I am rating this review almost one year after receiving the Cobra 29LX Max as a Christmas gift in 2019. Inferior product and customer service. I have a Cobra 29 Classic that is 27 years old and the only problem I have had with it is the meter. Last Christmas my family gave me the Cobra 29 LX Max to give me a modernized CB and I was excited to install it because of all the features. It looked to be a cool and promising radio. I could receive calls through it, but never texts. Also, the alerts were very lackluster. Finally, the worst part was 5-6 weeks after the install the screen went completely blank. My wife , whom made the purchase called early spring about the problem and was told to call back in three weeks due to Covid-19 to only call back and get the same response. I will not be purchasing a Cobra product again. Cobras products and customer service are nothing like it was in years past. Very discouraged and disappointed
@@jongregory5308 Yes, definitely NOT something that should happen in just one month. That's a real shame too because it's a nice looking radio with nice features.
Glad I came across this video... You saved me a bunch of headache. I'll be sure to avoid Cobra Radios... just as bad as the Cobra Radar detector I bought years ago.
Boy, that's a shame.... I've been using the same Cobra 29 since 1980. I'll bet it's been in at least 20 different vehicles and has never given me a bit of trouble. It was a gift from my grandfather when I was 11 years old. It's really a shame that Cobra has cheapened up their new 29 so much....
Having already dealt with this ones earlier cousins - thanks for the review. I'm a little late to the party...but...I'm a Thru-hole fan myself so to see Cobra making an effort to keep the larger discrete market going - gives me hope that Cobra isn't forgetting their roots...The relay? Kinda' a far fetched means to isolate the NB and ANL (which are sensitive to ground loop pickups and mechanical connection resistive problems) which I give them credit - but for the wrong reasons. Your review of the "packets" of data show that the device is continuously scanning BT enabled devices - So in light of just that they are trying to keep the front panel "digital" noise from the rest of the rear board, tells me this is a piece of work in action of an upgrade direction - just not sure of to what, or for what, purposes except that it exists. That is what worries me, it can be done far easier. RCI has used buffered Darlingtons to switch and toggle functions back there, but when you look at how the Cobra switch network is designed - the quietest results are achieved by switching thru the rear PCB (RF radio part of the board) voltage sources and ground references - RCI uses essentially the same thing; shield all the way around and bolted ground when it came to the RF RX side of things. But that's where similarities ended - the older ground plane and switch panel with heavy gauge steel provided at good shielding for noise and was used heavily (physically and metaphorically) on Cobras many older models and remakes of this design. The relay simply provides isolation and a entry point for those that may need to hack for other remote switching purposes. But the older ST and NightWatch units were bears when it came to noisy loops to front panel displays that used anything less than STRAIGHT-DC LED or incandescent. Be wary of the packets - the many BT designs and versions out there - unless you've seen and decrypted the uP code - you don't know what's talking to what via that radio - even in your own vehicles dashboard for someone else to review if you're ever stopped. Canadians have had data recorders for years, but unless you know that is being talked about in your radio - you'll never know how much or if any data is being mined off your BT scanned devices it can get into - the thing can easily transpond to your phone so a lot of handshaking goes on, but you are not always seeing the devices the radio can talk to BESIDES your phone or Dashboard hands free devices.
I've watched many of your videos thanks for all the insight, ideas and info. Do you have a website posting for your shop I have a couple I'd very much like to have you tune
I have never worked on one of those and probably never will. I've worked on th old "black box" surface mount technology back in 1988 but that isn't anything I'm affraid of. My shoulder is shot so soldering has become difficult over the past 3 years. I've heard that the LCD connections from the front control panel use the carbon impregnated rubber connectors to excite the LCD display. Any info or thoughts on that? They are now making cb radios with the idea that, when they break, you do throw them away.
I bought this thing after being sold on that speedtrap/camera warning feature and was going to return the 29lx digital after going to tune this one. The guy at the CB shop told me this model was crap and to keep the digital one which I followed his advice. Thinking I made a good choice
Curious, if a person was to purchase the cobra 29 lx max for use in a pickup truck it should last a long time ? I like the features this cb has but I don't want to pay that much for it and be junk .
I agree with you. Junk. I have one on my bench now that won't power up. I thought it might be the reverse polarity diode but it wasn't . I changed the cap next to it because it was leaking and still won't come on . I changed TR 23 thinking it burned out before the fuse should have blown but it didn't .I'm thinking it could be a short across the board but I am getting voltage to the front end .Still won't light up or power up. I am going to check those resistors and the diode connected to TR 23 in that area and if need be change them . If it still doesn't work I'll gently place it in my paper shredder and tell my customer it fell in, here are the pieces .
Where can I find you? You know a lot more than some of these truck stop shops. I've got a new cobra, need new coax and have both the antenna and radio peaked and tuned. I am a truck driver and use my radio quite a bit.
These radios aint bad..i just got 4 LX models in that have been in trucks for over 5 years and they are solid!!! One had a bad solder joint and the other had a blowndriver not really a big deal.
Wish I'd seen this before the wife ordered mine, it'll be here tomorrow as a late b-day present. I had an old 29ltd and it was a beast hooked to a wilson 1000 magnet. Thinkin i need to just find an old 29ltd again
+Lee Hilton Yep, hard to beat the older Cobra 29's. For new radios I have been recommending President's current lineup. Well built, nice features and great warranty.
