I spoke on cb with one of those and the furthest i went was from Canada to some island by Africa, called st helens or something like that....what happened was, i drove the amp hard and it blew....then my radios finals blew...either way, learning lesson, but if you do as you say, not to drive them hard, they work like a champion...Thumbs up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Actually for cooling without a fan on this type amplifier you would want that bolted on the wall with the switches facing up. The fins on the sink will draw more air and have more surface area that way , So the long way vertical so the heat flows. This is how I have my Mobile Audio amps set up. If I leave them on the bottom facing up they get hotter. Vertical heat flows faster like a radiator and can use the whole length of the heat sink for cooling.
I fixed a KL-300 for a guy a while back. He smoked 2 power transistors running wide open. When I replaced them the originals didn’t have thermal pads or compound on them and weren’t making good contact to the heat sink. I put some trimmed thermal pads made for larger IGBTs under them and he has been running it over a year now with no issues at near max output. Good advice in the video, no power electronics should be ran at max for a long time.
@@jenpsakiscousin4589 There R alot of us jacks of all trades masters of none. I am there along with ya. This guy has some solid advice when he said buy some books but I really get alot of time to read. I get up answer customers emails and go out in the shop get the place warmed up and ready to rock until like 6-7pm so it is hard but at least most books save ya from making the more stupid mistakes. My main question I am pondering am I going to be safe running this 50 to 100 watts thru twin trucker antennas. At quitting time today I may just find that out...
Great info, I've never used a burner, but am seriously thinking of buying that exact model! I have an alinco dr135dx which doesnt really need an amp as it kicks 60ish watts on ssb. But I also have a multi norm and my old Rotel 240. Fact is, it's all right getting out farther, a bit pointless if the guy at the other end is on 4 watts and cant talk back to you! Great video, great review and info!
Great video and much good information. Your a good teacher and easy to listen to. Keep vids coming; I've subscribed... Thank you.... DB from the U.S....
One of the most fundemental things you forgot to say... “Low Pass Filter.” Most CBers never consider LPFs. These linears typically have little to none. Add some over driven input and someone in the 6m band suffers. Always add a LPF (30MHz) on the output... Also, a ferrite on the power lead would be a good thing to help prevent stray RF getting into the PSU and the mains wiring.
Well, as a ham, I care. If I were on the 6m band and was being interfered with by a second harmonic from a CB running illegal power, I would be within my right to complain. By all means, run whatever power you want on 11m, 1000W for all I care, but don’t mess my band up :-)
RustySkull Productions, I just watched it. This is only my opinion, but if you’re a licensed UK ham, I don’t agree with your statement. Unfiltered 200W linear on 26MHz could have an appreciable output on the second harmonic. Add some SpE and the operator could be bashing out a fair signal all over Europe on 52MHz. Not just adjacent channels. Hardly cricket is it? :-) But... I’ll leave it there. Each to their own. I like your basic approach and think you have a lot to offer the radio community. I’m not always convinced the community cares about my comments though :-) PS. EL519 tubes would probably work in your valve amp too. Avoid PL509/519. They have 40V heaters.
Most of the people I know running these and bigger burners on 11 meters are hams! I wish they would stay on their own bands so I can get out with my legal rig and not have all incoming the signals squashed every time they key up!
@@braxtonhickswaxinglyrical3068 I guess there is a problem when I power up my paltry 3000 watts USA put it to my really rusty really crusty ancient Modified very old once derelict old MOON RAKER ANTENNA and you people in England and Canada go outta your friggin minds. I only stay patronizing & annoying for a little while and now most of U bugs and flies have become used to my couple of minutes of pure heckling... Hey it's all in good fun. When I first began doing it I got charge out of punking U weak ass UK based AM and Side band boobs. My ancient Palamino is much like this guys old tube amp in the video it's huge and when I dead key sometimes to get readings my lights can dim and in and out in the shop... The amp was said stated new to be 1500 watt max output but it is way way underrated by real tuning spec. Every now and then go by the handle Great Scott and U limeys crawl over me when I do that knowing I ain't UK..... Say Hello to the real Great Scott 4 me okay...
1 watt deadkey is perfect and swing 4 watts pep...all you need and about 25 % duty cycle..u never have issues...buy size you need and buy it 1 time and be done...
Great video. Thanks for sharing. These amps put out a lot of harmonics, that should be removed before they get to the antenna, so it is good practice to put a low pass filter between the amp and your antenna. Some may not know that harmonics are emitted at multiples of the operating frequency. Harmonics will show up as more power when measured with a watt meter, but are useless as they are not on the operating frequency, and may interfere with an op who is using 2 or 3 times your operating frequency.
Thank you Rusty. I’ve got a George 11 with thunderpole. I’m using the rear ports from the power supply to power the rig. Can I use the two ports at the front to fire it up and use the RM 203p? Phil
The KL503HD (high drive) allows for up to 35 watts input power without problem. You are right about not running the burner at 100% capacity, as with any electronics or mechanical things running them at 100% will quickly kill the devices. That was the reason I bought the KL503HD so if I run 100 watts I am only using half of its capacity.
I'm looking into running a KL60 with my Uniden PC78LTX. I can't find any information on what the power requirements are for the amp, or instructions on how to hook it all together.
Thank you very much for this video, it helps a lot. But may I ask sir, is it ok just hook up this amps directly to a radio with no modifications aside from turning down the output of your radio so as not to over drive the amp? I sure would appreciate an answer sir.
I currently have a CTE International 4w max input 200w am/fm 400w ssb output. I have a split charge rigged up in my van and the burner is connected up to a leisure battery, so Im good. No dead van battery. Way back when I was 10.... I was given a slightly dodgy Superstar 360... channel selector had lost its click on a few channels, but it worked.. I was also given a 600w valve linear amp and I used a home made antenna... made out of welding rods and car springs welded together. 1979.. it was impossible to buy stuff from the shops. I caused no TVI until 1981 when I got a legal 27/81 4w rig for xmas I have seen someone using doorbell wire to power a rig and burner. Ive also seen people using TV coax instead of RG58 etc
I use one of these in the mobile. No more than a 3.5 watts AM or FM carrier maximum on the KL-203! At best you MIGHT get 80 watts of carrier out of this amp on AM or FM with a 14.4 volt input and the AM will be muffled because the headroom isn't there! I set my amp up to have a dead carrier of 60 watts with a swing of around 65 to 70 watts max and it runs clean.The best way to set these little amps up is to run them to a dummy load and manually adjust your radio dead key up and when the amp maxes out you back the radio off so that the amp outputs around 10 or 15 watts BELOW the saturation of the amp. Now you will have a little amp that delivers clean power that won't overheat. As to the tube amp it is using sweep tubes. People would be amazed that the maximum rating for each tube in that tube amp is 25 watts RMS continuous carrier for a total of 50 watts but yes, you can get much more out of that tube amp and the tubes will be short lived. The tubes are sideways and as they overheat the metal in them can sag and short out. Been there and done that with that very amp. I sold it on eBAY years ago! The tube amp is really only good to use as a driver for a bigger amp and if not then a conversation piece in the radio room..
