• You can now help support WorldwideDX when you shop on Amazon at no additional cost to you! Simply follow this Shop on Amazon link first and a portion of any purchase is sent to WorldwideDX to help with site costs.

BM 11 METER BASE AMPLIFIER

Sonar

Sr. Member
Apr 8, 2016
1,501
1,016
123
There's a pride DX 300 up for grabs on eBay. Its current bid is $920. That got me wondering if those BM amplifiers that rooster did some YouTube demonstrations on, and sells them are any good? Does anyone here on the form know someone who does owns a BM? I was just wondering how they perform compared to the DX 300.? A Brand brand-new BM single 250b is selling for under $850. With the current $920 bid on the pride DX 300 I was wondering if the BM single 250b is a viable option for anyone wanting a dx300? 73
 
Last edited:

The Pride is a pretty one. Looks like about 250 original miles. And all-original 43 year-old electrolytic caps. Might get a few more miles out of it before it attempts suicide. Pictures don't reveal any measures have been taken to 'intervene' yet.

If that one got carried in here I would recommend getting what service remains in the old parts before upgrading the circuit boards. Might last you a week, maybe a year.

AFTER following the 'suicide intervention' measures shown on our web site, naturally.

No pics of the inside of the BM box. I wouldn't let loose a dime without seeing the quality of the work building it. But that's just my attitude. I'm perpetually skeptical of any amplifier that has only a DC voltmeter on the front. This is a design quirk I have come to associate with poorly-built "bowl" boxes. Makes me wonder if there's a microwave-oven transformer inside it.

Rooster's last post on YouTube was four years ago. Might want to check and see if he still has amplifiers to sell. A four-year silence is seldom a good sign.

73
 
Beer nomad. Thanks for the reply. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. You might be thinking of a different rooster. This guy posts a video a day. Sometimes even more.

about amplifiers.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 357magnum
The Pride is a pretty one. Looks like about 250 original miles. And all-original 43 year-old electrolytic caps. Might get a few more miles out of it before it attempts suicide. Pictures don't reveal any measures have been taken to 'intervene' yet.

If that one got carried in here I would recommend getting what service remains in the old parts before upgrading the circuit boards. Might last you a week, maybe a year.

AFTER following the 'suicide intervention' measures shown on our web site, naturally.

No pics of the inside of the BM box. I wouldn't let loose a dime without seeing the quality of the work building it. But that's just my attitude. I'm perpetually skeptical of any amplifier that has only a DC voltmeter on the front. This is a design quirk I have come to associate with poorly-built "bowl" boxes. Makes me wonder if there's a microwave-oven transformer inside it.

Rooster's last post on YouTube was four years ago. Might want to check and see if he still has amplifiers to sell. A four-year silence is seldom a good sign.

73
I was curious about the dx300 and the sellers description. So I decided to ask a question via eBay messenger. Check out the Steelers reply. Oh no! Say it ain't so! Are the DX 300's capable of being driven with a 100 Watts?! I don't think so. And the bid is at is at $930. This is why one needs to ask many many many many questions as possible when biding on something on eBay. If the seller is lying and you ask enough questions you will eventually trip him up (if you're lucky.) That's not what happened here. Obviously the seller is naive about what type of amplifier he actually has. And was just being honest as per the situation. He obviously thinks he has a high drive HF amplifier. It's kind of shocking considering a quick online search would have given him all the information he needed about the dx300.

Dear seller. Can you please expand on your description of putting 5 watts in, and getting 200 watt out? Was that a dead key 5 Watts with no pep output (wattage?) Were you not able to modulate, adding pep output during testing? Thank you. Sincerely, Christopher

When I listed it for sale all I had available to test was a CB radio, I retested with my Icom 7300, with 100 watts and I showed 900 on the meter on the Pride, 700 on my Heath-kit dummy load, with no forward modulation.
 
Last edited:
I was curious about the dx300 and the sellers description. So I decided to ask a question via eBay messenger. Check out the Steelers reply. Oh no! Say it ain't so! Are the DX 300's capable of being driven with a 100 Watts?! I don't think so. And the bid is at is at $930. This is why one needs to ask many many many many questions as possible when biding on something on eBay. If the seller is lying and you ask enough questions you will eventually trip him up (if you're lucky.) That's not what happened here. Obviously the seller is naive about what type of amplifier he actually has. And was just being honest as per the situation. He obviously thinks he has a high drive HF amplifier. It's kind of shocking considering a quick online search would have given him all the information he needed about the dx300.

