i will post a pic,   Tech808 Moderator Username: Tech808 Post Number: 6193 Registered: 8-2002 Posted on Monday, June 27, 2005 - 5:17 pm:        OK, here is the Latest NEW's, Copper will carry them as soon as they are available. I will keep the Copper Forum Member's updated as to when they will be in stock. That's All Folk's as Bugs Bunny would say. Lon Tech808 CEF808 N9OSN   Tech808 Moderator Username: Tech808 Post Number: 6194 Registered: 8-2002 Posted on Monday, June 27, 2005 - 5:32 pm:        Cobra 200 GTL-DX 10 KHz Control 30W RF Power 40W Dual Finals Full Featured AM/FM/SSB Radio 100W SSB 4 Bands SWR Calibration System 6-Digit Frequency Counter Variable Power Antenna Warning Indicator NightWatch™ Illumination Roger Beep Talk Back & Echo controls Large Full Function Analog Meter Frequency Counter Input Note! There may be a difference in the above specifications when the radios actually arrive. Lon Tech808 CEF808 N9OSN   Nobodyknows Junior Member Username: Nobodyknows Post Number: 31 Registered: 4-2005 Posted on Tuesday, June 28, 2005 - 10:02 pm:        Nice looking rig!!   Pig040 Advanced Member Username: Pig040 Post Number: 828 Registered: 7-2003 Posted on Wednesday, June 29, 2005 - 10:04 am:        It sure is!   Airplane1 Intermediate Member Username: Airplane1 Post Number: 460 Registered: 5-2004 Posted on Wednesday, June 29, 2005 - 10:29 am:        I wonder how it will measure up to a S9?????????   Yankee Advanced Member Username: Yankee Post Number: 701 Registered: 7-2003 Posted on Wednesday, June 29, 2005 - 12:39 pm:        Nice looking yes, the price tag and country of manufacture is going to be the desiding factors of purchase for many of us. As said before 100 watts sideband is going to put this rig in the $400.00 plus price range. Now if it was going to output 200 watts then it might be worth that much. But still 200 watts is not a lot of power by today's standards on 11 meters.   Tech808 Moderator Username: Tech808 Post Number: 6202 Registered: 8-2002 Posted on Wednesday, June 29, 2005 - 3:24 pm:        Airplane1, Magnum S-9 FEATURES: 40+ Watt, AM/FM/SSB/PA 10 Meter Mobile Amateur Transceiver 8 Bands * Six Digit Frequency Counter SSB Five Digit AM/FM Frequency Counter OFF Switch Roger Beep Double Barrel / Dual 4-Pin Microphone Jacks Variable Power Output Control TURBO? Digital Echo with Dual Controls AMT - All Mode Talkback with Volume Control on Front Panel TOP GUN? Modulator - A Magnum Exclusive! - Turns the S-9's transmitter section into a modulator - With 1 watt carrier - swing to 40+ watts! - 100% modulation for unbelievable power - Modulator On/Off Control on Front Panel TOP GUN? Compressor - A Magnum Exclusive! - Compressor Improves Transmitted Audio - Helps Punch Through Crowded Airwaves Exceptional Receiver Clarity Blue LED Meter And Display Lights Three Stage Dimmer Smooth RF Gain Control High SWR Warning Light with On/Off Control Large Easy To Read S/RF Meter Meter Light Changes To Red During Transmit 5 KHz and +10KHz Switch Microphone and RF Gain Noise Blanker / ANL FREE Limited Edition 'Old Glory' Extra Front Panel Fine And Coarse Clarifier For Adjusting RX & TX Cobra 200 GTL FEATURES: 10 KHz control 30W RF power 40W dual finals Full-featured 32.8-ft AM/FM/SSB radio 100W SSB 4 bands * SWR calibration system 6-digit frequency counter Variable power Antenna warning indicator NightWatch™ illumination Roger beep Talk-back & Echo controls Large, full-function analog meter Frequency counter input No you can compare the features. The biggest difference I can see besides the 100 Watt SSB Power is with the Cobra only having 4 Band's this will only give you 1/2 the coverage of the Magnum S-9 and Less AM power. Lon Tech808 CEF808 N9OSN   Hollowpoint445 Intermediate Member Username: Hollowpoint445 Post Number: 460 Registered: 6-2004 Posted on Wednesday, June 29, 2005 - 5:06 pm:        Which do you mean has less AM power? By the way it's written it seems like you're saying the Cobra 200 will have less. At 100 watts PEP and a 30 watt carrier it sounds like it'll have more than twice the power of the S9. If it's not even in production yet how can you speculate about it's expanded coverage? Do you have some inside information you're not sharing with us?   Tech808 Moderator Username: Tech808 Post Number: 6206 Registered: 8-2002 Posted on Wednesday, June 29, 2005 - 6:44 pm:        Well let's see the Cobra ads say 30 watts AM/FM Power and 100 Watts SSB. Sorry but they do not mention PEP or Carrier Power anywhere in what I have read. I guess my subtraction must be a bit rusty but I always thought 40+ (S-9) - 30 (200 GTL) = 10+ Less Watts on AM/FM for the Cobra. Inside Information? hmmmmmmm Stay tuned for upcoming information Lon Tech808 CEF808 N9OSN   Hollowpoint445 Intermediate Member Username: Hollowpoint445 Post Number: 461 Registered: 6-2004 Posted on Wednesday, June 29, 2005 - 7:17 pm:        Okay, I guess I read it another way. The specifications for the Cobra 200 GTL DX show three power related specs: 30W RF power 100W SSB 40W dual finals Since SSB power is usually expressed in PEP, we can safely assume the radio is capable of 100 watts PEP. And if the radio is capable of 100 watts PEP we can then assume the statement of 30W RF power refers to FM and AM carrier power. With dual 40 watts finals this makes as much sense as most radio advertising does. As I understand it the S9 has dual 1969 finals. The 1969 is good for about 20 watts PEP, so two would give you about 40 watts PEP. That would mean about a 10 watt AM carrier. 100 watts PEP - 40 watts PEP = 60 watts PEP more for the Cobra 200 GTL DX. 30 watts carrier - 10 watts carrier = 20 watts carrier more for the Cobra 200 GTL DX. Using the above assumptions about the Cobra 200 GTL DX and comparing it to the S9 it looks like the Cobra 200 GTL DX is more powerful than the S9. Patzerozero - I read on a website that the Cobra 200 GTL DX uses new FETs for it's finals, so comparisons to radios using a pair of 2290s don't really apply.   Eagle_eye New member Username: Eagle_eye Post Number: 3 Registered: 1-2005 Posted on Wednesday, June 29, 2005 - 9:29 pm:        So with the cobra only having 4 bands whould that make it only 1/2 the radio the s-9 is? I bet after owning and using 8 band radios it would be like using a 20 channel radio instead of a 40 channel radio. I guess everyone will have to wait and see exactly what coverage it will offer after one of them is converted. Maybe copper will do a review on it like the rest of the radios so we will know the facts and put an end to all of the guessing. I wonder why copper is the only place that does reviews on radios and antennas and other cb and ham equipment? e_e   Tech808 Moderator Username: Tech808 Post Number: 6211 Registered: 8-2002 Posted on Wednesday, June 29, 2005 - 11:14 pm:        Eagle_Eye, Here on the Copper Forum you will find Many Article's and Review's that are written by the Copper Moderator's, Copper Tech's and The Copper Forum Member's themselve's. You will find actual hands on experience / test result's with the product's and honest unbiased report's. The Copper Forummaster does not ask anyone to make false statement's about any product that Copper Electronic's carries/handle's. If you or any other Copper Forum Member would like to do a Review or Article on any product that you have purchased from Copper Electronics just drop the Copper Forummaster an e-mail and discuss it with him. He will need your Real Name, Your Copper Handle, Your real e-mail address from your Server not a yahoo or hotmail or other e-mail only address, along with a phone number that you can be reached at and what if any experience that you may have or if you are just a consumer testing the product. It is YOU the Copper Forum Member's that continue to help the Copper Forum Grow with your Post's and Information along with your Personal Experience with product's that you all contribute. As the Copper Forum Membership continues to grow so will the CEF Radio Club and the Article's and Review's of Product's. I am sure that when the Cobra Radio's arrive the Copper Forummaster will want to know how they perform and everything about them from actual hand's on use/testing. Lon Tech808 CEF808 N9OSN   Sg569 Intermediate Member Username: Sg569 Post Number: 153 Registered: 12-2004 Posted on Thursday, June 30, 2005 - 5:48 pm:        I wanna play with one....   Patzerozero Advanced Member Username: Patzerozero Post Number: 991 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Sunday, July 03, 2005 - 12:49 am:        agreed, hollowpoint, regarding FETs vs 2290's. also i agree with you that the cobra APPARENTLY does more output then the S9. BUT BUT BUT-there are too many BUTS before ANY comments can be made regarding the cobra 200. 1st of all, regarding power, what the &#** does 30 w rf, 40w dual finals & 100w SSB mean, exactly??? that it has TWO-40 watt finals??? then if that's how the ASSUMPTION of 30w on AM is arrived at, how do TWO-40 watt finals get you 100 w on SSB??? next, ONLY by looking at what i've seen on this forum & NOWHERE else-WHAT THE @#** DOES 4 BANDS MEAN??? 4 bands where??? what freqs??? is it 4-40 'channel' bands??? what possible, useful part of 10m could that 1.6 mhz be covering??? IS IT 4-40 'channel' bands??? are they more then 40 channel bands??? didn't my hr2510 have 50 channel bands??? what about my delta force in export mode??? now, WE all know cobra built this to be modded to CB, SO, what will it be covering after it's modded??? THAT is the MOST IMPORTANT question!!! what kind of mod is it going to be-like 2950dx type that needs a 'special' part that will ONLY be available from a select few dealers??? or will it be the standard 'move or remove' a jumper??? of course, WHAT kind of performance will it have??? will it have XL/148 quality receive or galaxy junk??? will it perform at all on transmit??? YES, it will probably serve SOMEBODY'S purpose, somewhere, in its stock form. but if EVERYBODY on this forum were to be given 1, how many would want/need/use it in its stock form??? very FEW i'm sure. SO, before GUESSING whether or not it's better then a galaxy or S9, or even what it'll compete against, LET'S SEE ONE!!! that makes the most sense to me!!!   Hollowpoint445 Intermediate Member Username: Hollowpoint445 Post Number: 474 Registered: 6-2004 Posted on Sunday, July 03, 2005 - 5:38 am:        Lots to respond to Patzerzero. Here goes: "1st of all, regarding power, what the &#** does 30 w rf, 40w dual finals & 100w SSB mean, exactly??? that it has TWO-40 watt finals??? then if that's how the ASSUMPTION of 30w on AM is arrived at, how do TWO-40 watt finals get you 100 w on SSB???" It's written by advertising people who don't really know what they're talking about. The important part is the numbers that were given. 100 watts SSB means it's capable of 100 watts PEP because SSB is measured in PEP. That we know. The rest we have to use inductive and deductive reasoning. 30W RF power probably means 30 watts AM carrier power and FM power output. FM is a 100% duty cycle mode, AM is so close to 100% duty cycle that it's considered to be a 100% duty cycle mode, and SSB is only about a 25% duty cycle - depending entirely on the average modulation level. Higher average modulation means a higher duty cycle and lower safe output power levels for any RF device. With a 100 watt PEP capability, 30 watts carrier power is close to where it should be. I would guess that dual 40 watt finals means there are two final transistors rated at 40 watts each. What mode they are rated at 40 watts isn't stated, so it's difficult to say. If the radio does 30 watts AM and is capable of 100% modulation, then it's got to easily hit 100 watts PEP SSB. It's possible that they are rated at 40 watts CW which would make them easily capable of 100 watts SSB. "next, ONLY by looking at what i've seen on this forum & NOWHERE else-WHAT THE @#** DOES 4 BANDS MEAN??? 4 bands where??? what freqs??? is it 4-40 'channel' bands??? what possible, useful part of 10m could that 1.6 mhz be covering??? IS IT 4-40 'channel' bands??? are they more then 40 channel bands???" Yes, apparently it's 4 bands but how that's organized we don't know yet. One of the data sheets I've seen shows a picture of the Cobra 200 GTL DX with a frequency of 28.6003 and the channel number is 60. With 10 KHz channels this would be channel 60 of a band that started at 28.000 MHz. The 10 Meter band covers 1.7 MHZ, so 4 60 channel bands would more than cover the 10 Meter band. I have read on a website that the Cobra 150 GTL DX has 80 channel bands and shows the additional channels with decimal points before the channel number digits. 1-40 and then .1-.40 for each band. How it's organized or controlled wasn't stated. With the Cobra 200 GTL DX having a frequency display this seems unecessary. "didn't my hr2510 have 50 channel bands???" I don't remember how the HR2510 works in stock expanded form. All of mine have Chipswitches in them. I do remember that there was a band which showed the standard CB frequencies on their corresponding CB channel number and some coverage of the CB band on other bands as well. "now, WE all know cobra built this to be modded to CB, SO, what will it be covering after it's modded??? THAT is the MOST IMPORTANT question!!!" Unfortunately it's all speculation at this point. The website I mentioned earlier states that the Cobra 150 GTL DX covers 320 channels. Specific frequency range wasn't stated. "what kind of mod is it going to be-like 2950dx type that needs a 'special' part that will ONLY be available from a select few dealers??? or will it be the standard 'move or remove' a jumper???" If the FCC allows then to be imported it probably won't be a simple jumper change - or maybe it will! I'd guess it'll be similar to the 2950DX because they'll want to market the radio to Amateurs, but sell to the Freebander too. "of course, WHAT kind of performance will it have??? will it have XL/148 quality receive or galaxy junk??? will it perform at all on transmit???" All of the previous Cobra export rigs have had good receivers which is why there were so popular while they were being sold. You said yourself that the new 148 GTL has a pretty good receiver, so I'm hopeful this radio will too. I would imagine it'll be fine on transmit too. I don't do transmit modifications, so I couldn't care less if it's NPC or swing modifiable. If I want to have higher average modulation I'll do what I do with every other radio - use a compression microphone or speech processor. "YES, it will probably serve SOMEBODY'S purpose, somewhere, in its stock form. but if EVERYBODY on this forum were to be given 1, how many would want/need/use it in its stock form??? very FEW i'm sure." I won't be modifying mine other than to open up frequency coverage, and I won't be transmitting on the additional frequencies. Every amateur radio I have is modified for wide band transmit, and this one will be no different. I own 2 unmodified HR2600s and like how they work in stock form. If I were to modify them it would be to pick up a few of the nice features the Chipswitch adds to the rig, not for frequency coverage. "SO, before GUESSING whether or not it's better then a galaxy or S9, or even what it'll compete against, LET'S SEE ONE!!! that makes the most sense to me!!!" Agreed! Bring them on! I'd like to see one too. I emailed Cobra last week and got a response that the radio will be available early in August. I'm looking forward to it.   1861 Intermediate Member Username: 1861 Post Number: 256 Registered: 2-2004 Posted on Sunday, July 03, 2005 - 7:17 pm:        WELL , ALOT OF CB SHOPS GOT THE 150s IN THIS WEEK , SUPPOSE TO GET THE 200 WITHIN NEXT TEN DAYS . GUESS WE WILL START SEEING SOMETHING PRETTY SOON.   Patzerozero Advanced Member Username: Patzerozero Post Number: 996 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Sunday, July 03, 2005 - 11:20 pm:        excellent work, hollowpoint. you did the homework for me, & i'm glad you did because MOST of the answers are speculation at this point, & i just don't have the time to research something that i am not neccessarily in the market for-unless it turns out to be SUPER-RADIO! there is NO PROBLEM with you, or anyone else NOT wanting to be able to make certain mods, i said it would be basically fine for some. i do believe the original hr2600's used low level AM (off the top of my head so no arguing please) so hopefully the 200dx will be AM friendly for those who use it. as with every other new radio, i think we all really need to see it 1st-before ANY questions can be answered. and hopefully it WILL be a radio worth owning.   