I had a 29 LX Max it worked until the weather radio alert came on. Instead of receiving the signal it started screaming and couldn't be turned off. I disconnected the power and the radio never worked again. Junk.
I'm glad I have the old cobras. for a new radio I went the the uni-den I really want my 20 five tern fixed. it works but the power cable needs to be solder to the board. No new cobras for me..
Re soldering the wires on the board is pretty easy. I usually change out the power plug to a traditional 3 pin. I've found that if you carefully shave down the outer plastic of the female plug it will fit into the hole for the original plug. Then you can just run wires to the board from the new plug. Makes removing removing the radio much easier
That might be true in some states but in Virginia radar detectors are illegal only if they are plugged up and operating I have had a few cops see my radar detector in my vehicle and couldn't do anything because it wasn't plugged up. That's what they told me is they couldn't get me for it because I wasn't using it
Happy to have seen this video today. I was on the verge of getting one today because I met someone who swore that this radio was the best. As a matter of fact, he stated that Cobra 29 LX max was first on his list as the best quality CB radio on the market followed by anything Road King, and last, on his list was anything Uniden. This begs the question - which I'm sure you've answered before. Of all the CB radio brands that you have come across which one model stands out the most in quality. Regardless of price and features?
Isn’t the operator standpoint what is this radio is all about. Most people do not care about what’s inside the radio as long as the radio works good. I’ super value your opinion
It a good c.b radio , but I wouldn't put to my cell phone to get the app, I would put my home number in the cell phone is private. But don't see what the difference rather your cell phone or home phone you can still make calls on the c.b. Radio using Bluetooth.
Hi Mike, I live in chicago and CB is making a comeback. Nevertheless, I own this exact model and wanted to know if you think just applying some hot glue to the weak points, like over the existing solder which holds the pieces together, would solve the problem? Resoldering all those joints might make it a bit stronger and last longer, but a strip of hot glue on both the connecting boards should seal the deal permanently, no?
4 watt junk you can get in any truck stop, but it's the most expensive in truck stops at $230.00 which should tell you something about truck stop distributor CBs...
@Radioman Hurricane I prefer the McKinley's channel selector mic, but the Cobra HG M75 is a nice power mic to use. The 980 and the McKinley have the same mic pinout. The Cobra microphone, I had to get a special adapter. I'll use the stock Uniden mic on the 980 for sideband, the power mic for AM. The stock President channel selector mic is what I've been mostly using with the McKinley. It will also change the channels on the 980.
I lucked out about 3 months ago and won a NOS Uniden 78XL so it is a basically the same as the Cobra 29LTD from the early 1990's! It was still sealed in the box. I normally only use SSB radio's but for the price I could not say no for NOS early 1990 am radio. It is a bad scene for CB today for AM and especially for SSB radio's. When Galaxy radio's start to become the "High Water Mark" for quality SSB it is a sad sad day! LOL
MikesRadioRepair, i want a dependable cb and do not want to break my bank on it? is that possible? i have a super old motorola but i wish i could get something with this type of technology
texas range I recently got and reviewed the Stryker SR-94HPC. I usually don't think much of black box export radios but I was impressed with the build quality of that radio. It sports a lot of features including customizable menu and is about half the size of this one. Might check it out and see if it suits your needs.
Really glad I watched this video. Cobra 29ltd was the go to radio for many truck drivers. The default answer to the question which radio should I get was the cobra 29. It had enough features and was reliable and if properly peaked, tuned and aligned it would get out just as well as any of the other radios. So it's really sad to see a company go cheap and turn a great product into junk! On top of that because of the reputation it has/had Truck manufacturers still put that radio in new trucks as if it's still the gold standard. I'll look out now and go with a more premium radio. What's your go to radio for a solid performer?
These days if your looking for a fairly well made radio that won't break the bank and is easy to find I would suggest President. They have a nice line of radios in varying sizes and with various features.
@@mikesradiorepair Thanks! I seen they are popular. (McKinley and Lincoln) Texas Ranger, and I seen a Ranger that was 95 dollars but I'm a skeptic and I wonder if that was a clone? Most of the Rangers are big money. I see many like the Stryker's radios. The old Conex are updated and I've seen Galaxies for less that ever but I don't know all the models and what's still good. I'm probably going to run this in a car and have a K-30 mag mount. Is there a better mag mount ant that's as good as a real ant?
Jaidee Underwood Anything old with a Cybernet or Uniden chassis. Cobras, Robyn, Sears, JC Penny, Uniden..... There are dozens and dozens of great radios that have been made over the decades. My personal favorites would be the Cybernet dual board like in the GE Super Base/Mobile and the 858 Uniden Chassis.
Thanks mike I was about to get the 29lx max until you guys made it look like shit lol I will look into the 1 you recommend the only reason I was going to get the 29lx max was for that I radar feature
Before you ask, no, I don't sell anything including radios. President's current radios are nice. They are well built and have a great warranty. If you buy a President antenna at the same time you buy a radio it adds a extra 3 years warranty to the radio.