I have a very ancient Palamino tube amp from the early 80's only had it to a shop once to be fixed & up graded. It's a nice amp still going strong. I really love pissing off U limeys in the UK and Canada. The Palamino as far as shops records show me was only rated in 1985 @ 1500 watts but when I had mine to be tested more than once or twice the damn thing literally throws 3000 watts dead key almost 3500 swinging... I have mine tuned to an ancient old Galaxy 5 radio and a really ancient rusty crusty old MOON RAKER ANTENNA and believe me I can even wipe out internet around here including my own... So what U refer to as feeble old tube amps that melt down ain't quite the truth. I do watch how long I will run her in the hot summers which I am hardly ever using it too busy in the summers.. But in the winter like now if I ain't screwin around on yooo tooby I play with my radio. Annoying the mexicans is one more recent hobbies talking over em or wiping em out all together.. If U have a real radio set up U R running an old tube amp I'm sorry solid state is nice but it does not deliver that crisp clear brute power broadcasting.
@@thekingsilverado8419 "Annoying the mexicans is one more recent hobbies talking over em or wiping em out all together" First of all that should be on a Tee-Shirt. How many tubes does your amp have in it? What kind of tubes are you running? As to the Moon raker those are damned good antennas.
@@waltsmith6515 Here's where the fly is in the ointment. Most people do not have reliable or accurate Watt/SWR meters and you would be AMAZED at just how far off most meters are even right off of the shelf! Even when they do have a decent meter that is accurate, most people will set their power through their antenna as their reference or load when they should be doing the set-up first using a 50 Ohm dummy load. As to decent meters a good BIRD meter is the ticket but they are expensive but there are now a lot of great 100 watt up to to 250 Watt digital meters out on the market that have the same real world 5% accuracy of the more expensive BIRD meters but they do not offer the ability to plug in slugs for different power ratings but the truth is most people will only run around 100 or 200 Watts anyhow so the problem is solved! If they are planning on joining the super bowl then they will need the BIRD meter along with a big enough dummy load to get the job done correctly. Years ago I got tired of my RF meters NOT agreeing with each other so I used a good 50 ohm dummy load and a high quality oscilloscope and did the power calculations myself to calibrate every damned RF meter I owned then these cheaper digital RF meters came out onto the market thanks to the digital age we are now in which made things even simpler to calibrate meters with. I guess I should mention that before I retired I worked in the field of electronics for over 45 years with the end of my working career being in the field of RF and RF design. Even with a meter that isn't that accurate there is a real world workaround to nail the settings even if you have a meter that's not very accurate and this method is all but idiot proof. There are a few steps involved but it's simple and straightforward. (1) You hook the radio to the amp and then run the amp through your RF meter then to the dummy load (Not an active antenna) that can handle the power. You will be looking for a couple of things with the meter. The first thing you want figure out is the maximum dead carrier output the amp can deliver with the radio it will be hooked up to. To do this you start the radio at it's lowest RF output power setting and monitor the output power with the amp turned on and then you slowly increase the power on the radio until you find the peak dead carrier the amp can deliver with no modulation. Now you have a established a maximum real world output reference the amp can deliver. Let's assume that your amp can deliver a 100 watt dead carrier and that you also have a clean radio that has NOT been bastardized to over-modulate and splatter. (And yeah this is critical because a radio that has had it's diodes snipped or a radio that has been opened up to be a splatter box throws everything right out the window and everything that I am describing here is as useless as tits on a bull) You now turn the amp back on while still feeding the 50 Ohm dummy load you key up the radio and back the power off until you read anywhere between 50 watts up to 70 watts of a dead carrier. In the real world this should give you the correct amp headroom with a really clean-loud and punchy modulation that will even peak over 100 watts on a Peak to Peak RF meter and on a true RMS meter this will read very close to 100 watts RMS during modulation. It's still up to the person setting everything up to have a basic feel for their equipment so they can tweak it for the sweet spot sound. If you drive the amp with too low of a dead carrier it will be shrill and even distorted with those hearing you seeing the windshield wiper signal on their end and if you drive the amp too high you will have very little swing and probably be swinging backwards with a muffled modulation by those who hear you. Somewhere in the near future I think I may make a video on this topic doing this on the bench so people can see this first-hand. Before I forget, the two watt radio rule is a damned good starting point.
@@RSPYT Can I run this KL203p with my twin trucker antenna. I never ran an amp since I was kid n a mobile set up but around here because of the mexicans it's getting to be a must have.... Let me know... OK
Very informative vid!! Would it be wise to have a stock cb radio de-tuned (less watts) if a linear is to be used? Stock is 4 watts but amp says not to have more than 5 watts input.
RustySkull Productions I am sure the radio is less than 4watts so there are no issues with the FCC. I have a external SWR running inline. It would be AMP to SWR to radio in that order? The SWR is a nothing fancy Workman.
I like to connect the amplifier directly to the battery but thru a relay. I have it wired so the relay turns off with the key. It's like you were talking about the alternator. These things suck a lot of power and if you forget to shut it off, you'll Quickly have a dead battery! Great video! Y'all take Care, John
Sorry to bothet you sir, I guess I'll just answer my own question. The owners manual says the amp will do 140 to 150 watts A.M., and for my present settings which does 120 watts max, I should just be happy with that so just like what I've learned from you sir, "DON'T PUSH IT TO HARD".. Thanks again sir and be safe always.
They still put out harmonics even under driving them. I tested a KL203 on spectrum analyzer driving it with 5 watts on SSB. It was filthy adding a band pass filter cured the problem. These things are cheap rubbish with no filtering in the P.A!!!!!!!!
And may I add sir, when you say, for example 4 watts input to the amp, is that dead key, or swing output when you talk into the microphone in terms of watts?
Very good insight. I have this same one,, bought it 3 months back, came from Italy,, but its a newer one bcuz its all black, even the buttons. I've two questions, 1- can you explain what a "Pill" is, and does this 203p have any? I've heard folks ask about that. 2- Can you explain how the Amp and preamp switch feature works, I've no idea.
"pills" are called that in the case of the style transistor that is white and round with 4 tails for connections yes the 203 has transistors but those are called MOSFETs a different shape entirely they are a square shape with 3 legs connecting to the main board and must physically pasted down to that finned base called heat sink if not tight enough those will blow/ over heat right away and are very sensitive to antenna match quality causing the heat issue as well I had several of the smallest version or the kl60 model it only has 1 transistor but does warm up quickly I have one that I swapped out the transistor some 6 times cause I fed over 4 watt into it in most cases it only made 50 out and even at that it was hot quick
I have a stryker radio swr good new antenna, and coax I get out maybe 6 miles but cant hear clearly over a mile or 2 will this help reception as well as the outgoing signal or?
