Great video... the first time someone has taken the time to explain how an amp works stage by stage to me. Thanks so much Jim for sharing your knowledge. N6BOB Yuba City, CA
I enjoy listening to you talk about this stuff. I think I'm going to adopt you as a surrogate-Elmer. :) I have been a ham since 1984 and still have never used an amp. Thanks for these videos.
Thank you again professor. Bought my first tube rig a Swan 350 and this video may prevent me from blowing it up! May. Thank you - pro job as always. 73
Great video. I like that you have a L4B. That is what I run behind the ic-746pro with a few tricks on the keying. The call is KD5FRJ and the L4B is my first and probably only amp. I did like you said got a deal on eBay put in new tubes cleaned it up a little and runs full legal.
Thanks Jim, you're always a great source of information and your videos are easy on the ears. By "easy on the ears" I mean no background noise and you'd don't yell.
Thanks Greg. Sometime soon I will explain why and how I do the videos. Basically, it has to do with guys who helped me as a youngster. They were from the depression and WWII. I was lucky to have them in my neighborhood. 73, Jim
Great information Jim! and there are lot of idea about of having a good antenna is in the first case.well im the junior of the 9M2GV which silence key.. Thanks.
Running an amp just makes everything better, enables you to meet people and, critically, allows you to STAY on the air and have a good LONG chat with them. If you have conditions that allow that with 100w then hats off to you - but often you do not. A plain ol' resonant fan dipole on 80 and 40m with a kilowatt will make you a huge queue of friends a few enemies as well. It'll be a blast. ;)
Yep! That extra 2 S units is huge! There are many times, as you know, when 100 watts is even too much. For other times, the amp helps. Thanks Steve. 73, Jim
I was. I was elected to a school board. I was also a Planning Commissioner, member of the fire code board, building code board, disabled code board, head of the emergency communications group, volunteer with Cal Fire as a VIP and other stuff I can't remember at this time. Politicians today, well, not the same thing as a few years ago. Thanks very much for watching. 73, Jim
New HAM. Just got my callsign earlier this year, and have since upgraded to general and then extra. No amp yet. Havent yet decided if I want to go that direction. Seems in life that when you add “more power” to just about anything there seems to other consequences related to other equipment etc. Ive spent most of my efforts to date setting up a clean shack....grounding system, minimized RFI, “clean” power through minimized AC use.
Jim, Enjoyed the video. Built an SB221 in the early 80's, but was no able to use it because was only a Tech Plus. Bought all the parts from Heathkit to add 10m and also another rocker switch to add standby capability on the front panel. All my ham gear was packed away in a storage unit when I was injured in an auto accident shortly after competing the amp build. Now, 25 years later getting back into the hobby and the storage unit will be emptied soon as it is now just too expensive. All my ham gear will be back home. Will need to recap the amp before getting it back on the air. Can use it now since upgrading to General. :-)
Yes, new caps and don't forget to replace those resistors across each of the caps. You will find they have changed value. Order new ones and get extras. Try to get the same value on each cap. I know about accidents. I fell 14 feet and broke my neck at C6 in 1998. Seems to be getting worse every year. Ham radio has been a great asset to me especially since my accident. 73, Jim
Ah, the bleeder resistors. I already have a few of the Harbach kits in the amp and will use their FB-220 filter kit. Just checked and it does come with the resistors. WB3BJU
Definitely right about antenna I found on 11 meter (CB) you can get more distance out of a good antenna and 4 Watts than a bad antenna and 100 watts. Once your antenna 📡 Is optimized then an amplifier will really shine especially on SSB! great video brother 73s! 👍
thanks for showing that drake amp, really beautiful in it's simplicity' i would be concerned on the sizing of the power trannie, Jim, would love if sometime, you would go into the difference between going in triode vs tetrode in the transmitting signal.
Ive been running an FT-991 at 95 watts through a Chameleon Emcomm III End Fed. I consistently get coast to coast (from Oklahoma) with a lot of really good signal reports (not the "fake" 59 reports....lol). Ive attributed this success to a really really clean antenna setup with lmr-400 coax, antenna mast just on the other side of the wall from my shack, substantially reduced RFI, and a choke at the antenna feed point. Between all of this the somewhat hated end fed has been very effective. Even with that there is always "that guy" that just cant get a clean RX from me, even though others in the roundtable or similar can hear me fine, that will tell me to get an amp. I was just told last week from an old ham that if I wasnt going to run legal limit that I needed to find a new roundtable. LOL. Kills me. Several of the other guys started making a point to comment that they could hear me fine. The operator got so mad that he said "someone else here can run the roundtable...then he proceeded to shut down Netlogger that was being used". Wow.