Considering its 2017,the insides look very old tech,esp the wiring looms and those solder bridges are cheapskate. They could of least use a molex board to board pin\header connection,or FPC connector. Less gadgets and better QA,filters and build quality. The microprocessors can sometimes be reflashed with a special flash programmer,i've done some digging around european models some look promising for hacking.
I'm on my second lx maxx in 3 month, about to be third. Display went out on my first one after 3 weeks, now the display went out on my second one. Don't bother buying one of these. Not worth the hassle.
Another great video ! I would agree with you on about 90 % of your evaluation of this product . The part of poor construction and not lasting I do not agree with you . The Cobra -29LX & 29LXMAX which cost the dealers less than $100.00 and $140.00 each are not that expensive and carry a 2 year warranty. They are not $400.00 units and after the 2 year warranty if it is not a simple fix you throw them away and get a new radio and warranty . We see Cobra products as old as 13-15 years old coming in for minor repairs still and at this age if it is not a simple ( Cheep) fix it is time to move on to a new radio . I have been a National warranty station for Dynascan Corporation and we did not see a lot of failures with their product line . Since the closing of all Dynascan warranty centers we now either do the repair at no charge or we can exchange the unit and return the defective product back to our distributor for a credit and give the customer a new unit . You do not want to wire the LX series units up to a reverse polarity condition as you will find it does a lot of damage to these units unlike the rest of the product line which is usually you burn the traces on the PC board and take out the protection diode ! The move to surface mount components your spot on and you need special equipment to work on them or just keep you mitts off of them (The golden Screwdriver Award) ! One last thought I was surprised that your friends radio had a wire not connected as in 40 years I have never had that problem with any of the Cobra products and your correct the added board to support the front display is not designed to be worked on in field I would think the factory sees these units as throw a way at their cost to manufacture and the projected failure rate . Just some of my thoughts for what it is worth keep up the great videos ! P.S. Give me your address and if I get any with surface mount problems I will send them to you .
how can I send you a radio for repair I have a pres washinton ,base unit mark a couple of years ago was helping me trouble shoot youtube vids back and forth are you guys brothers you sound alike my hanle then was 76chyanne he remembers he was a great sport and we did get a dead cb to receive but still no transmit sitting in a cear chest since great vids thanks
Radio Shack Realistic radios are WAAAYYY better than that new cheap crap. It's a shame too because the 29LX could be a great radio if it was built properly, as soon as Cobra stopped using Uniden chassis and boards they went downhill.
i'm surprised you didn't convert the pin connection to a ribbon cable. between the boards and installed a pin connection on both boards.. looking at the loose wiring someone was in it before you got to it..
Jason howe Have seen several of these new out of the box and what you see here is factory. It's a cheep piece of junk. Poorly designed and sad build quality.
I won't buy ANY Cobra radio any more. I have had so many of them fail that the quality control is, "well they don't have any". Period. If you want to buy a new radio every 6 months, go for it. Otherwise, I'd just about buy ANY radio other than a Cobra chunk.
Google Name You should check out the new line of President radios. In my opinion the best FCC certified radios made these days. Their export radios are the same build quality. Also can't beat their warranty either, best in the business as far as I know. Modern Cobra radios are a faint glimmer of what they use to be. Sad how far they have fallen. Back when Uniden made their radios they were nice radios. Since they contracted with other companies to make their radios their quality has plummeted.
i got a cobra 29 LTD from 98 setup in my room on a 12V power supply, man CB is DEAD where i live. had it for 2 weeks and ive only heard it go off twice.
same here , its quite on 10 and 11 meters at the moment, but its also the solar disturbence at the moment, its even bad on 20 and 40 meters, conditions will inprove tho! , in the 80's you could not get ane free channel, everything double ocupied, now its quite! not a lot stations anymore, people use there cell phones now... its sad....
+John Kolb Jr The President Electronics radios are built to much higher quality standards in my opinion. Also come with a better warranty and depending on the model more features.
That's about the normal amount of wire you will see in any CB radio that uses through hole parts and a single sided circuit board. Has been like that for decades. Look at the Cobra 29 from the 1970's, pretty much the same with the exception of the fancy faceplate.
No trust at all. Professionally made commercial dummy loads are very cheap so there is no reason not to get one. Even high wattage models can be had at very reasonable prices used on ebay.
It's unfortunate because this really could have been a nice radio. QC issues and poor design decisions killed it. The fail of the display bright/dim system is one example. A button that dims the display brightness only and leaves the knobs lit up like a Christmas tree... why.... The two systems should have been tied together. A trace under a metal bracket.... a wire that was not soldered....
If they want to add features how about DSP on receive audio, selectable narrow notch filters, compression/expander on tx and rx, eq etc....Maybe a really really good mic would be a plus something built to last with nice audio. Imagine if they eliminated that front end reduced the chassis size to actually fit in modern car's dash, added DSP on receive and eq for TX audio. It would sell like hot cakes!! Once the CB'er understood what they had all the other guys would be playing catch up! The Cherokee 150 had an expander from the factory! Do the basics first! Do them better than the next guy! Than add features that actually have something to do with two way radio broadcasting and receiving. Uniden and Cobra always want to add stupid stuff that has nothing to do with CB like UHF/VHF scanning or bluetooth or fancy looking display, talk back annoying beeps, color changing displays. Better adjacent channel rejection or much better receive sensitivity or better fidelity something tangable! LOL
What a crap is this? I don't understand why they have not changed to smd technique as it cheaper in production or may be not in China?? The radios in the 70th were really high quality compared to this...
