CB Radio Modding

[OP Gerowen 952]

So yesterday I took my CB radio apart to check a connection because I was having issues with a factory made coax.  Upon closer inspection I noticed it was just a crappy soldering job on the factory made cable, so I dabbed some extra solder on it and rounded it off with some sandpaper to fix the issue.  However, in the process of opening up my radio, I managed to blow the bulb in my meter.  I went about the house looking for a replacement bulb small enough to fit.  I tried to cannibalize a broken old NES to take the red bulb out of it, but apparently you need a 12V resistor because it blew up in my hands when I tested it.  After searching around though I found a friend at a local parts store who had a blue LED with an in-line resistor already in place and he let me have it for free, and after installing it I think it looks pretty sharp, so I thought I'd share, :-)

 

The only downside I've noticed is that my brightness control no longer affects the brightness of the meter, only the channel display, I'm guessing because LEDS function differently than conventional bulbs.  This is an indoor radio though, so the brightness is hardly ever touched, and with the lights turned off, the blue seems easier on the eyes than the white/red did anyway.

 

For anybody who is curious, I'm running a Cobra 148 GTL with an 18 foot Antron A-99 antenna.  I'm barefooted, just doing 4 watts cause' I'm in a decent spot so I can reach pretty far without messing with amps and such.