I must have a freak amp, I have the same RM 203 I never put more than one and 3/4 W. I had it on two different meters 1 m showed 140 W the other one showed 145 and I run a fan on top of it, but I would never dream of putting more than 2W into it.
Hi mate thinking of getting an amp .think iv got my head around it but want to check with you. Want to use a small midland cb fm 40 powered by a 3 amp power supply, iv got a 10 amp power supply for amplifier. The amplifier is a rmkl203p in add it says burner input 5 to 10 w. With max output of 100 w .I get what you're saying about not wanting the max out of an amp so would that be good for about 50 w.
You need to get a bigger more amps, power converter to run a radio and amp in the house, and even a bigger power supply for the peaked radio about 10 amps and the amplifier drawing about 20 to 25amps,also high output transistor export 10 meter radios take More amps to run, but at 60 to 100watts you don't really need a linear with a good beam antenna and rotor so you can focus The power and get the decibel Gain of the antenna and you can talk all over the place
How do i limit the wattage of my amp then? My one is the dsme model as the amp in the video, but do you have to limit the power input from the power supply?
I'm reading I need to wire positive direct to the battery and ground it to the chassis. Rm says it only need 10 amps at 12-14 volts, why can't I use the outlet at the back of my jeep for power according to everyone.
Per rm site Frequency: 28 - 29.7 MHz Power Supply : 12 - 14 Vcc Input Current: 10A max Input Power: 0.5 - 10W Output Power: 100W Input VSWR: 1.1 - 1.5:1 Mode : AM - FM - SSB Fuse: 12A Fast 5×20mm Dimensions: L 125 W 120 H 40 mm
Can I use 1 psu 7-9amp on a cb 4w and kl203 amp, for in the shack ? Also, I been told long term use of the 10amp cig lighter socket is bad for an amplifier ?
It’s not bad for the amp, use that socket as much as you want but most lighter sockets are max 10amp so using it at 10amps for a long time will possibly cause the wires to melt. And obviously if the current is more than 10, they’ll Melt anyway.
@@RSPYT im still abit 10/1 and buying up allsorts atm, as only just getting back into it. I've ordered a Maas KPO Jetfon sps 30 II 35amp psu for both mentioned. Using a small 3/5amp psu for the amp atm, lol don't think its enough, ill get there,and appreciate the reply. Have yourself a wonderful weekend 👍🇬🇧
@@RSPYT tbh mate I think it has, but atleast I ain't t blown the amp lol. It was an old psu, I use a 7/9amp, and ordered the 30amp Maas last night, so be here next week.
Hi there sir, I detuned my radio to around 2.5 watts dead key and swings with modulation at around 7 to 8 watts. My KL300P does a deadkey of around 15 watts and swings at 50 to 70 watts in low power and does deadkey of 50 watts and swings to 100 to 120 watts on high power. Just made two contacts to Honolulu, Hawaii today and was I too happy to do so sir. Question, would it be okay to turn radio up to 3 watts deadkey? Or would I just rather leave it as it is? Just asking. Thank you very much sir.
I have galaxy dx 979 cb. And I was wondering will this amplifier work for my cb? I actually was gonna buy the exact same one in the video 100 watts. Now I'm wondering would should I get a amplifier with less watts. No since of having a amp with a hundred watts and not using it. What's your recommendation? Would like tobe heard atleast 4 miles from my position. Thanx for making the video.
If you can't get heard at 4 mile your radio and/ antenna combo no boost you need to inspect your gear my barefoot 4 watt am 12pep ssb gets that done every day I get 20 to 25 mile am 60 plus mile ssb all barefoot have old school classic 2 pill amp made in 1970s it will reach 150 watt 125 all day long but because age it bit dirty on edges
@@williambowman7244 so, this hundred watts would be sufficient for what I'm trying to do?!.. I'm just trying to get my galaxy at its maximum peak without sounding loud and crappy.
@@lbsws405able most these rms work best with only 2 watt read key and maybe 12 to 15 peak envelope inputs much more they distort at best and burn out the finals quickly I had ( still do) two kl60 and a rm 60 stinger board the finals burn quick at more than 3 or 4 but are inexpensive replacement if you solder only problem RM italy has proprietors on the finals and the label is missing they called rm3 transistors but trial error has found them mosfet 520.the 203 has 4 of those on board rather than peaking the radio the amp should do if you do peak radio have adjustable out power if you gonna put burner on I have galaxy 99v2 now with power adjust from factory.from -1/4 watt to 13+ dead key pep going 35 to 40 on bird meter I run just radio most time now usual enough to get locals at 60+ mile ssb and when conditions are in all 4 corner US
@@lbsws405able I will be attempting to use this exact amp with twin truckers at 3.5 watt spec have no idea what to expect but it seems my old Galaxy 5d is not being heard for some reasons but I have brand spanking new Cobra 29lmx and it is also not being heard in a similar truck with same antenna set up... Don't know what gives or ppl are shy of talking. I will admit there ain't much local on any channel around here. Living in the mountains could be a handicap with basically stock radios.
@@RSPYT no mate i havent been on for some months now im Glen from Aylsford in Maidstone, we used to talk quite a bit. My old name on here was slaphead. Got to get back on air soon.
A lot of folks do not know even an old lawn tractor battery just hooked to a trickle charger will give 2-3 hours of continuous screwing around with the radio and the amp combined. Using a car batter with a trickle charger is even better but a trickle charger never lets a battery sink below 14.5 volts. Kinda what U power hungry folks in the UK don't think of is true portable power or based portable power... I am gonna hook this exact amp to my old Galaxy 5d tomm using the existing twin trucker antennas on my truck tomm. I Have no idea what to expect... I will dee tune the radio to 3.5 watts and make a video on it if something occurs... Right now living in the Pocono mountains I ain't reaching anyone that answers back not even with my brand new Cobra 29lmx... No Nothing answering but plenty of Mexican skipland so I don't know I also want to turn the Cobra on in my one truck see if by chance I can hear it from the other truck..
I have the KL 203-P. I would like to install a small muffin fan on top of it. I would like to go inside the amp to use the power inside of the amp to run the Fan. I cannot remove the bottom cover of the amp to tap into this source power to operatwe the fan. It looks like there isnt any screws holding it on. It should slide off. I have tried everything to remove it except DYNAMITE ! I don't want to scratch or dent the cover.
My SWR is 1:1 on channel 1 and 1:2 on channel 40 without my burner. With the burner it jumped up to 1:3 on ch 1 and 1:2 on channel 40. Any suggestions? I'm a little confused.