China has the most advanced production lines in the world this days & make the best quality products... All depends what's ur order is... Hehehe wanna crap u get it...
Can't believe they would sell a commercial product with that rat's nest of wiring. It looks like they took a 1970s radios and bodged on some random boards to add bluetooth. SMH!
I just rebuilt my Motorola 540 and then I look at this POS. They had a good idea and I like the features but what a GUMP BOX. MOTOROLA PLEASE COME BACK TO CB RADIOS!
If it were made in Mexico it would probably be a high quality radio. Some of the first CB radios made outside the USA for American companies were made in Mexico. The Tram D201 is a good example. The last two versions of it were made in Mexico. Most radios these days come from China and Vietnam. However even they can make good radios. It really doesn't matter where something is made, it's to what quality standard it's made. The Chinese can make things just as well as us here in the US or Switzerland or Germany, for a price that is. Only problem with that is that quality cost money and that's one thing most Americans are not willing to do is part with their money. Manufacturers are only making the "junk" people are willing to pay for. Remember that radios cost more in the 1960's and 1970's than they do now. When you account for inflation most radios back then cost $500 to $1,500 or more in today's money. You got what you paid for. Radios are beyond dirt cheap today and their cheap for a reason. Radios cost so much more back then because they were much better built.
They are all garbage including the new one 48 cobra I bought one brand-new hold it for one year when I open it then when I decided to open it it didn't work so they're all garbage
this company is using a 70"s board and bodge some new crap on it, sell it to the yuppie's who want "modern" stuff, the only good thing on this thing is the 70's board, good for the special parts to repair the original 70's radio's... as you sead, good part bricks... its sad to see people buying this crap.
I am rating this review almost one year after receiving the Cobra 29LX Max as a Christmas gift in 2019. Inferior product and customer service. I have a Cobra 29 Classic that is 27 years old and the only problem I have had with it is the meter. Last Christmas my family gave me the Cobra 29 LX Max to give me a modernized CB and I was excited to install it because of all the features. It looked to be a cool and promising radio. I could receive calls through it, but never texts. Also, the alerts were very lackluster. Finally, the worst part was 5-6 weeks after the install the screen went completely blank. My wife , whom made the purchase called early spring about the problem and was told to call back in three weeks due to Covid-19 to only call back and get the same response. I will not be purchasing a Cobra product again. Cobras products and customer service are nothing like it was in years past. Very discouraged and disappointed
Thanks for the first hand knowledge/experience!
If the display was affected it's likely one of the board-edge connections cracked due to fatigue of one or more of the solder connections.
@@ComputerLearning0 that probably true, but if it failed I just over a month it was an inferior product from the start.
@@jongregory5308 Yes, definitely NOT something that should happen in just one month. That's a real shame too because it's a nice looking radio with nice features.
Hey did you ever figure out why the display went out? I only ask cuz mine just did the same thing.
Good to see that there are guys like you out there still doing this type of work.
I only buy President Radios anymore. They are wonderful radios that are built to last.
I only started using President recently, the McKinley, but I like my Uniden 980 and handheld.
Glad I came across this video... You saved me a bunch of headache. I'll be sure to avoid Cobra Radios... just as bad as the Cobra Radar detector I bought years ago.
Boy, that's a shame.... I've been using the same Cobra 29 since 1980. I'll bet it's been in at least 20 different vehicles and has never given me a bit of trouble. It was a gift from my grandfather when I was 11 years old. It's really a shame that Cobra has cheapened up their new 29 so much....
Was about to buy this tonight.....thank you very much.....what might be a good radio for a truck driver who knows nothing about radios.
If you can find a older model Cobra 29 LTD Classic, that's what i us in my vehicles and have never had a problem with it.
thank you for taking your time on these videos , what side band radio would you reccomend ??
As per my style,I go buy stuff then read the reviews...
Lmfao!! you shop like my ex wife
Having already dealt with this ones earlier cousins - thanks for the review. I'm a little late to the party...but...I'm a Thru-hole fan myself so to see Cobra making an effort to keep the larger discrete market going - gives me hope that Cobra isn't forgetting their roots...The relay? Kinda' a far fetched means to isolate the NB and ANL (which are sensitive to ground loop pickups and mechanical connection resistive problems) which I give them credit - but for the wrong reasons. Your review of the "packets" of data show that the device is continuously scanning BT enabled devices - So in light of just that they are trying to keep the front panel "digital" noise from the rest of the rear board, tells me this is a piece of work in action of an upgrade direction - just not sure of to what, or for what, purposes except that it exists. That is what worries me, it can be done far easier. RCI has used buffered Darlingtons to switch and toggle functions back there, but when you look at how the Cobra switch network is designed - the quietest results are achieved by switching thru the rear PCB (RF radio part of the board) voltage sources and ground references - RCI uses essentially the same thing; shield all the way around and bolted ground when it came to the RF RX side of things. But that's where similarities ended - the older ground plane and switch panel with heavy gauge steel provided at good shielding for noise and was used heavily (physically and metaphorically) on Cobras many older models and remakes of this design. The relay simply provides isolation and a entry point for those that may need to hack for other remote switching purposes. But the older ST and NightWatch units were bears when it came to noisy loops to front panel displays that used anything less than STRAIGHT-DC LED or incandescent. Be wary of the packets - the many BT designs and versions out there - unless you've seen and decrypted the uP code - you don't know what's talking to what via that radio - even in your own vehicles dashboard for someone else to review if you're ever stopped. Canadians have had data recorders for years, but unless you know that is being talked about in your radio - you'll never know how much or if any data is being mined off your BT scanned devices it can get into - the thing can easily transpond to your phone so a lot of handshaking goes on, but you are not always seeing the devices the radio can talk to BESIDES your phone or Dashboard hands free devices.
