What amp to buy

[Trashman]

Hello all
Newbie here to the site but have been around the Cb radio since my first 23 channel radio was purchased for me in 1977 when I was 13 I use a Cb daily in my work semi running barefoot I’m now 58 and finally got a base hooked up I run a cobra 2000 gtl currently swings to about 14 watts on am and low 20s on ssb I’m not sure what the dead key is set at but I’m running a 150 typhoon mobile amp powered by a pyramid 35 amp power supply Antron 99 antenna and 150ft RG 213 coax swr no more than 1.2 across band I get good reports both am and ssb I really like the Texas Star amps. I was looking at the 350hd my question is would this amp give me a more noticeable difference than the 150 I’m using? If so would the pyramid 35 amp power supply be enough to run the 350 hd? Would the dead key on the cobra 2000 need to be set low? Just looking for clean crisp noticeable results. Or should I go higher like 500 ? Opinions advice suggestions are welcome THANKS IN ADVANCE!!

 

[Eldorado828]

With the solar cycle getting started, you don't need a ton of powa to reach out and touch someone. Sounds like you've got things pretty squared up already so you're off to a good start buddy.

Question is SSB or just regular AM, Bias or not to bias?

Texas star isn't the same Texas star from a decade back and primarily because of the transistors no longer available vs what is used today. Not saying they aren't any good but they just aren't as robust as they once were. And they're pricey!
But.... there are a few other choices to pick from at a lesser price.
Rocketbox
Rm italy
Fatboy
An rm Italy kl-503 would pair well with your setup and at a much lesser cost than the TS. They're built well and so far hold up well as many here in the forums use the rm Italy.

You've got amp builders but cost go high when going that route.

Just my opinion for whatever it's worth.

 

[loosecannon]

to gain 1 S-unit on someone's receiver you'll have to quadruple your power output.

if you are putting out about 150 watts PEP right now, you'll need 600 watts to gain an S unit.
this is true no matter what level of power we are talking about.
LC

 

[AudioShockwav]

Yep .
I think those were 2 x TRW 9847 if you wanted a real difference you would need a 500 or more and a bigger power supply.
Can you put up a beam?
3 elements up on the flat side and you can work Dx with ease with what you have.

73
Jeff

 

[w9cll]

Skip the amp and ramp up with antennas. As stated a simple 3 element horizontal antenna will do wonders. Amps get get in the way and cause more issues than they solve. I have been a ham for 30+ years now and never felt the needffor an amp. Antenna antenna antenna is the answer.

 

[Enterprise312ok]

Talk to the local shops around, you never know your local cb guy may have a freind that builds nice boxes.
One thing about a local made box, It is much easier to get it serviced if something does go wrong.

 

[Shadetree Mechanic]

The first hundred watts will be the best bang for the buck. Five hundred watts is the point of diminishing returns.

Power in Perspective | CB Radio Magazine

POWER IN PERSPECTIVE - CB WATTS AND DISTANCE In today's CB world being heard by someone else on the radio can be difficult. There is considerably more interference than there was 20 years ago. CB radios themselves aren't really built to talk very far but many CB radio enthusiasts modify their...

cbradiomagazine.com

 

[nomadradio]

The first hundred watts will be the best bang for the buck.

It's all about proportion. To go from 20 Watt peaks to 100 Watt peaks is a five to one step up. The next step that size is 500 Watts. The money to make that step is more than what 100 will cost you, but still won't quite make your eyes water.

Next five-to-one step up is now 2500 Watts. You'll see that the dollar step up is a lot more than the previous two steps up.

In terms of bang for the buck, I would put Shadetree's point of diminishing returns somewhere between 500 and 1000 Watts.

Cost rises at a faster rate than the S-meter boost at the other end for power much more than that. Consider that beefing up coax and antenna may also be part of that step to 2500.

73

 

[9C1Driver]

Hello all
Newbie here to the site but have been around the Cb radio since my first 23 channel radio was purchased for me in 1977 when I was 13 I use a Cb daily in my work semi running barefoot I’m now 58 and finally got a base hooked up I run a cobra 2000 gtl currently swings to about 14 watts on am and low 20s on ssb I’m not sure what the dead key is set at but I’m running a 150 typhoon mobile amp powered by a pyramid 35 amp power supply Antron 99 antenna and 150ft RG 213 coax swr no more than 1.2 across band I get good reports both am and ssb I really like the Texas Star amps. I was looking at the 350hd my question is would this amp give me a more noticeable difference than the 150 I’m using? If so would the pyramid 35 amp power supply be enough to run the 350 hd? Would the dead key on the cobra 2000 need to be set low? Just looking for clean crisp noticeable results. Or should I go higher like 500 ? Opinions advice suggestions are welcome THANKS IN ADVANCE!!

Just to add on to what has already been said. A new Texas Star amp is not what they used to be. Your Pyramid 35 is not enough to run one. To jump from 150 watts PEP to 300ish you will gain 1/2 of an S unit.

How high up is your Antron 99? Height is might. If your only 15-25 feet in the air you might try to get 40-50 feet up. You could also consider a 3 or 4 element beam antenna.

 

[9C1Driver]

With the solar cycle getting started, you don't need a ton of powa to reach out and touch someone. Sounds like you've got things pretty squared up already so you're off to a good start buddy.

Question is SSB or just regular AM, Bias or not to bias?

Texas star isn't the same Texas star from a decade back and primarily because of the transistors no longer available vs what is used today. Not saying they aren't any good but they just aren't as robust as they once were. And they're pricey!
But.... there are a few other choices to pick from at a lesser price.
Rocketbox
Rm italy
Fatboy
An rm Italy kl-503 would pair well with your setup and at a much lesser cost than the TS. They're built well and so far hold up well as many here in the forums use the rm Italy.

You've got amp builders but cost go high when going that route.

Just my opinion for whatever it's worth.

I would skip the whole Rocket Box option. This is what their web site says, nothing listed and no pics of anything. Probably ran out of their mosfets.

ATTENTION CUSTOMERS​

We are currently not taking any orders. Please contact your local radio shop
Thank you for understanding.

 

[Dr_DX]

We need a little more info to give you really good answers.

Who do you primarily want to talk to - Locals or DX?

If Locals, are they all in one direction or scattered all around? Do the majority run Ground planes (Vertical) or Beams (Horizontal)?

Without knowing these answers, the best thing you can do is figure out how to shorten that 150' of RG213. It is decent coax but at that length you are losing over 40% of your power/signal. Less than 60% of your power from your amp gets to the A-99. And less than 60% of your RX signal makes it from the A-99 to your Cobra 2000. Just using a shorter length of Coax will be free $$$ wise and make a big difference.

If you can't do that, the next best "bang for your buck" would be an antenna upgrade. Amps only improve your TX signal; Antennas improve both RX and TX signal. A 3 element beam will make your Typhoon seem like it is putting out over 600 watts - if the beam is pointing at them. If not, it will seem that you turned off your Typhoon. Beams are lousy for rag chewing when the stations are scattered all around.

Since you are currently using a vertically polarized A-99, I would say the best bang for your buck would be to replace it with a Sigma 4/Vector 4000 type Ground Plane antenna. This style of ground plane has shown to have the best usable gain. With probably 3db gain over the A-99, it will seem that you are using a 300 watt amp (while still using the Typhoon). Also your RX signals will be much stronger.

You can get one here for less than $170 shipped (much cheaper than a Texas Star):

http://www.rmitaly.us/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9_20&products_id=42

If we had a bit more info, we could probably give you better answers. Also if you have a budget limit, that would help too. It would keep us from suggesting solutions that are out of range.

Welcome to the forum!