Dale Intermediate Member Username: Dale Post Number: 126 Registered: 12-2002 Posted on Monday, July 04, 2005 - 11:27 am:        why is everyone worried about band covewrage youll never use all those channels unless your a ham operator.i found that the more bands you have you lose more power.i used to have 2 galaxys one was 6 band the other was 12 i think needless to say the 6 band always outtalked the 12.these tests were done with same antenna,location,coax.on the other end was locals 15-30miles away neither one knew what i was using they emailed me with the results same tech peaked and tuned both radios .tests were done on am only though   Patzerozero Senior Member Username: Patzerozero Post Number: 1006 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Tuesday, July 05, 2005 - 12:53 am:        usually exports are broadbanded enough to have close enough to the same output at each end so as to not make a difference. it's when you mod something that was only planned to use 40 channels that you start to see a drop off at the ends. also, a 6 band radio has a 2.4 mhz spread, that's asking a lot for most antennas, so swr's are probably contributing to the dropoff. some radios will cover 5-6 mhz- NO antenna is covering that without a tuner.   Dale Intermediate Member Username: Dale Post Number: 127 Registered: 12-2002 Posted on Tuesday, July 05, 2005 - 11:34 am:        ok still likev 2 see how it performs on ssb i know the old cobras were great ssbers hmm maybe cobras making a much needed comeback. i like it cause theres no toys in it that i can visably seelike echo,voice changer,robot i refuse 2 pay for stuff like that i despise why i willNEVER own a s9, connex galaxy,ect.these are good radios just not 4 me   Timeslice New member Username: Timeslice Post Number: 2 Registered: 7-2005 Posted on Tuesday, July 05, 2005 - 1:22 pm:        I spoke to a VERY well informed source today who works for a certain radio manufacturer in Chicago, no guesses what company??? :o) He informs me that the COBRA 200GTL-DX in 'EXPORT' mode will cover 25-30Mhz.. This is as I'm sure you will agree more than '4' blocks of channels. It would appear each 'Block' is 1Mhz of coverage, hence 25-29.770. I think this is a Superb looking Radio and I know it will be VERY well received over here in England, already many station saying they 'WANT ONE' So do I... Just to look at on the shelf... if nothing else. Good DX & 73 TimeSlice.   Hotwire Intermediate Member Username: Hotwire Post Number: 423 Registered: 1-2005 Posted on Wednesday, July 06, 2005 - 11:36 am:        Uhh...Dale, The new Cobras have echo and talkback already in them. Just because the radios like Magnum, Galaxy or Connex have echo does'nt mean you have to use the feature. My Connex has echo but I turn it off unless I use AM and want to mess around with it. Now SSB on the other hand gets hard to understand with all the echo mess.   Power_pusher New member Username: Power_pusher Post Number: 5 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Wednesday, July 06, 2005 - 2:16 pm:        cobra's suggested retail price for the 200gtl is 319.00   Yankee Advanced Member Username: Yankee Post Number: 727 Registered: 7-2003 Posted on Thursday, July 07, 2005 - 12:57 pm:        I did an Internet search and found this new Cobra-200GTL at several different prices, much less than suggested retail and I'll almost bet that Copper's price will be less than all those that have listed them on the Internet so far. Carl CEF-357   Mikefromms Advanced Member Username: Mikefromms Post Number: 694 Registered: 6-2003 Posted on Thursday, August 04, 2005 - 6:41 am:        I saw a Cobra 150 in a radio shop yesterday. The Tech there did the mod and tune up and is getting 60 watts swing on the am side! The 200 should do 100 watts swing. Right now, these radios can be ordered dirt cheap but you will have to wait a week or two for them. Hope the ears on these radios are really good. Hard to use a pre-amp with a high powered radio. Most pre-amps won't take the power. Mikefromms   Unit199 Intermediate Member Username: Unit199 Post Number: 145 Registered: 8-2003 Posted on Thursday, August 04, 2005 - 10:34 pm:        Converting the 150GTL consists of removing one part. I had the pleasure of seeing two of them being modified. Just remove one smd and you are done. And from what I understand, the 200GTL is going to be an easy mod also. With all smds how can you tell how well built a radio is. All I can say, there won't be one come to my house. As far as price goes, they are susposed to sell for $229.95 from the honest dealers. That's my two cents worth. HARVE Unit199 CEF210 KB0YVK   Hollowpoint445 Advanced Member Username: Hollowpoint445 Post Number: 619 Registered: 6-2004 Posted on Friday, August 05, 2005 - 9:36 pm:        The beauty of SMDs is that the board has to be rigid and usually the soldering is perfect (depending on quality control) because it's done by a machine. Those are two variables that you can usually forget about with an SMD radio. All that's really left is the design and quality of the components. Hopefully that will be decent, and my experience with the Cobra 150 GTL DX tells me that it will. I feel like a kid does in the beginning of December. I can't wait for this radio to be available.   Hollowpoint445 Advanced Member Username: Hollowpoint445 Post Number: 675 Registered: 6-2004 Posted on Thursday, August 18, 2005 - 6:18 pm:        I just received an email from Cobra's customer service telling me that the Cobra 200 GTL DX won't be available until late September.   Jon666 Intermediate Member Username: Jon666 Post Number: 367 Registered: 11-2003 Posted on Friday, August 19, 2005 - 3:24 pm:        i see a web site that already has them in stock for 249.00 its a competetor so i cant list the siter jon   Vdub61 New member Username: Vdub61 Post Number: 1 Registered: 4-2005 Posted on Friday, August 19, 2005 - 5:27 pm:        My local radio shop got them in today, I am going to pick up mine tomorrow. More to come...   Patzerozero Senior Member Username: Patzerozero Post Number: 1261 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Friday, August 19, 2005 - 6:16 pm:        the 150 has been given a BIG THUMBS DOWN elsewhere & hopes for the 200 have been dashed as well could it remain S9/XL/S9/XL/S9/Xl/S9/XL/S9/XL/S9/XL......   1861 Intermediate Member Username: 1861 Post Number: 302 Registered: 2-2004 Posted on Friday, August 19, 2005 - 6:51 pm:        I HAVEN,T HEARD MUCH GOOD ON 150 , BUT ALL WHO HAVE GOT THEM SAY THE 200 IS GREAT   Vdub61 New member Username: Vdub61 Post Number: 2 Registered: 4-2005 Posted on Saturday, August 20, 2005 - 6:20 pm:        Picked up Cobra 200 gtl dx today. I have not not spent much time playing with it yet but here is what I think so far. It is a great looking radio because of the lighted faceplate. I like how they did the heatsink wrapping around the back to about a quarter of the way up the bottom towards the front. That design allows the use of a standard mounting bracket which is nice. It is putting out 40 watts on a dead key on AM swinging to almost 55 watts. On sideband it is peaking out at a solid 140 watts. Audio reports with the stock mic are that it sounds nasal and under-driven. The people giving me the audio reports are used to hearing me on a astatic tug9 with a 10DA head so I am not surprised it sounds so different to them. I will wire up another astatic or a super sidekick in the near future and see how it changes. The course clarifier is moving almost 7kc up and down and the fine clarifier is moving about 3.5kc in either direction. The clarifier was not modified yet, it is out of the box at this point(yes it works on transmit). The receive is quiet compared to my 2950dx with it's white noise issues. No oddities with the receive so far but I need to hear it on a crowded frequency to really get a feel for it. One thing I do not like about the radio so far is the channel selector has alot of slop to it(I guess thats how they get it to market so cheap, gotta cut corners somewhere) . I also need to get used to the 40 + another 40 channels per band. Well thats my quickie review for now. Hope it helps with your decision to get or not get one.   Tech808 Moderator Username: Tech808 Post Number: 6755 Registered: 8-2002 Posted on Saturday, August 20, 2005 - 6:58 pm:        Vdub61, They are using the same TDA2003 Audio chip & circuit in the 200 GTL DX as they did in the 150 GTL DX. There are not many changes between the Parts, Frame, Board, Heat Sink and other Components between the 150 and 200 radios Have someone talk on it and you go mobile or to a friends base station and listen to it on another radio and then you can understand what they mean when they are telling you (it sounds nasal and under-driven.) Sorry but the problem is not the Mic. I posted the Tune Up Information for the Cobra 200 GTL DX August 13th in the Modification List if you need it. You can find the Modification List located to the Left of the Forum here. Tools Mic. Wiring Frequency Chart CB & Ham Lingo Modification List Hope this helps, Lon Tech808 CEF808 N9OSN   Vdub61 New member Username: Vdub61 Post Number: 3 Registered: 4-2005 Posted on Saturday, August 20, 2005 - 11:51 pm:        Thanks for the info Tech808, I hooked up a silver eagle with a 10DA head and the transmit audio improved alot but it's still not smooth. I have a few other mics I am going to try but your right, it's going to take more than a mic swap to get this radio sounding like a champ. I am going to hook the radio to my Heathkit monitor scope to see what it's output looks like and possibly make some adjustments. 73   Tech808 Moderator Username: Tech808 Post Number: 6784 Registered: 8-2002 Posted on Monday, August 22, 2005 - 11:21 pm:        Vbub61, Good Luck and please keep us informed on your progress. Lon Tech808 CEF808 N9OSN   Bluegrass Intermediate Member Username: Bluegrass Post Number: 380 Registered: 12-2004 Posted on Wednesday, August 24, 2005 - 4:09 pm:        I 'm getting ready to upgrade to ether an S-9 or 200 GTL DX but I'm not sure which.I'm leaning toward the S-9 what do you think?   Nobodyknows Member Username: Nobodyknows Post Number: 79 Registered: 4-2005 Posted on Thursday, August 25, 2005 - 12:07 am:        Bluegrass, Tough call on that one, I've been following the progress on the 200's and it's hit or miss on making them walk the dog. The bang for the buck on them is attractive though isn't it. I've read that shops wont handl the new cobras anymore, or want them and cant get them. some work well and some wont get up to full power. Most seem to agree that the modulation if set at 90-95% works best. The echo isn't all that great in them if you're an echo user. Most users seem to like them new cobras but it's the shops that haven't quite got the hang of tweaking them up to rock n roll yet. I'm going with a president lincoln around the 1st of the month myself.. whatever you like i guess. Oh i have heard the the Magnums have an awesome revieve as well as mega audio, just ask Pat.   Patzerozero Senior Member Username: Patzerozero Post Number: 1306 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Friday, August 26, 2005 - 7:52 pm:        from reading all other forums(), & what i've heard elsewhere, i'd avoid the cobras-for now at least. wait & see if they 'survive'. i'd go S9 or omega force-NO QUESTIONS ASKED! i am THISCLOSE to adding an omega to the corral now. i already have a delta & S9. need to eliminate a vehicle from yard & omega will then be ordered   Hollowpoint445 Advanced Member Username: Hollowpoint445 Post Number: 712 Registered: 6-2004 Posted on Friday, August 26, 2005 - 8:41 pm:        From what I've read techs don't like them because they can't just rip the limiters or turn the pots way up to get them to sound like every other overmodulated CB - that's a good thing in my opinion. They seem to be in short supply so they're not sitting on the shelves. Until I get my hands on one of my own I'm not going to make up my mind. I'm cheap, so it'll probably be a while untill I get it for the price I want to pay but I can wait.   Tech808 Moderator Username: Tech808 Post Number: 6833 Registered: 8-2002 Posted on Friday, August 26, 2005 - 9:13 pm:        HMMMMMMMMMMMMMM, Boy I sure would like to read where a Tech has posted that or said that on any Internet site. All of the Techs should have all of the Complete Tune up and Alignment information by now. BUTTTTTTTTT if the Owners are not happy with the performance of any radio then be sure to ALWAYS blame the Techs even for 100% Stock Radios or Radios that have only been converted. It has always made sense to me to throw the blame on Techs or anyone else instead of on the Manufacturer. Lon Tech808 CEF808 N9OSN   Patzerozero Senior Member Username: Patzerozero Post Number: 1310 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Saturday, August 27, 2005 - 8:46 am:        modded or not, the majority of the comments are not of overly impressed owners. sure, it just may be a fine radio, but my mom would be just as happy with a walmart portable as she would be with a bose...   Patzerozero Senior Member Username: Patzerozero Post Number: 1318 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Saturday, August 27, 2005 - 7:34 pm:        talked to michigan station with the new cobra on LSB 38 a little while ago. it sounded average/good on SSB. it had an 'odd' tone to the sound, but i was mobile & noise level was HIGH, so may have been the way i was tuning. he HATES the cobra-not the least bit happy with AM performance, SSB he says receives good reports, but it just doesn't 'stand out'. receiver is VERY quiet-so quiet in fact he says he can hear many more low signal stations on his 'other' radio-never copied what that was though. he was extremely disappointed in the cobra 200. 808 posted above where the 150 & 200 have the same audio circuitry, however this gentleman told me he was advised by cobra that it is NOT the same, that they didn't just 'leave SSB out' of the 150, but actually designed different modulation circuits for the 200. either way, he wasn't happy. it didn't sound bad to me, but it did NOT get any words of enthusiasm from its owner, who after a week is ready to go back to his other radio....   Dd18 Junior Member Username: Dd18 Post Number: 46 Registered: 11-2004 Posted on Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 11:25 am:        any tech reports on this radio been done yet? For just a little more than a 200W amplifier you get get a built in radio to go with it!   Poppathree Junior Member Username: Poppathree Post Number: 37 Registered: 2-2004 Posted on Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 2:56 pm:        My friend just got the 200, I can say the output watt-wise is very impressive but the audio quality is disappointing. I would call it adequate but somewhat "flat" on side band, and the AM side is loud but definitely fuzzy...he has to lower the output to lose some of the fuzziness. I'm no pro, but I'm giving this info as compared to: Magnum 257(my mobile)-not as loud on AM but crystal clear-gets rave reviews by all on AM&ssb... TRC-449(my base)-kickin on AM with stock mike/excellent tonal quality on ssb... Magnum S-9(my buddy's)-crystal clear&loud!   