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CBblackbeard
Posted on Sunday, November 30, 2003 - 7:19 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

My girlfriend and I both have the Cobra 25 nw,st,wx in our personal vehicles and would like to add a little kick to them so we can talk to eachother across town,or from one house to the other ( about 10 miles ). Can anyone help me choose a low cost but effective amp to do this? I was thinking about the palomar p225. Is this a good amp?
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Ca346
Posted on Sunday, November 30, 2003 - 9:38 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

CB:

I have both a GALAXY350 and KL-500. The difference between them is like night and day. The Galaxy is like the Palamar, Cheap. The KL amp is a solid well made amp.

Take a look at this one for $50 at COPPER:

"http://www.copperelectronics.com/cgi-bin/checkitout/checkitout.cgi?catalogSTORE:CKIE:prodW90-KL200P+"

It even has a pre-amp. If it is anything like it's big brother, it's a winner.
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226akamark
Posted on Monday, December 01, 2003 - 5:50 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

CB,

I have to agree with Ca346. The RM amps are very nice. I recently got the KL-400 for $100. Nice amp. I got it for the mobile, but I've been playin' with it here at the base. Very good reports with it. Anyway, goodluck with whatever you decide.

226 / Mark
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Pig040
Posted on Monday, December 01, 2003 - 8:55 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The Dave's made 1 driving 2 is a nice box, almost indestructible, you pay more, but later if you get the urge you can volt it up if you want to.
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CBblackbeard
Posted on Monday, December 01, 2003 - 3:25 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

10-4 thanks everyone.
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Sparkomatic
Posted on Tuesday, December 02, 2003 - 8:23 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The antenna is the most important thing then worry about an amp. For your stated purpose a Texas Star 250 or 350 would be good. Reliable amps that'll get you 10 miles except when DX is rolling.
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CBblackbeard
Posted on Tuesday, December 02, 2003 - 6:40 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Thanks Sparkomatic. I have a Predator 10K and my girlfriend has the Wilson 1000. I wish I would have read this earlier, I heard a truck driver selling a Texas Star 350 for $85 today.
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CBblackbeard
Posted on Wednesday, December 03, 2003 - 8:15 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I was surprised to see how much cheaper the RM amps were compared to Palomar or Texas Star amps. I spoke to a tech close to my house and he told me that he thought the RM amps were garbage. When he tested the RM amps he said that he thought the manufacturer cut corners and used cheap parts... any comments?
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Bullet
Posted on Wednesday, December 03, 2003 - 9:21 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

your barefoot radio should cover that range easily unless skip is harsh.

ive not tried any of the rm amps but have had nothing but good luck with texas star amps.
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Bruce
Posted on Thursday, December 04, 2003 - 12:01 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

cbblackbeard .... bunk i just fixed one of coppers amps for a guy at work it had a switch for 6 power outputs and worked great the recive preame switch had gone out and i put a switch i found localy in its place nothing wrong with the way its made ..... a jellous tech my guess.
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Buck
Posted on Thursday, December 04, 2003 - 7:54 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Ive never owned an RM but I havent heard anthing bad about them..How could you go wrong for the price?? Alot of people here own one so Im sure you will get alot of replies
Buck
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226akamark
Posted on Thursday, December 04, 2003 - 9:44 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

CB,

I don't regret a bit on my purchase of the Kl-400. For the money you can't go wrong. As you said to begin the post." Low cost, but effective for getting across town" I've had Nothing but good reports so far with this amp. (Loud and Clear). Just depends on what you want to spend.
Just my opinion.

