Mark S. @ Fine Tune CB (Hardrive)

Someone said that he only calls once and if you don't answer, he won't call you back. Well you know what? I only pm once, and if I don't get an answer, I guess I'll spend my money elsewhere.

 

One good reason not to use an attenuator to reduce the drive of the amp is that you would reduce the incoming signals by that same amount which is an undesirable effect.

 

Yep your right about that but to overcome the issue, you use a switched attenuator, or you use a preamp or better yet learn how to modify the amp to accept a normal signal. the last idea is poo poo'd by the 'experts' who make these idiot claims of retuning the radio.

 

Mark agrees with you 99.9%. Most of the guys around the country that do textbook work strictly by the book are unable to reduce the output of a radio without creating other problems or generating harmonics. He seems to be the only guy capable doing so. He also does not recommend anybody to purchase an amplifier unless they speak to him first in which case he would recommend a class A/B amplifier if side band is involved.
Unfortunately half these truck drivers that sent him equipment don't understand this and they just go out and buy crappy equipment and send it to him and he does the best he can to make it work within limited time constraints.

 

Count me in on that group. I had a crappy old Uniden PC78 that wouldn't transmit anymore. But every time I thought about replacing it, some moron would come on the radio making chicken noises or spouting some other drivel that would lower your IQ just for having listened to it. And I'd just say to myself, why bother?

But then I saw a Connex 3300HP at a CB shop in Pennsylvania. Hmmm... 10 meters... maybe there's intelligent life on other frequencies, I thought. So, being a gadget junkie, I plunked down the money and walked out the door with it.

Of course, not having experience with export radios, I had no idea what the heck he was doing in there cutting and soldering stuff on my new radio. I learned afterwards, he was removing the resistors to convert it to 11 meters. However, he also had the mic keyed and was "adjusting" something with his fingers near the back of the radio. Unfortunately, I think he was probably spreading the coils on the band pass filters, as that's the only thing I could see back there that might be tweaked with fingers.

So now I probably have an expensive brick, and the almighty Mark S. won't reply to my pm on FB. Likely because there is no content on my page and most of the info, except for my name, is BS. Well sorry Mark, I'm not one of those people who feel the need to let the general public know every last detail, up to and including my bowel movement schedule.

At any rate, perhaps I'll drop by DTB and give them a whack at it. At least I know what the waveform should look like on the scope now.

 

Oh I'm glad he agrees with me. I will sleep better at night now.

Hate to break the news to you, and him for that matter. He ain't the only one that can do this work.

 

I'm sure you are right. It's just unfortunate they haven't chosen to come out of the woodwork and do this for a living and make their services available to us lowly truck drivers on the 11 meter band.
(They could make a good living at it)

 

Da

Da.... right i could use a good tech especially with all the stuff that i have learn here.

 

Well the term SOUP NAZI was used here about mark s....Just spent an hr on the phone (long distence from eastern canada)and man o man we talked and talked and talked....
Good guy and not at all like the above term,total opposite...
Up to this point,he gets a two thumbs up from me...
Good guy to talk to..