Cobra 29LX power issues

H8ROADS

H8ROADS

Caught the Bug
Anyone who has a Cobra 29LX notice random power ons? Twice in the last couple days I thought I was going nuts because all of the sudden I'd hear a loud outburst when my jeep was turned off and it was the CB blaring something. It did it to me this morning when I was driving, but the CB was totally turned off. It's almost as if someone is broadcasting so hot that it forces the unit on for a second and then immediately turns off..

Could it be a bad unit? Or am I just going nuts? Or possibly both?
 
Could it possibly be interference on just the speaker? Like if the wires were routed bad and it's something just broadcasting through the speaker, but not actually turning the cb on?

I would understand if it was just that the squelch was turned up, giving the illusion of a radio being off- then you get some interference and it comes on... But for the radio to be completely off, then come on??? That's weird.
 
H8ROADS said:
Anyone who has a Cobra 29LX notice random power ons? Twice in the last couple days I thought I was going nuts because all of the sudden I'd hear a loud outburst when my jeep was turned off and it was the CB blaring something. It did it to me this morning when I was driving, but the CB was totally turned off. It's almost as if someone is broadcasting so hot that it forces the unit on for a second and then immediately turns off..

Could it be a bad unit? Or am I just going nuts? Or possibly both?
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Nothing wrong with your radio, Jack. It is as you think, someone just happened to cruise by with a VERY big radio is all. Witchdoctor (haven't seen him in a while) could explain it a little better than me. Your radio doesn't have to be turned on for another bigger radio to bleed over. My radio puts out between 150 and 200 watts, (as compared to a stock radio wattage of maybe 4). I have turned on security lights, opened garage doors, set off building and car alarms as well as ordered Dairy Queen with mine.
 
branman said:
Turn your weather alert off
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It was RXing...wasn't WX alerting.

David1tontj said:
Could it possibly be interference on just the speaker? Like if the wires were routed bad and it's something just broadcasting through the speaker, but not actually turning the cb on?

I would understand if it was just that the squelch was turned up, giving the illusion of a radio being off- then you get some interference and it comes on... But for the radio to be completely off, then come on??? That's weird.
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I doubt it...it was definitely a transmission, not interference.

ridg3runner said:
Nothing wrong with your radio, Jack. It is as you think, someone just happened to cruise by with a VERY big radio is all. Witchdoctor (haven't seen him in a while) could explain it a little better than me. Your radio doesn't have to be turned on for another bigger radio to bleed over. My radio puts out between 150 and 200 watts, (as compared to a stock radio wattage of maybe 4). I have turned on security lights, opened garage doors, set off building and car alarms as well as ordered Dairy Queen with mine.
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Yeah, I've heard of such things... pill boxes blowing up everything the world over. I'm not 100% liking the 29LX so I might just return it anyway and get something a little more old school, and put it on a switched power supply so when I have it off it's truly off. That would solve this problem.

But still, I'm curious if any other 29LX owners have seen this.
 
ridg3runner said:
Nothing wrong with your radio, Jack. It is as you think, someone just happened to cruise by with a VERY big radio is all. Witchdoctor (haven't seen him in a while) could explain it a little better than me. Your radio doesn't have to be turned on for another bigger radio to bleed over. My radio puts out between 150 and 200 watts, (as compared to a stock radio wattage of maybe 4). I have turned on security lights, opened garage doors, set off building and car alarms as well as ordered Dairy Queen with mine.
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That's awesome! Never mind that whole FCC rule about 4 watt max
 
I had the same issue and when checking through the menu the weather alert feature was on (which only sleeps your radio) After turning the weather alert feature off it has never happend again.

You could also wire it to a switch. EDIT: I see you thought of that:doh:
 
David1tontj said:
That's awesome! Never mind that whole FCC rule about 4 watt max
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It's been a good 15 years since I've heard of FCC really enforcing that rule. They pretty much turned it over to local authorities to handle and it truly isn't on their list of priorities. It's gotten so relaxed that you can even buy those same big radios (exports) at most any truckstop. Bought this one here at the Petro in Weatherford,TX about two years ago. ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1415677522.125174.jpg
 
ridg3runner said:
It's been a good 15 years since I've heard of FCC really enforcing that rule. They pretty much turned it over to local authorities to handle and it truly isn't on their list of priorities. It's gotten so relaxed that you can even buy those same big radios (exports) at most any truckstop. Bought this one here at the Petro in Weatherford,TX about two years ago. View attachment 110356
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When I was shopping for CBs, I read the box on one that said it had the maximum allowed transmitting watts of 4W....

Then I looked at the CB next to it that claims to put out 7W…

I chose the 7W radio... I thought I was being a rebel... I also thought- how the heck would they ever know who it was?

Didn't know you could get a cb that put out more than a car stereo! That's cool!
 
I bought a 29 many years ago from a Pilot as the one I had died mid run. I was on my way up the east coast and it was getting ready to snow. As I was between paydays and not wanting to be without a radio I bought a "factory reconditioned" one.

The damn thing did this from day one. At first I thought about taking it back but it worked good and as I was in a semi I might have to give back right away I just put the cig. lighter power on and would just unplug it on down time.

Still works good even today. I have always thought about taking it in for service but am always too busy.

Random times on and sometimes wont do it for hours. Not interference from other big radios as I had it in my CJ for years and way out in the boonies of TN. there was not much around.

Interested if you ever figure out a fix other than a switch.
 
branman said:
Turn your weather alert off
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branman said:
I had the same issue and when checking through the menu the weather alert feature was on (which only sleeps your radio) After turning the weather alert feature off it has never happend again.

You could also wire it to a switch. EDIT: I see you thought of that:doh:
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this^^^^ its the weather alerts. even when the unit is totally powered off it can still turn on just for these alerts. it happens to hinrich from time to time. i turned mine on just to see how bad it was it scared the living piss out of me. turned it right back off that night. the instructions are in the book :thumb:
 
cozdude said:
this^^^^ its the weather alerts. even when the unit is totally powered off it can still turn on just for these alerts. it happens to hinrich from time to time. i turned mine on just to see how bad it was it scared the living piss out of me. turned it right back off that night. the instructions are in the book :thumb:
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Thats the only time its happened to my cobra 29. Even now, I about jump out of my jeep when it goes off...

Sent from my SCH-I545 using WAYALIFE mobile app
 
Again, it was 150% not a weather alert. It was a transmission. All WX alerts have been turned off.
 
trailless said:
Sorry, I should have read the whole thread. :(

Sent from my SCH-I545 using WAYALIFE mobile app
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No worries. :) I'm still thinking this was a freak power event from a modified radio transmission, but if anyone else has had this happen from another circumstance I'd love to know.
 
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