Customer Reviews

Cobra 148GTL CB 40 Channel 12 Watt Radio

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Had the radio for a few weeks before I had a chance to make some SSB contacts and all reported distorted audio. The receive audio sounded good, just the transmit audio has the problem. AM mode works great, with excellent reports. The swr on the antenna was 1.2:1 so there was no problem with the antenna. Since the AM sounded excellent I would not think the problem was with the mic. The internal speaker had some rattle to it so I hooked up an external speaker. The ANL and NB were excellent in my mobile setup. I did a google search and found another report of the same problem.

First unit shipped to me received fine but the transmit audio was terrible. Even with the Dynamike turned up all the way people could barely hear me. Had to literally shout to be heard at all.
To Amazon's credit they sent me a replacement unit 2nd day air. Amazon has been great to deal with, as always.
This second radio seems to transmit fine so far. However, the speaker of this radio emits a constant, low volume, high pitched whine when receiving. The first radio did not have this "feature".
The good news is all of the controls and features seem to work correctly and the noise blanker and automatic noise limiter do a terrific job stopping car ignition noises. I figure I will keep this radio and live with the whine and hope no other problems crop up. If they do I will change my rating.

Cobra 148 GTL 27Mhz sideband Radio. I'm very disappointed with this radio. I love my radios and have a lot of them, but this new Cobra's is nothing like the old Cobra's. The new cobra is made in China the one I have really drifts a lot. It is very sensitive to temperature. I have PC122's and they drift a lot but this cobra is ridicules. I purchased it from JUBEES Enterprises and it was faulty on arrival. On arrival it had a microphone fault, muffled audio as well as weak signal and poor transmission. It was 3W on AM and about 9W on SSB upper & lower and it was out of tune. This is really dissapointing.
The microphone gain is poor and the clarifier is very sensitive and twitchy. I sent the unit for repair locally and it has cost me aprox $100 all up freight included to get the brand new unit repaired and retuned back to me. Cobra warranty in Australia is useless.
You are on your own. JUBEES Enterprises did not want anything to do with me once I reported the unit faulty on arrival. There are better radios out there.
Purchase something else. Cobra is not what it used to be.
Very disappointed.

Years ago I had two similar radios - also made by COBRA. They performed flawlessly for the 7 years I owned them. I used one in my car and the other at home as a base station. So far this radio performs as well, if not better, than the others. We're using this one in our RV as a back up to our cell phones. I'll do a follow-up down the road when we've had a little more talk time.

This is the radio I remember my father had when I was a kid...it is still a great classic. I had no problem with this getting it up and running out of the box. The built in SWR meter is a great tool to have which enabled me to tune the Cobra HG A2000 antenna to a value of 1 on all channels.

Pros: SWR Meter, RF Gain, Dyna-Mic, SSB (120 total channels)

Cons: The only con is the size...just a bit bulky.

This radio will remain a classic for years to come!

My unit works as it should and is very quiet with regards to background noise
so I'll recommend this unit and give it five stars. It also looks good.
Michelle Ress

Bought this radio for sideband use primarily. Be aware all modern day sideband radios will be off frequency from the factory. They will work fine on AM but will have to be aligned by a tech for sideband operation. This will run about $25. The real test of a quality sideband radio is whether or not it is stable and free of drift. I am happy to report that the new Chinese made Cobra 148 GTL is stable once it has been aligned. They are now made to Cobra's specs by Ranger Communications I am told. Wish they would be on frequency for sideband right out of the box, but like I said before it is not unusual to have an alignment performed for good sideband use on present day radios. At least it doesn't drift off frequency like the Galaxy radios.

I have one of these new made in China Cobra 148 GTLs and it is NOTHING like the older ones made back in the early 1990s and late 1980s. Mine quit less than 24 hours after obtaining it. No transmit and no receive... Nothing. Now i have to get it fixed... What a joke! Cobra used to be a top name in CB circles and now they have made a bad name for themselves. Of course Uniden no longer makes anything for Cobra anymore... I hate to say it but Cobra better get thier act together or they will go the way of Robyn, Teaberry, Lafayette, and a few others into the dustbin of CB history... I wouldnt touch one of these loser radios with a 10 foot pole!!! STAY AS FAR AWAY FROM THIS LEMON AS POSSIBLE!!!!!!

Cobra 148GTL 40 Channel CB Radio
...Great product,even exceeds F.C.C regs.! Even better price. Note: In the
future when virtually ALL communication is lost, The C.B. radio will be Your only hope.