Superb radio. Everyone I have seen works perfectly out of the box; no need for "peak & tune", "Super-wack-pack" or "Turbo-tune" or any other intentional molestation and ruination.
I don't know if you're a radio amateur, but if you are, the last thing you want is any kind of peaking and tuning, which may ruin it's performance on 10M (which is excellent, BTW).
You will want the radio dead stock. It would be useful to know if you're a ham, as I have some ham-related info on that radio. Stuff that the "expanded mode" doesn't do. In other words, it's a real 10M radio, with repeater splits, CTCSS tone and coverage right to the end of 10m (29.700). This is why I bought mine: it's great "CB" radio with all the bells, whistles and noise-toys, and great AM "schwing", and it's a great 10M radio with all the features that hams want. Perfect.
In terms of power, it will do 50W average out of the box. Magnum claims that this is about 75W PEP, but in my experience with amateur HF rigs, (Yaesu, etc.,) they rate those rigs' PEP as the same as the CW carrier output. My own FT-990 does 100 + watts CW carrier out of the box, and Yaesu rates the rig at 100W PEP. So that is what I use, and have used for years. CB manufacturers like to hype the PEP outputs to make them sound more powerful ta they really are. The S45HP will do 50W single tone (which is the same as CW carrier). So 50W it is. 50W is a tad too much even for a 4-pill 2879 amp. Luckily, the S45HP has a power control. The average 4-pill 2879 will handle 50W in, but you're stretching it's IMD specs and looking for increased distortion. Having said that, the Ameritron ALS-500 is rated at 50W input, and it is a 4-pill 2879 amp, so guide yourself accordingly.
I don't know if you're a radio amateur, but if you are, the last thing you want is any kind of peaking and tuning, which may ruin it's performance on 10M (which is excellent, BTW).
You will want the radio dead stock. It would be useful to know if you're a ham, as I have some ham-related info on that radio. Stuff that the "expanded mode" doesn't do. In other words, it's a real 10M radio, with repeater splits, CTCSS tone and coverage right to the end of 10m (29.700). This is why I bought mine: it's great "CB" radio with all the bells, whistles and noise-toys, and great AM "schwing", and it's a great 10M radio with all the features that hams want. Perfect.
In terms of power, it will do 50W average out of the box. Magnum claims that this is about 75W PEP, but in my experience with amateur HF rigs, (Yaesu, etc.,) they rate those rigs' PEP as the same as the CW carrier output. My own FT-990 does 100 + watts CW carrier out of the box, and Yaesu rates the rig at 100W PEP. So that is what I use, and have used for years. CB manufacturers like to hype the PEP outputs to make them sound more powerful ta they really are. The S45HP will do 50W single tone (which is the same as CW carrier). So 50W it is. 50W is a tad too much even for a 4-pill 2879 amp. Luckily, the S45HP has a power control. The average 4-pill 2879 will handle 50W in, but you're stretching it's IMD specs and looking for increased distortion. Having said that, the Ameritron ALS-500 is rated at 50W input, and it is a 4-pill 2879 amp, so guide yourself accordingly.
The S 45HP is an attractive radio which I have been following for some time. From what I have read on the forums the latest ones seem to have most of the bugs ironed out now.
How do they perform straight out of the box? I don't own one as yet but is there an advantage in having the radio aligned , peaked and tuned? I don't want to over ride the radio where it shortens its life so I would probably leave the power settings as they are but is the alignment and tune an almost mandatory tweak.
I was thinking that if you needed more power it would be better to run an amp rather than pump up the radio.
Is this correct?
