My Cobra 139XLR has always done a good job for me, and I've done a lot of good Dxing with it since getting back on the air in July. But with the congestion (and the "mama's cellar dwellers,") on 37 thru 40, it's tough to have a decent uninterrupted QSO. So, I finally put the old base on the bench for a channel expansion and tune-up.
I've made a lot of mods to this rig over the years, but the only extra channels I added were 41 thru 44. Adding channels 45 - 80 was pretty simple, and then I center-tuned it for 27.405, so power is steady from chan 1 to chan 72, where it starts dropping off a little.
Put it back in-line, and tried calling "CQ-DX" on 27.515 LSB. Got a callback from VE554, Operator Milica, in Boda Voda Montenegro. She said it's on the Adraitic sea between Albania and Bosnia. Strong 7 - 9 signal. She spoke pretty good English, and we talked for over 30 minutes. She is a retired electrical engineer. She said the radio is her husband's, and is a Yaesu FT-891. The only thing she knew about the antenna was that it is "very tall." Conditions began fading, so we signed off. If conditions had held, I think she would still be talking ... LOL.
Totally different world up there. I like it !!
- 399 J.J.
BTW ... I need to put my clarifier back to stock. I wish I could remember how I modded it.