Thanks Jim. Glad to put a video face to the voice. Thinking of getting an amp, here. Have been building-up the homebrew antennas, and wondering if I should go tube or solid state (but don't have a lot of money). Thanks for the video. Lots to think about. HL1ZIX
Jim thanks for the Video, you talked about getting a good antenna and feed line. my first antenna is a MFJ2010 ocf dipole with RG8X feeding it, what would be the next steps to improve my antenna setup? i live in Kansas and have the dipole in the trees on the side of the hill, i am thinking about moving it up the hill in hopes to get better reception. I have few questions is there a limit or rule of thumb on the distance from a radio to antenna? should the feed line be a different cable? I received my license last year (just to learn somthing new) but did not get a radio until June of this year. a friend gave me an IC-7000 with an LDG IT-100 auto tuner. thanks David KE0EFW
GREAT video, Jim. Even though I can run 1500 watts if I need to, I am, like you, a big believer in putting my money into the best antennas, fed by the best feedline and connectors, at a height that not only clears as many physical obstacles around it as possible, but that is also the right wavelength above the earth, for the frequency I am working on. It is extremely rare for me to run more than 200 watts PEP. If I can hear them, AND they invested in a good antenna system, I can generally talk with them unless they have bad QRM. Only then do I use an amp, and even then I use the absolute minimum needed to carry on a stable, good quality communication.
Jim, Enjoy your Videos. Thanks for your experience and insight. In the back of my mind I still want a henry!. A local ham when I was a kid had one and it left a indelible mark. It must have I was twelve at the time now i am 55. He had a swan station with the henry. Wow! I used to go over to Henry Radio in la and slobber and dream. Thanks Jim.
You bet. And, Henry amps don't sell well. You can find them cheap at estate sales. Must guys don't want to deal with an amp that weighs more than 120 pounds. You might want to avoid the ones with the tear drop meters. They have a habit of failing and they are no longer in production. Thanks Barry! 73, Jim W6LG
Thank you. I did put in very good feedlines as part of building my new radio room and antenna system at the new QTH in Rocklin California. I should do a video about the feedlines. I failed to correctly mark which line was which that runs from the radio room to a closet about 20 meters away. I did connect to feedline that were unterminated and got a low SWR reading. Also, I found that some commercially installed coax connectors would not completely seat to the SO-239; even though it looked okay. That cause intermittent readings and I chased that mistake for days. Sometime it was fine. Other times the SWR was high. As I said, the looked good. Wiggling the connectors they were just slightly loose with the barrel all the way down on the SO-239. I know that all is confusing so I will video the connections and put that up here. 73, Jim W6LG
Thanks Jim, I appreciate your time and knowledge. I just purchased an Ameritron 811H. Radios are Kenwood TS 590sg, Yaesu FT 950 and Icoam IC 736. I never used an amp before and so the antenna issue is an issue for me. I do live in an HOA. I have many trees in the back yard and on a hill so I am fairly discrete. Can you suggest an antenna that can work as many bands as possible but simple and stealthy ? You did mention vertical. Can you elaborate some ? Either way, thanks again and I pray for health and safety for you and your family. 73 Jim !
Jim. Do you have a video on safety using amplifiers? I noticed that you were touching different components. Do you ever need to ground out any capacitors in an amp or is just cutting the power and waiting a set period of time enough? When I repaired radars, we had a grounding stick to ground out the capacitors prior to putting your hands inside but I haven’t seen that when talking about amps for ham radio. If we do need to do this, can you do a short video on the proper way to safely discharge the caps before doing any work? Thanks
I am preparing to take me technician test. I was interested in buying a scanner that can listen to ham, police, and trunkcated fire. You mentioned you were listening to fire in your area. Any recommendations on scanners? I live in Southern CA and have no cost restrictions.
My position is that a good antenna is where the most gains can be made. This also allows boosting the received signal as well. Using higher power than the other end is useless, you won't hear them.