I have been looking to buy one of these. Thanks you saved me $199.00
I was just about to buy one tomorrow. Will probably go back to the President McKinley now. I’m so back and forth. Thank you for this review
The "Prez Mac" is a decent radio...
I've watched many of your videos thanks for all the insight, ideas and info. Do you have a website posting for your shop I have a couple I'd very much like to have you tune
I have never worked on one of those and probably never will. I've worked on th old "black box" surface mount technology back in 1988 but that isn't anything I'm affraid of. My shoulder is shot so soldering has become difficult over the past 3 years. I've heard that the LCD connections from the front control panel use the carbon impregnated rubber connectors to excite the LCD display. Any info or thoughts on that? They are now making cb radios with the idea that, when they break, you do throw them away.
I bought this thing after being sold on that speedtrap/camera warning feature and was going to return the 29lx digital after going to tune this one. The guy at the CB shop told me this model was crap and to keep the digital one which I followed his advice. Thinking I made a good choice
Curious, if a person was to purchase the cobra 29 lx max for use in a pickup truck it should last a long time ? I like the features this cb has but I don't want to pay that much for it and be junk .
I got a Cobra DX 19 IV years ago and it was off frequency out of the box from all the reports I got.
My Cobra HG M75 power mic is good though.
I agree with you. Junk. I have one on my bench now that won't power up. I thought it might be the reverse polarity diode but it wasn't . I changed the cap next to it because it was leaking and still won't come on . I changed TR 23 thinking it burned out before the fuse should have blown but it didn't .I'm thinking it could be a short across the board but I am getting voltage to the front end .Still won't light up or power up. I am going to check those resistors and the diode connected to TR 23 in that area and if need be change them . If it still doesn't work I'll gently place it in my paper shredder and tell my customer it fell in, here are the pieces .
Where can I find you? You know a lot more than some of these truck stop shops. I've got a new cobra, need new coax and have both the antenna and radio peaked and tuned. I am a truck driver and use my radio quite a bit.
Can you make recommended a CB radio for off road for durability?
These radios aint bad..i just got 4 LX models in that have been in trucks for over 5 years and they are solid!!!
One had a bad solder joint and the other had a blowndriver not really a big deal.
Wish I'd seen this before the wife ordered mine, it'll be here tomorrow as a late b-day present. I had an old 29ltd and it was a beast hooked to a wilson 1000 magnet. Thinkin i need to just find an old 29ltd again
+Lee Hilton
Yep, hard to beat the older Cobra 29's. For new radios I have been recommending President's current lineup. Well built, nice features and great warranty.
I have one and the display doesn't work... I've had it sitting in my garage since 2018....
what's a good cb worth my money ??
I had a 29 LX Max it worked until the weather radio alert came on. Instead of receiving the signal it started screaming and couldn't be turned off. I disconnected the power and the radio never worked again. Junk.
was on my way to pick one ebrake the car and heading home lmao thanks for the info
Does anybody have an opinion on the Uniden 885 hybrid?
I'm glad I have the old cobras. for a new radio I went the the uni-den I really want my 20 five tern fixed. it works but the power cable needs to be solder to the board. No new cobras for me..
Re soldering the wires on the board is pretty easy. I usually change out the power plug to a traditional 3 pin. I've found that if you carefully shave down the outer plastic of the female plug it will fit into the hole for the original plug. Then you can just run wires to the board from the new plug. Makes removing removing the radio much easier
That might be true in some states but in Virginia radar detectors are illegal only if they are plugged up and operating I have had a few cops see my radar detector in my vehicle and couldn't do anything because it wasn't plugged up. That's what they told me is they couldn't get me for it because I wasn't using it
Happy to have seen this video today. I was on the verge of getting one today because I met someone who swore that this radio was the best. As a matter of fact, he stated that Cobra 29 LX max was first on his list as the best quality CB radio on the market followed by anything Road King, and last, on his list was anything Uniden. This begs the question - which I'm sure you've answered before. Of all the CB radio brands that you have come across which one model stands out the most in quality. Regardless of price and features?
I’d say President CB’s are the best.
Isn’t the operator standpoint what is this radio is all about. Most people do not care about what’s inside the radio as long as the radio works good.
