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Do I really need two alternators

What you are wanting to do is mostly frowned upon by those trying to enjoy the hobby. Personally, I don't care because TX is so far from me and you won't be adding to the noise in my receiver. You may want to watch how much you bleed over the band too. With enough interference, you're bound to catch the attention of the FCC. You won't win your on air competition because someone with a better antenna, more money, more experience, and bigger amp will always walk on you. If I travel to TX I might as well leave my radio at home.

I'm not trying to insult you or even argue with you. I'm just explaining why you might catch attitude from those that enjoy the hobby and not the feeling of superiority being able to shut people down.
 
Here is a good video about the "Big 3" used in the car audio world to make the most of what you have. For any upgrade I would use at least 1/0 welding wire for everything. I would also use dielectric grease on all the connections to prevent corrosion.

 
Welding cable and connectors..0 gauge and bigger is the only way.
Get a Leece 240 or bigger. I'm slowly doing my second ac build. This time no computers..no smog and a long nose 'burn.

alt4.jpg alt1.jpg
 
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What you are wanting to do is mostly frowned upon by those trying to enjoy the hobby. Personally, I don't care because TX is so far from me and you won't be adding to the noise in my receiver. You may want to watch how much you bleed over the band too. With enough interference, you're bound to catch the attention of the FCC. You won't win your on air competition because someone with a better antenna, more money, more experience, and bigger amp will always walk on you. If I travel to TX I might as well leave my radio at home.

I'm not trying to insult you or even argue with you. I'm just explaining why you might catch attitude from those that enjoy the hobby and not the feeling of superiority being able to shut people down.
I wouldn't leave my radios at home. Those guys are just a local nuisance in most cases.
 
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As someone that put a Corvette engine in my 1986 Toyota 4Runner I have little room to talk about doing stupid things for no reason. In my defense, I was in college and was young and dumb. My first degree was in Aviation Material Science and Technology. I cast my own adapters out of aluminum with sand molds. Prior to that, I was running a 22RE with a stroker crank, cam and valve springs that would run up to 9500 RPM's. I used the Toyota Alternator, AC compressor, Power Steering etc....I built a 700R4 with 9 or 10 clutches and steels, kevlar band full welded, reworked reverse valve body, no lock up torque converter, B&M Rachet shifter with reverse lockout Marlin Crawler Dual Transfer Case......So I fully understand more money than brains. I would litterly watch the needle on my fuel tank drop under full Wide Open Throttle. Oh and I had a first generation Taiwan RCI2950 w 2 MRF455 ABunder hood amp and 102" whip, 12,000lbs. winch 240amp welding setup with 2nd alternator and multiple commercial batteries with isolator. Suspension lift with custom-made leaf springs and torsion bar's.

That all said I would never install a TS Sweet 16 in it. Not once did I ever run into a situation where I could not talk to someone because I did not have enough power. I did run into a situation where people between me and my desired contact would key over me with insane power and sometimes a base antenna. The really funny thing was that 75% of the time my audio made it through with enough intelligibility that my target audience could still hear me and understand me. I was always grateful for overmodulation, super swing, NPC mod's and hifi type audio and more amp than a vechile could support because if those idiots keying over me had not done those modifications my little 2 pill would not have gotten through! LOL People always thought I was a base station which made me laugh with my tiny amp and no gain 102" whip. I never turned my rf power up past 12 O'Clock on AM and only for pile up's did I turn it up for SSB.



Key mod's better voltage regulator, higher voltage capacitors, switchable crystal filters, SP1-a compressor, schocktty diodes. Pressurized cabinet for amp and fairly large heat sink. Hand picked MRF455 with tripple digit gain. One of my job's back then was to sort and match the bulk transistors and tubes that the shop ordered every couple of months.Since I used an small amp I never modified my gear for more power but for cooler more stable operation. Once a year I aligned my gear.

Between weak electrical systems, shitty coax and connector termination and butchered modifications seldom do you need to do much to be heard if you do the basics right! If you do not do the basics right nothing else matter's it is like having a big block in pisk up truck with no weight over the rear axle and skinny tires it does not matter if you have insane HP and TQ if you can not put it to the pavement! Smoking tires do not get you to the finish line first and big powerful amp will not get you heard if you fail to feed it properly or cannot get it out into the world efficiently without much loses!

I am opinionated but I am also right!
 
No you do not need two alternators. Maybe just a little self restraint?
I thought I was the only HP nut here. How about a Turbo charged RX-7 motorcycle?
I built one. Would not corner with a damn, but down a quarter mile it was terrifying. I made only one good pass with out having to "Pedal it." It was banned from the track because I tripped the last lights while still riding a wheelie.
 
