philips949's Full Review: Cobra 29WXNWST (40 Channels) Two Way Radio
General comments:
This is a full featured CB radio that is reliable and performs well. The Cobra WX NW ST 29 CB that has great audio and controls. It has many features (some unique) all of which I find very useful and should be a major deciding factor in buying a CB radio. The audio output (transmission and receiving) is obviously another key decision factor.
As with all CB's the FCC(Federal Communications Commission) restricts output power to 5 watts maximum. So all CB's sold out of the box will essentially have the same broadcast range. In the case of Cobra it does everything to insure you get the most out of that 5 watt limit. As such features on this CB are what sets it apart from the others. I will discuss these features and their purpose in detail. I will also comment on their usefulness and quality. In addition options such as a powermike, and high quality antenna will improve output audio making your transmissions easier to hear on other radios. Note that a power mike does NOT increase transmission range.
Features:
Lighted panel:(excellent feature)
The panel on this radio is lit from behind so at night you can tell which switches you are using. It also looks cool. I had my radio mounted low in the car(on the floor) so my eyes were not good enough to read the front panel far away. If you mount yours on a console, dash, or overhead it will look great and be easy to read. Of course, the channel display was fine as that is standard size for most CB's. If I were to improve this design I would try colored bezels, larger lettering to increase visibility.
Honestly when driving you will be mostly concerned with Volume, Squelch, Channel, or CB/WX(Weather) and the layout is standard so it is easy enough to remember each knob. There is a dimmer knob so you can adjust brightness of the radio. The lighted panel however is a major selling feature and for many the primary reason to buy this radio.
Weather (NOAA):(excellent feature)
Like many CB's today this CB has a weather switch so you can get NOAA weather. It has multiple NOAA channels so you can get weather in your area. NOAA uses several frequencies so a multi-channel weather function is essential to be of any use. It also has an weather alert function that will send an alarm as long as the radio is connected to power. I kind of forgot about the alert feature. Then one day there was a severe thunderstorm warning. The Radio emitted a loud alarm sound and I switched to weather and there was the report on NOAA. I found the weather function useful and the reception clear with the right antenna. Some older CB radio antennas are not optimized for weather and may not work as well. I will discuss antennas more later in the review.
SWR Built in:(required feature)
Like many better CB's this radio has a built in SWR meter. The SWR reading lets the user know how well the antenna is matched to its radio and environment. SWR readings are used to make fine adjustments(height adjustments) to antennas for best performance. It is really simple to use and I could tune my antenna without having to go to a cb shop or buy an external SWR meter. Once setup you will not need to use the SWR function unless changing vehicle or antenna. Still having the SWR built in save you the cost of buying an external SWR meter and therefore I consider it a big plus for this radio. You can operate without checking SWR and tuning your antenna, but will get less than optimal performance. Obviously the built in SWR is a good reason to consider the this radio and makes installation/antenna setup easy.
PA (Public Address):(excellent feature required for options)
Like most full size mobile CB's this radio has a PA jack. You can connect a bull horn style speaker and mount it behind your grill and us it a decent PA system or monitor form a distance. It is also commonly used to connect an external speaker. The external speaker is good if installing the radio in a way that blocks the built in speaker.
Optional Talkback speaker: Great option
If you want to use an optional talkback speaker you need the PA feature. The talkback speaker allows you to hear yourself on the radio. Some find it annoying I find it extremely valuable. You will instantly know how you sound when transmitting and can make adjustments to improve transmission audio and get the results real time. This is an essential item if using a powermike and for adjustment of the "Dynamike" feature described below.
DynaMike:(excellent feature for output sound quality)
This feature allows you to increase the mikes gain. It is a unique feature on this radio and makes a noticeable difference in audio quality for your output. When using this feature you should ask others for a radio check over the air as too much gain on Dyna-Mike can cause excessive distortion. Once you get it right leave it alone. I found that having a talk back external speaker(optional) is the best way to adjust the Dyna-Mike control for best audio.
Sound Tracking ST:(Good feature)
Cobra's ST feature is supposed to keep out noise and let only wanted signals. I find this feature works only reasonably well but better than most other CB's. It will NOT clean a channel of all noise. No CB that I have ever seen can do it either. The bottom line is that it is easy enough to ask someone to move to another channel and use the squelch properly.
For those who want to know about squelch and gain:
Gain is a control that is used to increase reception power. Of course, as you do this you are likely to bring in noise. Use the squelch control to block unwanted weaker signals by turning the knob until the noise stops and back it off slightly. The result will be sound only when you want to hear it from stronger sources. If you need to hear a weak signal you may have to turn the squelch all the way down and just live with the noise. This is where the ST feature pays off the most. All CB's have squelch controls.
Options:
There are many great options for CB's today. This radio can support many of those optional items. I will describe the optional items I think are most important.
