Posted: 9/25/2009 4:10:20 PM EDT
|
Hey all...
Got my 718 all set up last night with a SEC1223 PS, a borrowed MFJ tuner and a 100' randam wire antenna...Seems to be working fine.. My next purchase will prob be a LDG Z11Pro... I see though thats its rated for 125 watts... So my question is how many of you HF cowboys are running amps and how many amps are you running? Next question... If that I can here that is in Chicago that is running an amp will he be able to here me and me talk to him with my 100 watts and random wire antenna.. I tried to talk to some LD folks last night and either I'm not getting out or they were just ignoring me..I was on the 80 meter band.. Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom |
|
Well, I have found that on 80m, if your signal isn't s9+20db not very many people will come back to you.
I have a 500w homebrew amp that isn't in service at the moment. I need a better antenna first. I hooked it up last month and arced the feedpoint on my inverted vee. 
To run a high powered amp into a non resonant antenna, you'll need a BIG tuner. Something that will handle the power. I've had better luck in the past running resonant antennas and NO tuner when the amp is in-line. Just remember..the first 500 watts make the biggest difference. So if you have a choice between a 500 watt amp and a 700 watt amp, the 500 will perform just as good. The next step is a KW, which will only increase your signal one S-unit over a 500 watt amp. |
|
Quoted:
Well, I have found that on 80m, if your signal isn't s9+20db not very many people will come back to you. I have a 500w homebrew amp that isn't in service at the moment. I need a better antenna first. I hooked it up last month and arced the feedpoint on my inverted vee.
To run a high powered amp into a non resonant antenna, you'll need a BIG tuner. Something that will handle the power. I've had better luck in the past running resonant antennas and NO tuner when the amp is in-line. Just remember..the first 500 watts make the biggest difference. So if you have a choice between a 500 watt amp and a 700 watt amp, the 500 will perform just as good. The next step is a KW, which will only increase your signal one S-unit over a 500 watt amp. Excellent advise. If you are thinking about an amp in the future, consider an LDG-1000 as your tuner now. It will be able to handle most anything. I liked mine, although a little noisy while tuning. I could loaf along with the Alpha at 800W. |
|
Quoted:
Well, I have found that on 80m, if your signal isn't s9+20db not very many people will come back to you. I have a 500w homebrew amp that isn't in service at the moment. I need a better antenna first. I hooked it up last month and arced the feedpoint on my inverted vee.
To run a high powered amp into a non resonant antenna, you'll need a BIG tuner. Something that will handle the power. I've had better luck in the past running resonant antennas and NO tuner when the amp is in-line. Just remember..the first 500 watts make the biggest difference. So if you have a choice between a 500 watt amp and a 700 watt amp, the 500 will perform just as good. The next step is a KW, which will only increase your signal one S-unit over a 500 watt amp. But 1500w will give you more... 
|