I was wondering if I could get a little help on an amp purchase or other
modifications that would help in my tranmit and receive distance. I'll
start off by mentioning that I live in the country with little to no
neighbors.

I have a barefoot Galaxy DX55V, that I've brought into the house and hooked
up to a Pyramid PS-14KX power supply with a Solarcon A99 mounted at
approximately 25', running Tramflex RG-8/x coax at a length of 50', and an
Astatic 636L mic.

It appears that with my current setup, I can hear traffic approximately
12-15 miles away with static - but they cannot hear me. I was looking for
someway to clear that up and extend my range so that I could be heard and
since there are geography obstructions in between (fairly good size hills),
I first started looking at an amp. I first thought of an RMI KL-300, but
was really unsure as to what choices were available due to what the 14KX
would drive.

It has also been mentioned that I should raise the antenna to 35', which I'm
all for - I just don't have anything available to attach it to at the time.

Are there any suggestions? Should I forego any amp purchase and focus on
raising my antenna? If I should think of buying an amp, is the RMI KL
series amps worth considering or should I steer towards a Fat Boy, Palomar,
ALA, etc...

Thanks a lot for any assistance that you can give.

Happy Easter!

"Stone-ok" wrote in message
...
I was wondering if I could get a little help on an amp purchase or other
modifications that would help in my tranmit and receive distance. I'll
start off by mentioning that I live in the country with little to no
neighbors.

I have a barefoot Galaxy DX55V, that I've brought into the house and
hooked up to a Pyramid PS-14KX power supply with a Solarcon A99 mounted at
approximately 25', running Tramflex RG-8/x coax at a length of 50', and an
Astatic 636L mic.

It appears that with my current setup, I can hear traffic approximately
12-15 miles away with static - but they cannot hear me. I was looking for
someway to clear that up and extend my range so that I could be heard and
since there are geography obstructions in between (fairly good size
hills), I first started looking at an amp. I first thought of an RMI
KL-300, but was really unsure as to what choices were available due to
what the 14KX would drive.

It has also been mentioned that I should raise the antenna to 35', which
I'm all for - I just don't have anything available to attach it to at the
time.

Are there any suggestions? Should I forego any amp purchase and focus on
raising my antenna? If I should think of buying an amp, is the RMI KL
series amps worth considering or should I steer towards a Fat Boy,
Palomar, ALA, etc...

Thanks a lot for any assistance that you can give.

Happy Easter!
1] Make sure that your current antenna has a good ground.

2] Attach as many ground radials as you can.

3] See if you can barrow a antenna analyzer to check the SWR of your
antenna system.

On Mar 22, 2:39*am, "Channel Cop" wrote:
"Stone-ok" wrote in message

...



I was wondering if I could get a little help on an amp purchase or other
modifications that would help in my tranmit and receive distance. *I'll
start off by mentioning that I live in the country with little to no
neighbors.

I have a barefoot Galaxy DX55V, that I've brought into the house and
hooked up to a Pyramid PS-14KX power supply with a Solarcon A99 mounted at
approximately 25', running Tramflex RG-8/x coax at a length of 50', and an
Astatic 636L mic.

It appears that with my current setup, I can hear traffic approximately
12-15 miles away with static - but they cannot hear me. *I was looking for
someway to clear that up and extend my range so that I could be heard and
since there are geography obstructions in between (fairly good size
hills), I first started looking at an amp. *I first thought of an RMI
KL-300, but was really unsure as to what choices were available due to
what the 14KX would drive.

It has also been mentioned that I should raise the antenna to 35', which
I'm all for - I just don't have anything available to attach it to at the
time.

Are there any suggestions? *Should I forego any amp purchase and focus on
raising my antenna? *If I should think of buying an amp, is the RMI KL
series amps worth considering or should I steer towards a Fat Boy,
Palomar, ALA, etc...

Thanks a lot for any assistance that you can give.

Happy Easter!

1] * *Make sure that your current antenna has a good ground.

2] * *Attach as many ground radials as you can.

3] * *See if you can barrow a antenna analyzer to check the SWR of your
antenna system.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I guess I wasn't aware that I needed to ground the A99 all that much,
if any. I do have a single ground rod attached to tha mast that the
antenna's attached to.

