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Dave Made Choice

could be either, joe used to come to our shop to build and learned how to build THAT current box very well. Joe went and did his own thing( wont open that can here) . Truth be told a 97 box from joe was very likely almost built, tuned in same manner as if it came out of the Camp as we call it. Not at all the case anymore with what Dave makes or what BM is selling , lots of changes since 97 for sure
 
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could be either, joe used to come to our shop to build and learned how to build THAT current box very well. Joe went and did his own thing( wont open that can here) . Truth be told a 97 box from joe was very likely almost built, tuned in same manner as if it came out of the Camp as we call it. Not at all the case anymore with what Dave makes or what BM is selling , lots of changes since 97 for sure

Thanks...I bought it off a shelf full of them in North Carolina (I left that part out) so I always figured it was a “Joe-made”.
 
Here is a 2 pill from "Chris" from August 2019.
 

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I know I will get thrown to the wolf's like a raw piece of meat for posting this.
And I been around for a while so I seen a lot of class c comp amps, but still when I look at these I think
"That Amp is about bare bones as it can get.
Just enough parts to work and produce RF and nothing more"
I guess I should give credit for adding some negative feedback in there but other than that.
I also know I will get roasted for this comment as well but I hope no one is going to use that on SSB.
When did they start building them with the small core output transformers like Prime?
All the old gold had large cores in them.
What the price is on that?
Just wondering.

73
Jeff
 
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I would LOVE to see that thing on a spectrum analyzer. 50 watts avg/100 peak is crazy into a 4 pill much less the 70 watt avg/150 watt peak. I wonder just how long it will take that kind of drive level and how many channels away you can be heard.

Slam the band !! (and a few on either side lol) My first 4 pill was a Dave and it talked its butt off but certainly was a splatter box ! You would think for the money involved they could upgrade the technology a bit and tighten them up ?!? I guess we can only wait and see !
73's With that tube fire in the wire !!
 
Yes, they are bare "bones", but they make the CB experience more intense and satisfying, especially for those who have trouble "performing". Think about what percent of operators that are using amps to "enhance their experience", are using these garden variety Comp amps X-force, Fatboy, Dave, Prime, Peak, and don't forget the up and comers BBI, Donkey, Hopper etc? I estimate that 50-60% of amps being used today are Comp just like Dave Made's, and with few "side affects". The remainder are Palomar and its clones (i.e. Vern, Rocket, Messenger), and of course your ATF the Texas Stars, and some non-branded Asian hotties. Query this: Can you automatically tell what amp the guy is using when on AM?
 
I told you my post would get me roasted.
Lol
Yes I can tell if they are using a non biased amp on SSB .
On AM they can be used, still have problems and are used by the masses in the CB crowd.
There is distortion that can be heard, and seen with the proper test equiptment, if you have played with biased and non biased amps you get to a point were you know the sound.
This is a old aurgment but you know yourself that it is much better RF practice to properly bias the amp.
I have seen the result of bare bones class c amps on spectrum analyzers.
I know others that have as well.
Boo built many biased amps and they were very nicely constructed, as well as amps built by Pain.
He was a firm believer that cleaner was meaner.
I have said that the Texas Star 500 is about the best bang for your buck in mobile SSB use that is a still made ' production' amp as far as CB amps go.
However they have flaws in the design and the way they are biased.
But for the masses that run SSB that model is about the best you are gonna get unless you can find one of the few older magnum ( and clone) models that have proper electronicly regulated and temp compensated bias on board.
And they won't last long in this service because the masses typically abuse them in one way or another and blow them up, or bitch that they draw to much amperage for the Watt meter reading they get.
If they are run conservatively, not abused and held down in output they are not bad.
The hundreds of clones that have ab1 printed on the front are a farce.
I get it.
Bare bones class c amps provide the most power output on the meter for the amperage used in a mobile environment.
That don't mean that they are properly designed RF amplifiers that actually produce a LINEAR signal.
The argument is that in a shootout class c gold is king.
And it is.
Toshiba transistors running on high voltage and driven to the ragged edge will put more signal for amp drawn in a shootout than any biased box ever did.
At the cost of a dirty signal that is the result.
But for clean everyday communication use the result is trashy.
( by the way look at some old 27 MHz plasma cutter technology if you want a clue were some of the Comp Class C stuff came from)
This being the internet there are many opinions about this subject and you got yours and I got mine.
Power meter types ( refered to by some as meterbaters)
Tend to agree that class c is fine for SSB.
And guys that like clean signals ( often refered to as snooty hams) like to see amps that are properly biased.
Dave did it first ( well that can be disputed too because Abe Brewer actually was using big output transformers and combining output stages before anyone else) and everyone started building copy's of Dave's amps, built with even less parts and slapping there name on them.
By the way I still have a old X Force with 12's bias setup in it and even onboard overheat shutdown.
Its not too bad for what it is( or was) but still nothing great.

Say hello to Concrete for me.
I have not talked to him in years.
Go team Dave made
( this is were I would post a picture of the 24 guys riding in the back of a old cream colored beat up Toyota pickup but don't got it anymore)


As far as Chris ( cherry popper) goes I have dealt with him before.

Not on a amp building level.
More on a personal / morale level and I would not buy a pile of fake dog shit from him, much less a amp.
But that is just me.
Others can do as they please.

73
Jeff
 
I think you can tell class C even on AM...but maybe it’s just all them watts I’m hearing.

FWIW, I tried to sell my 8 pill Davemade to a good shop back in the day...and he said “We don’t buy amps with glued on bus bars. I’d buy it, but the price would be for a box of parts and I’m not going to insult you with an offer”.

I knew exactly what his issues were with the construction, and at the same time it didn’t stop me from buying another.
 
Was it my imagination that there were no fuse's installed? Also noticed there was no protection for the main power wires against chafing or stress relief against being pulled out of the circuit. I would send it back.
 
Was it my imagination that there were no fuse's installed? Also noticed there was no protection for the main power wires against chafing or stress relief against being pulled out of the circuit. I would send it back.

Comp guys don't want any voltage drop and most don't want a fuse. These amps aren't daily drivers but that's what most people use them for.

If you consider their original purpose it doesn't make sense to compare one of these amps to something like a Henry ss750.
 

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