cb radio Cobra tracker 75WXSTR November 12, 2014, 11:48:56 am Yahoo Message Number: 149470Quote QuoteHI: I bought a 2005 LD IB last April. I got all the bugs worked out except I cannot get the CB radio to work properly. The reception is awful and I hear nothing on the road. I called LD and they said" the cobra sound tracker 75 wxstr" " is a hand held type of radio and is only meant for caravan type talking and is not a real CB, thus I should not expect much from it. True this Cobra is not like the old CBs that LD used to put in their vehicles. But this CB will not receive very well( I never hear any truckers for example when I am on the freeway)and the weather station reception is awful- unlike the great reception I had in the 1995 LD CB radio. I checked the coax cables and connections and everything looks fine. . Is this Cobra really that bad, and if so why would LD put a piece of junk in their premium coach? https://www.cobra.com/products/recreational/c-75-wx-st Here is the link for the radio. I would appreciate any comments or reports on others who might have this model CB radio.Thanks David
Re: cb radio Cobra tracker 75WXSTR Reply #1 – November 12, 2014, 12:05:53 pm Yahoo Message Number: 149474Does it have an external speaker? We use a Cobra 75WXST in our Jeep and it works fine, but we do have an external speaker mounted above and behind the front seats. I expect that trying to listen to the tiny speaker in the handset, with any road noise, would be a problem. Any with any CB radio installation, has the antenna SWR been checked?Art
Re: cb radio Cobra tracker 75WXSTR Reply #2 – November 12, 2014, 12:34:41 pm Yahoo Message Number: 149477"I called LD and they said" the cobra sound tracker 75 wxstr" " is a hand held type of radio and is only meant for caravan type talking and is not a real CB, thus I should not expect much from it"Typical LD response when they don't want to deal with something.The Cobra is just as much a "real CB' as the next one and is what we have in our LD. Don't expect much from any off-the-shelf CB. they are intended for very short range communications, sometimes less than a 1/2 mile. We find the FRS radios to have better range and are more portable. For longer range communications, we use either our cell phones or 2-meter/440 ham radios. If you are willing to study a little bit, a ham license is easy to get these days. Hand handheld ham radios are now dirt cheap. http://www.amazon.com/Baofeng-UV5RA-136-174-Dual-Band-Transceiver/dp/B009MAKWC0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415816954&sr=8-1&keywords=radio+baofengLD's very often have poor CB antenna connections on the roof. The way LD has installed antennas has never been good, leaving wires and connections exposed to the elements. The antenna cable will often rot off at the antenna connection. This is why I prefer to install the antenna cabling myself.Many times, if LD provided any slack in the antenna coax, the end of the coax can be cut back and re-soldered to the antenna. A cheap SWR meter will be useful in tuning the antenna, after the repairs. http://www.amazon.com/ASTATIC-PDC1-RADIO-WATT-METER/dp/B00J5LNB56/ref=sr_1_10?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1415816518&sr=1-10&keywords=swr+watt+meterLarry As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: cb radio Cobra tracker 75WXSTR Reply #3 – November 12, 2014, 12:42:20 pm Yahoo Message Number: 149479David - Whoever you talked to at LD has mis-characterized that radio. It is as real a CB as any other. My experience with Cobra CB's shows that they are as good, if not better, than any other CB on the market. Cobra and Uniden are the two best CB manufacturer's in my opinion. And the 75 WX ST is not a hand-held radio either. That would define a walky-talky that is completely self-contained in one package that can be held like a cell phone. The 75 WX ST is different from a standard CB only in that some of the electronics, including the speaker are in the microphone. The rest of the electronics are in a box that is installed elsewhere. It is just a different way to package the radio. That doesn't make it inferior or not "real." With that said, CB radios are not good for much other than caravanning or talking to nearby truckers. You can't expect much from four watts of AM transmission. If you are serious about having good communications, you need a license for either amateur radio or GMRS. And I'm not talking about those little FRS/GMRS toy radios like they sell at Walmart. With a GMRS license and the proper equipment is it possible to run 50-watts FM output power, which will give you a considerable range compared to a 4-watt CB. Of course with an amateur radio license it is possible to run as high as 1,500 watts on single-sideband. The downside to all this is that, if you are going to be caravanning with a group of motorhomes, most of them will not have either a GMRS or ham radio in their coaches. For that you are still going to need a CB. And the 75 WX ST when it is working properly is just fine for that purpose. If you are having a problem receiving there is something wrong with either the radio or your antenna system. I would first suspect the antenna system. Even though you have given it a physical inspection, there could still be something wrong internally. It really needs to be checked out with an antenna analyzer. That is different from a common SWR bridge. If you know any ham radio operators living near you, ask them if they have one or know someone who does. If you were in north-central Arizona I could do it for you.Dick - W6CCDFrom: lifewithalazydazerv@yahoogroups.com [mailto:lifewithalazydazerv@yahoogroups.com] Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2014 10:49 AM To: lifewithalazydazerv@yahoogroups.com Subject: [LD] cb radio Cobra tracker 75WXSTR