I own an SWR meter, and it is currently running steadily around 1.5

Thanks for you response.

Thanks for you response.

1] You really want to try and get your SWR down to around 1.2:1

What is wrong with 1.5? It's prefectly fine, and losses from it are negiglible.

2] What is the length of your current coax?

This won't effect SWR.

3] You may want to try a higher quality coax.

Agreed. I use Davis Bury-flex. If you are not running underground, 9913 or
LMR400 is good.


4] You should check you coax connectors: are they old - you might want to
change them, but if you change them and they are the same age as the coax,
then change the coax it is cheaper. If the coax comes with the connectors
installed, then try to get the TEFLON connectors as they last longer and are
of higher quality.


5] Can you adjust the length of your antenna? If you can by loosening a
clamp, be sure to coat it with some RTV (u can get the RTV in any hardware
store) when you have finished adjusting it, as this will give your antenna
protection from the weather. Also, any coax connectors at the base of the
antenna should be covered with Coax-Seal (www.coaxseal.com/).

I think he has tuning rings for SWR. But 1.5 is still very good.

6] As far as the ground radials, google "ground radials" - there are a
number of sites with information on that subject.

I have also gotten a mixed bag of opinions on this.

Vinnie S.

On Mar 23, 2:21*pm, Vinnie S. wrote:
Thanks for you response.

1] * *You really want to try and get your SWR down to around 1.2:1

What is wrong with 1.5? It's prefectly fine, and losses from it are negiglible.

2] * *What is the length of your current coax?

This won't effect SWR.

3] * *You may want to try a higher quality coax.

Agreed. I use Davis Bury-flex. If you are not running underground, 9913 or
LMR400 is good.



4] * *You should check you coax connectors: are they old - you might want to
change them, but if you change them and they are the same age as the coax,
then change the coax it is cheaper. *If the coax comes with the connectors
installed, then try to get the TEFLON connectors as they last longer and are
of higher quality.
5] * *Can you adjust the length of your antenna? *If you can by loosening a
clamp, be sure to coat it with some RTV (u can get the RTV in any hardware
store) when you have finished adjusting it, as this will give your antenna
protection from the weather. *Also, any coax connectors at the base of the
antenna should be covered with Coax-Seal (www.coaxseal.com/).

I think he has tuning rings for SWR. But 1.5 is still very good.

6] * *As far as the ground radials, google "ground radials" - there are a
number of sites with information on that subject.

I have also gotten a mixed bag of opinions on this.

Vinnie S.



Thank you both (Channel Cop & Vinnie)!

I didn't really think that an SWR of 1.5 was all that bad either.

But to answer the question about Coax; I'm running Tramflex RG-8/x at
a length of 50' - it's not underground...it's more under trailer :-)

I've heard that the RG-8/x is not the best but only less than .5 db
worse than the LMR400. If it is a great benefit to replace it, then I
will. The only reasone I'd rather not jump to it, is that I just
purchased it 2 wks ago at about $0.80 / ft, and didn't want to shell
out more money so quickly if I wouldn't see a dramatic difference. It
came from a CB Shop, who custom made it to my requested length. I
also purchased the A99 from them at the same time, and they said that
I didn't need to worry about grounding it or adjusting it. I told
them that I was mounting it on a 1½" dia pipe about 25' high, and the
only thing that they said was they would perfer that I mounted it
higher - around 35'.

I was listening to it this afternoon, and it appears that I can hear
somewhat acceptable (approximately 15 miles away) - but they can't
hear me. That's what made me think that I needed something to boost
my transmit. Would raising my antenna an additional 10' help that
much?

Thanks again for both of your help.

"stone-ok" wrote in message
...
On Mar 22, 2:39 am, "Channel Cop" wrote:
"Stone-ok" wrote in message

...



I was wondering if I could get a little help on an amp purchase or other
modifications that would help in my tranmit and receive distance. I'll
start off by mentioning that I live in the country with little to no
neighbors.

I have a barefoot Galaxy DX55V, that I've brought into the house and
hooked up to a Pyramid PS-14KX power supply with a Solarcon A99 mounted
at
approximately 25', running Tramflex RG-8/x coax at a length of 50', and
an
Astatic 636L mic.