I’ super value your opinion
It a good c.b radio , but I wouldn't put to my cell phone to get the app, I would put my home number in the cell phone is private. But don't see what the difference rather your cell phone or home phone you can still make calls on the c.b. Radio using Bluetooth.
Hi Mike, I live in chicago and CB is making a comeback. Nevertheless, I own this exact model and wanted to know if you think just applying some hot glue to the weak points, like over the existing solder which holds the pieces together, would solve the problem? Resoldering all those joints might make it a bit stronger and last longer, but a strip of hot glue on both the connecting boards should seal the deal permanently, no?
wonder how much effort it'd be to hack that last transmission playback into a simplex repeater?
So what do you suggest for a CB radio for a trucker looking for the Bluetooth connection?
Try the regular cobra 29 bluetooth. The one without digital display.
4 watt junk you can get in any truck stop, but it's the most expensive in truck stops at $230.00 which should tell you something about truck stop distributor CBs...
What is the best radio from a reliability standpoint? Not really concerned with all the extra bells & whistles.
@Radioman Hurricane I prefer the McKinley's channel selector mic, but the Cobra HG M75 is a nice power mic to use.
The 980 and the McKinley have the same mic pinout.
The Cobra microphone, I had to get a special adapter.
I'll use the stock Uniden mic on the 980 for sideband, the power mic for AM.
The stock President channel selector mic is what I've been mostly using with the McKinley.
It will also change the channels on the 980.
I lucked out about 3 months ago and won a NOS Uniden 78XL so it is a basically the same as the Cobra 29LTD from the early 1990's! It was still sealed in the box. I normally only use SSB radio's but for the price I could not say no for NOS early 1990 am radio. It is a bad scene for CB today for AM and especially for SSB radio's. When Galaxy radio's start to become the "High Water Mark" for quality SSB it is a sad sad day! LOL
MikesRadioRepair, i want a dependable cb and do not want to break my bank on it? is that possible? i have a super old motorola but i wish i could get something with this type of technology
texas range
I recently got and reviewed the Stryker SR-94HPC. I usually don't think much of black box export radios but I was impressed with the build quality of that radio. It sports a lot of features including customizable menu and is about half the size of this one. Might check it out and see if it suits your needs.
will do, appreciate the reply
Cant you fix my cobra 29lx my vr6 is brock
Really glad I watched this video. Cobra 29ltd was the go to radio for many truck drivers. The default answer to the question which radio should I get was the cobra 29. It had enough features and was reliable and if properly peaked, tuned and aligned it would get out just as well as any of the other radios. So it's really sad to see a company go cheap and turn a great product into junk! On top of that because of the reputation it has/had Truck manufacturers still put that radio in new trucks as if it's still the gold standard. I'll look out now and go with a more premium radio. What's your go to radio for a solid performer?
These days if your looking for a fairly well made radio that won't break the bank and is easy to find I would suggest President. They have a nice line of radios in varying sizes and with various features.
@@mikesradiorepair Thanks! I seen they are popular. (McKinley and Lincoln) Texas Ranger, and I seen a Ranger that was 95 dollars but I'm a skeptic and I wonder if that was a clone? Most of the Rangers are big money. I see many like the Stryker's radios. The old Conex are updated and I've seen Galaxies for less that ever but I don't know all the models and what's still good. I'm probably going to run this in a car and have a K-30 mag mount. Is there a better mag mount ant that's as good as a real ant?
@@bradh74 The K30 and the Little Will are still the gold standard for simple mag mounts.
@@martyham10 I had a K30 and it works fine but I believe it's limited to a few miles which is great for what it is. Thanks for the info though!
@@bradh74 Brad... Thanks for your reply and your thoughts! Marty
what is the best CB to get then after seeing you and mark tear down i dont know what i should get that is the alpha
Jaidee Underwood
Anything old with a Cybernet or Uniden chassis. Cobras, Robyn, Sears, JC Penny, Uniden..... There are dozens and dozens of great radios that have been made over the decades. My personal favorites would be the Cybernet dual board like in the GE Super Base/Mobile and the 858 Uniden Chassis.
Thanks mike I was about to get the 29lx max until you guys made it look like shit lol I will look into the 1 you recommend the only reason I was going to get the 29lx max was for that I radar feature
Apparently you know your radios, I am looking to get a CB for my pickup, any recommendations ?
Before you ask, no, I don't sell anything including radios. President's current radios are nice. They are well built and have a great warranty. If you buy a President antenna at the same time you buy a radio it adds a extra 3 years warranty to the radio.
Thank you this video decided me not to get one of these
Considering its 2017,the insides look very old tech,esp the wiring looms and those solder bridges are cheapskate.
They could of least use a molex board to board pin\header connection,or FPC connector.
Less gadgets and better QA,filters and build quality.
The microprocessors can sometimes be reflashed with a special flash programmer,i've done some digging around european models some look promising for hacking.
Hey mike. I have the 29 LX, and nothing works, no lights, nothing, and only transmits and receives on ch40 ONLY. Have any ideas? Weird.....
I'd recommend trashing it and buy a Uniden PC78LTX if you want a good solid 40 channel CB radio
Gracias amigo gringo
I'm on my second lx maxx in 3 month, about to be third. Display went out on my first one after 3 weeks, now the display went out on my second one. Don't bother buying one of these. Not worth the hassle.
