Linears: Tell me what I need to know before I buy

no rabbi p. just put up the correct info. on that amp. . my boo boo !!!

 

Do yourself a favor and buy a radio with a built in amplifier/linear, Connex used to make a two pill radio that kicked butt. There is no need to buy a separate one if all you are looking for is a 100 watts or so. BUT, be careful. Even 100 to 150 watts will be pushing the stock setup plus YOU MUST get the SWR checked out and set correctly before you use the radio, or you will blow finals or mosfets inside the radio. You could use the stock coax with Wilson Silver Load antennas, they have adjustable tips for tuning SWR and are good antennas and would go a long way in making the antenna system a little more efficient. Just make sure the SWR is under 2.0 and doesn't rise when you speak into the mike and you will be fine.

I've run setups like that in the past and the radio performed very well.

 

...and if you need help from some one who won't blow smoke up your butt then PM me. I've been around radios for 23 years and have yet to blow one up plus, I've wasted MORE THAN ENOUGH MONEY on so called CB shops to have learned what to and what not to do!

 

For a minute there I thought they scared you away Grumpy. For some of that stuff I was needing an interpretor!

 

Pill means transistor or mosfet, it is a good buddy's CB lingo for a white device (pill) that amplifies a signal, not really all that well.

The truth is that most of these linears are crap and should be avoided.

As for the statement of 100watts of power for 100 watts of rf, you need to multiply that by 1.25 or more depending on the junk box you buy. I had a Texas star that was 50% effiecent so that multiplier was 2.

 

100 watts is more than enough to get out and reach someone. With a nice efficient antenna set up, low loss coax and low SWR you will be shocked how well you will do. 100 watts is really all you need for what you want, if you move up to more power then you will have to run bigger wires and all of that stuff. Get a radio with a built in amplifier,plug it in a forget about it.

Every 11 meter radio that will be used for 10 meters ( CB band) needs to be tuned to get the most performance. Now I'm not just talking about power levels, I'm talking receive performance more than anything else. Anyone who buys a $400 radio and only has it tuned for power is missing out on a lot,I mean. What's the point of having all that power if you can't hear anyone?

Below is the radio I would go for if it were me and it's the power level you want. Have it setup by someone with a clue and you will be good to go.



Galaxy Dx94hp 100w

 

If 100 watts is all you need why would you want to purchase a small radio and purchase a separate amplifier and complicate the situation with more connections and more things to go wrong when you could simply purchase a radio with that output rating and eliminate a bunch of connections and a bunch of things that could possibly go wrong? It seems a lot cheaper to follow the latter route.

 

It might be helpful to know who has a clue