73's, 226 / Mark
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Crafter
Posted on Thursday, December 04, 2003 - 11:53 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I've never seen one and I work on alot of amps I mostly see those little silver 200 watt models that have a sticker for a face plate" You know anywhere from 200 - 350 and a face plate from silver streak to palomar". So with that said Blackbeard dont buy the Palomar, unless it's a real one! I think those little amps list for 90.00 bucks through my distributor then mark up to 175.00 what a deal huh.
Myself I deal with Texas Star and TNT, some Grays about it. My vote would be for a texas star 250 never would need anything bigger for the average person.
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CBblackbeard
Posted on Thursday, December 04, 2003 - 10:13 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

10-4 Thanks for the input everyone.
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Sparkomatic
Posted on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 2:41 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Crafter my first "Big" amp was a TNT 600 Plus that was (1) MRF455 driving (8) MRF492.......performance was killer in the mid 80s but sick when you compare it to an XFORCE 2x4 XT400.
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Bullet
Posted on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 3:57 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

sparkomatic,

i heard a xforce a local radio fella has and if they all are that dirty id much rather have the TNT or texas star. he bleeds 10 ch each way and isnt putting out big wattage.

id say his radio is also very harsh as well but it didnt win any buyit points with me.

ive had the texas star 250 and the TNT 12 pack and had goodluck with them both for power output and being clean on the air witch is important to me.

now i just have a TNT modulator,and a palomar tx200 that palomar is also dirty even with a clean radio it gets into tv's ect.they now reside in the closet of the radio room.
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Pig040
Posted on Saturday, December 06, 2003 - 10:38 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I have had 3 x-force amps, a 1 driving 2, a 2 driving 4 and a 2 driving 8, all great amps, that guy that was bleeding all over was doing something wrong! They all have been great amps. Buy the biggest you can afford, you will want to upgrade if you dont! The 2 driving 8 did over 1000 watts on 12V with one added battery.
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Crafter
Posted on Saturday, December 06, 2003 - 6:45 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I here that spark a friend of mine is sending me a m400 or 4000 something like that to put a ssb relay in it for him. He's out of texas.
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Crazyfrenchmen
Posted on Saturday, December 06, 2003 - 11:23 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

man go with X-FORCE ALL THE WAY.very good AMP........DAN
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Tech671
Posted on Sunday, December 07, 2003 - 10:29 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

If it's not too late to jump in Blackbeard, whatever amp you choose take These things into consideration:
1. The ease or difficulty of installation
2. Current requirements
3. Drive requirements

For the radios you two use and the range you want a KL400 would be the most value for money spent. Understand that this amp does 200w peak, needs only 2w input from your radio, and minimum 10ga wire for positive and negative from the amplifier to the battery with + side fused at batter with a 10ga 30 fuse holder. If you cannot find a reputable shop to adjust your radios to 2w output carrier (the peak should be about 20w), simply only run the amplifier up to stage 3 or 4. 5 of 6 stages of this amp suppress input power to lessen the overall output. This can also act as the poor man's matching of the amp to the radio. In other words if your radios are basically stock, they put out about 3.5w carrier (power when keyed but not speaking) and that will overdrive the amp and cause excessive heating and a "tight" or "pinched" sound likely in position 5 or 6.

The KL line of mobile amps are great little units for the price. Many shops put them down as it is difficult as a retail CB shop to compete with the prices of Copper and other internet wholesalers to the public. For my retail store I simply mark up the KL amps about $20 over Copper's price. It's one of those things of "it's here in stock, so it's a little more because you don't have to wait". Most of my customers are willing to pay a little more because I have it in stock for immediate sale and can help them on the spot with radio matching and installation.

There's not the margin of profit there used to be for retail CB shops, but service and installation help make it up. Some shops still are pretty bitter about the internet taking their profits, but times change and so does business.

Hope this helps a bit...
Wm
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CBblackbeard
Posted on Wednesday, December 10, 2003 - 11:38 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

thank you WM. I guess I have alot of things to consider. Like why I found a KL200 at the flea market for $135 when Copper has one for sale for $50.
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Sparkomatic
Posted on Thursday, December 18, 2003 - 10:19 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

In a mobile I could care less how much the system bleeds. As long as the audio is super loud and clear sounding I don't care about bleedover.
loud radios will always bleed a few channels.....if you are throwing an 8-10 on someone and not bleeding a bit, something is wrong.
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Crafter
Posted on Friday, December 19, 2003 - 1:15 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Spark what your saying is "YOU FEEL THE NEED TO BLEED" Thats my line! True everyone bleeds but not the whole spectrum like some do. I had a old courier that had harmonics all over the place had to quit using it.
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Cm3885
Posted on Friday, December 19, 2003 - 12:48 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I had a KLV 1000P that i ran behind my RCI 2995 DX and it was a great amp and i recommend it!!!!!!!! I had to sell it to have extra $$$ for a camping trip. If i ever get another amp i think im gonna save up the extra $$$ and take a step up the ladder and get a Heathkit SB 220!!!
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Bullet
Posted on Friday, December 19, 2003 - 5:44 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

there is no need to bleed!