I've never had one before. Had several radios but always barefoot. A peak and tune with good antenna does the job most the time. But I can't get heard on AM during skip so I want a little extra juice. I'm running a galaxy 959 right now. Dead key 2 watts all the way down and pep 32w all the way up. So with this amp i turn my power all the way down to 2w dead key and the amp will work fine ? And what should I expect...150w pep or so ??? That should be plenty for me. I can talk all over the USA on sideband on my 32w. But AM I might ad well forget it lol
All you need to do is hook it up. Turn up the echo to the max. And yell out "breaker breaker, this here's the rubber duck".....just kiddin. Cool video..
On that amplifier are you talking about 10 watts that key or you talking about 10 watts swing that's where I have trouble if you can please help me out on that that's what I'm thinking about buying to put on my CB
I just got my RM Italy kl203p at what I'm noticing is it makes my SWR really high. I've heard this is normal but I really don't want to hurt my radio. I'm thinking about getting the President McKinley which you can turn the wattage down on as to not burn up the amp. I wonder if this would help with the SWR. Any thoughts are input would be greatly appreciated!
I've noticed the swr increase as well. My dual finals Superstar 3900G has a wattage control on its side, I can lower it if needed, but my swr stays below 1, so its not a problem.
You have to have your radio tuned to run with your amp , take your radio and amp to your tech and Tell them the problems you are having, also read plenty of books on CB's and linear amplifier's, The money That you will save will buy better radio with adjustable pwr. & More channels and More powerful radio s look at the export radio and 10 meter export radios and welcome to skipland, many 73s to you also a better antenna and high quality coax and connectors always have a good swr when you get everything working at it's best & from experience with radios and amps less power out of the radio when you run a transistor amplifier, also a pill is a pwr. Transistor and That is just the style of output transistor and the way it looks
Add a low pass filter, there's harmonics created by the amp and or radio that can raise swr values. I don't know if the harmonics can damage the amp but it will help on fine tuning your antenna. Also it prevents interference in frequency above 30mhz.
Out here in United States is the illegal as well you can get a heavy fine or prison time for using the boot India knighted States you can help your Cb any higher than 4w amps and 15w on ssb
@@RSPYT ok sweet I’m learning I only bought a t800 last night off the back of your other video and a thunderpole orbitor antenna and a cheap swr / watt meter I’m really struggling to find info your videos really help me though ! Do I run the swr meter all the time or just to test the antenna then remove it ? Also where does a burner come into the circuit ? Cheers 👍
@@RSPYT thankyou so much !! I’m getting to grips with all the components but I can’t find any info on how to put them all together 😂 look forward to the video I’m following thanks 🙏
I enjoyed your video but I would disagree with your comment regarding Heat Sinks. The mounting position of devices, like discussed in this video, makes little to no difference in heat dissipation. A properly designed Heat Sink draws heat through physical contact and dissipates the heat evenly over the surface area of the sink. Generally speaking, a Heat Sink dissipates the required amount of heat no matter what position it is mounted.
Well explained, there's too many 'White smoke' merchants out there lol. If I use a wee RM I put 2.5-4 watts in max on FM and 5 watts on SSB that's plenty.
So what you are saying is, I need a car that goes 10000 watts per hour. Also, on the bit about heat rising, if heat rises, why do they call them "heat sinks"? lol PLUS, I was hoping you'd say (showing another amp) "This one is very very special, because as you can see, yeah, the numbers all go to 11."
Well folks there R ppl that have rode with me in the truck and they tell me I need to have a fan installed on my ass but it ain't burned out yet...I guess if my ass was meant to have a fan it woulda been made with one right...
If the amp dies because you have it mounted sideways or upside down that's just poor design. The orientation shouldn't matter because the heatsink should be sized properly for the heat to still get dissipated even if it's not mounted upright, and even then if you mount it so the fins are vertical then the heat will still dissipate properly and it won't be a problem.
I spoke on cb with one of those and the furthest i went was from Canada to some island by Africa, called st helens or something like that....what happened was, i drove the amp hard and it blew....then my radios finals blew...either way, learning lesson, but if you do as you say, not to drive them hard, they work like a champion...Thumbs up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Haha well done for getting out that far Theo!
Very good info, especially for people that have never used an amp before.
Actually for cooling without a fan on this type amplifier you would want that bolted on the wall with the switches facing up. The fins on the sink will draw more air and have more surface area that way , So the long way vertical so the heat flows. This is how I have my Mobile Audio amps set up. If I leave them on the bottom facing up they get hotter. Vertical heat flows faster like a radiator and can use the whole length of the heat sink for cooling.
I fixed a KL-300 for a guy a while back. He smoked 2 power transistors running wide open. When I replaced them the originals didn’t have thermal pads or compound on them and weren’t making good contact to the heat sink. I put some trimmed thermal pads made for larger IGBTs under them and he has been running it over a year now with no issues at near max output. Good advice in the video, no power electronics should be ran at max for a long time.
I need a tuner and one radio repaired, so R U USA or UK??? Got contact info??? good techs R hard to find....
@@thekingsilverado8419 I’m in the US currently. I’m no tech, I’m just a fool with a soldering iron and a basic understanding of electronics.
@@jenpsakiscousin4589 There R alot of us jacks of all trades masters of none. I am there along with ya. This guy has some solid advice when he said buy some books but I really get alot of time to read. I get up answer customers emails and go out in the shop get the place warmed up and ready to rock until like 6-7pm so it is hard but at least most books save ya from making the more stupid mistakes. My main question I am pondering am I going to be safe running this 50 to 100 watts thru twin trucker antennas. At quitting time today I may just find that out...
Of course you will
Great info, I've never used a burner, but am seriously thinking of buying that exact model!
I have an alinco dr135dx which doesnt really need an amp as it kicks 60ish watts on ssb. But I also have a multi norm and my old Rotel 240.
Fact is, it's all right getting out farther, a bit pointless if the guy at the other end is on 4 watts and cant talk back to you!
Great video, great review and info!
wow CB radios didnt know they were still a thing, used to love using my cb radio back in the 80s in brum
They certainly are still a thing here in London
@@zukispur5493 They are still a thing here in the USA as well. 73's
@@KP68videogates then it's more than just a thang baby🌚 big love from London
@@zukispur5493 Hell Ya! Peace, love, and respect back your way from Pittsburgh PA USA
@@KP68videogates ya-man. 🌚
Great video and much good information. Your a good teacher and easy to listen to. Keep vids coming; I've subscribed... Thank you.... DB from the U.S....
One of the most fundemental things you forgot to say... “Low Pass Filter.”
Most CBers never consider LPFs. These linears typically have little to none. Add some over driven input and someone in the 6m band suffers.
Always add a LPF (30MHz) on the output...
Also, a ferrite on the power lead would be a good thing to help prevent stray RF getting into the PSU and the mains wiring.
Well, as a ham, I care.
If I were on the 6m band and was being interfered with by a second harmonic from a CB running illegal power, I would be within my right to complain.
