Best band for the buck 2 pill?

[4play]

I want a 2 pill mobil amp for use in a 4x4, just in case. What's durable, clear & reasonably priced?

 

[CDX197]

X-Force M80??? Just bout one myself...Hope it works alright:mellow:

 

[4play]

where is a good online source?

 

[9C1Driver]

Just do a google search of X-Force Amplifier, it should be the right up there. Either the X-80 or 200HD are kick butt. I suppose Fatboy would have a nice 2 pill as well.

 

[BOOTY MONSTER]

Texas Star DX399

 

[9C1Driver]

The TS399 would be great if, 1) he had a SSB radio, and 2) They still made the 399. An X-Force 200HD will kick the tar out of that 399 on AM. Texas Star stopped making the 399 so whatever is left is all thats out there.

 

[BOOTY MONSTER]

just because he has an am radio doesnt mean he has to use a crappy amp with a bias design (or lack of) never intented for a modulated signal irreguardless of transmission mode . so he could get a texas star 350 (if the 399's arnt available) and have an amp designed not only for PROPPER am transmission but also PROPPER ssb transmission should he ever want to try it ,then and not have to upgrade because he has a substandard amp design . of course if you dont care about distortion and harmonics caused by driving pills 2,3, and sometimes 4 times their designed output then have at the class c amps . as far as durability goes , texas star has been building amps far longer than the class c copies of copies of copies . youll see old ones beat to crap by folks for sale that are still workin like a timex . look at the forums where people are having trouble with their amps , class C amps rule those threads .

lol @ recomending a high drive amp for a single final cb radio ! he'll have to get a bigger radio or a second amp to drive a high drive amp . makes great business sense . sell someone a amp that requires a another amp to drive it .

you can find good deals in the forum here . i got a texas star 500v for 180 plus 20 shipping from a forum member here last summer .

this hobby is all about options though . do you have a good antenna setup to make the most of what ever amp you do get ?

im done .

 

[Mr Clean]

I like the Texas Star amps ok but they seem for the most part are hard to get good SWR. Tuning issues. I like the Magna Force 350. Do a good job on AM and SSB. 1.2 SWR with amp on.

 

[9C1Driver]

When I had a Uniden 68Elite running into an X-Force 200HD I was getting 350-360 peak on an Aries digital watt meter. Sounded so good a driver came buy and bought the amp on the spot at a hefty profit for me. For the Money a MagnaForce 350 or X-Force 200HD are tough to beat.

If I had my choice I would love to have a brand new Joker with his regulated AB bias scheme he developed. As far as Texas Star, your right, the 350 HDV and 500V are exellent choices.

Obviously if you search long enough you can get a deal used on anything. The guy wants bang for the buck. For new amplifiers the TS350 is about 230-245 bucks. The X-Force 200HD is 204 bucks. The X-80 is $164. For just AM cb talking either will rock and roll and have a better SWR match then either Texas Star.

 

[4play]

Thanks for the replies, I'd like to have the option of SSB later.
What about the Fatboy 3 pill?

 

[9C1Driver]

If you want SSB later skip Fatboy, all they do is ad a delay to a class C box. I would also skip the 3 pill amplifiers all together.

 

[555]

and what is your take on 3pill amps

 

[The Jerk]

I had a FB 1x2, it did fine...was showing around 550 watts PEP and around 200 AVG. They are considered to be dirty because they can be easily overdriven. My main complaint with it was the fact it was so hard to control...the slightest change to the variable on the radio made a huge difference in the amp...the only way to run it was with a power meter inline all the time to make sure I hadn't bumped the variable.

As for the Class AB vs Class C...garbage in is garbage out most times. If the radio is improperly tuned (i.e. clipped) or the amp is overdriven, even a Class AB will splatter. I have used a Class C on SSB before, nobody ever knew the difference, I talked to a lot of folks with that setup. I prefer the idea of a Class AB, but I wouldn't pass up a good deal on a Class C if it fit my needs.

I was looking at the BulletProof line of amps a while ago...you can get a 2-pill AB-1 for not much money...right around $150 IIRC.

 

[9C1Driver]

Thats my take right there, 550 watts from from a 3 pill......maybe spread out over 10 channels in each direction. No way at normal voltage will you see 550 watts from two 2879's. The cleanest class C amp will always be dirtier then the same in class AB. Here is a good link.

http://www.customcbradios.com/articles/article/6641578/115734.htm

 

[BOOTY MONSTER]

this is my old faithful link for explaining bias difference .
Classes of Amplifier Operation
preacher man did a good job too .