Dd18 Junior Member Username: Dd18 Post Number: 48 Registered: 11-2004 Posted on Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 7:33 pm:        Pity indeed....if it doesn't sound good then it is not a good deal at any price. You get what you pay for no matter what! Sounds like they may get cheaper yet :-)   Freebird Intermediate Member Username: Freebird Post Number: 254 Registered: 1-2003 Posted on Saturday, September 03, 2005 - 1:19 am:        does anyone know how high and low this radio goes in frequency and if the corse and fine clarifiers are both unlocked?thanks   Tech808 Moderator Username: Tech808 Post Number: 6950 Registered: 8-2002 Posted on Sunday, September 04, 2005 - 1:22 pm:        Freebird, After Conversion it will have the coverage of: 26.065 thru 29.695 BAND "A" ~ 26.065 ~ 26.955 BAND "B" ~ 26.965 ~ 27.855 BAND "C" ~ 27.865 ~ 28.755 BAND "D" ~ 28.765 ~ 29.685 Hope this helps, Lon Tech808 CEF808 N9OSN   Dave1 New member Username: Dave1 Post Number: 2 Registered: 9-2005 Posted on Monday, September 05, 2005 - 10:01 am:        I have the Cobra 200 GTL DX and its well worth the money like any new radio that comes out we need to give it time to get all the mods we want for them. I have posted more about this Radio in my first post here   Viknguy New member Username: Viknguy Post Number: 1 Registered: 8-2005 Posted on Monday, September 05, 2005 - 3:01 pm:        I'am having problems with the squelch knob, It seems like when you turn it to the right until it is quiet it still has squelch noise jumping back in. I then turn it a litlle bit more at a time and before you know it you've turned it up enough so you won't receive almost anything. Any Ideas, The place that I bought it is going to call Cobra on Tues.   Fusebreaker Intermediate Member Username: Fusebreaker Post Number: 181 Registered: 3-2004 Posted on Saturday, September 17, 2005 - 1:16 pm:        viknguy i think cobra has been down hill for a long time no suprise that they are still bad.The only cobra`s i like to use are the old ones that have side mic plugs thats what i use to determine if a cobra is good or not I look and see if it has a front mic plug or side i have never got a good front mic plug cobra.   Patzerozero Senior Member Username: Patzerozero Post Number: 1499 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Saturday, September 17, 2005 - 9:11 pm:        i wonder if it's the same guy ************* referred to in his sept 1 post...this guy LOVES his 200 because it makes his 8 pill scream...however the audio is HORRID at best, & i've heard him be told that many times. don't know what if any other mods have been attempted, but he loves the output from radio & amp. just doesn't get it though, it is NOT pleasing to the ear   Hotwire Advanced Member Username: Hotwire Post Number: 574 Registered: 1-2005 Posted on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 10:51 am:        If I was to buy a 200 GTL from Copper and paid for the exspansion tune and align, is it the same tune that Lon posted in the modifications? Also will Copper peak out the power of the radio? If I order one from Copper I just want to be sure that they will send it to me in its best working condition possible.   Dave1 Member Username: Dave1 Post Number: 60 Registered: 9-2005 Posted on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 12:45 pm:        Hotwire the mod shown in the Modification section will skip the Xmit on 10 freqs per band it will Rec but no Xmit to fix this all you will have to do is open the radio and just above the R138 you will see 2 solder pads just bridge the 2 and you will be able to Xmit on all the freqs with out any skipping I have the converion with photos that will show you how to do this it is a simple mod that takes less than 10 min to do if any of you want them Email me and I will send you what I have Dave   Tech808 Moderator Username: Tech808 Post Number: 7353 Registered: 8-2002 Posted on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 12:58 pm:        Dave1, This can Depend on Which batch your Cobra 200 GTL DX came from. The Mod you mention above is for the 2nd/3rd? Batch of Cobra 200 GTL DX Radios. The 1st Batch has a SMT in Place of the empty holes / Pads you are talking about like is shown on CBTricks. So depending on who or which batch your radio comes from the Conversion can be Different. Hope this helps, Lon Tech808 CEF808 N9OSN   Hotwire Advanced Member Username: Hotwire Post Number: 579 Registered: 1-2005 Posted on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 1:07 pm:        Dave1 I will remember that. I think I may get a 200gtl if no Magnums 257 are in stock for my B Day next month. If so I hope I will like mine as much as you like yours. In the way of wattage, how much do you really get on AM and SSB? I have heard so many different wattages. Some are trying to tell me 150 watts AM and SSB which is hard to believe. Important to me is audio fidelity. Whats the big deal in smashing a few more watts out of a radio compromising voice clarity. If this radio can do 100 watts SSB and 30 AM with good audio I will be very happy. See I really like this radio even more since seeing one in person. In the mobile I am so used to the Night Watch feature now using the 148 NWST. This may just be the radio for me. Dave1 did you get yours from Copper??   Tech808 Moderator Username: Tech808 Post Number: 7355 Registered: 8-2002 Posted on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 1:15 pm:        Hotwire, My Personal Suggestion is WAIT For the Magnum 257. After talking with Sam Lewis today he says the first 257's should arrive in about 3 weeks for testing so it should not be long after that until Copper will have them for you. Hope this helps, Lon Tech808 CEF808 N9OSN   Hotwire Advanced Member Username: Hotwire Post Number: 581 Registered: 1-2005 Posted on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 1:23 pm:        OK Lon, I'll hold on. They say good things come to those who wait.   Dave1 Member Username: Dave1 Post Number: 63 Registered: 9-2005 Posted on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 1:42 pm:        Hotwire I have mine set at a deadkey of 35 swing to 80 on AM and the PEP on SSB is around 200 the audio is great I have never been told its to low but I have been told its to loud I run a D-104 on mine all that has been done is the conversion and the power is up a little no clipping has been done if you like the 148 you will love the 200 Dave   Goat373 Junior Member Username: Goat373 Post Number: 39 Registered: 3-2005 Posted on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 5:54 pm:        I got my 200 local. I sold a 2980 to get it so i was hopping to get a winner...boy did I. I love this radio, i am seeing a 40 key swinging darn close to 100 on am and a solid 150 on SSB (sorry, no 200 watts) on low power it keys 4 and swings 40 and SSB is around 15. audio with the stock mic is a little tinny but a 636-sl cleared it right up. reports say the 257 sounds better, but the 200 is nothing to be ashamed of thats for sure. im running it base on a 50 amp power supply at 15 volts hooked to a cobra xl 350 (for preamp purposes only, the 200 is a bit much drive for the 2 2879's in the 350) into an Imax 2000 at 30 feet to the base and i can talk to who i hear...100% satisfide...after i saw dave's post about the fix for the freq mod anyway...no transmit on .555 was killing me, thanks dave   Dave1 Member Username: Dave1 Post Number: 64 Registered: 9-2005 Posted on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 7:46 pm:        any time Goat glad to hear it worked out for you.I have done this to about 14 of them now and it seems to work every time Dave1   Patzerozero Senior Member Username: Patzerozero Post Number: 1529 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Saturday, September 24, 2005 - 5:38 pm:        listened to 257, S9 & 200gtl on SSB last nite. they were all about 35 miles from me, the magnums about 2-3 miles apart, the cobra 15 miles from them. the cobra had SLIGHTLY higher signal strength, the 2 mags had more pleasing audio quality. the 257 had the lowest signal strength, it's audio was MUCH nicer then the cobra however. the S9's audio was varied, even cranked up too high, it sounded 'better' then the cobra. i've witnessed the 'nasal' sound of the cobra, this one...well, hard to explain, not exactly a wobble, but a hollow knocking-type of audio. almost like listening to it from a recorder over the air, hard to describe, odd to listen to. i did not add my comments as the others were hammering him pretty good on their own, & he was not amused. he didn't get it from copper, & they did some kind of magic to it, so....   Goat373 Junior Member Username: Goat373 Post Number: 43 Registered: 3-2005 Posted on Sunday, September 25, 2005 - 8:59 pm:        the only magic done to mine is the magic i do. Mine had the nasal sound at first, but a new mic fixed that. have had no problems at all...good power...good freq stability...audio not as good as my 257...but the differance is only noticed by #1 seasoned operators #2 guys i have talked to on the radio for forever. so...i have no qualms about the purchase   Dave1 Member Username: Dave1 Post Number: 67 Registered: 9-2005 Posted on Wednesday, September 28, 2005 - 8:34 am:        PatZerozero The guy you talked to must have had that one cranked way to far so the audio sounded like cr ap I havent had a bad one yet if I do I will let you know the only one that I have messed with the power on is mine I wanted to see what it could do and what it should do but havent had anyone say that my audio was low tinny or anything bad they all have said it is a loud and clear radio so if you talk to him again tell him to set the power a little lower (alot lower lol but be nice ) he has to be over driving it Dave   Patzerozero Senior Member Username: Patzerozero Post Number: 1566 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Friday, September 30, 2005 - 6:43 pm:        he bought it {elsewhere!} so no telling what they did to it. he says HE never opened it. he loves the way it drives his dx1600 so HE won't budge. maybe lots of signal on SSB, but it definitely is NOT something i enjoy hearing. the audio is ODD!   Unit199 Intermediate Member Username: Unit199 Post Number: 163 Registered: 8-2003 Posted on Sunday, October 02, 2005 - 5:19 pm:        People keep talking about Cobra radios. They were good radios when Uniden made them(since 1976 late). Then they decided they could have them made a lot cheaper by letting Ranger make them and they have been junk since that time. Now they are made some where and assembled in the Philipines, like that makes them any better? Each to his own, but I will stick with Magnum and leave the junk to others. Some one said the audio wasn't as good as his 257, so does this justify another $60.00 for the Cobra 200GTL? Well, I will stop at that, before I have all the 200GTL owners wanting to lynch me. Have a nice day. Harve Unit199 CEF210 KB0YVK   Sodapop Intermediate Member Username: Sodapop Post Number: 311 Registered: 12-2001 Posted on Wednesday, October 05, 2005 - 11:42 am:        Well I ordered mine today. I am looking forward to it. And yes, I ordered mine right here!   Mickeymouse New member Username: Mickeymouse Post Number: 1 Registered: 10-2005 Posted on Thursday, October 06, 2005 - 9:37 am:        Well all I can say about the Cobra 200 is that Dave1 lives in the same town I do and no matter where I go in this state I can hear him as loud and proud can be crystal clear his Cobra sounds better than almost any amp driven radio I have ever heard and I have been in CB since 1967 so I think I have heard almost every kind of radio out I am getting one myself to run in my car it is a very user friendly radio with 90 channels per band it makes it easy to go to the uppers with just a turn of the channel selector so if your looking for a new radio I would say take a very good look at the radios out there then take a good look at the Cobra 200 GTL DX and I know what you should buy this is my first post and thank you all for letting me join I will try to make the next posts shorter it just seemed to be alot of talk about this radio MickeyMouse   Tech808 Moderator Username: Tech808 Post Number: 7519 Registered: 8-2002 Posted on Thursday, October 06, 2005 - 9:53 am:        Mickeymouse, WELCOME TO THE COPPER FORUM! Now we need to have you sign up and Join the CEF RADIO CLUB so we can all talk with you on the SUNDAY CEF RADIO CLUB NETS. Lon Tech808 CEF808 N9OSN   Unit199 Intermediate Member Username: Unit199 Post Number: 167 Registered: 8-2003 Posted on Sunday, October 09, 2005 - 2:07 am:        Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!! Can hear it loud and clear all over Maine. Maine has either shrunk or someones imagination is running away with them. Harve Unit199 CEF210 KB0YVK   1861 Intermediate Member Username: 1861 Post Number: 355 Registered: 2-2004 Posted on Sunday, October 09, 2005 - 9:55 am:        DAVE 1 , IS YOURS THE IST EDITION WITH THE HF-50 FINAL , OR THE NEWER 2290 VERSION ?   Patzerozero Senior Member Username: Patzerozero Post Number: 1640 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Sunday, October 09, 2005 - 11:38 am:        the 'NEWER 2290 VERSION'-sounds like cobra is getting desparate   Dave1 Member Username: Dave1 Post Number: 78 Registered: 9-2005 Posted on Sunday, October 09, 2005 - 12:00 pm:        My 200 is one of the first editions and yes Im in the center of the state and I can talk to just about the whole state Im on the top of a mountian so this could help a little with my XMIT Dave   Crazy_d Junior Member Username: Crazy_d Post Number: 13 Registered: 6-2005 Posted on Sunday, October 09, 2005 - 3:59 pm:        Hi, I really need these questions answered: Will there be any power output difference in the older models with the 2 50watt pep HF-50-12, or the new models with the 2 60watt pep 2sc2290??? Who carries the new revisions of the cobra 200gtl dx units??? When you key at 4 watts on low power, what does it swing too??? Thanks in advance, I am so confused over either getting a older model or just getting the newer one which I beleive has some improvements done??   Sodapop Intermediate Member Username: Sodapop Post Number: 315 Registered: 12-2001 Posted on Sunday, October 09, 2005 - 4:44 pm:        Location location, or so I have been told. Lucky for me, I am on a hill as well.   Hollowpoint445 Advanced Member Username: Hollowpoint445 Post Number: 806 Registered: 6-2004 Posted on Monday, October 10, 2005 - 11:19 am:        There's a version with 2290s now? Where can I find information about that?   Dave1 Member Username: Dave1 Post Number: 80 Registered: 9-2005 Posted on Monday, October 10, 2005 - 3:26 pm:        Sodapop Im just below the 1 where your 120 is on that map near MooseHead lake and im sure if I turn the Moonraker your way you will hear me like a local Dave   Hollowpoint445 Advanced Member Username: Hollowpoint445 Post Number: 807 Registered: 6-2004 Posted on Monday, October 10, 2005 - 6:59 pm:        Dave1 - What kind of final transistors does your Cobra 200 GTL DX have? Dual 2290s in a radio that is less than $220 seems like a very good deal.   Dave1 Member Username: Dave1 Post Number: 82 Registered: 9-2005 Posted on Monday, October 10, 2005 - 7:41 pm:        WOW finaly a person who looks into how the radio is made not just the name Hollowpoint I will look into this in the daytime its just my eyes cant see that good at nite but I will get back to you on this asap I do know its PEP on SSB is a little over 220 and that is not cranked up I never crank a radio it just ends up over driven and sounds like a tin can Dave1   Sodapop Intermediate Member Username: Sodapop Post Number: 317 Registered: 12-2001 Posted on Monday, October 10, 2005 - 8:26 pm:        I got mine, and all I can say is WOW! It swing tons of watts, and the locals say it sounds good with the stock mic. And it just looks so nice, but man I am chomping at the bit to get in there and shoot some skip.........is it the weekend yet?????   1861 Intermediate Member Username: 1861 Post Number: 358 Registered: 2-2004 Posted on Monday, October 10, 2005 - 9:22 pm:        WELL , IT IS STARTING TO SOUND LIKE THE ONES WHO ACTUALLY HAVE THE RADIO ARE HAPPY WITH THEM . MY SON HAS BEEN WANTING TO ORDER ONE AND I,VE TRIED TO TALK HIM INTO A MAGNUM - BUT HE PRETTY WELL HAS HIS MIND SET ON THE COBRA , MAYBE HE WILL BE IMPRESSED ALSO . DAVE 1 , IS YOURS STOCK , OR HAS IT HAD SOME SUPER P&T ?   