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QuestionS About CB's and Hams

SR385 said:
Many hams will do the same and it seems more and more of them lately too.

As more and more CBers move to amateur radio, bringing the CB mentality with them.

Probably the biggest issue, equipment aside, is the obsession with wringing every last watt from the given setup. A carry over from CB myths for sure.

Yep.

CB gear is dirtier by its nature but there are plenty of horrific ham signals on the bands too as a result of that last watt mentality, running all knobs to the right, doing service menu 'tune-ups' etc etc. It's a shame.

Yep.

I'm running an SDR for a receiver full time now, one that has a 125MHz sampling rate direct conversion front-end. The pan-adapter and spectrum view is very high resolution. Since starting out with SDR, it's been incredible just how dirty some guys run day in and day out.

I'm tempted to make a hall of shame site and start listing screen shots and recordings with the call signs for credit but most of these ops are just plain dumb....it wouldn't make any difference.

The worst locals are the Spanish guys over in NYC that do the service menu turn up with the TS-2000's to drive them well over 150W and then drive +15db of 100Hz into their audio. They have almost 2k of opposite sideband bleed over and wind up about 8k wide on SSB all told.

The worst SSB signal I've ever seen on the band regularly is on 3.823 with a 3 call guy that sounds like he's on a Uniden with the clipper pulled out. He's an easy 8k wide with a LOT more signal energy in that width too and almost no opposite sideband suppression.

Problem with a lot of this is, these guys are dumb as stumps and just don't care. The FCC can't regulate stupid unfortunately and once an IQ is low enough, no amount of advice will get through.

For the original poster, get your ticket, you will learn a LOT if you are motivated. The amount I've picked up in just the last two years has been stunning and I have played with radio for almost 30yrs. Having the right people and the right information available to guide you can really open your eyes to how this all works. Look for local clubs and attend a few meetings of each one until you find a fit for what you are looking for. There is a lot to be had in the hobby, something for everybody. Trick is finding out all the options.
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Good post! (y)
 
TheTeZ said:
ok "bob" but do you honestly think all of the amps on 11m are dirty?
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Sorry for the late reply but 12 hour shifts leave a bit to be desired when it comes to keeping up. Moleculo pretty much spoke for me but I thought I would add my own 2¢. Any amp that is class C and used for either AM, to some extent, or SSB to any extent, is dirty.That's just the nature of the beast and the laws of physics and electrical engineering and NO amount of "I can run class C on AM and be clean and clear" is going to change it.That falls under what I said in my previous statement about knowing what to look for and what good audio really is. A great deal of class AB amps are dirty but could be clean IF the operators would stop driving the piss out of them to achieve that last watt out of it. Run the damn amps at what the transistors are rated at by the manufacturer that made them not by what some amp maker says you can. That itself will go a long way in keeping a signal clean. Any amp will be a dirty amp if over driven and that includes a Collins or Henry 5K Ultra.
 
QRN said:
Any amp that is class C and used for either AM, to some extent, or SSB to any extent, is dirty.That's just the nature of the beast and the laws of physics and electrical engineering and NO amount of "I can run class C on AM and be clean and clear" is going to change it.
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It took me a long time to realize that what QRN just stated is the truth, plain and simple. Once you accept what the truth is you can move forward in your hobby and enjoy it for all that it's worth.
 
well even if ya choose to run the equipment on 10 meter, keeping the alc limiter in your radio will help alot as well as keeping drive down. just something to keep in mind when judging clean, if you are being heard with anywhere close to a 10khz signal on 75m look out everyone up and down the band will be bitching. yes some equipment is dirtier than others as stated, but for the average on a signal it should be around 2khz down from your freq. and 2khz up.
 
i never said mine was 10khz away, i said i dont hear mine at even 10khz away. Ive got all limiters in my radios and all that, my tech is a ham and pretty awesome at "tuning" radios, hes got all kinds of equipment to make sure its where its supposed to be, and he just does an awesome job.

I appreciate any helpful information like this though i dont mean to have it sounds like im dismissing what your saying, because i do appreciate any of this stuff.
 
TheTeZ said:
i will get them, not going to take pics now, and im gonna be away till sunday. ill be able to get online, but wont be home.

you can google the "Fatboy 700 Base Amp" its the gold box and ab biased
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This discription by fatboy contradicts itself.
See hylighted text

This is a brand new, three pill, base station, 700 watt, linear amplifier. Just plug this amplifier into the wall and start talking. It contains its own power supply. It is designed for base station use at home, for 120 volt A/C.
- SINGLE SIDE BAND, CLASS AB-1, PRE-AMP
- 1 x 2SC2290 transistor driving 2 x 2SC2879 transitors
- Variable Power
- Automatic Fan to keep amp cool during long key downs
- Dimensions H 6 x L 12 x W 8
- Weight is 20 pounds
- Class C: Works perfect on FM, AM, SSB and CW
- On/off Switch
- LED on/off Indicator Light
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ha ha, never noticed that. but from what i understand the ab biased in the "gold box" is an upgraded version.... so it is possible that the thing has been upgraded to ab, and they kept the same stats, just updating that first part, and forgetting about the 2nd.. i know ive done that same type of thing i dont even know how many times.

or of course it could just be a big crock....
 

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