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lil wil w/ linear

speterson1011

Member
Oct 30, 2009
4
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Ok so I have a lil wil antenna going at 1 to 2 and getting 5miles barefoot with my cobra ultra 19 radio. I have the cobra 19 radio tuned up at 8watts instead of the 4 watts it was stock. How well will it work with a 110watt linear or another kind of amp? I'm thinking around 20 to 25 miles? The antenna can handle 300watts. All criticism is welcome thanks
 

ive used a 2x1446 (200 watts PEP) on mine for almost a year and never had a issue . i still have the same lil will for a backup . i would not recomend a 2x2879 on one . the 200 watts into a 10k is much more effective .
 
Hmmm...
Linears work better with the power in the radio turned down to 2 watts; not 8 watts! That is, the dead key watts (keyed up mic w/o talking).

I think - as BootyMon pointed out- that 200 watts is all you would want to put into the Lil Wil.

Personally, I would get a REAL Wilson 1000 antenna instead of spending money on the linear. The antenna is ALWAYS the MOST IMPORTANT part of ANY RADIO! Besides, the Wilson 1000 can hold a lot more wattage than a Lil Wil can. But the real advantage of the Wil 1000 is the sensitive receive and outstanding transmit characteristics! So it is a question of where the money is best spent - I think. Anything that improves your transmit AND receive is a plus; but it is still best done by using a superior antenna.

Besides, linears are illegal for non-Hams. Of course, this doesn't mean that non-Hams don't use linears! They do. But if you use one without discretion, you might get cited by the FCC. Using a linear in a mobile is usually more common and bit more acceptable; that doesn't mean it is legal. It just means that it both harder to track down and it rarely affects local folk who might complain.
There you have it!
 
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I had a 2950 Ranger on a Lil Will ......Even when I took the time to tune the swr down to 1:1 on a low power setting,5 watts on AM when I went to ssb and turned the power up to full power,25 watts on same frequency I could see the swr meter I was using start to rise to around 1.5:1 +/-

I am pretty sure you will experience the same results if you apply a good deal of power to that antenna.

The Lil Will is a fine antenna,dont get me wrong.I worked all of North America with a 2950 Ranger ( factory power setting of 25 watts ssb) and that antenna out of a pickup.But I would have to say stay below 50 watts to that antenna to be safe even though the antenna is rated for 300 watts

If you are going to run any power to speak of,50 watts + go to a Firestick 2 ,Pred 10K, Wilson 3k,5k, or some other type that will take well over what you plan to run to be safe,your radio and kicker will thank you
 
To answer the original question.
Would doubling your output power about 4 times increase your 'range' by about 4 times? I'd have to say it -might- be a possibility, but it also might not be. You can't estimate 'range' by power output. While power does have a part in that, it certainly isn't going to make all of, or even most of the difference in increasing/decreasing how far you can talk.
The one thing that determines range the most is propagation, which you/I/we have no control over at all. Of the several things we do have control over, the most likely 'thing' which can increase range is the antenna (as everyone has already said). Maybe the next thing is output power. And one part most people don't think about, is the receiver you have (radio). If you can't hear'em, it doesn't matter if they can hear you or not, you still won't be able to talk to them. Which is the whole point (unless you're doing the shoot-out thingy, and then you don't need a receiver for that at all. Do you?).
All antennas are not created 'equal', and where they are can certainly make a difference too. The majority of thought is that your antenna won't 'handle' that 110 watts. I sort of have a feeling that it could, but no idea if it -would-. It's power handling ability isn't what's in question (much).
How much you plan to feed that amplifier is also questioned, and I think that's certainly something to think about. Most transistors can be 'tickled' with less power than most people realize. And since you've doubled your radio's 'normal' power for extended range, you may want to 'un-double' it to feed an amplifier. Too much 'tickling' isn't funny any more, it's called torture, it harms the amplifier.

All of this is sort of thinking "out of the box", right? No big deal until -not- thinking "out of the box" ends up making you think "I'm out'a 'bucks'!".
- 'Doc
 
if ya really wanna run a amp with that antenna get a kl-40 .youll have to back the 8 watt
down to about 2.youll be safe with this amp.HOWEVER i must say just get a better
antenna.i once has a cobra19 old metal case one with a wilson 1000 mag mount
i could talk bout 15 18 miles also had a power mic on it as well
 
Ok so I have a lil wil antenna going at 1 to 2 and getting 5miles barefoot with my cobra ultra 19 radio. I have the cobra 19 radio tuned up at 8watts instead of the 4 watts it was stock. How well will it work with a 110watt linear or another kind of amp? I'm thinking around 20 to 25 miles? The antenna can handle 300watts. All criticism is welcome thanks


Cobra 19Ultra and a Lil Wil? Don't expect too much from that combo and don't run an amp on that antenna.
Kind of like playing a par 5 hole with only a putter.
 
I've read on several forums where guys damaged their equipment running small amplifiers through the Lil Wil, and much less than the rated 300 watts.
 
I've read on several forums where guys damaged their equipment running small amplifiers through the Lil Wil, and much less than the rated 300 watts.
these guys probaly had other issues like high swrs.no i wouldnt even think
about trying 300 watts into a lil wil .but he would be safe with a kl 40 or ther 1 pill amp
100 watts or less
 
I ran a 250 watt linear into my K-40 years ago. It fried the matching capacitor of the antenna - which helps even out the SWR at the cost of loss of efficiency. The antenna still works; but it is fussy when trying to set the SWR.

Some of these major-brand entry level antennas weren't built to take any real power. They can melt or fry open - they just weren't engineered to go there. Keep that in mind - so that a minor catastrophy can be avoided...
 
these guys probaly had other issues like high swrs.no i wouldnt even think
about trying 300 watts into a lil wil .but he would be safe with a kl 40 or ther 1 pill amp
100 watts or less


Its your equipment...if you want to chance frying $100 amp and $100 radio on a $50 antenna, have fun.

For the price difference between a little wil and a Wilson 1000, its a small price to have more peace of mind. I have only ever read of a handful of Wilson 1000 related issues, most if not all were running beyond the 1k mark.
 
lil wil's are for barefoot radios, hell even wilson 5k's wont take power. we watched one melt from the coil out with nothing other than an ameritron al-1500. just over 1100 watts it all it held.

wilsons are the only magmount i will run but there not stong enough to handle the abuse of power.
 
My first thought is to get a better radio, a Cobra 19 is not much of a performer. Next up a Wilson 1000 might help as well.

If you do try a small amp a KL203 or 200P would be a nice choice. You WILL have to have a shop lower your dead key to 1.5 watts though.

You might check e-bay for a used Uniden 122xl, that would be a much better radio then the Cobra 19 and it has SSB. You will get double or triple your range on SSB compared to what your getting now.

To all the naysayers a Lil Wil can work with up to 200 peak watts. Obviously a K-40 or Wilson 1000 would be better.
 

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