Dave1 Member Username: Dave1 Post Number: 83 Registered: 9-2005 Posted on Tuesday, October 11, 2005 - 10:00 am:        Mine is 100% stock all I did was convert it and add a D-104 and you are right the ones who buy them and use them LOVE them I will agree that Cobra has made some junk in the past but this radio is the best I have ever seen from them I have almost every one they made but like a dummy I sold my 2000 and now I need to find one just to sit and collect dust but as for the 200 I say let the kid but it and I will bet you will be getting one right after him Dave   Viknguy New member Username: Viknguy Post Number: 2 Registered: 8-2005 Posted on Tuesday, October 11, 2005 - 11:06 am:        Has anyone noticed that the squelch is real sensitive. I turn the squelch up enough to stop the noise and get more noise jumping in so I keep turning it up more and more until I have it up so high I almost don't receive anyone   Hollowpoint445 Advanced Member Username: Hollowpoint445 Post Number: 809 Registered: 6-2004 Posted on Tuesday, October 11, 2005 - 1:45 pm:        Viknguy - I cut the RF gain to get the noise floor almost quiet and then adjust the squelch. Try that a while and see if it works better for you.   1861 Intermediate Member Username: 1861 Post Number: 360 Registered: 2-2004 Posted on Tuesday, October 11, 2005 - 2:20 pm:        I CHECKED WITH CUSTOMER SERVICE , THE ONES THEY HAVE NOW HAVE THE 2290 FINALS   1861 Intermediate Member Username: 1861 Post Number: 361 Registered: 2-2004 Posted on Tuesday, October 11, 2005 - 7:03 pm:        WELL , I ORDERED ONE FOR MY SON THIS AFTERNOON , ON THE STIPULATION THAT I KEEP AND USE IT A FEW DAYS BEFORE I TAKE IT TO HIM . I,LL GET TO COMPARE IT TO MY OMEGA AND TR-296 . II,LL LET YALL KNOW WHAT I SEE .   Goat373 Member Username: Goat373 Post Number: 56 Registered: 3-2005 Posted on Tuesday, October 11, 2005 - 9:24 pm:        "I do know its PEP on SSB is a little over 220 and that is not cranked up I never crank a radio it just ends up over driven and sounds like a tin can" what radio do you have, thats not on the 200dx, thats for sure...i own one and thats not possible...maybe 120...im seeing 150 pep   Viknguy New member Username: Viknguy Post Number: 3 Registered: 8-2005 Posted on Tuesday, October 11, 2005 - 11:05 pm:        Two questions 1.How far should I turn down the RF Gain? (quarter turn, Half turn?) 2.Does the 2290 finals have anything to do with my squelch problem?   Chad Intermediate Member Username: Chad Post Number: 484 Registered: 11-2004 Posted on Tuesday, October 11, 2005 - 11:53 pm:        1861, You are a good father!   Hollowpoint445 Advanced Member Username: Hollowpoint445 Post Number: 811 Registered: 6-2004 Posted on Wednesday, October 12, 2005 - 5:21 am:        Turn the gain down until the background noise almost gets quiet. How much depends entirely on how much background noise there is at that time. Most of the time during the day I have my RF gain at about 1/2 or less, but that's my radio and my local conditions. No, the finals have absolutely nothing to do with your squelch problem.   1861 Intermediate Member Username: 1861 Post Number: 362 Registered: 2-2004 Posted on Wednesday, October 12, 2005 - 9:28 am:        CHAD , IT,S HIS MONEY I,M ORDERING IT WITH .   Dave1 Member Username: Dave1 Post Number: 85 Registered: 9-2005 Posted on Wednesday, October 12, 2005 - 9:43 am:        I will have to wait til some skip comes in to look into this squelch trouble I have no locals around here ok there are about 5 of us lol but I will look into it asap Dave   Crazy_d Junior Member Username: Crazy_d Post Number: 15 Registered: 6-2005 Posted on Friday, October 14, 2005 - 7:45 pm:        Does anyone know on LOW POWER on the COBRA 200GTL DX if it can be set to around 2-3 watts and swing around 30 watts or so??? Is running on the low power mode like running only the predriver mosfets (the same finals used in the Cobra 150gtl dx) and when you switch to HIGH POWER it kicks in the two 2sc2290's circuit???? If so, then this radio could be set up to use to driver a xforce or dave made (on low power only) to dead key around 2-3 watts and swing to around 30 watts or so.. CAN ANYONE WHO OWNS ONE OF THESE PLEASE VERIFY THIS??? Thanks in advance   1861 Intermediate Member Username: 1861 Post Number: 366 Registered: 2-2004 Posted on Friday, October 14, 2005 - 8:05 pm:        I JUST GOT ONE IN TODAY ,IT DK,s 1 SWING 40 ON LOW - DK 65 SWING ABOUT 135 ON HIGH . THIS IS USING A DM-452 MIC . SWING IS MUCH LESS WITH COBRA MIC   Crazy_d Junior Member Username: Crazy_d Post Number: 16 Registered: 6-2005 Posted on Friday, October 14, 2005 - 8:27 pm:        Thanks for the info. It looks like i was right that the hi/lo switch is really a switch for the amplifier section. cool!!!! I can run this radio on low to drive a Davemade amplfier. If 40 watts is too much drive I will just tune down the output via the service manual directions. Thanks in advance!   Cornbrown Member Username: Cornbrown Post Number: 56 Registered: 7-2005 Posted on Saturday, October 22, 2005 - 8:13 pm:        Well I just ordered a 200 GTL from Copper for the mobile I hope I won't regret it.....   Crazy_d Junior Member Username: Crazy_d Post Number: 24 Registered: 6-2005 Posted on Sunday, October 23, 2005 - 8:14 pm:        Cornbrown, When you get it, check out the RX audio. Mine sounds muffly and it is hard to understand people. TX audio is GREAT! I had to add the channel guard to clean up the 40+ channels of wash.   Cornbrown Member Username: Cornbrown Post Number: 59 Registered: 7-2005 Posted on Wednesday, October 26, 2005 - 4:24 am:        Got my 200GTL today mann.... the heat sink on this thing is huge!!! It so much bulkier than my S9..... I'll post picks and let you know how it performs for me after I get it setup this weekend.   Cornbrown Member Username: Cornbrown Post Number: 61 Registered: 7-2005 Posted on Thursday, October 27, 2005 - 8:08 am:        Maybe it's off frequency. It's new right.... where did you buy it?? send it back for warranty repair if you cannot hear.   Crazy_d Junior Member Username: Crazy_d Post Number: 25 Registered: 6-2005 Posted on Thursday, October 27, 2005 - 11:30 am:        its not off frequency. Its in the AGC circuit and its being tuned/modded right now. It is gonna be better than ever when it comes back.   Patzerozero Senior Member Username: Patzerozero Post Number: 1781 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Friday, October 28, 2005 - 5:12 pm:        forget about 'modding to improve' these NEW cobra 200gtl dx's sure do need an awful LOT of work-just to make them work. . definitely NOT at the top of my 'to get' list   Hollowpoint445 Advanced Member Username: Hollowpoint445 Post Number: 865 Registered: 6-2004 Posted on Friday, October 28, 2005 - 9:11 pm:        For never having owned or even used one of these radios you sure have a great deal to say about them Pat. Discussing their merits or shortcomings is one thing, but you're pretty much just bashing them. One of the radios that you covet is not well thought of by some people whose opinion I trust, but because I've never used one myself I've refrained from commenting on them other than offering some information about the origins of the receiver design. There is a long list of radios that I don't care for after using them for a while, but I don't feel the need to repeatedly tell people who own them that their radios are garbage. Your willingness to share your opinions might be commonplace, but in my part of the country it's considered to be rude to criticize someone's property without being constructive. Why don't you tell us the real reason you don't like these radios and just be done with it?   Unit199 Intermediate Member Username: Unit199 Post Number: 173 Registered: 8-2003 Posted on Saturday, October 29, 2005 - 8:56 pm:        Hollowpoint445, I think that some of your posts are rude. You come on as if you know just about all there is about radios. I agree with Pat on the 200GTL even though I do not have one.(thank God) I had the use of one for a month and there are too many issues with these radios and I know that I will not spend over $200 on a radio that right now is junk. Since Cobra stopped having "UNIDEN" make their radios,they haven't had a decent radio on the market and they sill don't. All you have to do is read the posts people here have made that own the 200GTL. You do not have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out, "DON'T WASTE YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY ON ONE"!!! Buy a radio that you don't have to re-design or send back to factory for it to work. My fifty cents worth. Have a nice day. P.S. IT SEEMS TO ME, PAT IS CALLING A SPADE A SPADE. Harve Unit199 CEF210 KBOYVK   Patzerozero Senior Member Username: Patzerozero Post Number: 1785 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Saturday, October 29, 2005 - 9:21 pm:        it's the color of the radio... i also don't like fords, magnavox, analog cordless phones, lobster, down pillows, 'toy-sized' dogs, volvo marine engines, 'blue' headlights, modern architecture, poison ivy, mosquitoes, or the bright gold house around the corner from me. you CAN bash on my 11 mpg durango, or 3 mpg downhill-with-the-wind-to-my-back-&-engine-off blazer. or my S9 or XL. i'm a good sport. actually was supposed to meet up with a gent with a crappy sounding 200 today. kids sporting events took too long. gonna replace the CLIPPED LIMITER as well as back down the overcranked ALC, AMC & whatever else was done to it. he requested assistance. i offered to help. gonna go there in AM. i will assist those that i am able to. whenever i can. brand of radio notwithstanding. really. EVEN if it was a galaxy. he DETESTS the xmit as well as rcv so much so that he took it out of his mobile after 2 weeks of use. that was WITHOUT my input . he is using stronger words to describe his disdain then i ever did.   Tech808 Moderator Username: Tech808 Post Number: 7997 Registered: 8-2002 Posted on Saturday, October 29, 2005 - 9:30 pm:        Rules and "Netiquette" When writing your messages, please use the same courtesy that you would show when speaking face-to-face with someone. Flames, insults, and personal attacks will not be tolerated. It's fine to disagree strongly with opinions, ideas, and facts, but always with respect for the other person. Great minds do not always think alike, and that's where the fun is! Also, note that messages express the thoughts of the writers, not the board or its moderators. Lon Tech808 CEF808 N9OSN   Kid_vicious Advanced Member Username: Kid_vicious Post Number: 751 Registered: 9-2004 Posted on Saturday, October 29, 2005 - 9:46 pm:        finally! some real CB radio conversation!!! J/K, guys! for all, at this very moment, we are in the PRODUCT REVIEW section of the forum. if this section were only for the moderators and forummasters and techs to give reviews of products, then Pat's opinions might have been out of place. but it's just not that way. this section of the forum is open to any and all members to give their "reviews" of whatever product they like. and i dont think that pat was implying that his statements were factual, it was pure, unadulterated opinion. if you've read any number of Pat's past posts, you'll notice that his opinions are based on some solid radio knowledge, and i doubt he was making allocations for mambers that didnt know who he was when typing up his post. opinions are like @#$#$%^^&&'s, and none of us can tell any other that theirs is not worthy. matt   Patzerozero Senior Member Username: Patzerozero Post Number: 1786 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Saturday, October 29, 2005 - 10:46 pm:        who says my 'opinions are like ^^&&'s'? out of the 6 or 7 200gtl dx's i've now heard, 1 of them sounded pretty good.. so if i came off sounding like i was saying they are ALL '@#$#$%'. i apologize. i just meant most of 'em . yes, kid, i posted here SOMEWHERE regarding the 200gtl what my opinions were of WHY the price lowered & WHY the transistors were changed, etc. those opinions were well thought out & when i asked in several circles, it was pretty much confirmed by the grinning 'NO COMMENT' replies, that i was dead on. MAYBE just MAYBE they'll get the bugs out quick enough to save it. but there's a lot of damage control to be done now. sure, a vast portion of them work fine, but too many of them have troubles. magnum had the same problem after introducing the delta. they corrected it immediately, both for the current owner & by redesigning part of the radio. once the bugs were out, they introduced the omega. stryker was getting some bad press over its preproduction AM/FM model. things were not looking good. release keeps getting pushed back, almost 5 months from the original release date. they claim they are still working out the bugs. i previously opined that it too would be a flash in the pan. every production delay for tweaking is a GOOD sign. i WILL now reconsider my pre-release thoughts regarding this radio. having no SSB, i'll have no desire to own 1, but with SSB in the works, MAYBE it will turn out to be a good radio afterall. and, again, kid vicious, if you had a GALAXY base & i happened to have the info 'you were looking for'(like your 2000 & XL mods), i'd certainly have volunteered my knowledge of that info. i would continue to BASH your galaxy ownership at every opportunity, however.   Unit199 Intermediate Member Username: Unit199 Post Number: 174 Registered: 8-2003 Posted on Saturday, October 29, 2005 - 11:57 pm:        Lon, As you know, I am a very outspoken person and I do not say anything on the forum that I would not say if we were standing face to face. What I don't understand, his post was made about 24 hours ago and nothing was posted by a tech or moderator about netiquette until the posts were made this evening, 24 hours later. Have a nice evening. Harve Unit199 CEF210 KB0YVK   Tech808 Moderator Username: Tech808 Post Number: 8000 Registered: 8-2002 Posted on Sunday, October 30, 2005 - 12:54 am:        Harve, #1 ~ The Post I made is NOT directed at any Single Copper Forum Member, it is Directed at Every Copper Forum Member. #2 ~ What I posted is part of the Copper Forum and has been since the Copper Forum was created by the Copper Forummaster and is listed to the Left of the Forum here for ALL Copper Forum Members to read under the Topic Getting Started. This is nothing new but I figured I would post it again as a Friendly Reminder for those who have not taken the time to read it or have forgot about reading it in the past. Documentation Getting Started Formatting Troubleshooting #3 ~ Sorry if it might take me awhile to read or notice a post since I have moved over 1200 posts / topics to new areas / topics in the last 5 days in the forum. #4 ~ I apologize for the delay in making a post that I Personally felt needed to be made because things were getting way out of hand, but I did take a Nap and get some things done around the house here in the last 24 hours. #5 ~ Since I started at 5am this morning working in the forum and it is now 11:53 PM I think I might even take another nap. Lon Tech808 CEF808 N9OSN Semper Fi!   Kid_vicious Advanced Member Username: Kid_vicious Post Number: 757 Registered: 9-2004 Posted on Sunday, October 30, 2005 - 12:54 am:        you'll never have to bash my Galaxy collection. 