Jimmy, very well done ! Remember to keep an eye on the filament voltage for long tube life. I really like the Drake L7, very pretty amplifier with those blue meters. Hope all is well. Vy73, Mike W9NVN
Nice to hear from you. I am now in Rockling and have cancer diagnosis. So, I am ailing a bit. Let's talk sometime soon Mike. If you want to chat on the phone or Skype, let me know. 73, Jim
I sometimes wonder. Thanks for the very kind words. Stay tuned for the next couple of videos that should explain a few things and be interesting with a twist. 73, Jim
Hello, Jim... Thanks for great video about linear. As you said you need good antennas with good coax. I'm using OM Power 2200 its use FU728F Tube and give out 2200W easily. I just keep it just half power 31W from the transceiver give out 1300W which ok for me and keep it running cooler all the day... 73
Hi, That amp is beautiful and works great. Congratulations! OM Power makes very nice linear amplifiers with good reliability. I hope to hear you soon on 20 meters. 73, Jim W6LG
Hi Jim, I'm looking at a used Ameritrom AL811 for $400 (estate reseller) but is about 25 years old... with your Elmer wisdom, is that a good deal or something to avoid. don't know if it works but it is in excellent looking condition. Any thoughts are quite welcome! I hope the new radio is almost finished! Thanks, Rich Stay safe!
Jim, some questions about solid state RF amplifiers. First is, how tolerant are they to great changes in line voltage? Second, are the finals MOSFETS or power transistors and are they only heat sink cooled? Thank you for this helpful video. 73's KB5ZDW
Thanks. I need to fix it. The idea is good the execution needs work. This is fun to do and I am learning a little with each video. Thanks! 73, Jim W6LG
Jim, I have a small city lot, 70 x 100 foot, neighbours all around. I heard that HAMS living in city area, like me, are better to forget about an AMP, because it is clear that your gonna cause interferences in all your neighbours audio system, pc speaker, home theater system, and so on. I think it takes distant neighbours to use an amp. Is that right ? De Chris, VE2VAE.
Hi. Great video. I believe that I learned a few things. One note though... how about a "warning" not to put your hand inside the amp when it is turned on. Someone is going to do that I am afraid. BTW... I just subscribed to your channel. 73, KI7LJ
It would be better to have it on 240; but only a little better. For 120vac, let's figure that out. Let's say it runs about 600 watts output. To generate that output, its input would be about 1000 watts (I am using 60% efficiency). There are tube filaments and other things that might draw current. So, let's guess at 200 watts for other "stuff". So, the amp could be at 1200 watts total. At 120vac that would be 10 amps (10x120). The standard for outlets in most locations in a residence is 15 amps with a few exceptions where it is 20 amps. So, the standard outlet will work fine. Just don't put another item like a coffee pot or toaster or compressor on the same circuit. There is inrush current at startup and some other issues. On SSB the duty cycle is probably 25%. So on average when on SSB, the current draw might be 5 amps. Breakers can handle overcurrent for a few cycles before they trip. All in all, the standard outlet should be fine. The wire size should be 14awg copper. If it is aluminum 14 gauge, then there is a fire hazard and you have a bigger issue than just the amp. Does all of that make sense? 73, Jim
@@ham-radio Yes My house is built in 1918. And my wiring don't have ground. And when I put a space heater on it trips the breaker. So I was thinking my radio will be ok. But as for the 200 I better run another a separate 20 amp circuit with ground and a heavier wire. So if I ran 12 3 I should be ok? And what kind of 12 3 wiring should I get?
Jim... You make me nervous touching all that stuff. I once, as a teen, used a screwdriver to spread the tank coil to get more wattage... Or go I was told. I did get more wattage on my Hornet 75. However. It blew the screwdriver out of my hand and across the kitchen. Lived, learned, never did it again and not I'm a General.
All these great videos on linear operation .. how about simple show on how to hook up linear ? I new on using amertron amps. I want to hook up my ic7300 I have no idea where the external tuner and the watt meter and my digital mfj swr meters go? .. so much confusion I I have internal tuner I don't think useful with swr about 3.. I have restricted antennas .. I using vertical on front door rails using mobile all band antenna. I was able to get 1 to 1 swr with mfj tuner .. now it's complicated adding a solid linear rated at 600 watts I plan on only using low 200- 300 the most .. I watched alot of your videos but the simple things seem to be left out..
A linear does not make your receive better. We thank all those stations who spend the big dollars on high gain antennae and Linear amps so that we don't need to.
I was working a station in San Diego the other day and he was in the noise thanks to my indoor antennas and then I hear "let me fire up the linear" and then the dude in 10 over S9 :) Made my day! My 2nd or 3rd HF contact on a band other than 10 meters. Some of the foreign stations really run both high gain and high power amps. Portugal on 20 meters the other day was so clear. I was so happy to finally be able to hear someone say my call sign on HF!
Jim a friend of mine had a cat that likes to lay on top of his amp in the winter to keep warm. one time he had the cover off of the amp and the cat jumped up onto the desk and landed on the amp. he survived but lost some fur... My friend heard the Cat scream and it ran across the room dazed...
