If budget is your concern, then buy MegaWatt S-350-12. Otherwise, it’s better to buy the MegaWatt S-450-12 model as it offers 450 watts output. John Generally speaking, center loaded antennas perform better than base loaded antennas, and top loaded antennas perform better than all. For any given antenna design (base, center or top loaded), the taller the antenna the better. With length comes a wider bandwidth (lower SWR over more channels), more power handling capability and overall performance increases. No, you should not. That will be a wastage of power. Not only that, using such an amplifier will cause immense interference to telephones, radios, and televisions nearby. What that happens, be ready to greet some FCC officials who will be there to school you and impose a hefty fine on you. Your aim should be to buy an amplifier that has the minimum required power to achieve a distance gain that you desire. What is the ideal CB linear amplifier? Also, a good CB amplifier should not have performance issues when the surrounding temperatures change, and it should be capable of working for long hours if without heating up significantly. Can I make a CB amplifier at home?

On a budget? Buy a cheap radio and a good antenna. Aside from added bells and whistles, all CB’s are FCC regulated to transmit no more than 4 watts of power. A good antenna on an inexpensive radio will almost always outperform a bad antenna on an expensive radio.Remove (unscrew) knurled barrel sleeve from main connector and drop over coax. Make sure that the internal threads are up (see Diagram D). The manufacturer did a remarkable job of maintaining voltage stability for the MegaWatt S-400-12 device. It also comes with protection against unexpected power surges, a grounded power cord, and an automatic shut down for protection against short circuit. Every industry has its bottom dwellers. We cannot protect you from them. Consumers who make decisions based strictly on price, or on what someone says instead of what they can do, will often fall prey to the bottom dwellers.

Measurements and determination of short or long conditions are the same as the single antenna procedure. However, when tuning co-phased antennas, if you adjust one antenna, it is advisable to adjust the other in equal amounts to keep them in perfect balance. COAX CABLE PROCESSING with FIRESTIK CONNECTORS Properly installed antenna system (mount, coax and antenna) that was made for the type of radio you will be using and has been tested for shorts and opens in continuity. (See “Testing Continuity”)The “A” designation after RG-58 or RG-59 indicates a stranded center conductor, wire made up of numerous individual strands versus one solid wire. The maximum practical gain that you can receive in the distance is when you use a 450-watt amplifier. It is pointless to opt for an amplifier of more than 450 watts. If you want to achieve that, a 500-watt amp should suffice. Should I use a 1000-watt or a 3000-watt amplifier?

Coaxial cable with holes in the outer insulation, severe bends, or door, trunk or hood caused pinches will cause performance problems. Treat your coax with care.Some “experts” may “claim” 5/8 wave mobile antennas are not possible because they would need to be 23 feet high. They are wrong! Physical length and ground wave performance are not the same. If you ever hear someone make that claim, ask them how a handheld CB can have a 1/4 wave antenna 8 inches long and 1/4 wave mobile antennas from 12-60 inches long in spite of the fact that a physical 1/4 wave is 108 inches. On antennas that are topped off with a vinyl tip, make sure that you take your SWR measurements with the tip in place. If you tune your antenna with the tip off and then reinstall the tip, your SWR will change. FCC rules dictate that your CB radio should have a power output within 4 Watts and 12 Watts. This means that the input power of your CB linear amplifier should always be within that range. If your ground plane is good, your mount grounded and, your antenna favorably located, coax length rarely becomes an issue. But, if one or more mismatches occur, you may find high SWR. This can often be corrected by using 18 feet lengths of high quality coax. On wire-wound antennas that require wire removal for tuning purposes, best overall performance will be achieved by keeping the loose end of the wire pressed down tightly against the wire coil. If you use power amplification on top loaded antennas and do not process the end of the wire load so it can dissipate its heat into other adjacent coils, you can melt the tip of the antenna.