Cobra 148 GTL-DX

Picture supplied anonymously

Well here it is. Probably the definitive SSB DX'ers dream. The legendary Cobra 148 GTL-DX.

So you stopped buying the Look-In and Smash Hits magazines, and started saving your money for one of these bad boys. Your mates asked if you were coming out to the pub, but you gave them the same old excuses about watching something on the telly. Then, you secretly heard through the grapevine that there was one of these radios available within your price range.

You go into the red telephone box and call the guy on his house phone. He answers, and your throat goes dry. By the time you compose yourself to speak to him, the pips go, and you realise you've only got one more 10 pence piece! You scribble some directions down on the back of a fag packet and you arrange to meet in a car park somewhere out of the way. You blurt out you will be there as soon as you can, just before the line goes dead.

Sound familiar?....

So you part with your hard earned cash and make your way home trying to think of an excuse for your parents as to why you have bought another radio.

You arrive home and race to your room. You open the box and don't even see the owners manual let alone read it!

The power lead is connected into the back of your new toy, and the antenna is screwed into the socket, and you switch on....nothing..... Oh no! Your heart pounds against your chest, as you curse the guy who has sold you a "duffer", but then realise the power supply is not switched on at the wall.

You switch it on at the wall, turn on the radio, and are bathed in that lovely Cobra yellow colour!! Suddenly the guy you bought it from isn't so bad after all!

The standard Cobra 148 GTL DX had 120 channels, in three blocks of 40 channels, known as low, mid, and high. It offered CW/AM/FM/USB/LSB modes of operation, and if was healthy and untouched, would give between 4 and 6 Watts output on FM, and 8 to 12 Watts on SSB so I am told!

The Low block started at 26.515 MHz [Channel 1] and went up to 26.955 MHz [Channel 40]

The Mid block began at 26.965 MHz [Channel 1] and went up to 27.405 MHz [Channel 40]

The High block went from 27.415 MHz [Channel 1] and finished at 27.855 MHz [Channel 40]

The radio had a 5 K/C shift that would shift your TX frequency + or - 5 Kilocycles, which would, so I am led to believe, allow you to use some of the UK 40 CB Channels.

I am reliably informed that if you set the radio to High block Channel 16 on FM, and turned the K/C shift to the 9 o'clock position, you were on 27.601 [Channel 1 on the UKFM]

Apparently Channel 33 on High block and the same K/C shift position would get you heard on 27.781 MHz [Channel 19 UKFM] Whereas High block Channel 40 would get you onto 27.851 MHz [Channel 26 UKFM] with the K/C shift in the 9 o'clock position, and 27.861 [Channel 27 UKFM] with the K/C shift in the 3 o'clock position.

The Cobra 148 GTL-DX also had a little "extra" channel that could be found by sliding the CH 9 button halfway up so the Channel number display went out. On the Low block, this gave you 26.995 MHz, on the Mid block would give you 27.445 MHz,whereas on the High block would give 27.895. Whilst on High block with the mode switch set to FM, the CH 9 button halfway up, and the KC shift in the 9 o'clock position, this would give you 27.891 MHz [Channel 30 UKFM] and with the KC shift in the 3 o'clock position, this would give you 27.901 MHz [Channel 31 UKFM]

Until you got used to one of these types of radio, a Frequency/Channel chart was a great help to you!

The distinctive Roger Beep was always on but could be switched on or of by following this simple modification.

A circuit diagram for the MKI Cobra 148 GTL-DX can be found here.

Legal Disclaimer.
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This radio is not legal for use in the UK.