By all means, run whatever power you want on 11m, 1000W for all I care, but don’t mess my band up :-)
I have just filmed a video with my opinion on this 🤪
RustySkull Productions, I just watched it.
This is only my opinion, but if you’re a licensed UK ham, I don’t agree with your statement.
Unfiltered 200W linear on 26MHz could have an appreciable output on the second harmonic.
Add some SpE and the operator could be bashing out a fair signal all over Europe on 52MHz.
Not just adjacent channels.
Hardly cricket is it? :-)
But... I’ll leave it there.
Each to their own.
I like your basic approach and think you have a lot to offer the radio community.
I’m not always convinced the community cares about my comments though :-)
PS. EL519 tubes would probably work in your valve amp too.
Avoid PL509/519. They have 40V heaters.
Most of the people I know running these and bigger burners on 11 meters are hams!
I wish they would stay on their own bands so I can get out with my legal rig and not have all incoming the signals squashed every time they key up!
@@braxtonhickswaxinglyrical3068 I guess there is a problem when I power up my paltry 3000 watts USA put it to my really rusty really crusty ancient Modified very old once derelict old MOON RAKER ANTENNA and you people in England and Canada go outta your friggin minds. I only stay patronizing & annoying for a little while and now most of U bugs and flies have become used to my couple of minutes of pure heckling... Hey it's all in good fun. When I first began doing it I got charge out of punking U weak ass UK based AM and Side band boobs. My ancient Palamino is much like this guys old tube amp in the video it's huge and when I dead key sometimes to get readings my lights can dim and in and out in the shop... The amp was said stated new to be 1500 watt max output but it is way way underrated by real tuning spec. Every now and then go by the handle Great Scott and U limeys crawl over me when I do that knowing I ain't UK..... Say Hello to the real Great Scott 4 me okay...
1 watt deadkey is perfect and swing 4 watts pep...all you need and about 25 % duty cycle..u never have issues...buy size you need and buy it 1 time and be done...
Great video. Thanks for sharing.
These amps put out a lot of harmonics, that should be removed before they get to the antenna, so it is good practice to put a low pass filter between the amp and your antenna.
Some may not know that harmonics are emitted at multiples of the operating frequency. Harmonics will show up as more power when measured with a watt meter, but are useless as they are not on the operating frequency, and may interfere with an op who is using 2 or 3 times your operating frequency.
Thank you Rusty. I’ve got a George 11 with thunderpole. I’m using the rear ports from the power supply to power the rig. Can I use the two ports at the front to fire it up and use the RM 203p? Phil
The KL503HD (high drive) allows for up to 35 watts input power without problem. You are right about not running the burner at 100% capacity, as with any electronics or mechanical things running them at 100% will quickly kill the devices. That was the reason I bought the KL503HD so if I run 100 watts I am only using half of its capacity.
Watch out for the Standing wave ratio!
Great info. Have had one of these amps for a long time no problems
I'm looking into running a KL60 with my Uniden PC78LTX. I can't find any information on what the power requirements are for the amp, or instructions on how to hook it all together.
Thank you very much for this video, it helps a lot. But may I ask sir, is it ok just hook up this amps directly to a radio with no modifications aside from turning down the output of your radio so as not to over drive the amp? I sure would appreciate an answer sir.
Yes of course :)
I currently have a CTE International 4w max input 200w am/fm 400w ssb output.
I have a split charge rigged up in my van and the burner is connected up to a leisure battery, so Im good. No dead van battery.
Way back when I was 10.... I was given a slightly dodgy Superstar 360... channel selector had lost its click on a few channels, but it worked.. I was also given a 600w valve linear amp and I used a home made antenna... made out of welding rods and car springs welded together. 1979.. it was impossible to buy stuff from the shops.
I caused no TVI until 1981 when I got a legal 27/81 4w rig for xmas
I have seen someone using doorbell wire to power a rig and burner.
Ive also seen people using TV coax instead of RG58 etc
Are you familiar with Texas Star brand?
I have had good luck in past with a few of them.
I use one of these in the mobile. No more than a 3.5 watts AM or FM carrier maximum on the KL-203! At best you MIGHT get 80 watts of carrier out of this amp on AM or FM with a 14.4 volt input and the AM will be muffled because the headroom isn't there! I set my amp up to have a dead carrier of 60 watts with a swing of around 65 to 70 watts max and it runs clean.The best way to set these little amps up is to run them to a dummy load and manually adjust your radio dead key up and when the amp maxes out you back the radio off so that the amp outputs around 10 or 15 watts BELOW the saturation of the amp. Now you will have a little amp that delivers clean power that won't overheat. As to the tube amp it is using sweep tubes. People would be amazed that the maximum rating for each tube in that tube amp is 25 watts RMS continuous carrier for a total of 50 watts but yes, you can get much more out of that tube amp and the tubes will be short lived. The tubes are sideways and as they overheat the metal in them can sag and short out. Been there and done that with that very amp. I sold it on eBAY years ago! The tube amp is really only good to use as a driver for a bigger amp and if not then a conversation piece in the radio room..
I have a very ancient Palamino tube amp from the early 80's only had it to a shop once to be fixed & up graded. It's a nice amp still going strong. I really love pissing off U limeys in the UK and Canada. The Palamino as far as shops records show me was only rated in 1985 @ 1500 watts but when I had mine to be tested more than once or twice the damn thing literally throws 3000 watts dead key almost 3500 swinging... I have mine tuned to an ancient old Galaxy 5 radio and a really ancient rusty crusty old MOON RAKER ANTENNA and believe me I can even wipe out internet around here including my own... So what U refer to as feeble old tube amps that melt down ain't quite the truth. I do watch how long I will run her in the hot summers which I am hardly ever using it too busy in the summers.. But in the winter like now if I ain't screwin around on yooo tooby I play with my radio. Annoying the mexicans is one more recent hobbies talking over em or wiping em out all together.. If U have a real radio set up U R running an old tube amp I'm sorry solid state is nice but it does not deliver that crisp clear brute power broadcasting.
@@thekingsilverado8419 "Annoying the mexicans is one more recent hobbies talking over em or wiping em out all together" First of all that should be on a Tee-Shirt. How many tubes does your amp have in it? What kind of tubes are you running? As to the Moon raker those are damned good antennas.
