Cobra 19 Ultra III Compact CB Review

[BernieLJ77]

Well, RVQ1 seems to be a squelch adjustment, and RVM1 seems to be an audio adjustment, not sure about RVQ3, but I also had a problem with the Cobra Ultra-III being off frequency, as when talking to someone else, they stated that I was transmitting on 27.182.0, instead of 27.185 for Channel 19, so it appears to be off frequency, and below frequency, so that was one reason why I didn't sound right on 27.185 MHz.

 

[eric chilton]

i have one of these and the light in the display does not work ....anybody know if its just a bulb or i its mounted to a board ? i haven't had time to look see ....i got some replacement bulbs with the wires but no thru board leds........also i dont think the 19ultra dx schematic is the same for the ultra 3 thats on cb tricks i could be wrong though ....any body know the answers .......thanks and 73s..........

 

[loosecannon]

not sure if it's a lamp or an LED in that radio, but you can just buy another radio for 5 or 6 dollars.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/40-Channel...574649?hash=item23c7c72d79:g:~KYAAOSw-SVdm0cB

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Cobra-19-U...211154?hash=item1a85ef6fd2:g:gHAAAOSwy6Jdm2D9

if you really want to fix that one, then you can use an LED regardless of what was in there before.

you just need to find the right resistor value to give you the voltage that the LED wants to see.

in general, if you measure 12 volts or more on the terminals of the light, it is a lamp.
if you only measure 2-3 volts, then it is an LED.
remember that LEDs are diodes and are polarized.

here is a handy little tool for finding the resistor you might need:
http://led.linear1.org/led.wiz

LC

 

[sunbulls]

I played around with a few of these compact Cobra’s. I prefer the earlier versions, the 19 Plus or 19 Ultra for only one reason, they use an electret condenser mic cartridge. Those mics produce a wider response or more natural sound. Having a channel selector knob instead of push buttons and a standard 4 pin jack instead of a DIN jack was a welcomed improvement on the newer Ultra III and DX IV models, but I was a little surprised they decided to go with dynamic mics on those. Of course you can always try other mics. I’m just not a big fan of the stock Cobra mics these days. IMO the strong point on all these models is the squelch, an often overlooked characteristic. When adjusted correctly both internal and externally, you don't hear that typical pop sound or noisy extended tail so many other radios exhibit. I find them a pleasure to use as sensitive yet quiet monitor receivers.

 

[jkp1]

I'd take aUniden 520 over a Cobra 19 any day.

 

[hotrod]

i owned the early cobra 19 plus.it had a plastic case and was black n orange in color. this was in the early to mid 90s. i ran a 4 foot firestick on my truck and i could talk locally really good. 7-10 miles im guessing. .i also had the uniden 5120 in the better half car i didnt like the stock mic on these at all so i put a d104m6b on much better .both worked ok . and both had thier good and bad points. imho i think it comes down what u can live with and not. ..and this will vary with everyone aswell..if ya need a small radio i dont think ya can go wrong with either

 

[sunbulls]

I'd take aUniden 520 over a Cobra 19 any day.

Some may ask what board version are you referencing. There's several variations seen in most of these compact SMD radios and I'm not finding any huge performance differences between any of them. Performance differences are mostly related to whatever microphone or antenna that you're using. For those interested,this is a side by side comparison between the Ultra III and two different 520's. I'm sure there's more board variations as ongoing developments always change.

 

[jkp1]

I've had a couple of 520's. Both were newer, I don't know which board. I think they are better because the have a good noise blanker and rf gain.

 

[eric chilton]

wow there is not much inside them is there ............

 

[eric chilton]

not sure if it's a lamp or an LED in that radio, but you can just buy another radio for 5 or 6 dollars.

i think im gonna fix the light ....i have zero money in this radio .......im using it in my office at my shop ...its a good talker when i got it it didn't have a mic and i bought one of those workman mics off ebay for 10 skins .......everybody i talk to on it says it sounds good ........ive talked 10 miles on it with one of those workman no ground plane base antennas about 20 foot up and rg8x at 100 foot long ..............