Why do truckers use linear amplilfiers with their CB radios?

Well said! I concur 95%. A good antenna that is well placed will make a world of difference also. The other 5% doesn't have any affect one way or the other.

 

Why do truckers use linear/amplifiers. Guess ya never watched home improvement like Tim Allen always said more power more power more power. It depends on how much more power you want and how much your wallet can afford $$$.

 

Some radios drive the amp meaning a straight 4/6 or 8 pill is being driven by the radio. Other amp/linears are driving the radio. You have to figure that out first.. There are a lot of wires/cables involved and they need to be of the proper gauge for the amount of power your running... Not just any antenna will work...The antenna has to be able to handle the amount of power your radio/amp-linear is pushing... the more power you want the more $$$$ it will cost you. Less is probably better in a big truck like a 400/500 watt linear. I'll run a 8pill in a truck which is a little much. But I can't see running much more power than that so I won't never will. It took me a long time and $$$ to get it 100 percent correct. A whole lot of ground strap and ground wire.... end result no gauges bouncing up and down no lights dimming at all . And no draw down of power off the truck itself... ITS TOO EACH HIS OWN WITH ANYTHING. I DO WHAT I DO AND OTHER PEOPLE TRK. DRIVERS DO WHAT THEY WANT TOO DO. NO PASSING JUDGEMENT BY ANYONE SHOULD BE INVOLVED OR NEEDED....

 

I run a inline fuse off my radio power cord down at the battery it's connected to 4ga. Welding cable... and a inline breaker off the 0/4 welding cable I run off the battery that runs into my linear.. JUST FYI

 

Quote: "Some radios drive the amp meaning a straight 4/6 or 8 pill is being driven by the radio. Other amp/linears are driving the radio. You have to figure that out first."

Bored Silly, what do you mean by "drive?" How does one drive the other? Thanks.

 

Drive means power--- takes power which the amount varies for each application.... the deadkey of the radio should be set as needed and the radio will/ should push a certain amount of watts/power into the linear. Knowing having the correct deadkey and watts is critical or you can overdrive the amp/linear and that won't make your expensive radio/amp happy..... That's why fuses and breakers are IN place. To pop the fuse or breaker if there's a overload or surge of power. If you overload power to the linear you can pop a pill or transistor... Not cool and their expensive...

 

The power cord is all 4gauge welding cable Anderson connecter on the end that connects to the Anderson connecter on/off my radio power cord. Goes down directly to a battery below. Inline fuse is right at the lug power connection at the battery.... no games no b.s. with certain things I DO

 

Dang son you really need to lay off that rooster booster for a while.
That rant made about as much sense as a chinese newspaper in an alabama coffee shop.

 

Alabama, that's an example of someone spending a wee bit too much time too close to an antenna putting out a few thousands watts. Fried brain cells.....

 

A lot of guys have SSB CB radios and like to go to the high channels on SSB and use amplifiers to talk all over the country and into Europe and central and south America.

I don't use a linear amp though, I just use a 100 watt RM (Italy) amp.. A regular amp puts out the 100 watts regardless of how many watts you put into the amp..

Maybe I'm wrong, but I think with a Linear amp, the amount of output depends on the amount of power you put into the linear.

In other words a regular 100 watt amp puts out 100 watts even if I just put 3 or 4 watts into it, while (I believe, and may be wrong) if you only put 3 or 4 watts into a 100 watt linear amp, it may only put out 30 or 40 watts. To put out 100 watts, you may have to put 20 into it ??????