The best way would b to turn your radio dead key down under 2 watts,will last,sound good,run cool
@@waltsmith6515 Here's where the fly is in the ointment. Most people do not have reliable or accurate Watt/SWR meters and you would be AMAZED at just how far off most meters are even right off of the shelf! Even when they do have a decent meter that is accurate, most people will set their power through their antenna as their reference or load when they should be doing the set-up first using a 50 Ohm dummy load. As to decent meters a good BIRD meter is the ticket but they are expensive but there are now a lot of great 100 watt up to to 250 Watt digital meters out on the market that have the same real world 5% accuracy of the more expensive BIRD meters but they do not offer the ability to plug in slugs for different power ratings but the truth is most people will only run around 100 or 200 Watts anyhow so the problem is solved! If they are planning on joining the super bowl then they will need the BIRD meter along with a big enough dummy load to get the job done correctly. Years ago I got tired of my RF meters NOT agreeing with each other so I used a good 50 ohm dummy load and a high quality oscilloscope and did the power calculations myself to calibrate every damned RF meter I owned then these cheaper digital RF meters came out onto the market thanks to the digital age we are now in which made things even simpler to calibrate meters with. I guess I should mention that before I retired I worked in the field of electronics for over 45 years with the end of my working career being in the field of RF and RF design. Even with a meter that isn't that accurate there is a real world workaround to nail the settings even if you have a meter that's not very accurate and this method is all but idiot proof. There are a few steps involved but it's simple and straightforward. (1) You hook the radio to the amp and then run the amp through your RF meter then to the dummy load (Not an active antenna) that can handle the power. You will be looking for a couple of things with the meter. The first thing you want figure out is the maximum dead carrier output the amp can deliver with the radio it will be hooked up to. To do this you start the radio at it's lowest RF output power setting and monitor the output power with the amp turned on and then you slowly increase the power on the radio until you find the peak dead carrier the amp can deliver with no modulation. Now you have a established a maximum real world output reference the amp can deliver. Let's assume that your amp can deliver a 100 watt dead carrier and that you also have a clean radio that has NOT been bastardized to over-modulate and splatter. (And yeah this is critical because a radio that has had it's diodes snipped or a radio that has been opened up to be a splatter box throws everything right out the window and everything that I am describing here is as useless as tits on a bull) You now turn the amp back on while still feeding the 50 Ohm dummy load you key up the radio and back the power off until you read anywhere between 50 watts up to 70 watts of a dead carrier. In the real world this should give you the correct amp headroom with a really clean-loud and punchy modulation that will even peak over 100 watts on a Peak to Peak RF meter and on a true RMS meter this will read very close to 100 watts RMS during modulation. It's still up to the person setting everything up to have a basic feel for their equipment so they can tweak it for the sweet spot sound. If you drive the amp with too low of a dead carrier it will be shrill and even distorted with those hearing you seeing the windshield wiper signal on their end and if you drive the amp too high you will have very little swing and probably be swinging backwards with a muffled modulation by those who hear you. Somewhere in the near future I think I may make a video on this topic doing this on the bench so people can see this first-hand. Before I forget, the two watt radio rule is a damned good starting point.
Does a cb ariel need tuning for use with a linear, ir does it just boost the power
Excellent video very informative keep up the good work with more informative video's.
Thanks Alan!
@@RSPYT Can I run this KL203p with my twin trucker antenna. I never ran an amp since I was kid n a mobile set up but around here because of the mexicans it's getting to be a must have.... Let me know... OK
Very informative vid!! Would it be wise to have a stock cb radio de-tuned (less watts) if a linear is to be used? Stock is 4 watts but amp says not to have more than 5 watts input.
In that case 4 watts is perfectly good :)
RustySkull Productions I am sure the radio is less than 4watts so there are no issues with the FCC. I have a external SWR running inline. It would be AMP to SWR to radio in that order? The SWR is a nothing fancy Workman.
Yes,turn it down and amp will run cool & so will radio
I like to connect the amplifier directly to the battery but thru a relay. I have it wired so the relay turns off with the key.
It's like you were talking about the alternator. These things suck a lot of power and if you forget to shut it off, you'll Quickly have a dead battery!
Great video! Y'all take Care, John
Hmm true I accidently left mine on over the weekend lol but luckily it didn't have any trouble starting monday morning :)
I was thinking about put an amplifier in the trunk ( thru a relay ) because I don't have room on the dash
Thanks
Some great advice there, thanks for sharing your wisdom
i have a kl 203 how many watts is it supposed to do
Sorry to bothet you sir, I guess I'll just answer my own question. The owners manual says the amp will do 140 to 150 watts A.M., and for my present settings which does 120 watts max, I should just be happy with that so just like what I've learned from you sir, "DON'T PUSH IT TO HARD".. Thanks again sir and be safe always.
Hello hate I hadn’t realised you asked me a question? Anyway yea that’s right don’t drive them too hard :)
Such handling of the amplifier wow
How much power would the KL203p amp put out with just 1 watt input on AM?
Probably about 10 watts
One to 1 1/2 is perfect
Excellent video - some really good advice here. Keep the videos coming ..
They still put out harmonics even under driving them. I tested a KL203 on spectrum analyzer driving it with 5 watts on SSB. It was filthy adding a band pass filter cured the problem. These things are cheap rubbish with no filtering in the P.A!!!!!!!!
You get what you pay for :(
5 watts in is too much
And may I add sir, when you say, for example 4 watts input to the amp, is that dead key, or swing output when you talk into the microphone in terms of watts?
I was probably talking about FM in which case there is no swing, but yes I was referring to the max power input of 4watts.
Don't dead key more than 2 into it ,a little less is best
That's true on am when it gets hot modulation is terrible sounds crackling
Very good insight. I have this same one,, bought it 3 months back, came from Italy,, but its a newer one bcuz its all black, even the buttons. I've two questions, 1- can you explain what a "Pill" is, and does this 203p have any? I've heard folks ask about that. 2- Can you explain how the Amp and preamp switch feature works, I've no idea.
A pill is a transistor and yes that amp uses transistors.
"pills" are called that in the case of the style transistor that is white and round with 4 tails for connections yes the 203 has transistors but those are called MOSFETs a different shape entirely they are a square shape with 3 legs connecting to the main board and must physically pasted down to that finned base called heat sink if not tight enough those will blow/ over heat right away and are very sensitive to antenna match quality causing the heat issue as well
I had several of the smallest version or the kl60 model it only has 1 transistor but does warm up quickly I have one that I swapped out the transistor some 6 times cause I fed over 4 watt into it in most cases it only made 50 out and even at that it was hot quick
If I were to add the Amplifier to my SUV? Should I use the same gauge wire going directly to my Battery?
Yeah :)
I have a stryker radio swr good new antenna, and coax I get out maybe 6 miles but cant hear clearly over a mile or 2 will this help reception as well as the outgoing signal or?
Nah not on FM anyway, Pre amp will
Help with incoming signals on SSB though
Well said as always & thank you for sharing .
One more thing sir, when tuning the antenna, should swr be tuned before or after the amp?
Always after :)
I must have a freak amp, I have the same RM 203 I never put more than one and 3/4 W. I had it on two different meters 1 m showed 140 W the other one showed 145 and I run a fan on top of it, but I would never dream of putting more than 2W into it.
