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Fusebreaker
Junior Member
Username: Fusebreaker
Post Number: 32
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 17, 2005 - 11:44 am: | 
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someone told me that you can do a mod to get 25 watts on ssb out of this radio with a mod any one know what that is? |
Bruce
Senior Member
Username: Bruce
Post Number: 2614
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 17, 2005 - 12:58 pm: |
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On a 148? if its got a 1969 class of final I dont think so ..... |
Fusebreaker
Junior Member
Username: Fusebreaker
Post Number: 33
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 17, 2005 - 4:00 pm: |
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ok i didnt think so,what can you get on ssb with this radio.what is your view of the NPC mod for this radio? |
Yankee
Advanced Member
Username: Yankee
Post Number: 555
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 18, 2005 - 2:43 am: |
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My Grant XL has the stock 1969 final and I just checked into a dummy load, AM dead key 3 1/2 watts, swing around 8 watts, on sideband all I can pull out is right at 17-18 watts. the AM dead key is turned down. I've had several cobra 148s, one 148F, one Cobra 2000 and this Grant XL and about the most I've seen on any of them is what my Grant XL is doing. My oldest son back home in upstate New York has my last Cobra 148 GTL and it has some kind of mod in the audio circuit, that I've never seen before, I was the second owner.
And that sucker can drive some audio on sideband, the output on that radio as I remember is very close to my Grant XL. I gave him the 148 for Christmas maybe 4 years ago. |
Bruce
Senior Member
Username: Bruce
Post Number: 2621
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 18, 2005 - 8:19 am: |
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Fuse ...... a hot one might do 20 watts but are you willing to be changing them on a regular bases?
Save your self much greef Get a amp ...... |
Yankee
Advanced Member
Username: Yankee
Post Number: 556
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 18, 2005 - 11:44 am: |
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Agreed Bruce keep the power down, save the driver and final. I've changed many finals for people that just had to have every last watt the radio could do, after puting in the new final the output was set at 3-4 watts AM dead key. |
Patzerozero
Advanced Member
Username: Patzerozero
Post Number: 789
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, May 22, 2005 - 9:27 pm: |
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a customer got almost 40 watts out of his 148 on his dosy meter...best i could get for him was 15 or 16 on my diamond...
the big boys shoot for 12-13 RMS swing(18-19 pep) & then their custom made amps are HAPPY |
Iluvrf
Member
Username: Iluvrf
Post Number: 89
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, May 22, 2005 - 10:01 pm: |
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Try this with your dosy meters. Hook a 9v battery to the pl-259. That will make it REALLY swing! A 1969 final is rated at about 18 to 20 watts. 25 is REALLY pushing it. 40 is, well, um yea. |
Yankee
Advanced Member
Username: Yankee
Post Number: 576
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Monday, May 23, 2005 - 2:19 pm: |
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The most I've ever seen on a 1969 final was on a Cobra 148F-GTL on sideband and it was an effort for it to make 22 watts. Now if you want to talk about a 1307 driven by a 1306, which will swap out to the 2000-GTL, 148 and 148F-GTL and the Grants. Those two transistors will drive more power. This is one mod. I've not seen in the Grant XL mods. The 1307 and 1306 transistors have to be of the NEC brand and are no longer being manufactured and getting very hard to find. But with a little luck you can find them. I still see them listed at some catalog outlets. |
Bruce
Senior Member
Username: Bruce
Post Number: 2667
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Monday, May 23, 2005 - 7:16 pm: |
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Yankee
Advanced Member
Username: Yankee
Post Number: 579
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Monday, May 23, 2005 - 8:37 pm: |
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I'm guessing that this 10-14 watts for a 1969 is in the AM mode, I've seen many of them come close to 18-20 watts sideband, just checked My Grant XL into a dummy load and it did 16 watts sideband, AM dead key 3 1/2 watts with a swing of 10 watts. |
Hollowpoint445
Intermediate Member
Username: Hollowpoint445
Post Number: 294
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Monday, May 23, 2005 - 9:28 pm: |
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I've heard lots about the 1306/1307 combo, but supposedly only a certain manufacturer's were any good. Apparently they stopped making the good ones in the mid 80s and the ones around now aren't capable of the same output.
Years ago I read about Bill Cheek replacing the 2166/1969 in the 148/2000 with a real 1306/1307 and found he got less output than the 2166/1969. He said he stopped trying to find the real 1307s after that and stocked the 1969.
I suppose if money were no limit you could replace the final with a 477 or 497 and get a real output gain, but even at 40 watts you only gain 1/2 S-unit for your money and troubles. For me it isn't worth the effort or expense. |
Bruce
Senior Member
Username: Bruce
Post Number: 2675
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Monday, May 23, 2005 - 9:52 pm: |
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bottom line it an't good for 25 .... |
Yankee
Advanced Member
Username: Yankee
Post Number: 581
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 24, 2005 - 1:01 am: |
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I have several of the older Uniden sideband radios with the uPD 858 PLL and the NEC 1306/1307 combo and they do seem to drive more power. Must be that when you put the 1306/1307 in the newer radios they don't drive as high by design of the newer chassis.
