CB AMP question

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I can answer questions should you have them

 

get with Rolling Radios (William) in Richmond, VA..

He used to be member here not sure if he is still active here or not..

 

The answer is.....yes. But it depends largely on what amp you want to use.

If you use a straight 4 transistor amp, such as a Palomar 400 or a Boomer 400, with the SD-1446's inside, you can run your run of the mill 4 watt CB into straight out of the box on one and be just fine.

Or a 4 transistor amp such as a Texas Star 400 will work too.

The smaller 2 transistor amps such as the Palomar 225/250's with the MRF 454/455's inside, or even the SD-1446's, you might want to drop the carrier. Some radios such as the Galaxy 3 digit series, give you an adjustable carrier knob.

You "might" be ok with a two transistor 2879 amp on a 4 watt carrier on a bone stock radio...but I say "might"...and not "definitely"

 

That's not necessarily true. I've had the Dead key output on My Cobra 29 turned down to 2 watts and the modulation turned up to provide an 8 Watt swing then added a Palomar Elite 250 Amp with a Wilson 5000 antenna. I get all kinds of compliments on how loud and clear it is and how far it can talk.

I agree the amp will last longer with a lower Dead Key output from the CB.

 

Watch that swing! Only use a 4:1 if you have a pro quality peak reading wattmeter. With an average-power wattmeters (which most are), set it for a 3:1 swing.

Better yet, if you have access to a 30 MHz (or better) oscilloscope, set it for a 2:1 voltage swing (which is a 4:1 power swing).

 

You are going to confuse some people who think pills are power.

 

Clarity is power. 2kw does you no good if people can not understand you.

Its not about turning your radio down.
Tuning is about suppling the correct amount of drive to the next stage, if you over drive you will not get a clean signal, I really dont care how many flat packs are in your amp, the key is correct tuning.

I tune by a scope not by a watt meter unless it for certification.

 

It might "work," as to answer your question, but it won't sound good. You need to take your radio and amp to a reputable shop and let them match them. What does that mean? It means that the tech will set your radio to dead key as much as it can with that amp to get the best quality AUDIO. Matching the two is a must if you want to be heard, understood and have a conversation with someone.