'cause i'll never have one! i guess if someone wanted to give me a box of galaxy radios for free, i'd take them, play with them, and stack them neatly in a corner, so that twenty years from now, when the new generation of CB'ers is touting them as "vintage equipment", i can sell them on $bay for a premium. (or maybe they will go they way of the corvair, and the pinto)LOL im guessing that the people who think you are just "bashing" certain equipment, just dont get your sense of humor. sure, you could've just listed a group of specs, but where is the fun in that!? personally, i think it is one of the most American things that you can do to call corporate america on it when they try to push a product on us before it's tested, and proven reliable. ROCK ON PAT! from the things i've read, and from sources that i trust, my OPINION is that these new cobra radios are no better than the current group of export radios. i have yet to hear a good review from anyone with the test equipment to do it right. who knows, maybe we're all way off base, and this is a great radio that no one is giving a fair shake. (doubt it!) matt   Patzerozero Senior Member Username: Patzerozero Post Number: 1789 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Sunday, October 30, 2005 - 4:24 pm:        actually, i just wanted to see if 808 was awake and, i did look at the 200gtldx this morning. it is 'different'. the exterior, i suppose, could grow on you. feel is firm, controls are also. turning WAY down on RV3, 20 & 14 got wattage into realistic range of under 100 watts PEP on SSB, and on AM, with 8 watts carrier & about 40 watts swing on the diamond sx100, & it pretty much cleared up the 'cruddiness'. but not yet all the way. backing off RV12 removed the sound of 'talking into a pillow', as he was told. but, by turning down the AM mod, while 'unmuffling' it a bit, the resulting audio sounded like 'pinching your nose' & talking in a big empty room. we only got 2 audio reports that i'd consider reliable & neither were glowing. while cutting wattage in half on SSB & by 2/3 on AM, signal strength difference was hardly noticeable, reinforcing the excess watts/harmonics theory. audio reports were that though it was greatly different then before, it was still not appealing. it was not described as having any 'punch' or 'kick' either before or after backing down the pots & tightening up the 2 coils by the SO239. i suggested he try a mic such as the dm452 with its 'large' amounts of amplification to see if it might change the sound quality. at that point he decided to check out other radios. i found the receive, well, difficult to listen to. SSB sounded like the xmit audio, like i was listening to it through a pillow(that description of xmitted audio was given to him by 1 of HIS friends who hated it). the tons of staticky noise we were listening to turned out to be bleedover from AM. very odd sounding bleedover. bleedover on AM, was kinda like hearing the bleeding station talking on ALL channels at the same time. some of the receive was even different then what i'd been told by others. internally, the circuit board is very different looking, feels firm & everything looked well connected. the heat sinking was really nice, too. as for channel changing & bands-i still don't get it. after 10 minutes to turn every thing back down & a couple audio reports, he was extremely dissatisfied with the radio, which cost $15 less then coppers' advertised price, but the tuneup cost $65. not bad, $65 to turn ALL the pots WIDE OPEN, & spread apart 2 coils. i turned 'em all back in about 11 seconds. he has packaged it back up & is ready to make a phone call tomorrow AM to see if it can be returned. in the meantime, he looked at a lincoln, used, & made the deal for it. it only does 35 watts, but we've heard it before & it is a nice crystal clear sounding radio. he said there is a remarkable difference in the receive quality of the lincoln as well. he understands EVERYTHING now & has not had to ask for it to be repeated. the 200gtl is a nice looking radio in real life. it's just a shame that it is no more useful then a paperweight. BASH to this radio oh, i saw your e-mail last night kid, gonna have to check into the mod. thought the cobra thing was just me THANKS!   Hatchet Junior Member Username: Hatchet Post Number: 36 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Sunday, October 30, 2005 - 6:01 pm:        There seem to be ALOT of happy 200gtl dx owners out there. They cant be all that bad.   Goat373 Member Username: Goat373 Post Number: 59 Registered: 3-2005 Posted on Tuesday, November 01, 2005 - 12:35 am:        i personaly love mine, i have heard mine on the air while my xyl ran it and i was mobile, and the xmit audio is supurb and running it here, the receive audio needed no more tweaking than adding a good quality ext speaker. (which i do anyway, im about 3/4 deaf) the only, and i mean ONLY problem i have with it now is adjacent channel rejection is kinda weak, not bad, just kinda weak, and im only seeing around 150 watts ssb and 85 watts AM, very little harmonics, because no matter hhow clean you run something, harmonics are always there. I am very happy and will run this radio till it dies, i use it as well as an icom-207...htx-242...magnum-257...icom-t2h ht, if it aint clean i wont run it, if my 200 was crap id call it crap and wipe it off my shoes like i should, but its not, not my a long shot, its just that the majority of techs couldnt tear there way out a paper bag with non-conductive alignment tools...which is sad but true   Cornbrown Member Username: Cornbrown Post Number: 63 Registered: 7-2005 Posted on Tuesday, November 01, 2005 - 5:51 pm:        Hello Goat, I got mine from Copper still have not test it yet. Hopefully this weekend.   Patzerozero Senior Member Username: Patzerozero Post Number: 1821 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Friday, November 04, 2005 - 4:48 pm:        dealer he purchased cobra 200gtldx from will NOT take it back!!! in any way shape or form. hmmmmm, cobra says that the dealer is NOT anauthorized cobra dealership???!!! cobra offered to take radio back for repairs, but he said he wants his money back, he is much happier with lincoln(difference in HIS sound is like nite & day). they suggested he dispute his credit card bill. he e-mailed me today & said cobra has now offered to send him a new 'updated' version upon receipt of HIS radio & bill/sale documentation. never had that problem with copper!   Hollowpoint445 Advanced Member Username: Hollowpoint445 Post Number: 882 Registered: 6-2004 Posted on Friday, November 04, 2005 - 7:15 pm:        Is that the version with the HF-50 finals?   Patzerozero Senior Member Username: Patzerozero Post Number: 1829 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Saturday, November 05, 2005 - 10:12 am:        yes, the 'bad' radio. he's upstate hunting this weekend, so i have yet to talk to him since he told me what cobra told him. my suggestion was going to be to ask exactly what the 'updated' version is. he spent $215 + $65 mod + $20 shipping, when he only planned on $150 radio. THEN he spent another $150 on a lincoln, so i think he's gonna call the credit card company with documentation from cobra. i would like him to get back in touch with cobra 1st though & see what they say about the update.   Cornbrown Member Username: Cornbrown Post Number: 64 Registered: 7-2005 Posted on Monday, November 07, 2005 - 9:14 am:        Well I fired up the 200GTLDX over the weekend.. I like this radio.... It pumps out tons of watts AM high swings to a little under 200watts. WOW...RX is pretty good... Audio reports are very good. I talk to locals with "authority" lol. The funny thing is when I key up on my local channel every body wants to come back at me. My antenna is some help too. I can also talk skip with ease I don't have to fire up the big foot warmer to get out.   Jimmy396 Member Username: Jimmy396 Post Number: 77 Registered: 1-2002 Posted on Monday, November 07, 2005 - 4:23 pm:        I have a friend near my house and i think he has an earlier model.The audio is so tinny sounding i don't like it at all. I would love to get one but i dont want the same problems as others are having. When will the newer updated ones be coming out with the better sounding Audio (ssb) and channel rejection fix.   Sinker Intermediate Member Username: Sinker Post Number: 226 Registered: 8-2005 Posted on Tuesday, November 08, 2005 - 6:48 am:        I'm not sure but think 808 told me that Copper has the newer version in. They found out when working on one that it had been redesigned. Definitely sounds as though you do not want to get stuck with an early model but rather the redesigned one. Tech808 might be able to answer this much better and ensure us if Copper has the newer version. Tim CEF-634   Cornbrown Member Username: Cornbrown Post Number: 67 Registered: 7-2005 Posted on Tuesday, November 08, 2005 - 7:58 am:        Jimmy 396... The best way to fix the tinny noise is to change the stock mic. and also be carefull who you buy the radio from. These high performance rigs do not like to be clipped or turned up. (I don't want a radio that has been clipped or the modulation maxed off the scale) All is needed is the channels and a good alignment and you are set.   Tech808 Moderator Username: Tech808 Post Number: 8290 Registered: 8-2002 Posted on Tuesday, November 08, 2005 - 8:35 am:        Sinker, Yes you are correct. Copper only carries the Updated Version of the Cobra 200 GTL DX Radio. Lon Tech808 CEF808 N9OSN   Jimmy396 Member Username: Jimmy396 Post Number: 78 Registered: 1-2002 Posted on Tuesday, November 08, 2005 - 8:51 am:        Thanks guys if all the problems are fixed i think i will get one. Also the friend i know has changed the mic three times and still sounds like poo LOL. I told him to buy from copper but they just don't listen. Been dealing with copper for over 16 years never had a problem..   Patzerozero Senior Member Username: Patzerozero Post Number: 1873 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Saturday, November 12, 2005 - 2:14 pm:        just got word from friend regarding his dealings with cobra. after numerous faxes of his bill of sale/credit card receipt, cobra is going to refund him his ENTIRE cost including the 'mod' fee, upon receipt of his radio. he stressed his displeasure with the radio, not so much the dealer he purchased it from & they finally gave in. he refused their offer of an updated radio since he ended up getting a used lincoln for what he originally intended to spend & is 100 times happier with it. they told him to expect a check approx 30 days after the receipt of his radio... not really being a 'radio-head', all he understood from the rep was that the radio was not performing as well as the preproduction models led cobra to believe they would. they had received a substantial amount of complaints from dealers as well as owners and redesigned major parts of the rcv & xmit sections. a real fine radio indeed. just confirmed my initial decision NOT to buy one. redesigned or not   1861 Intermediate Member Username: 1861 Post Number: 385 Registered: 2-2004 Posted on Saturday, November 12, 2005 - 5:23 pm:        GLAD TO HEAR HE GOT SATISFACTION . I FOUND THAT THE 200 , LIKE MOST RADIOS , DEPENDS ON WHO SETS THEM UP . MY SON GOT THE ONE WITH 2290 FINALS . HE HAD A 20 DOLLAR RX FIX DONE , I WILL HAVE TO SAY NOW IT IS BETTER ON TX AND RX THAN MY OMEGA FORCE . I KNOW QUIET A FEW PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE 200 SET UP BY THIS TECH , AND NONE OF THEM WOULD GET RID OF THEM   Hatchet Junior Member Username: Hatchet Post Number: 42 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Saturday, November 12, 2005 - 7:38 pm:        Better than an Omega??? Thats a pretty good radio Id say. Your friend must have got a lemon Pat   Jimmy396 Member Username: Jimmy396 Post Number: 79 Registered: 1-2002 Posted on Saturday, November 12, 2005 - 7:43 pm:        The Cobra 200 i have coming in the next couple of days.I was wondering who does the mods for copper. Also is the RX mod done on the new ones like the one i just bought if not who does them. Thanks Jimmy   Jimmy396 Member Username: Jimmy396 Post Number: 80 Registered: 1-2002 Posted on Sunday, November 20, 2005 - 9:33 am:        I got the 200 the other day from copper.The SSB audio sounds terrible.And it does have bad rejection from other channels splash splash. But this is not Coppers fault it the bugs that came with this radio from Cobra. I will put it in the box and wait for all these mods to come about and will send to Copper for a good fix'in.And this radio will finally scream the way it should on SSB. And the audio is very wobbly on SSB with any mic i have tried 4 differant one's. And if people say you sound good on SSB there lying the audio is not good at all shame shame Cobra I will say one thing good about the 200 it screams on AM with my Turner +3 mic.   1861 Intermediate Member Username: 1861 Post Number: 391 Registered: 2-2004 Posted on Sunday, November 20, 2005 - 12:28 pm:        MY SON SENT HIS TO A TECH AT CHICAGO , FOR 20 DOLLARS , ALL THIS WAS FIXED , IT NOW IS BETTER RX AND TX THAN MY OMEGA FORCE -- AM AND SSB . STILL THE BEST DEAL AROUND EVEN ADDING THE 20 DOLLAR FIX   Hatchet Member Username: Hatchet Post Number: 54 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Sunday, November 20, 2005 - 1:26 pm:        That tech would be Wizard. He seems to have the new Cobras figured out   1861 Intermediate Member Username: 1861 Post Number: 392 Registered: 2-2004 Posted on Sunday, November 20, 2005 - 5:27 pm:        YEP ! THAT BE HIM.   Hatchet Member Username: Hatchet Post Number: 58 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Sunday, November 20, 2005 - 9:31 pm:        Cobra Electronics Corporation TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 10043 MODEL(S): 150GTL, 200GTL DESCRIPTION: Receiver overloads when receiving a strong signal, resulting in distorted audio. In addition there may be a warble in the modulation when transmitting (which the customer might describe as a popping sound during transmit). ACTION: RF is bleeding into the receiver front-end. Apply the following fix: For both the 150GTL and 200GTL, install a 1µF electrolytic capacitor across C607. (From C607 to ground) ADJUSTMENTS: None. NOTES: None. here's a tip for increasing receiver selectivity in the Cobra 200GTL-DX. place a 220pf cap from base to emitter (gnd) of Q-3. This allows T-701 to be peaked with the Noise Blanker ON for a 2 dB NB figure of merit. This does not affect overall sensitivity of the receiver and provides 55 - 60 dB of Adjacent Channel Rejection. Q3 is located near the top right corner of T707 on both the 150 and 200 GTL DX   Jimmy396 Member Username: Jimmy396 Post Number: 81 Registered: 1-2002 Posted on Sunday, November 20, 2005 - 10:12 pm:        Need his info i will send to him does he have a e-mail address.. The Audio quality stinks to tinny and wobbly. Cobra was always know for their audio but not this radio its a shame. I want to love this radio but after the fix i might.   Unit199 Intermediate Member Username: Unit199 Post Number: 186 Registered: 8-2003 Posted on Monday, November 21, 2005 - 4:15 am:        Another 200GTL that someone is spending more money on from listening to someone that spent over $200 dollars on a radio and is basically stuck with it, so he tells what a great radio it is. Don't listen to these people, research it for yourself and shame on Cobra for putting this junk out. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER COBRA RADIO AS LONG AS I LIVE. HARVE   Patzerozero Senior Member Username: Patzerozero Post Number: 1934 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Monday, November 21, 2005 - 4:46 pm:        & thankyou, harve. can't BEAR to change my 95t signature at left, but i see a 200gtldx with the crossed out red circle on the horizon   Jimmy396 Member Username: Jimmy396 Post Number: 82 Registered: 1-2002 Posted on Monday, November 21, 2005 - 5:11 pm:        I will say one thing when the bugs are worked out this radio will be top dog out of the 10 meter rigs.   1861 Intermediate Member Username: 1861 Post Number: 393 Registered: 2-2004 Posted on Monday, November 21, 2005 - 5:52 pm:        EVERYONE WHO POST ANYTHING POSITIVE ABOUT THE 200 GTL GETS FLAMED , OH WELL , I STILL SAY IT IS ONE OF THE BEST OUT THERE . SO FLAME AWAY .   