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Need Help Setting Up Radio
- Thread starter Neuro
- Start date
i would say, 18-20 watts PEP max.
im sure some are doing more and its working, but for me, 2 watts swinging to 20 would be the most i would do.
just my opinion,
LC
im sure some are doing more and its working, but for me, 2 watts swinging to 20 would be the most i would do.
just my opinion,
LC
When I don't know the answer to my radio questions I pray to Jesus for the answer. All you have to do is open your heart and he will answer you.
neuro,
any amplifier circuit, whether it be an audio amplifier circuit inside your home stereo, or an external linear amplifier for a CB radio has specific input and output parameters.
that means that an amp is built with a certain wattage input in mind.
cb type amps are built for an input of around 1-4 watts because this matches nicely with the output of cb radios.
amateur radio amps are built for an input of 50-100 watts because that matches up nicely with the output of amateur radios.
so, feeding more power into an amp to get more power out of it only works up to a certain point.
after that, all kinds of crazy things start happening inside the amp.
you start generating signals on harmonics of 27mhz, the output begins to sound very distorted, and eventually, smoke will come out of the amp.
the 29LTD mates very well with an amp such as the DX250.
the galaxy 98VHP already puts out close to the same wattage you would get from using the 29LTD with the DX250.
so, no need for the amp if you choose to go with the galaxy98vhp.
also, there is one very important thing to know about amps and how they work.
here's how it works:
say you are running your 29ltd into your texas star DX250, and you are putting out 200 watts.
you are talking to a guy 20 miles away who says you are hitting his meter with an S-5.
to hit him with an S-6 you would have to put out 800 watts.
yep, thats right, to gain 1 S unit on a receiving station, you have to quadruple your power output.
to hit that same guy with an S-7 you would have to put out 3200 watts.
so, by knowing this, you can see why the first jump from 4 watts up to 200 is the most bang for your buck by far.
after that, it gets very expensive to get another S unit or 2 on the stations you are talking to.
if you are thinking of buying the galaxy 98vhp, that is a great choice, and you wont need an amp.
simpler installation for sure.
good luck, on BTW, how are your tests going?
LC
any amplifier circuit, whether it be an audio amplifier circuit inside your home stereo, or an external linear amplifier for a CB radio has specific input and output parameters.
that means that an amp is built with a certain wattage input in mind.
cb type amps are built for an input of around 1-4 watts because this matches nicely with the output of cb radios.
amateur radio amps are built for an input of 50-100 watts because that matches up nicely with the output of amateur radios.
so, feeding more power into an amp to get more power out of it only works up to a certain point.
after that, all kinds of crazy things start happening inside the amp.
you start generating signals on harmonics of 27mhz, the output begins to sound very distorted, and eventually, smoke will come out of the amp.
the 29LTD mates very well with an amp such as the DX250.
the galaxy 98VHP already puts out close to the same wattage you would get from using the 29LTD with the DX250.
so, no need for the amp if you choose to go with the galaxy98vhp.
also, there is one very important thing to know about amps and how they work.
here's how it works:
say you are running your 29ltd into your texas star DX250, and you are putting out 200 watts.
you are talking to a guy 20 miles away who says you are hitting his meter with an S-5.
to hit him with an S-6 you would have to put out 800 watts.
yep, thats right, to gain 1 S unit on a receiving station, you have to quadruple your power output.
to hit that same guy with an S-7 you would have to put out 3200 watts.
so, by knowing this, you can see why the first jump from 4 watts up to 200 is the most bang for your buck by far.
after that, it gets very expensive to get another S unit or 2 on the stations you are talking to.
if you are thinking of buying the galaxy 98vhp, that is a great choice, and you wont need an amp.
simpler installation for sure.
good luck, on BTW, how are your tests going?
LC
Thank you for the reply's!
As for my tests I ended up getting my antenna tuned and cut by the people at the CB shop then I ran a new cable from my amp up to the front of my car for my meter so it's no longer in my trunk. My SWR is around 1.1 - 1.3 on higher channels. I'm sure it can be improved. The amp is running well and kicking out 200 watts on my meter. I am able to reach out to the ends of my city from pretty much anywhere. (Albuquerque, New Mexico) Now everything seems to be doing really well. I am very pleased with the setup I just wish there was a simple remote for the Texas Star that didn't need me to take it apart as it voids the nice 2 year warranty I got with it to do so. So in all I am most pleased now my only concern is some minor issue that has recently come around. When I key up on occasion Ill get a squeal, it also occurs when I key up for too long. I NEVER key up for a long period of time of course but this is around a few seconds. Any ideas?
As for my tests I ended up getting my antenna tuned and cut by the people at the CB shop then I ran a new cable from my amp up to the front of my car for my meter so it's no longer in my trunk. My SWR is around 1.1 - 1.3 on higher channels. I'm sure it can be improved. The amp is running well and kicking out 200 watts on my meter. I am able to reach out to the ends of my city from pretty much anywhere. (Albuquerque, New Mexico) Now everything seems to be doing really well. I am very pleased with the setup I just wish there was a simple remote for the Texas Star that didn't need me to take it apart as it voids the nice 2 year warranty I got with it to do so. So in all I am most pleased now my only concern is some minor issue that has recently come around. When I key up on occasion Ill get a squeal, it also occurs when I key up for too long. I NEVER key up for a long period of time of course but this is around a few seconds. Any ideas?
did the guys at the cb shop add talkback to your radio?
as in, can you hear yourself through the speaker when you talk into the mic?
if its not that, you probably have some stray RF floating around inside the vehicle.
im not going to get into all of the possibilities of how this might be occurring, so i will refer you to this site. lots of reading to do, but if you put in some time, you will learn a heck of a lot about mobile setups!
Welcome to KØBG's Web Site
as for the remote for the amp, if you can get a switch that will handle 50 amps or more, then you can just put that inline with the positive power cable going to the amp, and mount the switch somewhere convenient up front.
nice job on the install, sounds like its working ok, except for the squeal.
are you running a power mic? (mic with a battery in it)
LC
PS-LETS SEE SOME PICS!!!
as in, can you hear yourself through the speaker when you talk into the mic?
if its not that, you probably have some stray RF floating around inside the vehicle.
im not going to get into all of the possibilities of how this might be occurring, so i will refer you to this site. lots of reading to do, but if you put in some time, you will learn a heck of a lot about mobile setups!
Welcome to KØBG's Web Site
as for the remote for the amp, if you can get a switch that will handle 50 amps or more, then you can just put that inline with the positive power cable going to the amp, and mount the switch somewhere convenient up front.
nice job on the install, sounds like its working ok, except for the squeal.
are you running a power mic? (mic with a battery in it)
LC
PS-LETS SEE SOME PICS!!!