to me thats the sound of either a bad radio station/operator or a beginner.

you can have good clean "reasonably loud"(90-95%) audio at high power and not be a splatter master station like you here on ch 6. that only inpresses beginners and bad operators.

i wish more people cared about thier sound quality and the harmonics they pass onto there neighbors than trying to get that last dirty watt and keeping their watt meters peged to the right.
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Sparkomatic
Posted on Saturday, December 20, 2003 - 1:25 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Bullet you have a good point.
I don't spend the money that I do to have an 90-95% modulation "Average" sounding radio.
Every truck that I own has XFORCE or DAVEMADE amp in it and a Cobra 148 in it. My mobiles are LOUD and the audio is CLEAR........they bleed because they are loud not because they are nasty.
If I wanted not to bleed I would have a Galaxy 88 and a RM 500.........but getting noticed is why me and most people that spend a lot of radio money do what we do.
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Crazyfrenchmen
Posted on Saturday, December 20, 2003 - 3:40 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Sparkomatic, 10-4
if u want a loud an a GOOD AMP U BUY A X-FORCE OR DAVE MADE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.....DAN
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Mdiver
Posted on Saturday, December 20, 2003 - 4:38 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Your right there Crazfrenchmen I can say the Dave Made I just got is great!! BUT THE CUSTOMER SERVICE IS ONE OF LIVING HELL..If you can put up with joe b buy a Dave Made God help you if you have to send it back like I had too... If I had to do it over again I would stick with COPPER.

MDIVER
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Bullet
Posted on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 12:01 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

sparkomatic,
you brought up some interesting points.

"talking in general terms" not directed at anyone!

i think so many cbers that want to sound really big confuse booming overmodulation that flat tops as being LOUD and if they can still be understood as being clear.

(i live fairly close to 4 cb shops and i hear some broad banded tx dandies)"splatter boxes"!

to me being clear is if your radio transmitts your voice with the same sound quality as if you were either on the phone or talking in person with them.

if your audio roars like its coming out of a mega phone it aint clear! and it will bleed like a stuck pig! and gets worse with more wattage!(unlike a clean radio)

i like you, also have a few bucks in my station,i used to have rite at ten thousand in my radio equipment to include the two mobiles.

ive trimmed down to eight thousand fiftyfive dollars not counting the antennas. coarse ive collected this over the thirty years ive been on the air.
"ive got 800 dollars worth of watt meters/slugs inline, more than mosts cb fellas have in thier radio and amplifiers".

point being thats why i strive for a balance of sound quality with nice 95-100% modulation with enuff carrier to get it were it needs to go.(weather thats 2 watts or over 2k)

i like you, have way to much invested to want to sound just "average" that to me would be insulting. and way to much in it to sound like a splatter box.

witch could be done for cheap.

buy a used cobra mobile max out the modulation vr do a swingmod set the key real low and swing it to 20+ watts. clip the limiter and put it in front of a comp style box in class "C" with little to no filtration and run it to where the transisters in the radio and the amp reach thier saturation point and bamm your there.

lol

merry christmas
bullet
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Sparkomatic
Posted on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 7:44 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I just judge my equipment by the way it sounds.....if it sounds great and LOUD, that is what I want. If it bleeds....oh well, as long as it sounds excellent to me...... that's what I paid for.
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Bullet
Posted on Saturday, December 27, 2003 - 9:39 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

i understand your point all to well, thats one of the reasons why i moved out to the sticks.

at any rate have a good happy new years
bullet
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Cm3885
Posted on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 - 9:33 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Hey Bullett what kind of radio are you using now??
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Bullet
Posted on Sunday, January 04, 2004 - 3:35 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

rci 2950 13zboard, 2- rci 2950dx's,saturn turbo thats been modified not to die!galaxy saturn,cobra 142gtl
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Damon Landschoot (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Posted on Saturday, April 10, 2004 - 11:49 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Sparkomatic-

