Check this disaster out.

[snippits75]

I had a Cobra XL450 that had four strapped Motorola 454 transistors. Bought it for $100 cash, as is, off of Craigslist. It looked almost brand new.

Sold it about a year later for $375 because I needed a new refrigerator. It worked very good with a steel whip on the back of my pickup truck. At least I still have the fridge...lol.

 

[lonestarbandit]

I am a big fan of the Cobra/magnum/skipper/Galaxy blue faces. They're higher quality and have the built in filters.

 

[AudioShockwav]

I had a Cobra XL450 that had four strapped Motorola 454 transistors. Bought it for $100 cash, as is, off of Craigslist. It looked almost brand new.

Sold it about a year later for $375 because I needed a new refrigerator. It worked very good with a steel whip on the back of my pickup truck. At least I still have the fridge...lol.

The Cobra XL amps were good amplifiers.
The thing about the Magnum/Cobra/TX series is you can't beat on them to make them show typical class c comp style power output.
73
Jeff

 

[lonestarbandit]

The Cobra XL amps were good amplifiers.
The thing about the Magnum/Cobra/TX series is you can't beat on them to make them show typical class c comp style power output.
73
Jeff

100%. Probably also why they didn't sell particularly well. Ghost watts make the meters dance. No one wants to see true output. They bought the unfiltered splatter wagons. The below is not mine its presently on eBay for 500 smackers.
I'd have actually been a taker but getting a AL80A so I'm out of the buyer pool for this. Pretty though! Peculiar the fan seems missing though. Not sure what's happening there. And what appears to be a keying circuit and a adjustable input maybe added?

 

[AudioShockwav]

I am a big fan of the Cobra/magnum/skipper/Galaxy blue faces. They're higher quality and have the built in filters.

They really were, at a time when most of the mobile amps were built cheap.
Gimmick capacitors and no bias compared to regulated bias with thermal tracking and strip line construction.


73
Jeff

 

[lonestarbandit]

I'll never sell my 2x Toshiba 2SC2879 Cobra XL 350. I also once had the gray faced Palomar Magnum 4x 2SC2879 (the precusor to these) same build and filters and boards etc and stupidly sold it many years ago for rediculously low price. Didn't realise the unicorn I had. I've only seen one come up for sale once in the past IDK 20 years? Think it was called a Palomar Magnum 4500R if memory serves. The blue faces didn't do a 4x 2SC2879 I dont believe.
Also had the 4x 454 blue face mobile for a couple days but gave it back as the output wasn't significantly more than the 2x 2SC2879 and for 500 bucks some years ago it wasnt worth it.

 

[Smokinone]

100%. Probably also why they didn't sell particularly well. Ghost watts make the meters dance. No one wants to see true output. They bought the unfiltered splatter wagons. The below is not mine its presently on eBay for 500 smackers.
I'd have actually been a taker but getting a AL80A so I'm out of the buyer pool for this. Pretty though! Peculiar the fan seems missing though. Not sure what's happening there. And what appears to be a keying circuit and a adjustable input maybe added?

View attachment 66374View attachment 66375View attachment 66376

The one I have doesn't have the fan either. I bought it with a blown 454, and bought a matched set from RF Parts to replace them both. It's only a high low basically as some of the wiring to the high-med-low switch was burned of when I got and I didn't know where to re-attach...so low-high, which is good.

 

[lonestarbandit]

Nice. I'd hang on to it. Interesting yours also doesn't have a fan, I'd swear they came with from factory.

 

[Smokinone]

Nice. I'd hang on to it. Interesting yours also doesn't have a fan, I'd swear they came with from factory.

Doesn't look like one was even there ie: no mounting scrapes or any indication anything was mounted there.
I have a CObra 350 XL in line now, and have 2 of the 450's in the cabinet. I think I have one of the Palomars you're speaking of as well, I'll see if I can find it and post a pic. I always liked the quality of the build on these although I know nothing about them. They just looked clean and always get good reports.

 

[Smokinone]

Here's my collection of these amps, plus a Bulletproof 1. Don't know if it's really bulletproof, but it's the only kicker I've seen with an adjustable SSB delay.
I know, I am sick and have too much stuff. Sad thing is I don't put them in line very often, I still kinda like to go with whatever the power the radio I have hooked up has. But, I do have the Cobra XL350 hooked up in addition to ones I have stacked. I couldn't get the stack to show up right. 2 450's on the top, different names but the same inside, except the Bulletproof1.

 

[Smokinone]

I got curious and opened up the Bulletproof 1. Very clean inside. 2 SD1446 inside, I don't remember what the output of this little gem is.
Also the belly cover is metal, not plastic like the Skipper/Cobra/Palomar.

 

[lonestarbandit]

That's awsome my favorite amps all in one place!