Like so many things in life sometimes it is better to be lucky than good!
I picked this one up pre-covid for under $140 with free shipping. I got with it a CObra CA-50 Mic which I mistakenly called a Ca-55 in the box, a Micronta 1.5A power supply, 2 of the hot swap locking brackets, the radio in box, an Archer external speaker with switchable filter(just a cap inside unit) a ton of sealed hardware, keys, fuses, mounting bracket with the old school all metal thumb screws and full documentation.
Cosmetically it is an 8.5-9.5 but I think it will move to a solid 9.5 with just some Windex and q-tips.
Internally it has not been touched everything is factory original. All caps and transistors factory. I tried it tonight on a K40 on a stock pot with an extra 108" whip under said stock pot as a radial. Skip was rolling in and it was sensitive and sounded great. I had not heard one of these since the 1980's maybe early 1990's. I forgot how good these things sounded and how good the ears are!
If you find one that is in decent shape and you are willing to recap it and do other minor house keeping these things are great. Mine seems to have all tight crisp pots. The first 1-2 minutes of use the channel selector had some digits out but with some use all the led segments came back to life.
The 1970's Micronta 1.5A linear power supply is what I ran it on and that worked too. It is all orignal as well and I know this because the case ont he power supply is pop riveted shut and the rivets where nicely oxidized!
I compared it on receive to a NOS Uniden PC 78XL Philippines and while the receive audio sounded better on the PC78 the signal was way stronger on the Cobra 138XLR. I am guessing the 138XLR just needs a new speaker.
The receive on the 138XLR was just so strong! No local traffic so not clear how my audio sounded. I did talk to Coastal Carolina and I talked on the Bowel on 6. You might have heard me on ch 11 and 28 tonight.
I had to re glue the felt on the top side of the case tonight.
I used the stock mic from the Uniden PC78XL tonight since I did not have a 7/7.5 volt #175 battery for the Cobra CA-50 mic and had no clue how it would sound with out the battery.
I was talking from Mid-Michigan with no power tonight!
This thing is untouched and from 1978 and I think it was on par with a Cobra 148GTL or Uniden Grant LT! Clearly power and audio are prob. not as good but it is close enough that no one would know with or without an amp behind it!
The tone control worked great as did the dimmer!
I picked this one up pre-covid for under $140 with free shipping. I got with it a CObra CA-50 Mic which I mistakenly called a Ca-55 in the box, a Micronta 1.5A power supply, 2 of the hot swap locking brackets, the radio in box, an Archer external speaker with switchable filter(just a cap inside unit) a ton of sealed hardware, keys, fuses, mounting bracket with the old school all metal thumb screws and full documentation.
Cosmetically it is an 8.5-9.5 but I think it will move to a solid 9.5 with just some Windex and q-tips.
Internally it has not been touched everything is factory original. All caps and transistors factory. I tried it tonight on a K40 on a stock pot with an extra 108" whip under said stock pot as a radial. Skip was rolling in and it was sensitive and sounded great. I had not heard one of these since the 1980's maybe early 1990's. I forgot how good these things sounded and how good the ears are!
If you find one that is in decent shape and you are willing to recap it and do other minor house keeping these things are great. Mine seems to have all tight crisp pots. The first 1-2 minutes of use the channel selector had some digits out but with some use all the led segments came back to life.
The 1970's Micronta 1.5A linear power supply is what I ran it on and that worked too. It is all orignal as well and I know this because the case ont he power supply is pop riveted shut and the rivets where nicely oxidized!
I compared it on receive to a NOS Uniden PC 78XL Philippines and while the receive audio sounded better on the PC78 the signal was way stronger on the Cobra 138XLR. I am guessing the 138XLR just needs a new speaker.
The receive on the 138XLR was just so strong! No local traffic so not clear how my audio sounded. I did talk to Coastal Carolina and I talked on the Bowel on 6. You might have heard me on ch 11 and 28 tonight.
I had to re glue the felt on the top side of the case tonight.
I used the stock mic from the Uniden PC78XL tonight since I did not have a 7/7.5 volt #175 battery for the Cobra CA-50 mic and had no clue how it would sound with out the battery.
I was talking from Mid-Michigan with no power tonight!
This thing is untouched and from 1978 and I think it was on par with a Cobra 148GTL or Uniden Grant LT! Clearly power and audio are prob. not as good but it is close enough that no one would know with or without an amp behind it!
The tone control worked great as did the dimmer!
