Why do truckers use linear amplilfiers with their CB radios?

[Flatbroke]

Originally Posted by semicomputing

Some amateur radio operators have contest for furthest distance with 1 watt of power. Usually on 20, 40 , or 80 meter, occasionally 160 meter. They take great pride in reaching 200-1000 miles on the least amount of power available.

KB0ZOR

Very true,
I have been building antennas and radios for over 30 years and sadly what is often overlooked is antenna efficiency and band conditions. Radio signals in the CB radio spectrum are completely dependent on a term called propagation (bouncing signal off the ionosphere)

99% of what truckers need is NO propagation (ground wave) Otherwise what people hear is the typical hetrodyne and noise. This also follows the 11 year sunspot cycle

Brent
W1IA

[Red Fox]

Whilst that all is true, let's not forget that 27mhz band isn't as easy to skip with as Ham channels, and it's a LOT more crowded and noisy.
The antenna contests around here (including shootouts) basically bring out the same basic designs, and wether or not you're using a director, what pill class you're in or barefoot, and maybe how many alternators you have on your V-8. My FoxPole will run right in there with Predators or whatever; we've been limited by the bandwidth IMO.

I find the sunspot cycle to be irregular, save for the peaks.

[Carolina Thunder]

Originally Posted by KeithT1967

No trick you can do to a 29 will peg my meter from 5 miles and 2 channels running barefoot and still make me think its a "big radio".

#1 I know exactly how radio's work

#2 I know where I run my receive gain

#3 I was a Navy Sonar Tech for 14 years, I have very trained ears

Sure i can. Get me on top of a small hill or even flat land and with the key cranked up to around 25 watts i will peg you out......as long as the final holds out anyway.

[Carolina Thunder]

Originally Posted by semicomputing
Some amateur radio operators have contest for furthest distance with 1 watt of power. Usually on 20, 40 , or 80 meter, occasionally 160 meter. They take great pride in reaching 200-1000 miles on the least amount of power available.

KB0ZOR


But not all hams do this. Some are so consumed by getting the longest contact they will run massive amounts of power to make it. Then turn around a say they were only useing a small ammount of power or even go to the extreme of using a remote station just to have bragging rights.

This type of behavior has been well documented in CQ and i think it is QRP ( not sure ) magazine. I think that when it comes down to it,there are more Aholes in ham then there are on the 11 meter band. Your a ham and i would think you have seen this first hand.

..and it sucks to. I got my ticket just to get away from the fools on the cb radio and i be damned if there not on damn near every frequency on my FT-100D!

[Red Fox]

Originally Posted by Carolina Thunder

Sure i can. Get me on top of a small hill or even flat land and with the key cranked up to around 25 watts i will peg you out......as long as the final holds out anyway.

Yeah, 5 miles isn't squat. I can talk to Dalton Ga. 70 miles up I-75 at night, barefoot, so a full swing at 5 sounds about right.

[Turbo-T]

Originally Posted by Gadfly

IN ORDER FOR A SIGNAL TO BE DETECTED AS LOUDER AT THE OTHER END, A SIGNAL STRENGTH MUST BE INCREASED BY 4 TIMES ITS ORIGINAL POWER IN ORDER TO BE DETECTED BY THE HUMAN EAR. That means that a 4 watt output would have to be increased to 16 watts to affect the 'loudness" at the other end by one additional S unit! The 16 watts then must be increased to 64 watts for 2 S inits! Then you have to go to 256 watts to get a
increase of 3 S-units. (6 Db= ONE S-unit).

Thank you Gadfly, now I know that I should go out and purchase a 300 watt linear amp so I can boost my TX signal by 3 S units. Should allow me to be better heard at distances.

Yeah I know not what you as a ham operator wanted to hear from another CB user but seriously there's more things that cause noise besides amps, and in today's society you either have to run with the pack or stay on the porch. This isn't 1975 anymore.

[Red Fox]

Theory doesn't always meet application either.

[Hardlyevr]

There is always the old radio saying that power (watts from a linear) and IQ are inversely proportional!

[Red Fox]

My radio never said that! Maybe yours did but we couldn't hear it because my radio was talking.

[outerspacehillbilly]

Originally Posted by Red Fox

My radio never said that! Maybe yours did but we couldn't hear it because my radio was talking.

LMFAO! I think you just squashed a mud duck!