Another great video ! I would agree with you on about 90 % of your evaluation of this product . The part of poor construction and not lasting I do not agree with you . The Cobra -29LX & 29LXMAX which cost the dealers less than $100.00 and $140.00 each are not that expensive and carry a 2 year warranty. They are not $400.00 units and after the 2 year warranty if it is not a simple fix you throw them away and get a new radio and warranty . We see Cobra products as old as 13-15 years old coming in for minor repairs still and at this age if it is not a simple ( Cheep) fix it is time to move on to a new radio . I have been a National warranty station for Dynascan Corporation and we did not see a lot of failures with their product line . Since the closing of all Dynascan warranty centers we now either do the repair at no charge or we can exchange the unit and return the defective product back to our distributor for a credit and give the customer a new unit . You do not want to wire the LX series units up to a reverse polarity condition as you will find it does a lot of damage to these units unlike the rest of the product line which is usually you burn the traces on the PC board and take out the protection diode ! The move to surface mount components your spot on and you need special equipment to work on them or just keep you mitts off of them (The golden Screwdriver Award) ! One last thought I was surprised that your friends radio had a wire not connected as in 40 years I have never had that problem with any of the Cobra products and your correct the added board to support the front display is not designed to be worked on in field I would think the factory sees these units as throw a way at their cost to manufacture and the projected failure rate . Just some of my thoughts for what it is worth keep up the great videos ! P.S. Give me your address and if I get any with surface mount problems I will send them to you .
who is Mark?
who is Mark??
how can I send you a radio for repair I have a pres washinton ,base unit mark a couple of years ago was helping me trouble shoot youtube vids back and forth are you guys brothers you sound alike my hanle then was 76chyanne he remembers he was a great sport and we did get a dead cb to receive but still no transmit sitting in a cear chest since great vids thanks
I miss the 70's. Even Radio Shack made durable stuff
Radio Shack Realistic radios are WAAAYYY better than that new cheap crap. It's a shame too because the 29LX could be a great radio if it was built properly, as soon as Cobra stopped using Uniden chassis and boards they went downhill.
Radio Shack (Realistic) were made by Uniden.
I had a Radio Shack CB years ago, and I loved it.
I remember when radio shack had a tube tester stand where you bring in your tubes and test them yourself
@@stevep1007 I worked at a radio shack when I was a teenager and my boss gave me it. I lost it in a move years later
I'll stick to my Colt 210 and Cobra 148!
Radar detector is illegal in all commercial vehicles, plus it's totally illegal in many states.
Sean Hazelwood Radar detectors are only illegal in D.C. and Virginia unless you are commercial.
Exactly
Its illegal to have a cop radar in a commercial truck.... Soo.....isn't this illegal to use in a truck?
I have this radio and never had problems , still works great but im thinking of going back to galaxy...
I gave up on Cobra crap years ago. Galaxy is the ONLY radio i would recommend to anyone now.
Galaxy radios are reeking with IMD problems and serious splattering issues.
i'm surprised you didn't convert the pin connection to a ribbon cable. between the boards and installed a pin connection on both boards..
looking at the loose wiring someone was in it before you got to it..
Jason howe
Have seen several of these new out of the box and what you see here is factory. It's a cheep piece of junk. Poorly designed and sad build quality.
overpriced by the sounds of it
gotta make me wonder why didn't design a mobo to remove some of the excess wiring..\
I won't buy ANY Cobra radio any more. I have had so many of them fail that the quality control is, "well they don't have any". Period. If you want to buy a new radio every 6 months, go for it. Otherwise, I'd just about buy ANY radio other than a Cobra chunk.
I will go downgrade to 29 XL or 29 classic mike that my plan
Sounds like this thing has a radar-detector detector.
That Cobra looks great but I'm sure it was built in a Chinese prison. I'll keep my Motorola 540 thanks.
Those old Motorola's were good radios; built like a tank...
I switched to a uniden recently after decades of owning cobras and never looked back. Wonderful radio.
Google Name
You should check out the new line of President radios. In my opinion the best FCC certified radios made these days. Their export radios are the same build quality. Also can't beat their warranty either, best in the business as far as I know.
Modern Cobra radios are a faint glimmer of what they use to be. Sad how far they have fallen. Back when Uniden made their radios they were nice radios. Since they contracted with other companies to make their radios their quality has plummeted.
Thank you
Ok Mike, you convinced me. I DONT want one of those lol
i got a cobra 29 LTD from 98 setup in my room on a 12V power supply, man CB is DEAD where i live. had it for 2 weeks and ive only heard it go off twice.
same here , its quite on 10 and 11 meters at the moment, but its also the solar disturbence at the moment, its even bad on 20 and 40 meters, conditions will inprove tho! , in the 80's you could not get ane free channel, everything double ocupied, now its quite! not a lot stations anymore, people use there cell phones now... its sad....
@@MrBugsier5 Cell phones have their limits also... How are you going to talk to a nearby truck you've never seen before with a cell phone?
What is a good CB Radio to get today?
+John Kolb Jr
The President Electronics radios are built to much higher quality standards in my opinion. Also come with a better warranty and depending on the model more features.