Power Mike:
I recommend getting a quality power mike for any CB. It is an inexpensive way to get better output audio. Keep in mind that a power mike does NOT increase range it only improves audio. There are a lot of junky powermikes with echo, roger beep, whistles and other fun things. I tried some and most were really junk until I went with Cobra's powermike with echo. The echo on Cobra's mike works well and sounds clear not distorted so it will not anniy other CB'ers. It is solidly built and you can see it when you look at it. So, if you want a power mike get the one by Cobra and it will perform well and be problem free. Using Cobra's powermike on this radio with the Dyna-Mike control will give you a very commanding and clear sound far above average. You will sound like an 18 wheeler.
Special effects:
You can add aftermarket sound effects to this radio. I find these a waste of money and they annoy other CB users. Such sound effect toys include: Beep sounds when keying mike, howling wolf, and other silly stuff. With a radio this good it is far more impressive to just sound great.
Peaking:(essential option)
If you go to a cb shop they can peak the radio for you. Peaking is a minor modification that insures your radio has the maximum legal transmission output. It will improve performance slightly. I think its worth doing on any CB.
Antenna:(very important)
Antennas are the most important thing beside the radio itself. Get any quality antenna from Cobra, K-40, or Wilson. Tune it with the Cobra's built in SWR and your radio will performing quite well. Forget about gimmick antennas like the ones that light up or are very short. Any CB expert will tell you length is everything when it comes to CB performance. If you are really a radio nut you can go crazy with antennas but for most people get one of the above and you will be very happy.
Antenna cable:(important note)
CB antennas and cable length need to be in increments of 9 feet. This is why most magnet mount antennas are sold with a fixed length cable. Change the length of the cable and you will throw the SWR completely out of whack. I like the magnet mount Wilson 1000 antenna or the Cobra antenna for this radio. Magnet mounts are great especially for folks like me who frequently have to use a parking garage with low clearance. I just jump out an pop the antenna into the rear hatch on my suv. Also with a magnet antenna it is easy to place the antenna on the roof of of your car in the center which is optimal. Of course tucks, vans, convertibles will have their own unique considerations in antenna selection.
NEVER coil the antenna cable in circles. This will also throw off the SWR. If you have too much cable you can bundle loops in an oblong fashion then tie them together. If that is impractical go to a CB shop for advice. Also avoid severe kinks or cuts in the cable for obvious reasons.
External/talkback speaker:
I am being just a bit redundant here but the value of a talkback speaker is crucial to knowing how well your radio works. You can ask for hundreds of radio checks and ask others and will never really know how you sound. The built in speaker on this radio is good but an external speaker is a nice thing to get. You can also get a talkback speaker that let you hear how you sound to others on your radio. I like using talk back with this radio as it helps me find the right dyna-mike and echo(optional power mike) settings. I recommend Cobra's talkback speaker. Like with the mike it is well made and performs well. As mentioned before you can also use a PA speaker. If you want both a PA and talkback speaker you will have to unplug one to use the other. Of course you could also get a switch from radio shack.
Linears:(illegal power antenna amplifiers - Not Recommended)
These are illegal antenna amplifiers. It is really the only true way to boost output beyond normal distances. Lots of folks have them. They can interfere with some other electronic devices and that is why they are illegal. When you hear a booming voice on a CB from many miles away it has a linear. As I have mentioned above, there are features and legal options for this radio that will insure decent CB range and excellent audio both incoming and outgoing.
However...
There are situations where you may want a linear such as congested areas where the only way to communicate is by increasing output power to overcome all the chatter. Again I cannot recommend a linear but the truth is many folks use them when communication if congested areas is essential. This is why so many truckers use them.
Installation
Installation is basically the same for most cb's. This radio comes with the usual U shaped bracket for mounting. Power can be setup from a lighter adapter or direct from the battery. Depending on the car you may find that a direct battery connection provides cleaner sound without interference from the motors electrical components. Make sure you have a proper fuse in place or you could easily fry any radio or get injured.
Closing comments and summary
I would recommend this CB to all users as it easy to use, built well, and offers great performance. It is perfect as a mobile unit to communicate with other drivers. More serious CB users will appreciate some of the special features. Of course, the true hard core types might go for Single Side Band(SSB) radios. However the average(non-CB nut)person does not even know what SSB is. I have had this radio now for a couple of years and used it heavily driving in the NY Metro area. It has never failed me and when asking others how I sound on the air I am told my Radio sounds excellent. I did have a friend sit in my car and I went to his just to see for sure. I was quite impressed.
I will be moving this radio into my house as a base unit since my new car is too small for a full size mobile CB. I expect as a base it will work well for many more years. I replaced this radio with Cobra's 75 WX ST CB. Please check that review as well since might help in a decision making process for a mobile CB. In comparison to other CB's that friends have and ones that I have tried in the past the Cobra 29 WX NW ST CB radio outperforms them all.
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