Goat373 Member Username: Goat373 Post Number: 70 Registered: 3-2005 Posted on Monday, November 21, 2005 - 11:16 pm:        flame me too...although i am selling mine, not because it is a bad radio, but because i want the money for a yeasu 100d   Unit199 Intermediate Member Username: Unit199 Post Number: 187 Registered: 8-2003 Posted on Tuesday, November 22, 2005 - 5:33 am:        I am not bashing anyone. the only thing that I don't understand is how people can say how great they are when they say things like: its audio is not as good as my 257, one person in one post said all he did was turn up power and in a later post he said that he didn't touch his radio, several have said the audio was not good, another says after they had audio and rx worked on it worked fine. WHY SPEND MORE MONEY ON A RADIO TO MAKE IT WORK RIGHT??? I guess I am missing something here. "MAGNUM ALL THE WAY!!!" HARVE   1861 Intermediate Member Username: 1861 Post Number: 394 Registered: 2-2004 Posted on Tuesday, November 22, 2005 - 8:43 am:        ALL I,M SAYING IS , EVEN WITH THE 20 DOLLAR FIX , MY SONS 200 STILL WAS A LITTLE LESS THAN MY OMEGA . THE 200 IS A LITTLE BETTER ON RX AND QUITE A BIT BETTER ON TX . I LOVE MY OMEGA AND WOULD NOT PART WITH IT -- JUST CALLING EM AS I SEE EM . I HAVE USED BOTH RADIOS EXTENSIVLY .I NOTICE IN ANOTHER THREAD WHERE SOME ARE HAVING TROUBLE WITH THEIR S-9 s . THAT CERTAINLY DOESN,T MEAN THE S-9 IS A BAD RADIO   Unit199 Intermediate Member Username: Unit199 Post Number: 189 Registered: 8-2003 Posted on Tuesday, November 22, 2005 - 10:13 am:        The difference is that Sam Lewis at Magnum will take care of the problem and it seems Cobra doesn't want to fix the problem, even though they know the radio has issues. I AM CALLING IT AS IT IS, NOT AS I SEE IT. The 200GTL definately has problems and Cobra doesn't seem to care. I will stick with my Magnums where I know any problems will be taken care of and leave the junk to others. This post expresses the thoughts of the writer and not the moderators or board. Have a nice day. HARVE   Hotwire Advanced Member Username: Hotwire Post Number: 703 Registered: 1-2005 Posted on Tuesday, November 22, 2005 - 12:24 pm:        No more Cobras for as long as you live Harve??? Hey the cbs they have are pretty good now. I have 2 of the newer 148s. SoundTracker and GTL. Best legal SSB cb on the market today. I admit I did have them teched out to perform amazing at my standards but what can you expect out of something designed to do 4 watts? I recommend Cobra to all my friends! AS for the 10 meter market maybe they should leave that to the HAM radio companys. Hey I don't really care for Galaxys but there are Galaxy owners out there willing to fight tooth and nail Galaxy is the best. Everyone is different and we all have different likes and dislikes. The way something sounds to me may sound totally different to Joe Blow down the road. If someone spends harded earned money on a Cobra 200 so they can get out there and shout at me then dog gonnit I'm listenin. If you have clear understandable audio thats all that matters to me and you get a good radio report. Ok I'm going back home now. Just tossing in 10 cents worth of opinions.   1861 Intermediate Member Username: 1861 Post Number: 395 Registered: 2-2004 Posted on Tuesday, November 22, 2005 - 12:35 pm:        HEY , I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU ON MAGNUMS , I AM A MAGNUM MAN AND AS SOON AS THE NEW HIGH POWER ONES COME OUT I WILL BE ADDING ANOTHER . I HAVE MYSELF TALKED TO SAM LEWIS ABOUT AN ISSUE WITH ONE OF MINE AND HE WALKED ME THROUGH THE SOLUTION . DON,T KNOW OF ANY COMPANY OWNER LIKE THAT . ALL I,M SAYING IS I,M NOT GOING TO JUMP ON THE BAND WAGON OF SLAMMING A NEW PRODUCT WHEN I HAVE SEEN FIRST HAND JUST HOW GOOD THE PRODUCT IS . I,M NOT DEFENDING COBRA AS A COMPANY , BECAUSE I THINK THEY SHOULD FIX THE PROBLEM THEIR SELF , I WOULDN,T HOWEVER QUIBBLE OVER 20 DOLLARS WHEN I KNOW FIRST HAND WHAT THE END RESULT IS .   Heavyweight Junior Member Username: Heavyweight Post Number: 47 Registered: 11-2004 Posted on Tuesday, November 22, 2005 - 3:49 pm:        I think that its not that the cobra is a bad radio but that most of the techs out there have no clue how to tune this radio.I have a local that got one last week from a shop not 5 miles from my house.Radio had poor receive and its sound on am or side band was shaty to say the least.I told him to take it to another tech that is one of the best that i have ever used.Now it sounds and works great!   Tech291 Moderator Username: Tech291 Post Number: 299 Registered: 11-2004 Posted on Tuesday, November 22, 2005 - 7:28 pm:        but the problem is you guys should be saying that it is a great radio out of the box.havnt seen anyone say that yet!$20 fixes,tsb's,cobras attempt at price fixing....forget it.There are much better deals out there if you know what you want.as i write this am listening to a trucker on 13 trying to peddel off a 150,the way it sounds it isnt anything i would be intrested in! tech291 cef#291 kc8zpj   Kid_vicious Advanced Member Username: Kid_vicious Post Number: 868 Registered: 9-2004 Posted on Wednesday, November 23, 2005 - 12:12 am:        there seems to be a phenomenon that exists when someone spends their hard earned money on something, where they will swear up and down that the product is great as if their own ego is tied up in its performance. unless you invented this radio, then you should not take offense when someone calls it what it is: a cheaply made radio by a company that is trying to enter back into this market without spending any money. cobra does not care about CB radios anymore. did any of you know that the license to build the 148/2000gtl chassis the "old" way has no expiration date? they only stopped making them because it was no longer cost effective to spend that much money to manufacture a CB radio. the ammount of money that it cost cobra to make a single 148gtl the old way just didnt meet the profit margin of what they could sell it for on the retail market. Why would cobra not just put the tried and true circuitry from the old 148gtl in the 200gtl case and add a bandswitch and a freq. counter. wouldnt that be a great CB radio? HECK YEAH! why pay some engineer to design you a new radio when you have the license to build one of the best radios ever? MONEY!!! the parts cost too much, and they can use SMT now to save even more money! So, i ask any of you that bought a 200gtl; do you honestly think cobra was trying to build a quality radio and just messed up? or do you think they cut every corner possible to get it out before christmas and with a decent sticker price? do any of you think that cobra built a radio for as cheap as they could and just by dumb luck, ended up with a quality radio? judge for yourself, matt   Unit199 Intermediate Member Username: Unit199 Post Number: 190 Registered: 8-2003 Posted on Wednesday, November 23, 2005 - 4:46 am:        I own a Cobra 2000GTL, 1000GTL, 142GTL, 139XLR,2-148GTLS, 3-29LTDS,2-25LTDS all when UNIDEN manufactured them. I have 2 148GTLF-DX, one I have not had any problems, but the other one has been a nightmare. I also have 4 collector 29 series Cobras. I also have most of the remote radios brand new in the box. so you see, I kind of know a little bit about Cobra radios and I definatly know that the 200GTL has issues and they don't seem to want to take care of it. Why should a person pay over $200 for a radio then have to spend more money to try and make it work like it should have to start with. This is why I will never buy another Cobra as long as I live. HARVE   1861 Intermediate Member Username: 1861 Post Number: 396 Registered: 2-2004 Posted on Wednesday, November 23, 2005 - 10:28 am:        I NEVER SPENT A PENNY ON THE 200GTL , I JUST TELLING MY EXPERIENCE WITH IT . IF IT WERE A PIECE OF JUNK , I WOULD BE HOLLERING IT LOUDER THAN ANYONE .ALL I CAN TESTIFY TO IS THE ONE I,VE USED . I WON,T COMMENT ON ANY BRAND OR PARTICULAR RADIO THAT I DON,T HAVE PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH . THE 200 I,VE USED IS A GREAT RADIO -- THAT,S ALL I KNOW ABOUT THE SUBJECT .   Tech808 Moderator Username: Tech808 Post Number: 8446 Registered: 8-2002 Posted on Wednesday, November 23, 2005 - 11:08 am:        1861, Your personal "Hands On" actual experience with a product is always 100% better than 10,000 comments from anyone who have never owned or used a product but say I heard this or someone said that about a any product. Thank you for posting your Actual Hands On Personal Experience from using one. Lon Tech808 CEF808 N9OSN   1861 Intermediate Member Username: 1861 Post Number: 397 Registered: 2-2004 Posted on Wednesday, November 23, 2005 - 11:24 am:        THAT WAS ALL I WAS TRYING TO CONVEY LON , IT MEANS NOTHING EITHER WAY TO ME IF ANYONE BUYS OR DON,T BUY THE PRODUCT   Slim1 Intermediate Member Username: Slim1 Post Number: 108 Registered: 4-2002 Posted on Wednesday, November 23, 2005 - 12:27 pm:        I just got 1 question.Does the freq. counter track w/the clarifier like the good ol 2000GTL? Thanks to all.Good reading here! Slim CDX285   1861 Intermediate Member Username: 1861 Post Number: 398 Registered: 2-2004 Posted on Wednesday, November 23, 2005 - 1:52 pm:        YES ,   Unit199 Intermediate Member Username: Unit199 Post Number: 191 Registered: 8-2003 Posted on Wednesday, November 23, 2005 - 5:52 pm:        Lon I had hands on experience with 200GTL and I have $40 dollar radios that sound a lot better than it does and the other five guys that bought them the same time, only one sounded half way decent. My hands are not tied, so I can test a radio and give an honest opinion on it and don't have to answer to anyone. Will you tell us what you really think of the radio? Have a nice day. HARVE   Tech808 Moderator Username: Tech808 Post Number: 8449 Registered: 8-2002 Posted on Wednesday, November 23, 2005 - 6:46 pm:        I have not Owned or Used or even touched a Cobra 200 GTL DX Radio. So my comments / thoughts on a radio that I have not personally used would be worthless and a waste of forum space. Lon Tech808 CEF808 N9OSN   Saddletramp025 Intermediate Member Username: Saddletramp025 Post Number: 127 Registered: 1-2003 Posted on Wednesday, November 23, 2005 - 9:32 pm:        These radios are like automobiles and recliners, find the one you are comfortable with and rock on.   Spiderleggs Junior Member Username: Spiderleggs Post Number: 30 Registered: 5-2002 Posted on Friday, November 25, 2005 - 10:19 am:        I heard one a few nights ago and it sounded great! The guy was well pleased with it and he got good reports from everyone who was on the channel.   Jimmy396 Member Username: Jimmy396 Post Number: 83 Registered: 1-2002 Posted on Friday, November 25, 2005 - 7:21 pm:        AM audio sound great.SSB audio no way sounds good sounds very very bad Period!Some people need to clean their ears so they can hear better .LOL   Hatchet Member Username: Hatchet Post Number: 64 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Friday, November 25, 2005 - 10:01 pm:        One more time Jimmy. Do this and it will fix your problem. if someone has been inside it with their "Golden Screwdriver" have a complete alignment done on it and start over. I have heard these radios and they sound good when set up right. Look up Wizard. He is a "Wizard" with these radios Cobra Electronics Corporation TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 10043 MODEL(S): 150GTL, 200GTL DESCRIPTION: Receiver overloads when receiving a strong signal, resulting in distorted audio. In addition there may be a warble in the modulation when transmitting (which the customer might describe as a popping sound during transmit). ACTION: RF is bleeding into the receiver front-end. Apply the following fix: For both the 150GTL and 200GTL, install a 1µF electrolytic capacitor across C607. (From C607 to ground) ADJUSTMENTS: None. NOTES: None. here's a tip for increasing receiver selectivity in the Cobra 200GTL-DX. place a 220pf cap from base to emitter (gnd) of Q-3. This allows T-701 to be peaked with the Noise Blanker ON for a 2 dB NB figure of merit. This does not affect overall sensitivity of the receiver and provides 55 - 60 dB of Adjacent Channel Rejection. Q3 is located near the top right corner of T707 on both the 150 and 200 GTL DX   Unit199 Intermediate Member Username: Unit199 Post Number: 194 Registered: 8-2003 Posted on Saturday, November 26, 2005 - 5:34 am:        Well said Jimmy396. Could not have said it better myself. HARVE   Hatchet Member Username: Hatchet Post Number: 69 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Saturday, November 26, 2005 - 12:33 pm:        This is Cobras first attempt at the 10 meter market and have done quite well all things considered. The TSB will fix the issues with them and they sound great after the fix.   Patzerozero Senior Member Username: Patzerozero Post Number: 1951 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Saturday, November 26, 2005 - 12:47 pm:          Vdub61 New member Username: Vdub61 Post Number: 4 Registered: 4-2005 Posted on Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - 1:11 pm:        Update from my August 20th post: My Cobra 200 stopped transmitting on Thanksgiving day. The red transmit light would come on but no output. I called the shop I got the radio from and they replaced it with the updated version no questions asked. The updated versions transmit audio is better than the early version I had but it is still subpar compared to other radios I own. Like Tech808 stated back in August, it's not the mic that is the issue, it's the TDA audio chip the radio uses. I also would like to add that the recieve selectivity is worse on the updated version compared to the early one. I have yet to apply the TSB's issued from Cobra reguarding the selectivity issue but I suspect they make an improvement as noted by earlier posts in this topic. I got to watch the tech align the radio this time and noticed there is no way to align the frequency display with the actual frequency the radio is on. He was using an HP 9 digit counter and my radios frequency display reads about 2 hertz lower to where it is actually at. The Cobra 200 he did right before mine was displaying 4 hertz lower than it's actual frequency. He stated that no 2 are alike in his experience so far.   Cornbrown Member Username: Cornbrown Post Number: 95 Registered: 7-2005 Posted on Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - 3:04 pm:        My Cobra 200 has become my primary radio on the base. I have no problems so far "Knock on Wood". The output power is sweet... a little under 200 watts PEP on my Workman meter on am. I get good audio reports... The recieve could be a little better but it is good... no problems here... I am happy with it.. best bang for the buck.   Tech808 Moderator Username: Tech808 Post Number: 8696 Registered: 8-2002 Posted on Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - 3:14 pm:        Cornbrown, As I have ALWAYS told people over the years if it is YOUR RADIO and YOU are HAPPY with it then that is ALL that matters and it makes NO difference what anyone else thinks. Lon Tech808 CEF808 N9OSN   Vdub61 New member Username: Vdub61 Post Number: 5 Registered: 4-2005 Posted on Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - 9:19 pm:        I agree with you Cornbrown, the Cobra 200 is a best bang for the buck kinda radio. I truly do not expect perfection from a 230 dollar radio. While it has a minor issue with transmit audio quality, the updated version sounds alot better than the first one I had. Most people I talk to say the radio sounds excellent but there are a few of my nitpicky(i mean that in a good way as in honest) friends who are able to pick out the rough edge it seems to have primarily on SSB. I am certainly happy with my new Cobra 200 and might even consider getting another one for my wifes car. It is a great looking radio and one of the few that has a display and well lit controls that can be seen at extreme angles in the car at night. Combine it's great looks with it's high output power and low price it's a great deal!   Bert New member Username: Bert Post Number: 1 Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Monday, December 26, 2005 - 8:48 am:        Hi to all, this is my first posting. I must have owned one of the first Cobra 200s. I bought mine around the first of September. I ended up sending the radio back to trade it on an S9. The Cobra SSB audio was terrible; tinny and garbled. (I could never get a straight answer from the store as to whether or not the ALC was clipped} I liked everything about the radio but the SSB audio. I don't use AM, only SSB. The power supply I use is a 32 amp max power supply. I've been extremely happy with the S9, right from the get go :} If the latest batch of 200s have better SSB audio, I would consider another one. Or, maybe I should just wait for the new S9..........   Hatchet Member Username: Hatchet Post Number: 92 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Monday, December 26, 2005 - 3:23 pm:        His is an early Mosfet version. Seems the 2290 200s dont have as many problems as the mosfets did.   Bert New member Username: Bert Post Number: 6 Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Monday, December 26, 2005 - 11:19 pm:        Great skip conditions tonight along the east coast of the US. Just finished talking to a station from North Carolina. He said he was using a Cobra 200. Had a great QSO, only found out that he was using this radio when we swapped working condtions before signing. It stopped transmitting for a few seconds two times near the end. He said he wanted to cut the QSO off real quick just in case. He also said it had been doing this lately while using high power. He couldn't/wouldn't transmit again to let me know how old the radio was. The antenna was an Imax 2000. ??   