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As someone that put a Corvette engine in my 1986 Toyota 4Runner I have little room to talk about doing stupid things for no reason. In my defense, I was in college and was young and dumb. My first degree was in Aviation Material Science and Technology. I cast my own adapters out of aluminum with sand molds. Prior to that, I was running a 22RE with a stroker crank, cam and valve springs that would run up to 9500 RPM's. I used the Toyota Alternator, AC compressor, Power Steering etc....I built a 700R4 with 9 or 10 clutches and steels, kevlar band full welded, reworked reverse valve body, no lock up torque converter, B&M Rachet shifter with reverse lockout Marlin Crawler Dual Transfer Case......So I fully understand more money than brains. I would litterly watch the needle on my fuel tank drop under full Wide Open Throttle. Oh and I had a first generation Taiwan RCI2950 w 2 MRF455 ABunder hood amp and 102" whip, 12,000lbs. winch 240amp welding setup with 2nd alternator and multiple commercial batteries with isolator. Suspension lift with custom-made leaf springs and torsion bar's.

That all said I would never install a TS Sweet 16 in it. Not once did I ever run into a situation where I could not talk to someone because I did not have enough power. I did run into a situation where people between me and my desired contact would key over me with insane power and sometimes a base antenna. The really funny thing was that 75% of the time my audio made it through with enough intelligibility that my target audience could still hear me and understand me. I was always grateful for overmodulation, super swing, NPC mod's and hifi type audio and more amp than a vechile could support because if those idiots keying over me had not done those modifications my little 2 pill would not have gotten through! LOL People always thought I was a base station which made me laugh with my tiny amp and no gain 102" whip. I never turned my rf power up past 12 O'Clock on AM and only for pile up's did I turn it up for SSB.



Key mod's better voltage regulator, higher voltage capacitors, switchable crystal filters, SP1-a compressor, schocktty diodes. Pressurized cabinet for amp and fairly large heat sink. Hand picked MRF455 with tripple digit gain. One of my job's back then was to sort and match the bulk transistors and tubes that the shop ordered every couple of months.Since I used an small amp I never modified my gear for more power but for cooler more stable operation. Once a year I aligned my gear.

Between weak electrical systems, shitty coax and connector termination and butchered modifications seldom do you need to do much to be heard if you do the basics right! If you do not do the basics right nothing else matter's it is like having a big block in pisk up truck with no weight over the rear axle and skinny tires it does not matter if you have insane HP and TQ if you can not put it to the pavement! Smoking tires do not get you to the finish line first and big powerful amp will not get you heard if you fail to feed it properly or cannot get it out into the world efficiently without much loses!

I am opinionated but I am also right!
Cool story! I too, have won a lot of local keys by taking advantage of other stations weaknesses. It doesn' take as much as you would think, if it's set up properly. Had a diesel F250 pickup, radio was a mosfet Cobra 29 with a clean tune, into 4x2879's. Killed a lot of alternaters, till I bought a heavier duty one from DB Electrical. 2 group 31 batteries under the hood, an extra one in the tool box, in series with a floating deep cycle 6 volt. All #0 welding cable with copper lug connectors. Lots of body and chassis bonding. System would float at 22 volts and drop to 18 volts on keydown. Pulled the 6 volt out and charged it about once a month, when I would see the voltage lagging. I would build an 18" copper pipe riser, screw a 102 ss whip in the top, and cut it till the anylizer said it was resonate, put a static ball on the top and be done! I Had a lot of fun with this mobile, and could get in on pretty much any conversation I wished.
 
This what I am hearing in this thread, people are acting like idiots with high powered illegal equipment, and the answer is to be a higher power idiot? If those people cause you that much stress why not do the right thing and get him busted by the FCC? You might even get some local hams involved to locate him and help you out through the complaint process. Adding more ass to an asinine problem is not the answer.
By the way, if some body is infringing on your rights and you turn them in, It is not "Snitching" You are standing up for your rights. If you don't protect yourself, who will?
If you are carrying a heavy load and you are maxed out, more load is not the answer.
But that's my opinion.
 
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Just for the record, I have done some illegal things, I'm not justifying it. Even so, I have never used my radio equipment, base or mobile, to antagonize. If I don' like what I'm hearing, I move on!........peace.....
I had my rowdy hell raising days. When I worked in the oil field (Off Shore) if somebody said that you can't do that it's against the law, I'd do it just for spite.(With in reason)
 
I never heard of a Shure 557b.
Could you be referring to the 175 ohm 577b?


Yup. Have six of them. Never get the nomenclature right. Geezer hood sucks.

Could also be all that RF in my cars has stunted my brain !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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  • @ BJ radionut:
    EVAN/Crawdad :love: ...runna pile-up on 6m SSB(y) W4AXW in the air
    +1
  • @ Crawdad:
    One of the few times my tiny station gets heard on 6m!:D
  • @ Galanary:
    anyone out here familiar with the Icom IC-7300 mods
  • @ Crawdad:
    7300 very nice radio, what's to hack?