Ok Thanks Mike
RCI Ranger 2970
Radios are made to throw away anymore they don't think about repairs anymore
I agree... these new radios have some severe design & reliability issues.
Do they really need all the wires. Looks cheap.
That's about the normal amount of wire you will see in any CB radio that uses through hole parts and a single sided circuit board. Has been like that for decades. Look at the Cobra 29 from the 1970's, pretty much the same with the exception of the fancy faceplate.
@@mikesradiorepair Do you place any trust in light bulb dummy load? Would it be better to use a 50 ohm 5 watt resistor. Thanks.
No trust at all. Professionally made commercial dummy loads are very cheap so there is no reason not to get one. Even high wattage models can be had at very reasonable prices used on ebay.
I don't Any problems with my! Thank God everything works great, but it is a Cheap and bad design!! They are cutting Corners with this radio!!☝️
It's unfortunate because this really could have been a nice radio.
QC issues and poor design decisions killed it.
The fail of the display bright/dim system is one example.
A button that dims the display brightness only and leaves the knobs lit up like a Christmas tree... why....
The two systems should have been tied together.
A trace under a metal bracket.... a wire that was not soldered....
James M
And a CB can talk skip to the other side of the planet.
If they want to add features how about DSP on receive audio, selectable narrow notch filters, compression/expander on tx and rx, eq etc....Maybe a really really good mic would be a plus something built to last with nice audio. Imagine if they eliminated that front end reduced the chassis size to actually fit in modern car's dash, added DSP on receive and eq for TX audio. It would sell like hot cakes!! Once the CB'er understood what they had all the other guys would be playing catch up! The Cherokee 150 had an expander from the factory!
Do the basics first! Do them better than the next guy! Than add features that actually have something to do with two way radio broadcasting and receiving. Uniden and Cobra always want to add stupid stuff that has nothing to do with CB like UHF/VHF scanning or bluetooth or fancy looking display, talk back annoying beeps, color changing displays.
Better adjacent channel rejection or much better receive sensitivity or better fidelity something tangable! LOL
Well. Thought it was a nice birthday present lmao guess not
What a crap is this? I don't understand why they have not changed to smd technique as it cheaper in production or may be not in China?? The radios in the 70th were really high quality compared to this...
That is the made in china low wages low quality, Cobra is not more what they use to be
China has the most advanced production lines in the world this days & make the best quality products... All depends what's ur order is... Hehehe wanna crap u get it...
old quality 148 gtl is only radio that i enjoy :)
Yes agree with that I do own 7 cobra 148 gtl dx and supperstar 360 still the best radios today
Giant Telecom is the company. And in 30years MIKE they will all have been dumped not like real radios..
Can't believe they would sell a commercial product with that rat's nest of wiring. It looks like they took a 1970s radios and bodged on some random boards to add bluetooth. SMH!
I just rebuilt my Motorola 540 and then I look at this POS. They had a good idea and I like the features but what a GUMP BOX. MOTOROLA PLEASE COME BACK TO CB RADIOS!
sorry Dwight d cb am base station sorry
Sounds like made in Mexico with poor man quality control .
If it were made in Mexico it would probably be a high quality radio. Some of the first CB radios made outside the USA for American companies were made in Mexico. The Tram D201 is a good example. The last two versions of it were made in Mexico. Most radios these days come from China and Vietnam. However even they can make good radios. It really doesn't matter where something is made, it's to what quality standard it's made. The Chinese can make things just as well as us here in the US or Switzerland or Germany, for a price that is. Only problem with that is that quality cost money and that's one thing most Americans are not willing to do is part with their money. Manufacturers are only making the "junk" people are willing to pay for. Remember that radios cost more in the 1960's and 1970's than they do now. When you account for inflation most radios back then cost $500 to $1,500 or more in today's money. You got what you paid for. Radios are beyond dirt cheap today and their cheap for a reason. Radios cost so much more back then because they were much better built.
Products
Ahh,what do ya want for a cheap toy CB radio.
Better off buying Galaxy radios or Ranger's....etc.
That's not saying much either cause those are crap radios too.
lol
$130
Where can I buy a "$130"?
@@martyham10 back then bought one for $130
@@maninthevan53 Hi Danny... I've got three of these radios on my bench now (so far!) Give me an "old school" radio to work on ANY DAY! Marty
@@martyham10 To be honest, I bought it because of all the gadgets, it is sitting in some box somewhere
The concept is pretty cool, but it was engineered rather poorly. What a shame...
God Bless and stay safe Marty
They are all garbage including the new one 48 cobra I bought one brand-new hold it for one year when I open it then when I decided to open it it didn't work so they're all garbage
this company is using a 70"s board and bodge some new crap on it, sell it to the yuppie's who want "modern" stuff, the only good thing on this thing is the 70's board, good for the special parts to repair the original 70's radio's... as you sead, good part bricks... its sad to see people buying this crap.
MrBugsier5 You mean hipsters, not yuppies. Yuppies was a term used in the 1980's. But then I don't think you give a shit lol
lol, aint that the same in these modern times?
MrBugsier5 Yes Sir it really is hehe
Actually when you mod these they are pretty good.
Everything new is garbage 🗑️