Re: cb radio Cobra tracker 75WXSTR Reply #4 – November 12, 2014, 01:02:28 pm Yahoo Message Number: 149481Dick: I live in Prescott Arizona---isn't that North Central Arizona. Yes, I understand what an antenna analyzer is as I am also a Ham and I know about 2 meter FM radios for example. I am not that technically sophisticated to be able to use an antenna analyzer though--plus in order to get to the " CB box" I have to take the dashboard cover off to get at the antenna connections so I could analyze the antenna. Thanks for your input(If you are in Arizona I would love to talk to you(my phone is 928-776-1717)David (KG70L)
Re: cb radio Cobra tracker 75WXSTR Reply #5 – November 12, 2014, 01:14:37 pm Yahoo Message Number: 149482Larry: I only wanted to listen to the truckers when I am on the highway because often you can pick up valuable info on road conditions from them. I think you are right- there must be something wrong with the antenna connection. Yes the speaker on the cb is very modest, but it is doable. I am not expecting high quality FM out of it. Right now all I hear is white noise!David
Re: cb radio Cobra tracker 75WXSTR Reply #6 – November 12, 2014, 02:22:58 pm Yahoo Message Number: 149483David, I am the former owner of a 2005 MB and elected not to purchase the CB radio offered by LD. I felt that it, at best, was a marginal unit. I purchased a radio and antenna elsewhere and installed them myself. Over the years I have had many CB radios of several different brands. I am a strong Cobra fan, but not of the 75WXSTR . I have two major objections to it: ØI have small hands and it is difficult for me to hold and operate. I felt that it would be difficult to adjust while driving and keeping my eyes on the road. I adjust my current unit "by feel." ØThe complete radio is contained within the hand held component. Then there is the "little black box" that mounts under the dash and has the power and antenna connections. I have not had the opportunity to tear one of these boxes apart, but several friends have done this. They tell me that this box is basically a "junction box" and contains no significant electronic components. This means that the "RF section" of the radio is located in the hand held part and its connection to the antenna is made via the "mike cable." I did not like this approach. The connection to the antenna requires some type of coaxial cable. If it is contained in the mike cable, it must be very small and "very small" implies "high power loss." On the other hand, your CB radio certainly is not working like it should. I know many people using this unit and the units seem to work fine; although not as well as a "typical" larger unit. My guess is your problem is caused by a partially broken wire or a loose connection in the "mike cable" or in the "junction box." My second issue with the LD CB installation is the antenna. To me it appears that it is just been "stuck on the roof" and connected to the CB radio. At one point I asked LD whether they tuned the antenna and I had to explain my question. You cannot install a decent CB system in this manner. Despite what many people will tell you, you must tune the antenna to match the radio unit and the antenna's physical surroundings. As I recall LD mounts the antenna toward the left side of the coach. It would work a lot better, even un-tuned, if it were on the center line of the coach. If I were in your position, I would not spend much money trying to fix the problem. I would get rid of the 75WXSTR and install a better full size CB radio and good antenna. If you are handy you can do it yourself. Also, you can probably find a radio shop that will do it for you. Sometimes such shops are hard to find, but inquire at any Flying J, Petro, TA, or other truck stop. I have seen places where a CB radio shop is actually at, or very near, the truck stop. However, I would use care in asking them or truckers for CB radio advice. They have a completely different view of CB radios.Doug Baker
Re: cb radio Cobra tracker 75WXSTR Reply #7 – November 12, 2014, 02:59:17 pm Yahoo Message Number: 149485"I cannot get the CB radio to work properly. The reception is awful and I hear nothing on the road."There's nothing inherently wrong with the radio you have (contrary to what the factory told you). I'm betting the problem is with your antenna, or more likely with the cable going to the antenna. The part of the cable that's exposed on the roof is short, but it take the full force of solar UV and the insulation breaks down. When that happens, reception goes to pot.Two suggestions: 1) Visually inspect the exposed cable and connectors. If it cracks when flexed, it's shot. 2) Find somebody with an SWR meter (many truckstops have CB shops that have this tool, and most amateur radio enthusiasts have one) and test the CB when transmitting.Others here have more experience than I do with replacing a bad CB antenna cable; I'll let them chime in on that aspect. :-)Andy BairdTravels with Andy
