John Rodriguez

Well, I'm going to be doing quite a bit of running around this summer on the road with trailer in tow, and would like to get a nice CB. I was looking at the Ranger 279dx 10 and 12 meter amateur radio, but the export model that does 11meter (cb) also. I'd like to put out a decent ammount of watts (1,500 watts or so eventually). Yes, I'd like to be able to microwave food on the road. I want my antanna to look like a tesla coil

But in all seriousness, can anyone give some insight?

jrs_dodge_diesel

Just remember that running any more than 4 watts (AM) or 12 watts (single side band) is against FCC regs. If you insist on running high power then get an antenna that can handle the power. If not you will be replacing an antenna and a radio. High VSWR (ratio of forward to reflected RF energy) will burn out the power amplifier portion of you amp.

butchera

As Jrs said, anything over 4 watts is against the regs. Just be careful where you run that kind of power.

On another note: Why all the power????? If you have a $1000.00 radio and a $10.00 antenna, you have a $10.00 radio system. If you have a $100.00 radio and a $1000.00 antenna, you have a $1000.00 radio system.

The antenna makes all the difference. Don't skimp on the installation of the antenna (cable, grounding, mounts).

As a ham operator, I can legally run up to 1500 watts. Never have. I can talk around the world on 100W. With CB, you will just be talking a few miles, 4 watts and a good antenna will do the job just fine.

Again, if you decide to run a bunch of power, just be careful. The FCC is starting to crack down on people running out of band and running excessive power.

spunbearing

I'd have to look it up but if you have a ham license I think that you can run 1,000 watts on 10 meter band. I could be wrong. I've found that I can get anywhere I want on 350 watts. I have a modified cobra 148 gtl with all of the funny channels.
I run that through a galaxy 350 kicker and have talked from california to iceland, jamaica,alaska, arkansas, etc. etc. Keep it simple. If you have an antenna that looks like a tesla coil you will draw attention to yourself and everytime a neighbors tv gets fuzzy they will call and complain about the guy with the antenna because they just KNOW that you did it. I use a k-40 right now but will probably switch to a wilson 5000 eventually.The best antenna I ever had was a 102" stainless whip. I had a 1.1:1 standing wave ratio . I can only get down to about 1.3 with anything else going through the amp.

Patrick Campbell

1500 watts on a CB is just dumb. The few people who have that much power just like to talk to themselves stepping over everyone else who have valid things to say/ask.

I put a linear on my CB for a few weeks putting out about 200 watts and it did no better than 4 watts where I was living.

All it did was come out of my parents TV speakers even when the TV was OFF.

A solid radio, good mic and a great antenna is more important.

I drill mounted a Wilson 1000 on the roof of my truck and also got a SWR of 1.1:1.

tankeryanker

I know a couple of freight haulers that got caught running liniers. They were on a funny channel that interfeard with emergency srvices. They got their radios confiscated & a $1,000 fine.

I hate it when a couple of trucks are running down the road together 100 yards apart & they feel the need to run kickers to talk to each other. They bled over & cover everyone else up.

John Rodriguez

Heh. I didn't realize 1,500 watts would interfere with TV reception, and the mental image of a Tesla coil was meant as a joke. I went ahead and just bought a Ranger 2790DX 10/11/12 meter radio, and it will be here next Thursday. Sorry about the confusion

Commatoze

Well John, if you're ever talking on 10 or 12 meters, and you hear somebody sending CW on top of you at about 25 words per minute, that'll be me, only I will be running 1500 watts. QSL?

BigBlue

I know a guy who back in highschool he had a 1500w CB and he would pull up to cops, cue his mic, blow their radios, and then take off and out run the cops. Funny thing though was that his dad ran the local CB repair shop and he kept getting all these cop radios in and could never figure out why.

ramlovingvet

My question is why do most people running Power seem to have had Lobotomies?

Whistle Whistle HELLLLOOO HELLLLLOOOOO

edwinsmith

10-4 Good Buddy! I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotamy.



But seriously, running 1500 watts on a CB will cause your headlights to go off every time you key the mic. I used to service 2-ways and we could kill the alternator output with a 150 watt Motrac.

1500 watts with about 80% efficiency of your power supply will draw about 148 amps at 12.6 volts. That's one heck of a foot warmer! Your antenna won't hndle it and it will probably blow out the front end of your car radio also. 27 mhz is about the same frequency that medical diathermy runs at so you'll get RF burns if you're to close to the antenna.

You'll be much better off with a good reciever in an SSB unit with a good roof mounted antenna. You'll also get out better.

Also, amatuer radio operators are licensed to run 1000 watts but most don't. It takes a hell of a rig to run that much power and unless the're going for long DX overseas they don't bother with it.

CB is licensed for 5 watts (measured as input power to the final RF transistor) which gives 4 watts output if you're lucky. That's plenty of power for running down the highway. Which is what CB was originally intended for.

Edwin

spunbearing

Yeah we have a couple of those monkeys in town. They splatter over a 5 channel spread. Really dirty mistuned power. Annoying as hell. And they never have anything to say. I stay on sideband and talk out of town. Better crowd. My dad came to town one time a few years back and he has a 1 ton dodge van with a 12 foot beam antenna and boom. All the local idiots thought that he was the fcc and started tearing out their equipment lol. Any of you hammers know KB6RQU? That's my pop.

ramlovingvet

LOL at Spunbearing
Now I want to go buy a van and cover it in antennas and drive around scaring morons.

Might even put a rotating unit on it.

dodgeman01

I was haveing a problem with my CB. Its a uniden CB that I bought on sale for 50 bucks from a CB shop . just a small CB. It broke So I had a guy fix it and do some tuneing to it. now I can't have my raido in my truck on and talk on the CB at the same time. Can I fix this? what the heck is going on? never did it before.
DM01

John Rodriguez

He turned up the power, and now you're getting interference on your truck stero.