Also known as: 2000 GTL, Cobra 2000
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The Cobra 2000 GTL was the flagship base station of CB’s golden age — the Dynascan-era AM/SSB console with a built-in frequency counter, clock, dual meters, and a matching external speaker, whose receiver is still described as the quietest and most sensitive Cobra ever put on 11 meters.1 It’s been out of production for decades: the used market — eBay, Reverb, hamfests — is where it lives, and it has crossed into collector pricing: recent asks run $525–980, with roughly $450–800 the working band for a good clean example.2
Key takeaways The definitive CB base station — bought with a checklist, not a click. Legendary quiet receiver, 4 W AM / 12 W PEP SSB, AC-powered console with frequency counter and dual meters. Used/collector market only, asks $525–980 (asks, not solds — budget ~$450–800). Assume a recap: dried electrolytics — including the nasty ones inside the slug-tuned coils — are the signature faults. Matching speaker adds real value; unmodified beats “peaked.” License-free (Part 95D). Full rankings: best CB radios.
Overview
Base stations were where 1980s CB makers showed off, and the 2000 GTL was the show-off’s show-off: a wide AC-powered console with full-size knobs, an S/RF meter and a separate SWR/MOD meter, a built-in frequency counter (a real luxury then), a clock, and the matching dynamic speaker that completes the set. Under it all sits the receiver the radio is remembered for — quiet, sensitive, the “picks out far-off stations” rig of a thousand forum testimonials — plus clean 4 W AM and 12 W PEP SSB transmit.
Be clear about what buying one means in 2026: this is a collector purchase with a service plan, not a daily commodity. Prices have climbed into genuine collector territory — and note our figures are asking prices; confirmed sold data is thin. The matching speaker alone trades for $50–125, so its presence or absence moves the price of the whole set.
License note: CB needs no license (Part 95D, licensed by rule), and the 2000 GTL was Part 95 type-accepted in its day. A caveat vintage buyers must hear: many surviving units have been channel-modded or “peaked” — those modifications void the type acceptance, make the radio non-compliant to transmit, and lower collector value. Original and stock is worth more in every sense.
Buying used: what to check
This is the section that matters. Every 2000 GTL is 35–45 years old, and the faults cluster predictably:2
- Dried or leaky electrolytic capacitors — the number-one issue, and the cause of the bizarre intermittent faults these radios are known for. Assume any un-serviced unit needs a full recap (~$30 in parts plus an afternoon) and a realignment; price accordingly.
- Capacitors inside the slug-tuned RF/IF coils — fail on units stored in humidity, are harder to source, and are a notorious troubleshooting trap. Ask where the radio lived.
- The frequency counter/clock board commonly needs its own recap — verify the counter displays and actually tracks the channel selector.
- Function checks: AGC behavior on strong signals, SSB receive with a clarifier sweep, meter lamps, channel-selector feel.
- Provenance: unmodified beats modified; matching speaker present adds real value and is commonly missing.
Working for you: a huge community that has fixed all of this a thousand times, and simple through-hole construction. Working against you: no factory support, and parts donors are themselves getting expensive.
GopherTrunk alternative
Our honest note, as on every CB page: GopherTrunk is not the tool for 11 meters. CB is 27 MHz analog AM/SSB — below an RTL-SDR’s native range without direct sampling or an upconverter, and analog voice is outside GopherTrunk’s trunking/digital focus. If you want a modern companion for a vintage base shack, an HF-capable SDR gives you a waterfall view of the band a 1980s console never had — but it listens only. The channel map is in our scanner frequencies reference.
Who it’s for
- Buy the 2000 GTL if you’re a collector or home-base hobbyist who wants the definitive golden-age console and can service it (or pay someone who can). Find on eBay →
- Buy the Uniden Grant XL instead for vintage SSB money-sanity — same-era sideband for a tenth the price — or a new President McKinley II for modern SSB that just works.
- Not a trucker radio — it’s AC-powered and desk-sized. For the cab, see the 29 LTD Classic. Full rankings: best CB radios.
Sources
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Cobra 2000 GTL — RigPix — specifications: 40-channel AM/SSB, 4 W / 12 W PEP, AC-powered base architecture, frequency counter, and meters. ↩
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Cobra 2000 GTL AM/SSB CB radio review — CB Radio Magazine — on the receiver’s reputation, the matching speaker, aging electrolytics and coil-capacitor failures, and used-market condition checks. ↩ ↩2
Frequently asked questions
How much is a Cobra 2000 GTL worth today?
Collector money. Recent asks run $525 to $980-plus for clean complete examples, and even the matching external speaker alone sells for $50–125. Those are asking prices, not confirmed solds — budget roughly $450–800 for a good working example and pay the top of the band only for serviced, unmodified units with the speaker.
Is the Cobra 2000 GTL still a good radio?
The receiver is still the legend — quiet, sensitive, famous for pulling out far-off stations — and the big-radio ergonomics have never been matched in CB. But every example is 35–45 years old: assume it needs a recap and realignment unless the seller can prove the work was done.
What should I check before buying a Cobra 2000 GTL?
Dried electrolytic capacitors are the number-one issue, including the hard-to-find ones inside the slug-tuned RF/IF coils on humid-stored units. Verify the frequency counter displays and tracks (its board commonly needs its own recap), check AGC on strong signals, sweep the clarifier on SSB receive, confirm the meter lamps, and ask whether the radio is unmodified — channel mods and ‘peaked’ radios lower collector value.
Do I need a license for a Cobra 2000 GTL?
No — CB is licensed by rule under FCC Part 95D, and the 2000 GTL was type-accepted in its day at the legal 4 W AM / 12 W PEP SSB. One caveat: a unit that’s been channel-modded or peaked beyond legal limits no longer complies, which hurts both legality and collector value.
Does the Cobra 2000 GTL have FM or weather channels?
Neither — it predates both features. It’s a 40-channel AM/SSB base station from the era before the FCC’s 2021 FM authorization and before NOAA reception became a CB checkbox. What it has instead: a built-in frequency counter, clock, dual meters, and that receiver.