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Galaxy 929 (Mosfet) and AD203 Stinger Board

longhaireddwb

longhaireddwb

W9WDX Amateur Radio Club Member
Oct 8, 2008
555
30
38
Colorado Springs, CO
Got a guy I work with that wants more power. Doesn't everyone. He bought a new 929 and ordered this stinger board. According to the specs it should be able to get up to 100 watts. Yeah right, we all know how they stretch the truth on theses things.

Anyway, I didn't mount it in the radio but did wire it up to the 929 to see how it does and for the life of me I can only get around 55-60 watts PEP. The radio is set at a carrier of 3.5 swinging to 19 and with the board on I'm seeing a carrier of 12 swinging to 55-60. This is a four mosfet board so I'd think it would do more.

This radio has had no mods done to it as I said it is stock. The modulation pot has been turned up to get more audio but the limiter is still in tact and nothing clipped or modded.

Any ideas on what I can do to get it a bit closer to what they say it should do as I'm a long ways from it right now.

Jerry...
 

I would say you just saved yourself a bunch of work, you now know how the stinger board performs. You might talk him into an RFX-75 instead. Best bet would be add a small 2 pill amplifier and be done.
 
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longhaireddwb said:
Got a guy I work with that wants more power. Doesn't everyone. He bought a new 929 and ordered this stinger board. According to the specs it should be able to get up to 100 watts. Yeah right, we all know how they stretch the truth on theses things.

Anyway, I didn't mount it in the radio but did wire it up to the 929 to see how it does and for the life of me I can only get around 55-60 watts PEP. The radio is set at a carrier of 3.5 swinging to 19 and with the board on I'm seeing a carrier of 12 swinging to 55-60. This is a four mosfet board so I'd think it would do more.

This radio has had no mods done to it as I said it is stock. The modulation pot has been turned up to get more audio but the limiter is still in tact and nothing clipped or modded.

Any ideas on what I can do to get it a bit closer to what they say it should do as I'm a long ways from it right now.

Jerry...
Click to expand...
What type of heatsink did you use? You can actually get 100Watts out of 4 rm3 fets, right before you let the smoke out of it.
 
Wow. Hard days at work. Sorry i didnt get back sooner.

Ive upgraded the power cord to bigger along with the fuse. Using a 23amp power supply and the best i can get is 60pep.

This guy drives a very new truck and has the drawer type spot above in thr center of the cab for a radio. No extra room for a two pill. He cant even get a General lee or Connex (new full size radios) in that drawer. Hes limited to using the power terminals in that area for radio power and told me it is fused at 10 amps.

Not sure if a rfx75 would work on 10 amps and how much better it would be than this AD203 that im getting 60w out of. And Its not pulling 10 amps. That dont seem right to me but thats the way it is working.
 
I second the RFX-150. It is easier to install and works better that the rfx-75.
I do recommend getting the fan kit for the RFX-150 though. I you talk a lot they do get hot.
 
I have seen a few with the rfx that were smoked because they were stuck up in a hole, heat is the worst enemy.
Two things first, can you confirm the accuracy of the wattmeter? and can you hook the radio,meter in the truck and temporary run two wires to the battery?
The reason I ask is that most meters are off so you may have 70 watts and as Rob said it take amperage to feed the beast and if your going off two hook up lugs or a cig lighter, things change when you go from the bench to the truck,be prepared.
I have spent a lot of time with guys that have the same problem and the reality or should I say your options are making a bracket and mounting the radio out of the hole, then you can run a bigger radio and take it out when you have to, or mount the amp under the dash, under the pass seat and run your wires right to the battery, if your going bigger than a two pill get ready to pull your hair out with the ferrite beads and the dash lights blinking.
The 29 with the 2 pill seems to be the thing But be careful if it's a lease truck, if something goes wrong with the trucks electronics and they find something you will have a problem with the lease/warranty.
I hope this helps with your adventure, and if I could make one suggestion for the truck, if it has factory antennas/coax don't use it. Make you own antenna system.
 
Im using a cn-801 meter and it reads pretty good. give or take a bit. you know how these meters are. But as I said, I put it on my bench at home, used large power cable and a plenty big power supply and it still isn't getting much more. This is a lease truck so that's why no wires to the batteries as the shop would throw a fit.

I told him this is the best we can do with it and i think hes going to live with it.

the only problem i see with this little radio is the damn talkback is too loud. It has a low, off and high switch. i tried to look up some schematics on it to maybe drop a resister in on the low side to quite it down a bit more but don't see any online. not even cbtricks has them.
ept092915z
plus the switches are mounted on boards and that makes it a pita.

does anyone know a good location to drop in a resistor for this?
or maybe this is time to start a new thread.
 

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