It appears that with my current setup, I can hear traffic approximately
12-15 miles away with static - but they cannot hear me. I was looking
for
someway to clear that up and extend my range so that I could be heard
and
since there are geography obstructions in between (fairly good size
hills), I first started looking at an amp. I first thought of an RMI
KL-300, but was really unsure as to what choices were available due to
what the 14KX would drive.

It has also been mentioned that I should raise the antenna to 35', which
I'm all for - I just don't have anything available to attach it to at
the
time.

Are there any suggestions? Should I forego any amp purchase and focus on
raising my antenna? If I should think of buying an amp, is the RMI KL
series amps worth considering or should I steer towards a Fat Boy,
Palomar, ALA, etc...

Thanks a lot for any assistance that you can give.

Happy Easter!

1] Make sure that your current antenna has a good ground.

2] Attach as many ground radials as you can.

3] See if you can barrow a antenna analyzer to check the SWR of your
antenna system.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I guess I wasn't aware that I needed to ground the A99 all that much,
if any. I do have a single ground rod attached to tha mast that the
antenna's attached to.

I own an SWR meter, and it is currently running steadily around 1.5

Thanks for you response.

1] You really want to try and get your SWR down to around 1.2:1

2] What is the length of your current coax?

3] You may want to try a higher quality coax.

4] You should check you coax connectors: are they old - you might want to
change them, but if you change them and they are the same age as the coax,
then change the coax it is cheaper. If the coax comes with the connectors
installed, then try to get the TEFLON connectors as they last longer and are
of higher quality.

5] Can you adjust the length of your antenna? If you can by loosening a
clamp, be sure to coat it with some RTV (u can get the RTV in any hardware
store) when you have finished adjusting it, as this will give your antenna
protection from the weather. Also, any coax connectors at the base of the
antenna should be covered with Coax-Seal (www.coaxseal.com/).

6] As far as the ground radials, google "ground radials" - there are a
number of sites with information on that subject.

I hope this helps you, as replacing either the antenna or the feed line is a
lot cheaper than adding a high price amp!

On Mon, 24 Mar 2008 01:25:40 -0400, "Channel Cop"
wrote:

|1] You really want to try and get your SWR down to around 1.2:1
|
|-----------------------------

The difference between 1.5:1 and 1.2:1 is marginal at best. 1.5:1
across the band is more than adequate.

james

Just my thoughts:
I had the same mess here.
60 feet and a new coax is the best help you can get right now.
And using guide wires to keep it in the air acts as a better ground plane
too. He He
Metal radials copper is best on the ground in 4 directions as well as on the
antenna. The radials for the antenna is sold as a kit at Palco Electronics
for $50.00.
The antenna you have is set from the factory for 11 meters (CB).
It is tuneable also to adjust your swr and 1.2 to 1 is all out best - the
better the swr the better signal strength you will have and evey little bit
counts and you are legal.
Another thing to consider as you can handle the cost is the mic you have get
the astatic power mic new or used. Much better modulation. Make sure your
radio is tuned by all means.

Ron

"Stone-ok" wrote in message
...
I was wondering if I could get a little help on an amp purchase or other
modifications that would help in my tranmit and receive distance. I'll
start off by mentioning that I live in the country with little to no
neighbors.

I have a barefoot Galaxy DX55V, that I've brought into the house and
hooked up to a Pyramid PS-14KX power supply with a Solarcon A99 mounted at
approximately 25', running Tramflex RG-8/x coax at a length of 50', and an
Astatic 636L mic.

It appears that with my current setup, I can hear traffic approximately
12-15 miles away with static - but they cannot hear me. I was looking for
someway to clear that up and extend my range so that I could be heard and
since there are geography obstructions in between (fairly good size
hills), I first started looking at an amp. I first thought of an RMI
KL-300, but was really unsure as to what choices were available due to
what the 14KX would drive.

It has also been mentioned that I should raise the antenna to 35', which
I'm all for - I just don't have anything available to attach it to at the
time.

Are there any suggestions? Should I forego any amp purchase and focus on
raising my antenna? If I should think of buying an amp, is the RMI KL
series amps worth considering or should I steer towards a Fat Boy,
Palomar, ALA, etc...

Thanks a lot for any assistance that you can give.

Happy Easter!