Bello Jim, I know this may be a very basic question but, anyway, I really appreciate your videos , are awesome. What is normally the input of.this linear amps? At what power? I know it depends of the amplifier but, for let's say, an Ameritron single 3-500z valve, what would you use as input?
Hi, It is actually a very good question and has a complicated answer. Depending on the plate voltage, a single tube can run a maximum output of about 800 to 1000 watts. It would need a standard 100 watt transceiver. Drive would somewhere around 70 watts. The amp would be about 60 to 65% efficient. So if there was 900 watts output the input would be about 900 divided by 62% equals about 1500 watts input (rounding off). Remember to keep the ALC at no more than about half scale.....never more. 73, Jim
I have a kenwood tm281 in my truck. It’s had Mars mod done and I use vhf channel the most. Is there amplifiers I can use on this mobile radio to give it a little more power?. It’s a 65 watt but sometimes I need a little more. Thanks KF5SRI
The better thing to do might be to improve the antenna. I really know very little about amplifiers for 2 meter mobile. I am on HF when I am on the air. Thanks Kendall! 73, Jim
Jim W6LG yeah I’m still a little new at a lot of this but still learning. I will do some improvements to my antenna setup. I’m sure it could use some. Thank you sir
Antenna and feedline are the most important things in the station. The ground connection on a mobile is incredibly important as you know. In any case have a lot of fun and see how far you can communicate with that mobile. Also, work towards the Extra Class License. 73, Jim
I need to be able to communicate with my Fishing Vessel through their VHF 25W Radio, how may I proceed since the distance from onshore to the fishing spot is about 50 miles. Please help
I have never owned a solid-state amplifier. Tubes take a while to tune, but they work great (old-school, I guess). Gotta be REAL careful at 1,800 to 2,500 VDC though.
You know Rick, I need to do a video about that. I might use your email as a premise. To give you an idea of what happened to me at age 17+/-, I woke up, maybe a hour later, across the room against a wall. I had been unconscious for a long time. The mic and the cord were still in my left hand. The plug for the mic remained in the transmitter. I was thrown so hard that is pulled the wires out of the connector. The rest I will tell in the video. Thanks Rick. You are right. 73, Jim
@@ham-radio Glad you're OK, Jim. I had an experience, but at much lower voltage when I was 13. I got across 120 VAC and was frozen across it -paralyzed. My Ma heard me "moaning" for help. If we were much older, we wouldn't have survived maybe.
Wow. I have been told that AC locks you and DC throws you. Mike Holt who is the expert on grounding says that just a few ma. can be fatal. He said something like 1ma for every 10 pounds. And, the GRCI outlets and breakers are 50ma based on a child's weight of 50 pounds. You are so very lucky. Sometimes the one being electrocuted causes the death of the rescuer who also gets locked up. They say use a stick. Thanks Rick for sharing. 73, Jim
Thanks for explaining the doubling of your power, gives you a 3db gain, but I just have to ask this...So going from 100w to 400w, you say gives you 2 S-Units which is a 'huge increase' ? Why is it that I have never seen that much difference in someone's transmission when they've gone from say S9 to S11. Now S9 to 20 over, yes that's a 'huge increase'.
Hi, I have had some connection problems. You wrote: ."So going from 100w to 400w, you say gives you 2 S-Units which is a 'huge increase' ?" I don't think I said that. Here's the simple approach to the math. Going from 100 to 200 would be doubling. That is 3 dB. Going from 200 to 400 would be doubling; 3dB. So going from 100 to 400 would be 6dB. Six dB is 1 S unit. There is no S11. S9 to S9+20sB is 20dB. Twenty dB is a 1 followed by 2 zeroes or 100 times. And, that is a lot! 73, Jim W6LG
@@ham-radio You're right Jim, I thought you said '2 S-Units' when in fact you said '1 S-Unit' which to be honest, actually kind of accentuates my point all the more. At 3:08 you said 'that's a big difference' going up 1 S-Unit. It was that increase of only 1 S-Unit that I questioned why it would be a 'big difference'? Maybe that's why you said...''do you need an amplifier....probably not.' If buying an amp and using 400 watts only gets an increase of 1 S-Unit, then I think you're right. It's almost like you have to go with 1500 watts to see any appreciable change in S-Units. You say there is no S11 so let's use a different Benchmark then. My point was that if an Operator comes up from S7 to S8, I would have thought typically, that isn't much of a difference in signal strength but I guess as you've stated, it actually is. Now you mention that 'Twenty dB is a 1 followed by 2 zeroes or 100 times'. I didn't follow that reasoning but I found this page...( www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-db-power-units.htm) which helped me understand your explanation of what Twenty dB actually is. Thanks again for the clarification. Stay safe and healthy.
