In my opinion, the Grant LT is the best CB radio ever made, that you can still find. I'll back up this statement in a moment. the Grant LT is the same as the origional cobra 148GTL, and the Grant XL. DON'T be fooled by the new Cobra 148 GTL, or the 148 NWST, they are a cheap copy that don't impliment the same circuitry as the origionals.
First of all, you cannot beat the receiver. The receiver is one of the best that was ever made in a CB radio. The IF stage is designed nicely, and filtering is adequate. they don't "jack" the gain up so high in the front end to make up for attenuation, and a very low Q later in the circuit like alot of the export chassis.
Secondly, the VCO design is great for a radio in it's class. It's pretty much rock solid, and very stable.
Third, board design, the board design eliminates by it's own design circulating current effect. This is an important thing when dealing wih RF higher than 3.5Mhz.
Fourth, it impliments the AN612 balance modulator, which is a good thing, in English for SSB use.
Fifth, with little effort, the MB3756 is aduquate for voltage switching/regulation which eliminates deviation from voltage fluctuation o the VCO / carrier oscillators.
Sixth, with a little improvement, the bis supply remains constant without going negative, which limits output power and increases distortion.
Seventh, after modification, you have direct AF coupling to the modulator. (current regulator) This is great for a wide bandwidth for audio frequency response on AM. The highs and lows aren't rolled off a sharply.
Eighth: Refer to #7, but the mic amplifier circuit is easy to modify with some capacitor changes to tailor the AF response to a user's voice.
IMO, just all around a great CB radio.
Take care Tim,
Justin
PS, I'm compiling the scans of the magmun information I have written up, and it will be on our site soon, just give me a couple more days.
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