20 Most Recent Cobra 19 DX IV CB Radio - Page 4 Questions & Answers

This is all the mic wiring information you will need.

Take a deep breath and start over! The best way to power this little radio is probably through the cigarette lighter or 12vdc accessory jack. It is simple and straight forward and no fuse box or negative ground wires to worry about. Go the Radio Shack, purchase an adaptor (cig lighter type) and hook it up to your radio wiring being careful to watch polarity. You may have to have your ignition on to run the radio, but that is much safer that maybe blowing up the unit.

Unless you are running a larger more powerful unit or an amp, there is no added benefit to hooking the radio into the fuse box.

Check the 9/norm/19 button is not stuck in. If it isnt and you are not bumping the button somehow then the radio if faulty, return it under warrantly or take it to a competent technician for repair.

Hi, my name is John. Welcome to FixYa. Check your antenna, make sure it is grounded good to the body of the vehicle, and that nothing is blocking it. Turn the SQUELCH all the way to the left. Have your SWR checked. You can get it done at Radio Shack for free, or any roadside CB shack. Thanks for choosing FixYa...John

Hi, my name is John. Welcome to FixYa. You can get it at Radio Shack or any road side CB shack. Thanks for choosing FixYa...John

Skip is an interesting phenomenon. When it kicks in full force, it pretty much kills any chance of local talking. Especially if you are on what are called "super bowl channels" these are channels where the big boys run. From 10k watts and up. Here in the USA these channels are 6, 11, and some times 26. If you are on any of those channels, you will hear nothing but them while skip is in effect.

There could be people in your area, but when skip is going you would never know it. And even if you did hear them, how could you know with all the noise going on.

Your radio is most likely setup correctly. If you are hearing the skip, then it is working. Give it a day or two for the skip to let up and give it a try.

I'm not sure how the channels in Brazil, as in the trucker channel. Over hear all of the truckers use 19, so if you are near a major truck route, you can always hear some one on 19.

So when it gets quiet again, go on the channel that truckers in your country/area use, and see if you can hear them/talk to them.

It is important to tune your CB radio antenna to the proper length. The length must exactly match the wavelength of the frequency you transmit on. Or be really really close.

All Cb antenna's have a way to adjust the length of the antenna. If it's a mag mount, the metal whip can be slid in and out of a metal collar. Usually a set screw. If its a fiberglass whip, the way to tune it is on top. It either has a small metal rod with a set screw to adjust the length, or it threads in and out to adjust length.

Either type you have it will need to be adjusted for proper length. Here is how to tune the antenna to lowest SWR.

Some radios have a built in SWR meter. Some do not. If yours doesn't have an SWR meter, then you have to use an external SWR meter. Radio shack carries one, and you can find them cheap on ebay.

If you have a built in SWR meter or external, the procedure is the same:

1. Turn the radio to CH 20.(This is the center of the band.)
2. Switch the meter switch to CAL. (CAL stand for calibrate.
3. Key the radio. (Important. Do not talk while keying the radio.)
4. turn the CAL knob up until the meter hits the CAL mark.
5. Now while still keying the radio flip the meter switch to SWR.

Where the meter falls after that point is you SWR reading. If its above 3, that is real bad. 2 is not gonna kill your radio but its not the greatest. 1.5 and under is a good place to be, but the lower the better.

If your SWR is high, Here is how to find out if your antenna is too long or too short.

1. Turn to CH 1
2. Repeat SWR procedure. You must calibrate every time you do it.
3. Remember the SWR reading.
4. Turn to CH 40.
5. Again repeat SWR procedure.
6. Compare the reading between CH 1 and CH 40.

Now if the SWR is higher on channel 1 then channel 40 your antenna is too short. You must make it longer.

If the SWR is longer on channel 40 then on channel 1, then the antenna is too long, you need to make it shorter.

Make height adjustments about an eight inch at a time, and take reading each time.

once the SWR is significantly lower and the reading on channel 1 and 40 are about the same, you a about matched. At this point turn the radio to the center of the band, channel 20 and take an SWR reading.

You should now have a low SWR reading, 1.5 or under. If you are 1.5 or under, you are good to go.

If you cannot get the SWR to an appropriate level, there may be an antenna problem.

Hi, my name is John. Welcome to FixYa. Check that you have a good ground on your antenna and that nothing is blocking the rod (element) any metal or any objects, set the squelch to max. Check your SWR on the antenna. If you need further assistance, let me know, always glad to help you. Thanks for choosing FixYa....John

PA stands for Public address. It is a speaker you mount on the outside of your vehicle so that you can talk to some one out side your car. Also on most radios when you turn on the pa function it will play your receive on the PA so if you are out of your vehicle and want to hear some one on the radio.

You do not need it for radio communications.

They only have a reach of about 2 miles with a good antenna

Please make sure the antenna is tuned to proper SWR.

Also double check the power wire connections.

Let me know if you have no clue about tuning the SWR.

You could install a filter in the line between the antenna and the transciever. I reccommend a high-pass or band-pass filter set for the 27 MHz band to remove any interference at different frequencies. Also, some older TVs can cause interference to CB radios if they are close. If this doesn't work, the radio may be poorly sheilded or your area may have implemented the broadband power line initiative (BPL). This produces a strong buzz of noise that obliterates all weak to moderate radio signals between 2 and 80 MHz (CB being at 27 MHz).

CB channel 19 is one of the most frequently used; it is unofficially designated as a "highway information" channel. It is not always hot, however. It is possible you may have your squelch control set too high. If you cannot even hear static, this may be the case. If you can, the channel may just be empty. Try scanning up and down the band until you find something.

Yes. Co-phasing is very touchy anyway. The co-phase unit needs to be matched and it needs to be in almost perfect condition.

you can ship it to me at dodgem250.com for repairs.

Sure. You can use an LED if you want.

sounds like you're off freq. this could be a bad crystal or bad soilder on the board around the crystal.

What are the SWR's at? Have the every been checked? Chances are if you have never checked them, and don't know what an SWR is, then your transmit is blown out of the radio.

Yo need to tune the antenna length on every antenna for a cb radio. If it is not the correct length then you get what is called reflect. that is signal that doesn't radiate off the antenna and is reflected back to the radio and blows the transmit out.

Yes, very bad. I am sorry.

Wont work.. this will cause extreme feedback (tried it before)