It's guys like you that don't care about keeping the resource clean that make the hobby un-fun for the rest of us.
-No hard feelings. . OK!-
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Eagle 4432 (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Posted on Sunday, April 18, 2004 - 9:35 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

recently bought a Palomar 225 to use with my Galaxy44,I want to hook amp and radio in a big truck.Whats the proper way to hook it up as far as power supply goes?Radio and amp have been checked,now it's time to install the amp I doubt it will run off the cig lighter..any help would be appreciated<~ rookie
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Sitm
Intermediate Member
Username: Sitm

Post Number: 118
Registered: 1-2004
Posted on Monday, April 19, 2004 - 11:23 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Bullet I have to completely agree with you on this topic. I carefully collect radio equipment. I try to purchase equipment that hasn't been hacked to death. Generally you can tell the ones that have been because, well they don't work. I prefer to get them untouched (virgin) by a tech. And then have them carefully modified to transmit well, sound clear and clean and have a long life. I recently purchased a Uniden Washington. I had to search for a good long time to find one that had not been "tuned". I even talked to the original owner and found out that his son (who was a avid radio operator) had purchased it for him, he lost interest in two weeks and stuck it in his closet. This thing still had the plastic laminate over the channel display area. Can't go wrong with that. It has been untouched by a screwdriver electrician. As Bullet said, I live in an area that has several people that go out and purchase radios at these truck stops and they sound like they are screaming constantly, until about six months later when they run out of money and sell them for 1/4 of what they paid for them or they burn out because they are overdriven. People are constantly telling them, "can you please turn your mod down, I can't understand you." and believe it or not they respond, "Yea, I am loud ain't I." I have to laugh, and sometimes try to translate for them. I get the usual, you are crystal clean, sounds like you are in my living room. Not in their eardrum screaming as loud as they can. You can tell the mature operators, the responsible operators. They are "understandable and clear. You can go around the band when they are talking and there is very little bleedover. But they are full quieting on the broadcast channel. I have the ability to put 200 watts on the air if I want. So do many of the operators out there that are matured. But they don't generally need to. Strangely enough these operators that sound like they are screaming into a five gallon bucket are generally using talk back and can hear that they sound like a wounded jack rabbit, but constantly are asking a audio check so they can hear people tell them they are loud. but people constantly have to ask them to repeat what they say, because they are NOT UNDERSTANDABLE. "Yea, I am loud ain't I???" Makes you wonder if when they have time on their hands and not splattering the airwaves, if they don't sit on the couch with a bucket on their heads yelling at the top of their lungs......."I AM LOUD AIN'T I...."
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Cuddlebear
Intermediate Member
Username: Cuddlebear

Post Number: 126
Registered: 3-2002


Posted on Monday, April 19, 2004 - 3:31 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Very True.

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Itatorro
New member
Username: Itatorro

Post Number: 4
Registered: 6-2005
Posted on Tuesday, June 07, 2005 - 11:12 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

ya, we have these one-way opperators her in NYC ..they don't CARE...

Can i mention handles on the forum?

anyway- someone in Brooklyn His Handle B####.J####. Come on 19 a few times a week and carries on and on B####.J####. B####.J####. B####.J####. and laughs so he hears himself in the TB ...His handle is the only thing i can understand him say. he pegs my meter all the way from Staten Islan to NW Queens near the airport. I could see a driver in his rearview that i was talking to and he said i got stepped on. I also couldn'y use any chan for a few up or down from 19.

now i don't make a living driving but i sur feel sorry for the driver that do and have to put up with these operating practices. Is this a refection of our country.

SpiderMan the movie: "with great power comes great responsibility" If i had that time and money to have a rig like that id realy consider having a map(internet or GPS) and the new on the radio and try to help some of these traveler out.
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Hotwire
Intermediate Member
Username: Hotwire

Post Number: 457
Registered: 1-2005
Posted on Sunday, July 24, 2005 - 12:09 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

You can always tell the difference betwwen the beginners and the knowledgable operators. A radio operator and a mirophone holder. Most people need big power to get attention.

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