Hi mate thinking of getting an amp .think iv got my head around it but want to check with you. Want to use a small midland cb fm 40 powered by a 3 amp power supply, iv got a 10 amp power supply for amplifier. The amplifier is a rmkl203p in add it says burner input 5 to 10 w. With max output of 100 w .I get what you're saying about not wanting the max out of an amp so would that be good for about 50 w.
You need to get a bigger more amps, power converter to run a radio and amp in the house, and even a bigger power supply for the peaked radio about 10 amps and the amplifier drawing about 20 to 25amps,also high output transistor export 10 meter radios take More amps to run, but at 60 to 100watts you don't really need a linear with a good beam antenna and rotor so you can focus The power and get the decibel Gain of the antenna and you can talk all over the place
About how for can the kl203 rm italy reach
What size inline fuse would I fit to this amp many thanks
How do i limit the wattage of my amp then? My one is the dsme model as the amp in the video, but do you have to limit the power input from the power supply?
No you limit the power driving it, but below 4watts and it won’t TX.
I'm reading I need to wire positive direct to the battery and ground it to the chassis. Rm says it only need 10 amps at 12-14 volts, why can't I use the outlet at the back of my jeep for power according to everyone.
Per rm site
Frequency: 28 - 29.7 MHz
Power Supply : 12 - 14 Vcc
Input Current: 10A max
Input Power: 0.5 - 10W
Output Power: 100W
Input VSWR: 1.1 - 1.5:1
Mode : AM - FM - SSB
Fuse: 12A Fast 5×20mm
Dimensions: L 125 W 120 H 40 mm
Can I use 1 psu 7-9amp on a cb 4w and kl203 amp, for in the shack ?
Also, I been told long term use of the 10amp cig lighter socket is bad for an amplifier ?
Am considering a 25-30amp psu if I can use both lighter socket & back plate, got 4x fuse lines the other day 👍
It’s not bad for the amp, use that socket as much as you want but most lighter sockets are max 10amp so using it at 10amps for a long time will possibly cause the wires to melt. And obviously if the current is more than 10, they’ll
Melt anyway.
@@RSPYT im still abit 10/1 and buying up allsorts atm, as only just getting back into it.
I've ordered a Maas KPO Jetfon sps 30 II 35amp psu for both mentioned.
Using a small 3/5amp psu for the amp atm, lol don't think its enough, ill get there,and appreciate the reply.
Have yourself a wonderful weekend 👍🇬🇧
Nah that 3/5 amp PSU will die very soon if you use a KL203 on it.
@@RSPYT tbh mate I think it has, but atleast I ain't t blown the amp lol.
It was an old psu, I use a 7/9amp, and ordered the 30amp Maas last night, so be here next week.
Hi there sir, I detuned my radio to around 2.5 watts dead key and swings with modulation at around 7 to 8 watts. My KL300P does a deadkey of around 15 watts and swings at 50 to 70 watts in low power and does deadkey of 50 watts and swings to 100 to 120 watts on high power. Just made two contacts to Honolulu, Hawaii today and was I too happy to do so sir. Question, would it be okay to turn radio up to 3 watts deadkey? Or would I just rather leave it as it is? Just asking. Thank you very much sir.
No,for best results you should take it down to just under 2 watts,!!!
Thanks. I learned a lot.
I have galaxy dx 979 cb. And I was wondering will this amplifier work for my cb? I actually was gonna buy the exact same one in the video 100 watts. Now I'm wondering would should I get a amplifier with less watts. No since of having a amp with a hundred watts and not using it. What's your recommendation? Would like tobe heard atleast 4 miles from my position. Thanx for making the video.
If you can't get heard at 4 mile your radio and/ antenna combo no boost you need to inspect your gear my barefoot 4 watt am 12pep ssb gets that done every day I get 20 to 25 mile am 60 plus mile ssb all barefoot have old school classic 2 pill amp made in 1970s it will reach 150 watt 125 all day long but because age it bit dirty on edges
@@williambowman7244 so, this hundred watts would be sufficient for what I'm trying to do?!.. I'm just trying to get my galaxy at its maximum peak without sounding loud and crappy.
@@lbsws405able most these rms work best with only 2 watt read key and maybe 12 to 15 peak envelope inputs much more they distort at best and burn out the finals quickly I had ( still do) two kl60 and a rm 60 stinger board the finals burn quick at more than 3 or 4 but are inexpensive replacement if you solder only problem RM italy has proprietors on the finals and the label is missing they called rm3 transistors but trial error has found them mosfet 520.the 203 has 4 of those on board rather than peaking the radio the amp should do if you do peak radio have adjustable out power if you gonna put burner on I have galaxy 99v2 now with power adjust from factory.from -1/4 watt to 13+ dead key pep going 35 to 40 on bird meter I run just radio most time now usual enough to get locals at 60+ mile ssb and when conditions are in all 4 corner US
@@lbsws405able I will be attempting to use this exact amp with twin truckers at 3.5 watt spec have no idea what to expect but it seems my old Galaxy 5d is not being heard for some reasons but I have brand spanking new Cobra 29lmx and it is also not being heard in a similar truck with same antenna set up... Don't know what gives or ppl are shy of talking. I will admit there ain't much local on any channel around here. Living in the mountains could be a handicap with basically stock radios.
Just about covered it all there . Excellent
Thanks, is it you that comes on the 19 with that K-tone of some kind?
@@RSPYT no mate i havent been on for some months now im Glen from Aylsford in Maidstone, we used to talk quite a bit. My old name on here was slaphead.
Got to get back on air soon.
thanks for the video I have 2 of these amps, I haven't figured out why people mount them upside down thanks....
all and any kind of amp should have a fan regardless
Damn!! My cousin across the pond called us out!! 😜😂
You what? Lol.
I tried a RM KL-200 into a dummy load. Only 160W PEP on SSB. They don't do what it says on the tin!
That's a well known fact lol.
My kl503hd does 300 ssb and 200 am. It says 300 so it's doing ok
good info - Thanks Champ!
Do I need a separate power pack to run the burner From and how do I know what size of power pack I need for the burner
A lot of folks do not know even an old lawn tractor battery just hooked to a trickle charger will give 2-3 hours of continuous screwing around with the radio and the amp combined. Using a car batter with a trickle charger is even better but a trickle charger never lets a battery sink below 14.5 volts. Kinda what U power hungry folks in the UK don't think of is true portable power or based portable power... I am gonna hook this exact amp to my old Galaxy 5d tomm using the existing twin trucker antennas on my truck tomm. I Have no idea what to expect... I will dee tune the radio to 3.5 watts and make a video on it if something occurs... Right now living in the Pocono mountains I ain't reaching anyone that answers back not even with my brand new Cobra 29lmx... No Nothing answering but plenty of Mexican skipland so I don't know I also want to turn the Cobra on in my one truck see if by chance I can hear it from the other truck..
