Cobra 29 WXNWST technical assistance

[Numinex]

Been a good while since I dabbled with CB radios, but due to recent events I ended up with a well loved 29WX, I was able to get a new Nightwatch panel for the front swapped it out no problem, it was more of precision surgery...LOL. Anyway I went ahead and tweaked the modulation on VR4 to max and I was still having issues with very low power. Talking to the previous owner he said he thinks that one was "turned" down for use on his Palomar 200. If I had the room I'd run my old Palomar as well with it. But I want to run barefoot for now. I picked up a Astatic PDC2 to check the output (killing myself for unloading my old Bird years ago when I sold all my ham radio stuff. But I've got it all set up, dummy load on the end of the meter, dead key hardly lifts the needle past 1 watt. Sure enough its been turned down. So I grabbed the service manual and go thru the check procedure and it says to adjust L14 to peak it at around 4 watts. I have to back out the slug almost entirely to get it there, then it also says to adjust L16 in the back corner but no slug no adjustment. Okay something isn't quite right here. First it says to adjust L14 CW to increase, but clockwise lowers the power level to the PDC2. So I swapped on my Wilson 1000 maggie swrs 1.2 or less, and the same thing. So I'm guessing that other slug missing is gone for some odd reason.

So anyone got some tips to get this radio loud and proud again? I have most of the tools needed, as I work on vintage tube stuff mostly and dabble here and there repairing modern Electronics but not many. The Cobra is from 1999 made in China (sadly not a "good" one but better than cobras junk today)

Checking frequencies with the freq counter it's dead on frequency, and radio testing it seems to transmit okay but it's just quiet, Dynamike is cranked up. Sounds like I'm talking to it from across the room. Swapped in a different cobra Mic no change.

Thanks, long time lurker of the forum figured I'd finally join the fray. Thanks in advance.

L16 missing Slug, but has lacquer like it's supposed to maybe not have one?



L14 by Final Transistor with slug backed out to get close to 4 Watts, disregard antenna in the back, that's for my SDR setup.

Watt meter showing 4 watts but it only lasted

 

[WB9YBM]

You might need to find some way to find slugs--either by buying new coils, cannibalizing from similar coils in a scrap radio, etc. When all else fails I can recommend sending it to Cobra for service--I've had to do that too when I couldn't fix the problem myself--they've provided good service (at least in my case-I've got nothing to complain about!). (Yeah, I could probably have done the repair myself--I've got the GROL--but in the case of some fixes, it's better to send it to the manufacturer.)

 

[Numinex]

Found out the missing slug is supposed to be gone. Some models had it the WX does not. Took a bunch of digging late last night and picture scouring but at least it's not missing. So onward to the next step of getting the bracket made to mount the antenna, new crossovers leave little places to mount radios, let alone try and mount a antenna cleanly. Lol