predator 10k + cobra 29 short range...

While I do agree with most of your statement JJD, I will say this....I have personally talked more than 3-4 miles twice before, without an amp, to truck drivers. One time was at 9 miles, the other time was at 14, albeit the latter we were only hitting each other at a faint S-3.

Both times I was on a Taiwan built Cobra 148 GTL, running stock 4 watts of power/12 watts of swing, into a 102 whip mounted on my pick up. Oh and I wasn't on any of the sidebands either; just straight up Ch 19 AM.

Of interest, the same location where I did the 9 mile communication, was a truck stop...there was another time more recently where I had passed that location and was 8 miles out when someone from that same truck stop called for me over the radio as he could still hear me. I was running a Cobra 21 stock, no amp, no peak and tune, into a Wilson 1000 mag mount.

Here a few days ago I talked to a base station at 9 miles from my Cobra 21/Wilson 1000. It was hard but we did it. He has an Imax 2000 antenna into a Galaxy 2527 base radio...but another individual at over 20 miles I could talk to on the same Cobra 21 radio....but this individual had a big beam style antenna on his base station. I don't even know what kind of radio he was running, but with a beam antenna it probably doesn't matter anyways.

To the OP...how far your range will be is determined on as pointed out...your SWR's, type of antenna used, hills, terrain, the sun, if skip is rolling, if there's a ton of electrical interference, etc. It also is determined by if the guy you're trying to talk to has a good antenna or not, as in my case with the 2 base stations. Power most certainly helps, but isn't always the answer. Otherwise there's no way my little 32 year old stock Cobra 21 with a Wilson 1000 mag mount should have been able to talk past 4 miles.

So to sum it up, the antenna is everything, power is next. my 2 cents.

 

Oh I have no doubt. It just depends on conditions and your surroundings.

If the noise level is low a person can talk 10 miles plus on a stock 4w radio...But usually in the city's the noise from transformers, power lines, lights, and just other people all talking at once, 4w's is going to get lost in the mix...

But I do agree that you can get out just fine with a stock radio, provided conditions are right...Amplifiers just help ya get out when conditions are not perfect!

With the right Amp...You can make your own conditions!

 

I had a stryker 447 from custom cb simular to this radio that I really liked. Ran it of a cigeret plug and had a wilson 1000 antenna. It would get out 10 miles anyday of the week. I think you can get it for 229.00 now.

 

Here you go. H & Y Electronics is the only distributor for this little 100 watt KL203P. It also has a switchable RF preamp to boost receive when usable. By usable I mean it won't pull a weak signal out of noise but will pull it in out in the boonies.

Should be about $75-$80 shipped.

Ted

 

Copper electronics sells them too.

 

When you start getting into some of the 10 Meter Radios, your going to start limiting yourself to what size Amp you can run behind it, so you don't burn up your Amp first time you Key up!

The Connex 3400HP will swing 45-50w's...That will fry allot of smaller Amps that are rated at 100w's or less...Maybe not right away, but you would be driving the snot out of them with that radio...Plus, with that radio, a 100w Amp is not going to really make much of a difference that anyone one the receiving end is going to notice...

Small 100w Amps work best with regular 4w CB Radios that don't have all that much drive...

 

Hey do't forget that there seems to be alot of "Skip" rolling as of late. This is causing many drivers etc to turn down their radios to get rid of the excess noise on the airways. You might be getting out but are not gettign heard because people have their radios dialed back.

Also consider placment of the antenna, unless it is located dead center of the vehicle then your transmit might be kind of directional. If you have it on the left then your transmit will be stronger to the right since that is were your ground plane is.

My pickup, I am running a basically stock cobra 29 that was collecting dust for years. It is being powered through the cig lighter and I have a Mag mount base from a truck stop with a tuned wilson 2000 in the center of the roof. It is good for about 9 miles then starts to fade after that.

Now my truck, Wilson 5000s on both mirrors. Flat 1.5 SWR on all channels. Connex 4600 Turbo and 20 miles is about the norm before it fades. Only prob is you have to have someone on the other end that has good enough equipment to reach back.

 

Basically the same company.others shops do sell the RM line (KL/KLV) of amps but they all come from Chet in louisville.