Cornbrown Member Username: Cornbrown Post Number: 97 Registered: 7-2005 Posted on Wednesday, December 28, 2005 - 8:30 am:        I think one of the problem is... some people are using uder sized power supplys to power the 200 GTL. This beast on key up pulls 15 amps on AM, and a little more on SSB. Again I have no Problems on my end. This thing puts out enough power to make DK contacts at will with a good antenna, and talk local. No need to run "the big box" LOL.... Plus it is fully loaded.... for $230 you Can't beat that. If you have a problem child 200GTL or if mine starts acting up I can get all the bugs fix for $30 including shipping by a certified Tech that knows what the heck he is doing . That's not bad!!! The Cobra 200 GTL DX is a good fully loaded "HIGH POWA" radio for $230.   Bert Junior Member Username: Bert Post Number: 14 Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Wednesday, December 28, 2005 - 2:30 pm:        Hey Cornbrown you make some good points. Some retailers even warn potential customers about the size of their power supply, right in their advertising. Good luck with your 200, sounds like you're happy. Different people have different levels of tolerance though. It kind of reminds me of the problems the domestic car companies had in the 80's and 90's. They lost considerable market share to Toyota and Honda because Toyota and Honda's out of the factory quality was the way it should be vs. the poor showing from the domestics.(enough about that though!} Personally speaking, I wish that Cobra had spent the extra $$ up front after doing some testing and research. That's good for business in the long run. Me? Once burned, twice shy.......... I WILL, however, keep an open mind. :} I'll continue to listen to what others say and then eventually consider another one if I hear enough good reports.   Kilowatt Intermediate Member Username: Kilowatt Post Number: 217 Registered: 2-2004 Posted on Sunday, January 01, 2006 - 8:09 am:        I picked up a "200" the other day, and have been pretty impressed with it. The SSB does a good job, and the NB/ANL really cuts the line noise. My only complaint is that the AM filter seems a little narrow. I'm used to the 8 Kc ones on the Galaxies, and I'd guess the Cobra has a 6 Kc one. (I'm only guessing as they don't state what width it is...) For around $200.00, I don't see how you could hope for a better radio. Just my 2 cents, mileage may vary, etc.   Timblazer2 New member Username: Timblazer2 Post Number: 2 Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Friday, January 06, 2006 - 1:54 am:        so can i come down to coppers and purchase a new version with all the mods and get it rdy to go? how much?   Tech808 Moderator Username: Tech808 Post Number: 8878 Registered: 8-2002 Posted on Friday, January 06, 2006 - 8:12 am:        Timblazer2, You would need to contact Suzanne in Customer Service by e-mailing here or calling her and she will be able to help you. It would need to be Pre-Paid and Suzanne will be able to set up a time when you could stop by and pick it up. Customer Service: 1-800-626-8495 or e-mail: suzanne@iglou.com Right now the Radio is listed at: $229.99 Expand, align and tune: add 30.00 So that would be a Total of $259.99 C90-07015 Cobra 200GTL DX 10 Meter Mobile Radio Hope this helps, Lon Tech808 CEF808 N9OSN   Hoss New member Username: Hoss Post Number: 1 Registered: 1-2006 Posted on Sunday, January 08, 2006 - 1:31 pm:        I have had my 200 for about a month. Everyone that i talk to say that the audio is loud and crisp. I put a D-104 on it the only thing done to mine is conversion for the channels. In low power keys 4 watts swings 30 in high keys 35 swings 100 pep average is 75-80 watts. I am happy with mine over all the only thing is the speaker is not as clear as my Saturn. I hooked up a good speaker and it helped a little HOSS   Patzerozero Senior Member Username: Patzerozero Post Number: 2214 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Sunday, January 08, 2006 - 3:02 pm:        good deal, hoss. the ones i've heard that sound the best use minimum 25 amp power supply & do not have watts cranked up to the moon! seems to be the trick for xmit at least   Goat373 Intermediate Member Username: Goat373 Post Number: 143 Registered: 3-2005 Posted on Sunday, January 08, 2006 - 8:24 pm:        yeah pat..you heard mine, i run it on a 50 amp at 15 volts and have the audio and watts turned back conservitivly (spelling?) mine does about 80 on am and about 95 to 100 even on SSB, but it sounds great and will last for a while i hope   Ki4jib New member Username: Ki4jib Post Number: 1 Registered: 1-2006 Posted on Monday, January 16, 2006 - 7:44 pm:        Hello, This is my first post here on the Copper Forums. I just purchased the 200GTL DX today from my local shop and i must say from what the reports i have recieved, the radio is excellent. The RX is about as good as my Yaesu. The radio is a hoss for power. Like i said, i just received the radio today so i will play around for a few more days and update my report. Note: Running this radio off a 35AMP Astron.   Tech808 Moderator Username: Tech808 Post Number: 8989 Registered: 8-2002 Posted on Monday, January 16, 2006 - 7:50 pm:        WELCOME TO THE COPPER FORUM! WHen you get the time Check out the Topic in the Open Area titled: CEF / Copper Electronics Forum RADIO CLUB WANT TO JOIN We can always use MORE CEF Radio Club Members and MORE CEF Radio Club Hams. Lon Tech808 CEF808 N9OSN   Bert Junior Member Username: Bert Post Number: 37 Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - 2:50 pm:        'Still reading and listening to all the reports on the Cobra 200 before I consider buying another one. It sounds like the radio has come quite a way since it was first introduced...... Transmit audio on ssb was the problem with mine back in September last year.   Ki4jib New member Username: Ki4jib Post Number: 2 Registered: 1-2006 Posted on Saturday, January 21, 2006 - 4:51 pm:        Update to my above, i have used the 200GTL DX all week long and as i stated above it has gotten me reports one after another from locals aswell as some DX as to how well the radio is performing. i will stick to my opinion as this seems to be one of the best radios Cobra has released in years. Might have to try this Magnum s9 everyone on this site seems to rave about and see if it holds up to all the hype. sure is a nice looking radio in appearence. 73, KI4JIB   Timblazer2 New member Username: Timblazer2 Post Number: 3 Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Tuesday, February 07, 2006 - 11:56 am:        still debating to spend another 100 for a S9 or grab a cobra 200.. how can you tell that u have the best version of the cobra? Does copper only sell the best versions? I plan to pair it up with a Palomar 450hd.. after peak and tune and align it wont throw more than 50-60 watts than ill be alright wont i?   Tech808 Moderator Username: Tech808 Post Number: 9209 Registered: 8-2002 Posted on Tuesday, February 07, 2006 - 12:54 pm:        Timblazer2, Cobra changed several things after the first production run. All of the Cobra Radios that Copper carries have the latest / best updates from Cobra. Lon Tech808 CEF808 N9CEF   Moonraker Intermediate Member Username: Moonraker Post Number: 149 Registered: 3-2005 Posted on Tuesday, February 07, 2006 - 7:26 pm:        By 50-60 watts, I assume your talking about the S9. Expect 40-45 watts pep from an S9. If you drob the dead key down to 2 or 3 watts and turn the top gun off it would probably be ok, but you may have to turn the mic gain down so that it only swings 30 watts or so. The recommended input wattage for a Palomar 450 HD is 2-4 watts DK and no more than 25 watts swing. I put more swing into mine, but the papers said no more than 25 watts.   Georgeodjungle Junior Member Username: Georgeodjungle Post Number: 19 Registered: 1-2006 Posted on Wednesday, February 08, 2006 - 12:21 am:        amps arnt that hard to tweak. just turn it in to a hight drive and forget about it. some one shoud come up with a attenuator kit. that would be a great mod.   Vdub61 New member Username: Vdub61 Post Number: 8 Registered: 4-2005 Posted on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 10:31 am:        Hi All, another update on my Cobra 200. The updated version I received now has a problem while transmitting on high power. It drops to low power intermittently. So I called the shop I got it from and they told me to call Cobra. I called Cobra and they gave me an RMA number and an address to ship it to. I will post an update when I get the radio back from Cobra.   Unit_67 New member Username: Unit_67 Post Number: 1 Registered: 9-2005 Posted on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 7:33 pm:        Hi at all;I have 2 of the new version of the Cobra 200 GTL-DX,but this radio has the same problems as the old version. Problems 1.Bad RX Audio 2.The TX in the SSB mode sounds "Horrible". 3.A lot of Spurious Emissions in all modes 4.Pour RX sensitivity 5.TX Power problems when the radio warms up 6.The frequency counter is off of the frequency 7.In one of my radios the TX final transistors are gone."At 1.1 SWR" in my antenna 8.The TX audio in the SSB mode is popping during transmit. This is with the fixes as stated in the different service bulletins for this radio. Unit 67   Cornbrown Intermediate Member Username: Cornbrown Post Number: 125 Registered: 7-2005 Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 8:33 am:        Well I bought mine from Copper back in October. It is still going strong. I still get great audio reports. Who did you buy it from?? Some of these shops like to get in there and clip and Max everything these radios don't like that. A few weeks ago I took my S9 to have the dead key turn down to match my new amp. The guy at the shop was surprised to see the "Is it ALC" still intact, and proceeded to try and convince me that the radio would talk better with it "clipped". I calmly told him that I use this radio on my Base sometimes and I did not want to bleed all over my neighbor's electronics. he looked at me and said since you put it like that I'll leave it alone.   Unit_67 New member Username: Unit_67 Post Number: 2 Registered: 9-2005 Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 2:07 pm:        Hi Cornbrown;You are "Lucky" my friend.In my hometown I have over 5 friends with the same problems in this type of radio.Another thing in this radio is the audio in the RX mode,but if you use an external speaker,the problem is solve.I am a Amateur radio Tech,and I am going to fix all of the problems in the Cobra 200 GTL-DX.I fixed in one of my radios the splatter problem and I founded that the TX problem in the Hi Power position is by a lot of SWR in the TX final area of the radio and the other problem is in the TX and RX switching circuit. Psssss;I never cut any part of the TX audio in my customers radios,except in some of old radios,like the Cobra 29s,Etc,Etc. 73sss... Unit 67-Puerto Rico   Unit_67 New member Username: Unit_67 Post Number: 3 Registered: 9-2005 Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 7:20 pm:        I did the test about the TX problem in the Hi Position.I founded a bad driver transistor.The Q73.Part number RD16HHF1.The Cobra part number for this part is the 010-133.I did a test with my transistor tester in one RD16HHF1 in working condition.The results:A 58% of gain at 5.0 volts,and just 45% of gain at 13.0 volts.The RD16HHF1 not have any replacemnent,but I used for this purpose one Mitsubishi 2SC3133 transistor,and now the radio works like a "Charm" in the Hi position.Another problem in this radio is the audio quality in RX.It is because this radio came from the factory with 4 ohms for the internal speaker,and 8 ohms for the external speaker.I solved the problem with an external speaker.This radio has one resistor 3.9 ohms at 1 watt in series for the internal speaker for complete the 4 ohms.The resistor is the R290.It is located near of the Ext. speaker jack.In my case,I installed a better quality speaker in the radio but at 8 ohms.And then,I removed the R290 and I jumped the empty holes of the R290 for complete the 8 ohms in this radio.Now,this radio has a crisp and clear RX audio quality with the internal speaker.I am still working on it,because this radio has a poor audio quality in the TX mode,especially in the SSB modes. 73sss... Unit 67-Puerto Rico   Hotwire Senior Member Username: Hotwire Post Number: 1094 Registered: 1-2005 Posted on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 10:07 am:        I have heard many poor sounding 200's but I have heard a few that sounded good for just a regular double final radio. For the power they are supposed to have even the ones I liked sounded kinda wimpy and faded out down the road sooner than I think they should of. I can never explain enough the importance of a good antenna. I think some buy this radio and use it with the same antenna they used with a smaller radio. I believe any radio over 100 watts should have a minimum 66 inch antenna. 10 cents   Unit_67 New member Username: Unit_67 Post Number: 4 Registered: 9-2005 Posted on Saturday, March 25, 2006 - 7:40 pm:        This is correct!!!!! In my hometown we use the Wilson antennas,the Monkey Made,and the Sirus too.For base,I have the M107C from Maco,and I have one Hy Gain Quad Beam.I use the 7 elements in Horizontal polarization for DXs,and the Quad for local.But I have the Quad in the Vertical polarization.My amp is the Dentron MLA-2500 with a pair of 4CX800 Russian tubes.I did the modification in my amp. There are a lot of antennas with High Power aplications,but in sometimes if you use the RGX-8 cable it is impossible to match the SWR.I hate this type of cable for mobile.For my base antennas I use the Andrew Heliax cable and the LMR-400 too,because the RG213 cable cause many problems in High Power."In over 1500 watts".A good antenna with a quality cable is better than any power in the radio with an amp!!!!!!!!!   