I have the KL 203-P. I would like to install a small muffin fan on top of it. I would like to go inside the amp to use the power inside of the amp to run the Fan. I cannot remove the bottom cover of the amp to tap into this source power to operatwe the fan. It looks like there isnt any screws holding it on. It should slide off. I have tried everything to remove it except DYNAMITE ! I don't want to scratch or dent the cover.
Sometimes they’re held on with glue, use a hair dryer to warm it a bit and it’ll slide off with some effort
Hi there 68ci067 here. Did you ever put 2 of them together on one cab
I can't say I have, no lol.
But you didn’t explain how to regulate the watts input to the amp so that you don’t overdriving it
@daienaa: Use the radio's power control (usually marked "PWR")
I think i blew mine up. I was running low power in but accidentally turned it up
My SWR is 1:1 on channel 1 and 1:2 on channel 40 without my burner. With the burner it jumped up to 1:3 on ch 1 and 1:2 on channel 40. Any suggestions? I'm a little confused.
That’s fine, nothing to get worried about :)
I've never had one before. Had several radios but always barefoot. A peak and tune with good antenna does the job most the time. But I can't get heard on AM during skip so I want a little extra juice. I'm running a galaxy 959 right now. Dead key 2 watts all the way down and pep 32w all the way up. So with this amp i turn my power all the way down to 2w dead key and the amp will work fine ? And what should I expect...150w pep or so ??? That should be plenty for me.
I can talk all over the USA on sideband on my 32w. But AM I might ad well forget it lol
Hey man, as long as your swing is no more than 10w it’ll be fine!
All you need to do is hook it up. Turn up the echo to the max. And yell out "breaker breaker, this here's the rubber duck".....just kiddin. Cool video..
On that amplifier are you talking about 10 watts that key or you talking about 10 watts swing that's where I have trouble if you can please help me out on that that's what I'm thinking about buying to put on my CB
Don't dead key more than 2 into it,less is best
Good info 👍
I honestly liked your info. Just stop moving the amp every five seconds
I didn’t want it to burn through the table.
I just got my RM Italy kl203p at what I'm noticing is it makes my SWR really high. I've heard this is normal but I really don't want to hurt my radio. I'm thinking about getting the President McKinley which you can turn the wattage down on as to not burn up the amp. I wonder if this would help with the SWR. Any thoughts are input would be greatly appreciated!
I've noticed the swr increase as well. My dual finals Superstar 3900G has a wattage control on its side, I can lower it if needed, but my swr stays below 1, so its not a problem.
You have to have your radio tuned to run with your amp , take your radio and amp to your tech and Tell them the problems you are having, also read plenty of books on CB's and linear amplifier's, The money That you will save will buy better radio with adjustable pwr. & More channels and More powerful radio s look at the export radio and 10 meter export radios and welcome to skipland, many 73s to you also a better antenna and high quality coax and connectors always have a good swr when you get everything working at it's best & from experience with radios and amps less power out of the radio when you run a transistor amplifier, also a pill is a pwr. Transistor and That is just the style of output transistor and the way it looks
Add a low pass filter, there's harmonics created by the amp and or radio that can raise swr values. I don't know if the harmonics can damage the amp but it will help on fine tuning your antenna. Also it prevents interference in frequency above 30mhz.
So you want it to modulate up to 1/2 of the rated input? I have a high drive that can take 30 watts input
What are the buttons for?
@esseel7896: Power on / off Centre switch.....Preamp on / off Left switch.....AM / SSB selector Right Switch
@@paganphil100 mint cheers pal
That small linear is rated 50 watt , is only 20 watt , may peak to 45 watt
And is best one.
My stock cobra 142 stock puts out 2 3/4 watts am dead key, is this too much into this amp ?
That will run fine.
Yes,too much
Out here in United States is the illegal as well you can get a heavy fine or prison time for using the boot
India knighted States you can help your Cb any higher than 4w amps and 15w on ssb
U said don’t run at full capacity but then how do you know what your running it at or putting into it ?
You use power meters to monitor the power
@@RSPYT ok sweet I’m learning I only bought a t800 last night off the back of your other video and a thunderpole orbitor antenna and a cheap swr / watt meter I’m really struggling to find info your videos really help me though ! Do I run the swr meter all the time or just to test the antenna then remove it ? Also where does a burner come into the circuit ? Cheers 👍
I’ll make a video on it for you
@@RSPYT thankyou so much !! I’m getting to grips with all the components but I can’t find any info on how to put them all together 😂 look forward to the video I’m following thanks 🙏
I’ll get it all together this week some time :)
I enjoyed your video but I would disagree with your comment regarding Heat Sinks. The mounting position of devices, like discussed in this video, makes little to no difference in heat dissipation. A properly designed Heat Sink draws heat through physical contact and dissipates the heat evenly over the surface area of the sink. Generally speaking, a Heat Sink dissipates the required amount of heat no matter what position it is mounted.
Kinda like Odor eaters insoles right???
@@thekingsilverado8419 100% correct
My Texas Star has heat sink on the bottom.
Take down the power of radio to 5 or 4 watts and problem resolved.
solid amp.
Cheers bud :-)
Well explained, there's too many 'White smoke' merchants out there lol. If I use a wee RM I put 2.5-4 watts in max on FM and 5 watts on SSB that's plenty.
Plenty indeed!
Less than 2 is best
Never run more than a 4 watt dead key on a linear. Doesn’t matter the power output.
2watt
So what you are saying is, I need a car that goes 10000 watts per hour.
Also, on the bit about heat rising, if heat rises, why do they call them "heat sinks"? lol
PLUS, I was hoping you'd say (showing another amp) "This one is very very special, because as you can see, yeah, the numbers all go to 11."
in australia too but i have one lol
im in Australia too
Для чего нужен усилитель и как его включать ?
How do i get 350 WATT
Buy a burger that’s rated to 350 watts or more
Never use the PreAmp on Mine Ben, Pulls to much Crap in
Burn it
i am a HAM... somebody tried this on 3-30mhz? it looks to be the same construction as my usual 30$ HF amp kit, same transformers and all.
👍
Сделайте пожалуйста перевод
Add a fan the you can double the input 😂😂😂
the reason people keep killing these linear amplifiers is that they lack the knowledge to use them. IMO
Turn on your ac that will cool it down😅
Well folks there R ppl that have rode with me in the truck and they tell me I need to have a fan installed on my ass but it ain't burned out yet...I guess if my ass was meant to have a fan it woulda been made with one right...
If the amp dies because you have it mounted sideways or upside down that's just poor design. The orientation shouldn't matter because the heatsink should be sized properly for the heat to still get dissipated even if it's not mounted upright, and even then if you mount it so the fins are vertical then the heat will still dissipate properly and it won't be a problem.
This will never reach 100 W
These things are junk garbage. Very very poor design toss that thing in the trash.