Hey guys, this is my first post, so if I put this in the wrong discussion please let me know! I recently acquired an old cobra CAM 89 base station. It works great, but I'd love to get a little more pwr out of it if I can. I'm just getting into actually opening up radios and I'm trying to learn, but I'm fairly clueless. I know how not to get electrocuted, but not much beyond that. I'd like to know how to do a little peak and tune if possible. Can anybody tell me a specific recipe for this one, or point me in the right direction? Thanks!
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Cobra CAM 89 Mods
- Thread starter Jesse Layden
- Start date
I have not and can not verify this information since I don't happen to own a CAM 89, but it's a starting point: http://www.cbtricks.com/pub/secret_cb/vol_14/graphics/secret_cb_vol_14_pg45_46.pdf
Schematic, parts list and owner's manual are here:
http://www.cbtricks.com/radios/cobra/cam89/index.htm
73
http://www.cbtricks.com/radios/cobra/cam89/index.htm
73
To get noticeable result on the other side you must increase power 4x. Not possible from this radio. Get an amp.
Mike
Found this old thread.
https://www.worldwidedx.com/threads/cobra-cam-89-info-and-mods.34610/
If it's working I would just run it and have fun. Maybe find a nice desk mic that sounds good. If you try to have someone over tune it the first thing that will fail is the power supply.
If it's going to be a go to radio that you use it will probably need some work. A complete re-cap, lube all controls, and then a correct factory alignment. That will cost some money, it's your call.
https://www.worldwidedx.com/threads/cobra-cam-89-info-and-mods.34610/
If it's working I would just run it and have fun. Maybe find a nice desk mic that sounds good. If you try to have someone over tune it the first thing that will fail is the power supply.
If it's going to be a go to radio that you use it will probably need some work. A complete re-cap, lube all controls, and then a correct factory alignment. That will cost some money, it's your call.
A 1975 "barn find" car might drive home from the barn, with some fresh gas, air to the tires and a filter or two.
But it won't be a daily driver until an entire list of stuff gets brought up to date.
If you just want the radio to come on and run now and again, don't try to fix it until it breaks. At least you'll have something to gain from the effort. Might come on once month for a year before something goes south.
Might.
But if it's meant to be a daily driver, the equivalent of all the hoses, belts, seals, gaskets and bushings for this radio is a list of electrolytic capacitors. Once they're changed, you won't blow a radiator hose halfway to the next town.
So to speak.
And duty cycle is part of the judgement. A radio that old running every day will see that first breakdown sooner than a radio that mostly visits a shelf. How you'll use it really determines how much you want to spend on it.
73
But it won't be a daily driver until an entire list of stuff gets brought up to date.
If you just want the radio to come on and run now and again, don't try to fix it until it breaks. At least you'll have something to gain from the effort. Might come on once month for a year before something goes south.
Might.
But if it's meant to be a daily driver, the equivalent of all the hoses, belts, seals, gaskets and bushings for this radio is a list of electrolytic capacitors. Once they're changed, you won't blow a radiator hose halfway to the next town.
So to speak.
And duty cycle is part of the judgement. A radio that old running every day will see that first breakdown sooner than a radio that mostly visits a shelf. How you'll use it really determines how much you want to spend on it.
73
First, welcome to the forum. I have to agree with Nomad. That radio is 50 years old and will need a total refurb to be an everyday driver.
If you're looking for more power think about connex, galaxy, stryker or ranger. My pick today would be stryker but that's just my opinion.
This is not a cheap hobby and the more power you want the more expensive it gets.
Here is what i found and where i found it:
CAM 89: Modulation - Add a 1k resister in series with C110 AM Power L13 L12 L9
https://www.qsl.net/k1usb/tune_up.html
CAM 89: Modulation - Add a 1k resister in series with C110 AM Power L13 L12 L9
https://www.qsl.net/k1usb/tune_up.html
As has been said don't touch the power output unless turning it down to drive an amp properly.
Thanks for the advice everyone! I'll definitely just leave it alone and just enjoy it like it is. I actually have my dad's old SS3900G mounted in my truck, but might pull it out and start using it for ssb. I've got a little homemade horizontal dipole in the backyard, and just wanna see how far I can go before I spend any money on an amp lol.
It's fun, but can get expensive. Take the red pill and see how deep the rabbit hole goes. Hehhe.