Ck29 New member Username: Ck29 Post Number: 5 Registered: 3-2006 Posted on Sunday, March 26, 2006 - 4:17 am:        HI everyone, I just got a cobra 200gtl dx and this is my experience with this unit. First the radio box was sealed in plastic and the radio it self was sealed in plastic bubble wrap it had all the hardware and also the manual. next I removed the radio and hooked up the heavy duty power cable to my 40 amp power supply, then I hooked up my copy cat type bird meter which uses the same elements, next my 300 watt dummy load. Now I turned on the radio and did some TX power inspections, first low pwr am 2.8 watts to 12 watts p.e.p. fm 2.8 watts, ssb 16 watts p.e.p., next high pwr, 35 watts am to about 75 watts p.e.p., fm 35 watts, next modulation test using a para dynamics model 700, am low pwr 90%max - 60% avg, and on high pwr power it was very close to the same with the stock mic. next test receiver, I hooked up the coax to a antenna and could not here any stations on 10 meters, to do this test I would have to do the channel modification to this unit so I did the mod but I did it a little different by using a very fine tip soldering iron and dental pick and heating up and lifting only one side of that smt 1k ohm, then I used a normal size 1k ohm resistor and soldered into place just behind the first mod to do the second mod. Now I turn on the radio and tested the TX and RX on the new frequencies created and they work just fine. next I tuned to channel 38 Lsb to listen to some dx and this is were the problems start, #1 receiver very hot 3 to 4 S-units of static like running a pre amp also anything over a s9 signal is distorted, also am has the same problem but worse. I tired transmitting on ssb and everyone said I was distorted and they could not understand me so at this point I contacted my tech friend Richard who used to do radar and radio maintance and repair in the army and now does CB and ham radio repair and other electronics, he told me at first to boxes it up and send it back but I convinced him to still take a look at it. so I took all my mods and radio to his shop and he did a bench test with his equipment and looked over my mod sheets and schematics then performed the front end overload mod using that 1uf electrolytic capacitor at c607 to ground acting as a AGC/RF gain control filter. next he adjusted back 1/2 turn the 1st stage receive pot at T703 until the static level on the meter indicated about 1-s unit because the receive was so hot and in turn this helped even more with any left over front end overload that the capacitor could not filter out. Now we did a transmit and receive test, the transmit audio was clear on am but we heard a slight low level hum on our monitor radio, so to diagnose this new problem he used a jumper wire with a clip to ground and by probing different cans and crystals we found that when grounding the 10.240 crystal next to T711 the hum went away, but if you look good on the right of that crystal there is a shiny ground on the board that is not touching the case of the crystal so he just put a small dab of solder on the lower case of the crystal to the shiny ground and that took care of the hum problem. next we tried fm , the fm sounded ok but just a little low on deviation so by using his monitor radio set to fm mode he adjust it up a little. next we did a frequency alignment test with a external counter with the clarifier set at 12:00 O clock, we notice that am/fm and ssb were all off about 1300 cycles, to fix this he adjusted T-711 to match the radios counter and get in close to the right TX and rx frequency being displayed on his external freq counter, then just touched up the off sets on T716,T715,T714. and by the way on the schematics RV-16 next to the squelch adjust is missing on the board and that was to adjust the clarifier, any ways we started to do some radio checks and the reports we got back were clear but flat under driven audio, so I told Richard I have a dm-452 mic also he replied dam why didn't you tell me that before throw that mic on, I guess he getting tired messing with this for 4 hrs. he said lets just do a transmit alignment . he set high & low pwr modulation to 110% max 90%avg. and low power to 10 watts swing on my meter to 55 p.e.p. , now high power 65 watts swing to 140 p.e.p. avg 90-100 watts any more and the audio starts sounding over driven on am. ssb low power 25 p.e.p. high power 150 p.e.p. now we are ready to go back on the air, transmit is very loud and clear on low power and so was high power setting, receive to me was about 90% better with only one station less than 1/4 mile from us on a base running a 250 W amp, this station was the only one giving us a little front end overload. by the way this radio has little to no drift..... Now the best part, am I happy with my new radio, yes only because I have someone that could adjust and repair most of the factory screw ups, and chances are if I ordered another 200gtl dx, right out of the box I would have to do the same thing, also if you or someone els knows how to properly set one up and don't mind spending the time it's a strong talking nice rig. many stations still don't believe I am talking on a cobra 200gtl.......... note: I have 1-2510, 1-alan9001, 1-delta force, after all the mods and adjustments on this cobra 200 it's now more powerful and louder and cleaner with a dm-452 mic then my other 3 radios, but my Alan 9001 has the best receiver by far. thanks have a good day. By the way I buy most of my radios from copper........... Pat   Patzerozero Senior Member Username: Patzerozero Post Number: 2623 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Sunday, March 26, 2006 - 12:19 pm:        Ck29...if cobra could just have the radio work OUT OF THE BOX without having to do anything other then the freq mod, they COULD VERY WELL have a FINE radio. charge $300-400 for it, but don't make it require all that work just to get it to work....it's SUPPOSED to be more powerful then 25-40 watt radios such as you named & i'll bet out of the box, ALL 3 you named would've SMOKED the cobra. cobra needs that radio to be straight, right from the factory, not after being rebuilt/redesigned by other techs   Hotwire Senior Member Username: Hotwire Post Number: 1100 Registered: 1-2005 Posted on Sunday, March 26, 2006 - 1:52 pm:        Pat, I agree 100%. Cobra needs to get with the program or just get out of the 10 meter business and stick with cb only. Even my new 148 GTL was off 9 kc's and needed rebuilt out of box! Now it performs great with my Texas Star with super clean loud audio and one of the best recievers in its class! Maybe Cobra should just stick with 29's. Cobra should be ashamed. My 148 was bought as a gift and I will not buy another 148 for myself again. I recommend cobra cb's to newbies and just general purpose users but for the seasoned operator who demands performance without totally rebiulding the radio I give all Cobras a thumbs WAY DOWN! IMHO 73   Hollowpoint445 Senior Member Username: Hollowpoint445 Post Number: 1145 Registered: 6-2004 Posted on Sunday, March 26, 2006 - 2:20 pm:        Rebuilt/redesigned? What are you talking about? All he did was ground the synthesizer crystal's case, do the receiver modification fix from the factory service bulletin, and do an alignment. Yes, I agree that it should have come from the factory with a good alignment and no need for the factory receiver bulletin fix, but what do you want for $230? They've got to save money somewhere. Besides, EVERY radio I've ever owned has benefited from touching up the factory's alignment. Ck29 should have just sent the sucker back to Cobra for service. Fortunately he has a knowledgeable tech locally, but most of us don't have that luxury. Would Cobra fixed the radio? We'll never know, but at least they would have had the opportunity to find out what was wrong and fix quality control with later production radios. If they don't get all of the defective radios back for service, they won't know what's wrong. The WORST thing anyone can do is pay to get their local tech to fix one of these radios. Is Cobra trying to put out a good product? They did move to a pair of 2290s when the newer transisors didn't work well for them, so it appears to me that at least they're trying to fix the radio. Send the bad ones back to Cobra!   Patzerozero Senior Member Username: Patzerozero Post Number: 2626 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Sunday, March 26, 2006 - 3:50 pm:        OK a bit of an exaggeration maybe on the rebuild/redesign, but, the service bulletins are still out for the same issues-even on the last batch released! they may have changed the finals, but they didn't fix the other issues. there seems to be a VERY LIMITED number of techs(a comp amp builder is 1 no less!)that have an inside track on these radios. they are doing a bit more then just taking care of service bulletins, & their 200's actually perform the way these radios should. is that mere coincidence, or just dumb luck. cobra knows what these guys are doing to fix their mistake, but not doing it themselves. WHY? cobra will NOT reply to that question or ANY technical question regarding these radios. aside from the debatable aspect of 'touching up the factory's alignment', nobody should need to 'pay to get their local tech to fix one of these radios' out of the box. cobra is WELL aware of ALL the complaints about these radios. their response is showing just how much they care.   Yankee Senior Member Username: Yankee Post Number: 1108 Registered: 7-2003 Posted on Sunday, March 26, 2006 - 4:07 pm:        My answer to all these problems with the new Cobra radios. Grant XL, Grant XL, Grant XL.   Hollowpoint445 Senior Member Username: Hollowpoint445 Post Number: 1146 Registered: 6-2004 Posted on Sunday, March 26, 2006 - 5:38 pm:        LOL True enough Yankee. It's tough to beat that time tested design for reliability and performance. Pat - Radios are made in production runs in large quantity. I would guess that all of the first production run were the ones with the new transistors, and the second run were the ones that added the 2290s. Maybe we'll see a 'third generation' come out with the bugs fixed, or maybe not. We can only hope. I agree that they should have been produced that way in the first place, but it's apparent that Cobra is working in an area that they haven't before, and maybe the manufacturer is doing the same. Unfortunately they sold the radio before they have the problems worked out. For the price, that's what you get. I understand the same was true of your favorite all time radio as well. The 3300s were plagued with issues like cold solder joints and other production issues, and they finally got most of them worked out by the time they produced the 3500. Maybe Cobra can do the same with the 200 GTL DX.   Yankee Senior Member Username: Yankee Post Number: 1109 Registered: 7-2003 Posted on Monday, March 27, 2006 - 12:19 pm:        Been closely watching all the new horse power in the sideband radio corral and it's going to take a lot of radio to be better than the tried and proven radios the likes of the Uniden Grant XL. Over the years it has cost me a lot of money to try many different sideband radios,and still to this day I have several of those that I've tried. Have also tried many different microphones, and again I have several different microphones. It's not easy finding the right base station set up and antennas. But after many years and a lot of dollars spent, I run a Uniden Grant XL,Astatic Silver Eagle,Solarcon I-MAX 2000 and Avanti PDL-ll on the base. Carl CEF-357 CVC-9 43 years a CBer!!   Patzerozero Senior Member Username: Patzerozero Post Number: 2634 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Monday, March 27, 2006 - 4:03 pm:        your right, hollow. BUT clear channel/rf limited DID get their radio straight. they had MUCH better customer service from the onset, which has followed through to the magnum lineup. cobra is practically inaccessible to the consumer, & to get ANYTHING out of them is nothing short of a miracle. rf limited was there answering the phone for customers back in the early 80's. cobra has allowed(not sure if THAT word is correct, BUT, HE IS the #1 go-to guy right now)a COMPETITION AMP BUILDER to have the inside track to getting these things going. yeah IF cobra was to get it right, it could very well be a GREAT radio. i do not have any faith in that happening however.   Mrbigshot Member Username: Mrbigshot Post Number: 67 Registered: 2-2005 Posted on Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 2:10 am:        well i picked up a 200 (old finals) and within 24 hours the finals droped out. sent it in for rma and came back with 2290's. all i did was convert it and sold it off. it definaly needed a different mic. after selling the 200 i bought a magnum s9 and i was not impressed with it. everyone raves about the s9's reciver but it was not very impressive. my uniden 810e was picking up stations the s9 would ignore. also the magnum had more white noise. the thing that got me most was the fact that it bled, and bled bad. i was on 31 testing and i was coming across on 21 and they told me what i was saying. the volume knob was pretty touchy, the first 20% or so did nothing after that it was blasting loud. i used it as a base with a external speaker to control the volume. you should get a current 200 if you plan on getting one. as a matter of fact i think i will pick up another one that is current and see what it does. if its a lemon its still cheaper than the $320 lemon i got in the s9. i had a lot of respect for rf limited as sam was the head of palomar engineers back in the 70's and old palomar stuff was top shelf, the new s9 certonly did not show this.   Ck29 Junior Member Username: Ck29 Post Number: 39 Registered: 3-2006 Posted on Saturday, October 21, 2006 - 7:52 pm:        Well I got my Corba 200gtl dx back from warranty repair in Oregon. repair ticket reads replaced transmit regulator and adjust bias on driver and final. Power output on AM low is 6 watts dead key to 60 p.e.p. high is 35 watts dead key to 120 p.e.p., @ 110% modulation, ssb is 130 p.e.p. well it seems to be working fine, maybe the bias was set wrong from the factory anyways only time will tell... 73s   Patzerozero Senior Member Username: Patzerozero Post Number: 3288 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Sunday, October 22, 2006 - 3:09 pm:        the REPAIR ticket reads @110% modulation???? 6 key & 60 PEP??? definitely not a repair center i'd wanna use   Bruce Senior Member Username: Bruce Post Number: 4129 Registered: 9-2003 Posted on Sunday, October 22, 2006 - 5:07 pm:        Power output on AM low is 6 watts dead key to 60 p.e.p. high is 35 watts dead key to 120 p.e.p., @ 110% modulation, ssb is 130 p.e.p. SAY WHAT? Pat i must be missing something   Patzerozero Senior Member Username: Patzerozero Post Number: 3292 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Sunday, October 22, 2006 - 6:30 pm:        a COBRA repair center-we're not talking galaxy here-tuning for a carrier-to-modulation ratio of 1:10? and 110% modulation? allegedly a 10 meter ham rig....effectively a CB. i suppose the 'tune-for-110%-modulation' was the giveaway   Bruce Senior Member Username: Bruce Post Number: 4131 Registered: 9-2003 Posted on Sunday, October 22, 2006 - 6:42 pm:        You got to love it ........   Ck29 Junior Member Username: Ck29 Post Number: 41 Registered: 3-2006 Posted on Sunday, October 22, 2006 - 8:45 pm:        Repair ticket reads replaced transmit regulator and adjust bias on driver and final... PERIOD. Now when I hooked it up what I read from my meter is what I posted!!!!!!! Also My meter Could be off a little bit too. Also see my other post under ask the tech for more specifics. I can't make any adjustments because the warranty center affixed a security decal on both sides of the radio. SO I HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT........ So I hope this clears up any miscommunications...   Patzerozero Senior Member Username: Patzerozero Post Number: 3295 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Sunday, October 22, 2006 - 9:41 pm:        PHEW! thought the repair ticket said that!!! sorry   Hotwire Senior Member Username: Hotwire Post Number: 1932 Registered: 1-2005 Posted on Wednesday, October 25, 2006 - 11:48 am:        ck29, What kind of meter are you using to measure modulation and wattage with? I've never seen a modulation meter that was worth a darn.   Ck29 Junior Member Username: Ck29 Post Number: 43 Registered: 3-2006 Posted on Wednesday, October 25, 2006 - 1:20 pm:        New Astatic 600, and a 10 year old pcd 700, the pcd 700 reads about 15% higher compared to the 600. But today I dug out my SX600 out of storage and did some measurements power only and now the radio reads 1 watt less on low pwr and 5 watts less on high pwr. Don't know what to believe any more but I'm not going to worry about it because the radio works fine and sounds clean on all modes. also I have my Rabbits Foot hanging from the channel knob. 73s   Vdub61 Junior Member Username: Vdub61 Post Number: 11 Registered: 4-2005 Posted on Monday, November 06, 2006 - 10:19 am:        Just sent my 200 back for warranty repair for the fourth time since I purchased it back in August 2005. The radio will not transmit when set to high power again. Funny when I called Brian at cobra he sounded like a beaten man. He said "no we are not even giving out RMA's anymore just send it in". I am going to dump this radio when it gets back from repair. I am convinced it will just break again. What a shame. Shipping costs from sending it in 4 times have made it so not worth keeping.   Hotwire Senior Member Username: Hotwire Post Number: 1988 Registered: 1-2005 Posted on Monday, November 06, 2006 - 1:00 pm:        I would not be suprised if we see in the near future the 200gtl get discontinued. Maybe even the 150gtl.   Walterb Junior Member Username: Walterb Post Number: 16 Registered: 12-2007 Posted on Friday, January 25, 2008 - 11:27 pm:        Have an S-9 and a Cobra 200GTL an on AM the cobra pulls in stations the S-9 does not hear. The 200 has a more relaxed sound to the receive, which I like when using it for a base radio. Only my Cobra 2000GTL hears a little better at low volume than the Cobra 200GTL.

Add Your Message Here Post: Username: Posting Information: This is a private posting area. Only registered users and moderators may post messages here. Password: Options: Enable HTML code in message Automatically activate URLs in message Action: