How far can you HEAR/Respond to a CB?

so.... Linear Amplifiers... do they boost how far you can hear? i thought that would be interesting to do... get a small... 5 or 12 watt amplifier to boost how well i hear others...

im confused about the type as well. what kind of "linear amps" do you buy... most amps i find are for boosting bass. ... i understand how it boosts an instrument.. but not how it works with radio... i d like to know... just for knowledge sake

 

Very clear & to the point answer ! And yes I got a good copy on what you are sayin' DRIVER !!

 

but does A amp let you HEAR further as well?

 

Yes some do , they have receive amplifiers built in & there are also receive only amplifiers to bring in weaker signals. Most receive amplifiers or bi-linears increase the receive but, this includes the noise too ! So if you operate in high ground noise areas expect more noise. I only use receive amps in early morning , or late night situations when the propagation is less. These times normally the signal to noise ratio is reduced & weaker signals are brought in .

 

The CB in my Caprice was good for 5 Miles. When I drive up next to a rig with a Booster on it, I could get some of the boost as well, to the point where one time I could reach Springfield IL from Joplin MO

 

I can hear big eds barbecue broad casting from x11i75 ga all the way up in ny and mass its mean and cruel to make me have barbecue cravings when their thousands of miles away.
Big eds barbecue barbecue ribs baked beans & lemonade if your goin south t/r north t/l were 100 yards on the left next to frito lay bla bla bla bla bal

 

Do you know of any good CB radio installation shops on Long Island? Thanks.

 

DEPENDS ....

You can not hear anythng under the background noise preamp or not ....
The weakest signal depends on several factors like BANWIDTH which is one reason SSB works better and why CW is king when things get bad and the first stage noise figure and gain. Even on VHF noise can be the limiting factor now THAT said a preamp can't HURT either.

Since CB is limited to AM/SSB other modes like FM and digital don't apply but they both have some advantages when noise is a limiting factor .... and is WHY FM is the mode of choice for many services.

SO on CB unless you have one really good DSP radio and sadly no one makes a DSP CB yet your stuck with the fact ones it is cover by background noise its gone ....

Bruce

 

Power or the type of radio you have has nothing to do with the distance you can hear and talk on a radio! I have talked around the world on 15 watts ( 38 LSB ) and across the country on 12 watts ( Tram D-201A ) When the DX was strong. If you dont have good DX conditions you are not going to talk across the state even with 50 thousand watts! Ask the boys on the super bowl how greatly conditions effect the distance you can talk and hear!

If mother nature is not on your side you aint going to be heard!

On a side note. If you have the very best antenna and coax you can buy then you will talk futher with that and a 20 watt radio than you would if you had a cheap antenna and coax with a 1000 watt radio....and that is the truth!

You boys that think that the radio is all that matters are missing out on a #### load of performance!

 

And it depends on the channel and time of day....cause if you're on a quiet channel late at night, you can hear somebody with a good transmitter a long ways off. And don't even get me started on how far you can hear on sideband, cause every time you think you've found the limit, you bust it for a few miles farther.........