Linear

[loosecannon]

well MGDnow24, since you are already getting great advice on linear selection, i will just offer up a tidbit of info for your consideration. this is not meant to deter you from purchasing a linear, merely to help you budget your buck for maximum bang.

in order to increase your signal on a listener's S-meter by 1 S-unit, you have to quadruple your power output. this is true regardless of whether you are talking about 1 watt or 10,000 watts.

so let's say you put out 180 watts PEP right now, and you hit a local station with an S-5.
to hit that same station at an S-6, you will have to increase your power to 720 watts PEP.

so all the money you spend to get up to 800 watts out is only going to net you one additional S-unit.

to really benefit from adding an amp to your system, you really want to get a 10 db increase or more from what you currently have.

so if you currently put out 180 watts PEP, and you would like to gain 2 additional S-units on stations you talk to; you need to find an amplifier that puts out 2500 watts or more.

the reason i say all this is that if you are trying to figure out how much to spend on an amplifier, you will find that you will be much better off shelling out the money for a bigger amp now than if you bought one now, realized you needed more, and had to take the loss selling it on the used market in order to buy the big amp.

obviously you should do your own additional research online regarding what i just posted before you make any purchases, as no one persons' post should be taken as gospel.
LC

 

[Mgdnow24]

Thanks to all who replied to my post. Each of you had some very useful information that I had been looking for. I really appreciate each one of you for taking the time out of your day to pass along some of your knowledge. Thanks Steve

 

[w9cll]

Think about putting some of the "amp" money into the antenna, a better antenna will always be a better bet.

 

[Road Squawker]

Think about putting some of the "amp" money into the antenna, a better antenna will always be a better bet.

EXACTLY,..... and an antenna will work for Rx too.

 

[543_Dallas]

Think about putting some of the "amp" money into the antenna, a better antenna will always be a better bet.

Maximizing antenna performance is great. The first thing that comes to mind is a beam but I don't think everyone looks at the big picture.

I know you already know this but if you go to a directional antenna you aren't gaining power but refocusing it. That's good in some situations but can complicate things too. Especially for a person that can only have one antenna.

We have a couple of guys here that put up 4 and 5 element beams trying to be the big kids on the block. The issue with that it they live in the middle of the city and lost some of their ability to talk locally.

Someone is always in a null trying to talk to them, they constantly have to move the beam, someone on an omni has to relay messages, then they end up running power to talk to people off the side of their antennas.

Everytime someone else puts up a beam it gets worse. I have to stop here before I really start a rambling. These guys are annoying and it's became a pet peeve of mine.

 

[wavrider]

http://www.hamuniverse.com/linearamp.html

About same that LooseCannon posted, good read.

Antenna?? First 10DB of gain on 14mhz and up comes from the antenna.

Now if you want to be able to have great results on DX yagi is the way to go , there are alternatives to a yagi but they are stationary antennas, and cost a lot less$$.

If you just prefer local rag chew, then a good vertical HIGH in the air, I mean 50' or higher, as high as you can safely go or as high as your budget allows.
Here in Florida the so called BIG GUNS like 90' with yagis for statewide contacts.
A vertical at 90' works great also.

Put the $$$ into a tower and antenna before you even consider an amplifier.
CB voodoo is needing a big amplifier, not true, those that know what they are doing get their antenna high in the air and talk just as far as those other stations running a KW at 30' AGL. The added benefit is you will hear stations further away than the lower antennas will hear.

 

[cbkidd1]

Good Morning to everyone,
So say i was to start all over, In order to get the maximum trans and rec signal, Would i be better off Buying a beam that has hi power Multiplication say 50x at a 100 watts, Instead of spending my money on a 5000 watt amplifier? Witch one would do the better job?

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

A large beam and 100 watts will allow you to talk WITH people. 5000 watts and a small antenna will allow you to talk AT people. See the difference? Besides that running 5000 watts is a whole different world tham running even at a kilowatt. Bad things happen fast when something goes wrong at that kind of power level.

 

[tba02]

The beam will improve both receive and transmit. The amp only transmit, and if going into a poor antenna system it may not help on transmit either. Talking to yourself through your toaster gets old after a while.

Putting money into an antenna system will yield greater overall benefit.

 

[undertaker]

Beam all the way!!

 

[ButtFuzz]

If I had an unlimited budget, I'd get a multi-mega element beam mounted as high as possible.

The above situation does not describe me, however. Never having a beam so high as to cause vertigo, I have had several small beams (3 element at 20 feet, etc.). That was about 10 years ago. Overall, I have made more contacts on my 20M dipole at 35 feet BY FAR than any other antenna I have bought or made. It just seems to work, and can take all the power I can put into it.

Fancy? no
Efficient? no
Practical? yes
Cheap? yes
Works? yes
Is relatively broad-banded? yes

One day, when I grow up, I will have that 100 ft. tower. Until then, 73!

 

[tba02]

If you consider that an 1.5KW amp is around $3K new. A Texas Star Sweet 16 or similar is ~$1K. That money can be spent on a LOT of tower(s) and you you can install/hang a plethora of antennas!

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

If you consider that an 1.5KW amp is around $3K new. A Texas Star Sweet 16 or similar is ~$1K. That money can be spent on a LOT of tower(s) and you you can install/hang a plethora of antennas!

I suppose if you go with some guyed Rohn 25 for a tower. My Trylon 64 foot freestanding tower was over $3000 plus taxes and freight.

 

[tba02]

I'd take a 64 ft tower over 1.5KW any day!

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

I'd take a 64 ft tower over 1.5KW any day!

Well I have the tower and am working on about 1.5 Kw or more when the project is finished. It's still a work in progress and will be for some time.