Thanks for the info. of the 1306/1307 not working well in the newer models. I have a pair of good NEC 1306/1307 in a non working Radio Shack TRC-449 that I keep for parts and was going to try them in my Grant XL. |
Dale
Member
Username: Dale
Post Number: 85
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 24, 2005 - 11:40 am: |
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id leave radio stock and get a klv40 get close 2 fourty watts without any fancy mods and radio will last alot longer .my 2 cents |
Heavyweight
New member
Username: Heavyweight
Post Number: 5
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, May 29, 2005 - 6:59 pm: |
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u cant get 25 watts out of a 148 gtl on side band?? Im getting 28 watts out of my 148 gtl on side band and yes it has a 1969 in it.maybe its because its an old phil,radio. |
Patzerozero
Advanced Member
Username: Patzerozero
Post Number: 833
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, May 29, 2005 - 10:20 pm: |
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18-25 watts make NO DISCERNIBLE DIFFERENCE WHATSOEVER, & unless major surgery was done to the radio the difference is probably due more to meter tolerances & impedance mismatches then anything else. unless somebody requested an NPC-RC or volted final mod to their XL, the basic tuneup gets 12-15 watts & more then adequately drives an amp, or talks on its own.
dale's 2 cents are worth a quarter in my book. had you said get a 5 pill comp box, it'd have been worth a buck, easy!!! |
Al_lafon
Junior Member
Username: Al_lafon
Post Number: 36
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Friday, June 03, 2005 - 10:18 pm: |
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Hay guys 18 to 25 is not a 3db jump to hear or even see the change you need to jump 6 or 9db
from what you have. kinda go's like this 4 then
move to 8 3db more now to go to 16 just 3db more
o but wait 32 is just 3 db more ? go buy a 100 watt box you get 10db and pice of mind ! |
Patzerozero
Advanced Member
Username: Patzerozero
Post Number: 857
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, June 04, 2005 - 10:32 am: |
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as a sidebar, 22 watts from a 1969 (as per rf parts specs) X 2 = 44 watts, or roughly the 45 watt output rating of the magnum topgun radios. their transmitters appear to be fairly efficient, & only magnums i've heard of doing more then 40 or so watts EAT finals. SO, as i said above, 'unless major surgery was done to the radio'-it(cobra 148) probably AIN'T doing much over 20 TRUE ACCURATE watts.
i don't see where anybody said 18 to 25 watts is a 3 db jump, but that '18-25 watts make NO DISCERNIBLE DIFFERENCE WHATSOEVER'. a 3db gain, or doubling your power will make a difference to the receiving radio, depending on the design of the radio, from 'just noticeable' to maybe 1 S-unit. 2 watts to 4 watts, 5 watts to 10 watts, 100 watts to 200 watts, 5 million watts to 10 million watts are all examples of a lowly 3 db gain & all will show the same roughly 'noticeable to 1 S-unit' increase in signal.
i do agree that taking your cobra 148, whether it be swinging 6 watts out of the box or 12 or 25 watts after modding & put an amp, 1 to 5 transistors after is of much more benefit then claiming that you're swinging 20-25-30. or even TRYING to make it swing that much. |
Dale
Intermediate Member
Username: Dale
Post Number: 104
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 08, 2005 - 10:36 am: |
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thanks patzerozero imnot a believer in all these mods for 5or 10 extra watts. whats the point. but i guess different stokes for different folks |
Hotwire
Intermediate Member
Username: Hotwire
Post Number: 412
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 28, 2005 - 2:29 pm: |
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My 148 NWST has had a premium tune. One final burnt out so now it has one 1969 final and one 2166 final. It will do 21 watts SSB and 19 watts AM. |
Sparkomatic
Intermediate Member
Username: Sparkomatic
Post Number: 351
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 29, 2005 - 8:10 pm: |
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I have 3 148 GTLs and they all swing 20 watts ssb and on AM they swing from a 1/2 watt key to 11 watts on a Bird 43. The final(1969) is "volted" and has the "Cap" mod and variable key. Been this way since 1996 with NO problems of any kind. |
Yankee
Advanced Member
Username: Yankee
Post Number: 705
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, June 30, 2005 - 3:13 pm: |
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Sparkomatic: I hope you mean, that's 11 watts AM swing. Because anything over about 3 watts AM dead key with a 1969 final will shorten the life of the driver and final. Also 20 watts sideband is driving the final a little hard.
 |
Casey
New member
Username: Casey
Post Number: 9
Registered: 11-2010
| | Posted on Saturday, July 02, 2011 - 4:23 pm: |
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There's a MosFet update for the 148GTL / Uniden Grant series that offers about 24w. |
Scooterman
New member
Username: Scooterman
Post Number: 9
Registered: 3-2012
| | Posted on Friday, April 20, 2012 - 1:41 am: |
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What about the RFX75 final replacement? Besides aren't most of the numbers you guys are tossing about only Instantaneous Peak power?(IPP) RMS power will get you farther than a quick short duration peak. |
Moonraker
Intermediate Member
Username: Moonraker
Post Number: 312
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Monday, May 21, 2012 - 11:37 pm: |
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These old 148s and grants have amazing audio if they aren't hacked up. The only mod I like it the hifi mod and lowering the deadkey to drive a small amp. I really believe less is more with these rigs. |
Rabbit_ears
New member
Username: Rabbit_ears
Post Number: 3
Registered: 6-2008
| | Posted on Friday, January 25, 2013 - 8:16 am: |
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My bird shows around 15W PEP loud and clear(crisp audio) on my President Washington (8719).
It has a single final, a 2SC1969.
I can push it up to 18WPEP...But it would sound distorted. |
