Cobra 2000 GTL restorations

The Cobra 2000 GTL is without doubt one of the greatest CB radios of all time. It is very sought after and once restored they are a real treasure. There are still plenty for sale on eBay however many of them have been butchered and have holes drilled on the front panels for extra channels etc. Why people do this I do not know.

In the video’s below are some of the best examples of fully restored Cobra 2000’s which will have your eyes popping out of your noggin. These are the kinda radios that keep you awake at night wondering how you can score one. Anyway folks feast your optic nerve on the videos below and just pretend that their yours. By the way here is where you can add your review of the Cobra 2000.

Okay folks if the video above didn’t float your boat then maybe the next one will. I’m a huge fan of the blue led look but there’s a lot of folks out there that like to stick with the standard red led’s.

To keep you guys happy I’ve added the Cobra 2000 below which has retained the standard red led’s but uses a completely new sticker kit. Kinda looks nice but I still prefer the blue led’s. In saying that I wouldn’t knock back the Snake below if it was offered to me !

Man just when I thought things couldn’t get any better I stumbled across this little baby below. This Cobra 2000 uses the white meter upgrades with red lights under the controls etc. What a nice look man!

Oh man, it’s gonna be hard to nod off tonight after checking out these hotties. Let me know which Cobra you like the best in the comments box below, maybe you have an even better one you can send me a pic of?

The next Cobra 2000 is another one from Snake Radio Customs in the good old USA. This one is different again in the fact that it uses green led’s. It looks quite unique and definitely is a one of it’s kind.

Here’s a few more pictures of some Cobra 2000’s that have been restored. It seems that there are an endless number of combinations and sticker kits available and they all look amazing!

Ted Todington’s Cobra 2000 story

I started working DX with a Cobra 148 gtldx in 1981. At the time these radios were undoubtedly one of the most sort after export radios available in the UK. After years on and off with the hobby I became addicted to it again in 2017 traveling hundreds of miles up and down the UK buying all sorts of ssb radios.

The obsession had taken over again! It was then I came across a Cobra 2000 gtl for the first time. The condition inside was unmolested but the face plates were in very poor condition. The Radio had been powered using its 3 pin external DC supply as our plug in the wall AC is 240 volts and the factory built PSU is 110v and no FM mode (UK LEGAL FREQUENCIES).

I loved the bold retro look and styling of the Cobra 2000 gtl so I bought it for the asking price of £250. At this time I needed to find someone to modify it to run off the mains and FM frequency’s. There are very few good radio techs left in the UK due to the declined in interest in the hobby. One that I had heard of back in the 80’s known as Merlin the Wizard whom reportedly had repaired and worked on thousands of sets for all the CB outlets in the North East of England still existed.

Finding Merlin “aka” Alan was a task as he doesn’t advertise at all. Without him and his brilliant skills this Cobra 2000 wouldn’t have got done. The work inside (mods ) that he done is as follows:

1: PSU replacement/upgrade

2: Home made FM BOARD and Eprom.

3: Turbo 3 echo board

4: Built in amplified Talk back and internal speaker for all modes.

5: Clock mod adding seconds to display and separating digits.

6: 10 kc displayed in Channel red LED readout.

7: Hygain 5 peewit bleep board (home made ) and switchable on Dynamike as well as Volume controlled.

8: Dual controls/mods (see pic)

9: Filter board to eliminate Inferences from Clock Counter (all 2000s suffer from this when volume on zero and you can hear it under transmissions.

10: Upgraded speakers and switchable tone filter boards in each.

11: LED’s that change colour for each MODE setting.

12: Illuminated controls using LED’s and Poly carbonate shims to allow the light to show.

13: Speaker LED’s that are powered through Speaker jacks .

He also tuned and aligned this radio for best performance. The audio is fantastic both on Rx an Tx and it’s stability is excellent. The Cosmetics of the radio I completed. All new face plates made from Swatch (a laminated plastic 0.4 mm thick with a silver brushed effect and laser cut and font etched into. The casings are made from Mirror finish stainless steel and Cobra Logo laser etched into the surface.

This has been an enjoyable project for me. I must give credit to Alan “MERLIN” for his outstanding work and effort that he put into this radio. He has done many radios for me since and never fails to impress me with his years of knowledge and skills as a Radio Tech . Thanks again Merlin and everyone else that’s contributed into making this Cobra 2000gtldx.

Congratulations Ted. This is without doubt one of the best examples of a Cobra 2000 that I have ever seen. Also thank you for sharing your story with us.

The video below is of another Ted Todington creation that is now owned by a good friend of mine “Brenton Meadows” from Victoria, Australia. Once again this Cobra is a masterpiece that has been very carefully custom crafted and it is a very unique radio.