Dear seller. Can you please expand on your description of putting 5 watts in, and getting 200 watt out? Was that a dead key 5 Watts with no pep output (wattage?) Were you not able to modulate, adding pep output during testing? Thank you. Sincerely, Christopher

When I listed it for sale all I had available to test was a CB radio, I retested with my Icom 7300, with 100 watts and I showed 900 on the meter on the Pride, 700 on my Heath-kit dummy load, with no forward modulation.
Many manu many many questions.
I also demand pics and if the seller refuses i kindly remind them that their warning about no returns because of whatever matterd not to Ebay and their buyer protection program. Send me a pile of junk and i will get my $$$ back so it pays to be upfront. Ive had several shady sellers pull sales because i messaged them like that.
Most of the time though the seller is more than happy to provide all the inside pics i want.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tecnicoloco
Drove it with 100 Watts? Should have permanently damaged the tube and who knows what else. An american-made tube might survive, but a russky or chinese one won't.

A 5-Watt carrier can easily get you a 300-Watt carrier on High side. No point in operating it that way, but that's the combination I use to test the low-voltage power supply boards we sell. The 'test' amplifier is tuned for testing boards, not for talking to anyone.

Seems like a lot for an amplifier that will need major upkeep soon. Like finding a '78 car under a tarp in a barn with 500 original miles. Even if it starts and runs, it won't take you on a trouble-free 3000-mile road trip without taking care of age-related issues.

Odds are that one of these that has had all the 43-year tuneup details taken care of wouldn't sell for any more than this one.

Does rather reduce the incentive to dump the money into it before selling.

Rare items just sell for stupid money.

73
 
Drove it with 100 Watts? Should have permanently damaged the tube and who knows what else. An american-made tube might survive, but a russky or chinese one won't.

A 5-Watt carrier can easily get you a 300-Watt carrier on High side. No point in operating it that way, but that's the combination I use to test the low-voltage power supply boards we sell. The 'test' amplifier is tuned for testing boards, not for talking to anyone.

Seems like a lot for an amplifier that will need major upkeep soon. Like finding a '78 car under a tarp in a barn with 500 original miles. Even if it starts and runs, it won't take you on a trouble-free 3000-mile road trip without taking care of age-related issues.

Odds are that one of these that has had all the 43-year tuneup details taken care of wouldn't sell for any more than this one.

Does rather reduce the incentive to dump the money into it before selling.

Rare items just sell for stupid money.

73
Unfortunately the winning bidder isn't going to know that he drove it with a hundred Watts. That's something he told me in a message after answering my question about how he tested it. As soon as he stated I only had a CB radio to test it I immediately knew he had no idea it was a low Drive 11 meter amplifier. The band switch probably through him. He's obviously a ticket holder I'm assuming since he tested it with a 7300. I feel sorry for the new owner. Especially since she's going to pay close to or more than $1,000. Crazy crazy crazy shit!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tokin
A single 250b for that kind of money is going to be a disappointment. If you're set on having a 250b go with 2 or 4 of them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sonar
What's up Dallas , my friend?
My strongest amp is my phantom. With it showing 650 on my autek wm1's and MFJ and 826, im a happy camper.
It always baffles me why some operators need more than (around) 500 watts pep? With my imax 2000 about 8' off the ground I've a fairly strong local signal, and as far as dx goes if i hear'em they hear me. I've talked all over the world, and most likely all 50 states. It's only an assumption but i imagine anyone willing to pay $1000 for a
DX 300 isn't a knowledgeable operator to begin with. Whether a newbie or someone trying to capture a piece of their youth buying that amp for the current bid (even less) is ridiculous! There's better options. One could purchase a TS 1600 and power supply to run it for $300 more than the curtent bid. If im not mistaken both the DX 300, and 1600 are biased AB, and good for AM/SSB talking. Not that it's going to make a difference on the other end, but if any of those biding like to watch their meters swing high the TS 1600 (i believed) has more output than the DX 300. In actually i wouldn't be surprised to see that DX 300 relisted, for non payment reasons. I can't figure out for the life of me why people bid on an item when they can't afford to pay the amount of their wining bid, but it happens often. I've learned that 500 watts, a decent antenna at a good height, and 100 - 500 watts makes for an all around good signal. I wish i could mount my antenna above the roofline, but I'm in an HOA community. I'm lucky to have figured out a way around it without the HOA being able to bust my balls! 73 my friend. Ps. I talked several times on SSB with Gary. Gary's a guy with a premo mobile setup. He's approximately 70 miles from my qth here in the Pine Barrens of South Jersey. Imo that's not bad for a 500 watt station with an imax only 8' off the ground.
Internet_20200317_163546_14.jpeg Internet_20200317_163546_13.jpeg
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: S&W357

dxChat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • dxBot:
    Tucker442 has left the room.
  • @ BJ radionut:
    LIVE 10:00 AM EST :cool:
  • @ Charles Edwards:
    I'm looking for factory settings 1 through 59 for a AT 5555 n2 or AT500 M2 I only wrote down half the values feel like a idiot I need help will be appreciated