Re: cb radio Cobra tracker 75WXSTR Reply #8 – November 12, 2014, 03:02:12 pm Yahoo Message Number: 149486"Does it have an external speaker? We use a Cobra 75WXST in our Jeep and it works fine, but we do have an external speaker mounted above and behind the front seats. "Excellent suggestion, Art. The 75 WXST has a speaker jack on its junction box (small aluminum box, typically tucked under the dash), so it's easy to plug in an external speaker... and even a small one greatly improves the intelligibility of the sound.Andy BairdTravels with Andy
Re: cb radio Cobra tracker 75WXSTR Reply #9 – November 12, 2014, 03:08:25 pm Yahoo Message Number: 149487"in order to get to the 'CB box' I have to take the dashboard cover off to get at the antenna connections"
Re: cb radio Cobra tracker 75WXSTR Reply #10 – November 13, 2014, 10:13:08 am Yahoo Message Number: 149494As others have said, the most likely source of trouble is the antenna. A very simple SWR test may confirm or refute this. A few years ago, my CB stopped working right. I sent the unit to Cobra. They determined that the unit was fine, and I probably had an antenna problem. A SWR meter showed that my system was off the scale. A test with my multimeter revealed that my antenna had a short in its base loading area. I got a new antenna. The SWR meter still showed that my connection was no good. The cable connection to the base of the antenna was corroded and the insulation was cracked far enough back that I could not re-use the cable. I replaced the cable. Using the SWR meter, I was then able to "tune" my new antenna, getting a good ratio across the band from channel 1 to 40, optimized at Channel 19. Since then I have had reasonable performance with the unit. Cost - Radio Shack SWR meter, then about $25, now showing $40, high performance FireStik 18' 2-piece cable, $30, FireStik top loaded antenna, $25, plus lots of my time to run that new cable. Was it worth it? Only in that I am a bit obsessive about having my stuff work. If your purpose is to listen to trucker chatter, that CB will do as well as most others. An external speaker might help, perhaps, but CB transmission is not the clearest medium to begin with. Try to borrow a SWR meter. You will need a short cable to go from the meter to the junction box. As others said, the junction box is behind the panel on the left side. Just pull off the panel. If a foam block is preventing you from reaching the junction box, that block is held in place by two plastic screws at the back of the block. Feel behind for a round plastic "head" about 3/4" in diameter, rising up about 1/8" at the center and beveled at the edges. Using your fingertips, turn the screw counter-clockwise to loosen the block. One is not too hard to find, but the second one is harder. Follow the CB wire from the handset back to the junction box. The antenna connects to the end of the box with a knurled, threaded fitting. Remove the antenna cable and connect it to the SWR meter. Connect the short cable from the meter to the junction box. Turn the CB on, set it to channel 19 or 20, follow the calibration instructions for the SWR meter, then key the mike and read the meter. The lower the number, the better. A well-tuned system will come up closer to 1 than 2 mid-band, and under 2 across all channels. When I first tried my system, it pegged to the right, WAY over three, in the red. I immediately knew I had an antenna problem - either poor tuning, a bad antenna or a bad cable. That is all there is to it. If you can borrow a SWR meter, it will cost you only your time to check your system. If you get a high number on the test, that may be a tuning issue. If you peg the needle, as I did, tuning probably will not deal with your issue. Something is bad and needs replacement. So - how do you tune the antenna? My old antenna had a tuning ring that was on the base. The ring was actually two knurled rings about 1/8" wide and 3/4" in diameter that could be turned individually, then tightened together to prevent further movement. Tuning is a two person job. Move the ring, calibrate the SWR meter and key the mike, noting the result. Move the ring again and see if the number is rising or falling. Using channel 19 or 20, adjust the ring for the lowest test result, then lock it there and test channels 1 and 40 to make sure they are not in the red. If either is in the red, adjust further until you stay in the black across all channels. Other antennas will tune differently. My FireStik antenna is top loaded and has an adjustment screw on the tip of the antenna. Same process - make a change, test it, record the result, repeat. A simple whip antenna tunes by adjusting how far the antenna sits in its mounting spring. You slide it up and down by loosening and tightening an allen set screw in the side of the spring. The antennas vary but the concept does not. An antenna must be tuned to get the best performance from a CB.Phew - that got long-winded!Ken F in NM
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