peter leach BALUN, or BALanced-to-UNbalanced (and pronounced the same as if pronouncing those two words, though many will say "balloon" which is incorrect), which is a type of matching transformer to match a balanced line (such as ladder line or a balanced antenna) to an unbalanced line (such as coax). There are also Balbal's and Unun's. You can also use them for impedance matching components with widely different impedances, such as when transitioning from 50-Ohm coax to 450-Ohm ladder line, or matching a 50-Ohm coax feedline to, for example, a roughly 300-Ohm folded dipole antenna so as to reduce the magnitude of the impedance mismatch allowing you to reduce the SWR and better couple power into the antenna. In the case of current baluns (as opposed to voltage baluns, another type), you can also use them to reduce common mode currents coupling back into your shack over the outer shield of your coax when using unbalanced and/or nonresonant antennas so as to reduce unwanted RF in your shack that can result in equipment malfunction (or, more painfully, RF burns if your station lacks an adequate RF ground to dissipate the common mode RF). They are worth studying up on, especially if you are interested in operating HF, as they can help solve a number of common issues you may encounter.
Have been a ham as long as you and need to ask around and see if I can upgrade to a call like KKK6KKKK. Any idea on where or to who to talk with????????? K6LIG EX WA5LIG.
You might -- MIGHT -- be able to get K6KK, K6KKK, KK6KK, OR KK6KKK (Check the FCC database to see if they're available!), but why would you ever want to?
@@ham-radio Well Jimbo it is a CB type radio and a very splattery amplifier. Of course i was kidding. Been a ham myself since 2007 unfortunately i went through a divorce and was bled dry of my money so i am stuck in a Apt were there are no antennas allowed. I enjoy your videos. Please keep them coming and hope you stay healthy. God bless !!!
Sir, you do not need this annoying intro music. Someone gave you bad advice. As far as I could observe, this kind of music is a thought-killer (proof is everywhere around us). Liked&Subscribed.
I got a Cobra 29 LTD. It's picked out to 40wats and I have a linear a superstar 200 Watts if I buy a 500 watt linear would that get me what I need to talk over people
nobody makes fun intros like this nowadays. Amazing video 😊
Great video... the first time someone has taken the time to explain how an amp works stage by stage to me. Thanks so much Jim for sharing your knowledge. N6BOB Yuba City, CA
Thanks Bob. I am going to do another one and maybe add some graphics to help with the explanation. 73, Jim W6LG
Thank you ''AGAIN'' Jim for your honest and perfect opinions thanks to expertise which are worth their weight in gold Sir. Keep posting and thanks.
I enjoy listening to you talk about this stuff. I think I'm going to adopt you as a surrogate-Elmer. :) I have been a ham since 1984 and still have never used an amp. Thanks for these videos.
You are a great teacher. Well done on this very informative vid. Thx and 73! from KC1ANR in Boston
Thank you again professor. Bought my first tube rig a Swan 350 and this video may prevent me from blowing it up! May. Thank you - pro job as always. 73
So easy to absorb the knowledge from your videos. Very helpful. Thank you. Soon to be VK3
Your awsome I understand about 3 % of what your talking about but can't stop watching thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge
Thanks Jim; great explanation for the linear amp!
Excellent advice, Jim. Thank you for posting it. It all begins with the antenna.73 DE K7RMJ Frank
Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge Jim, love watching and learning from you sir. 73 David, W5DPV
Great video! Thanks for your view Jim... definitely has help me to make the right decision.
Great video. I like that you have a L4B. That is what I run behind the ic-746pro with a few tricks on the keying. The call is KD5FRJ and the L4B is my first and probably only amp. I did like you said got a deal on eBay put in new tubes cleaned it up a little and runs full legal.
Thanks Jim, you're always a great source of information and your videos are easy on the ears. By "easy on the ears" I mean no background noise and you'd don't yell.
Glad you like them! Some times I feel like yelling...but don't. Thanks for watching and please do subscribe. 73, Jim W6LG
Great video, nice work. I love the Gs-35b's i got myself 2 of those babies. Hope to hear you soon on the air.
73's, Lefteris 5B4AGL.
Great Video and explanation thanks for posting
Hi. I am in the process of repairing/modifying a Heathkit SB-200 Your videos have been very informative and chock full of great insights.
John AB9JS
Excellent Video Jim 73's from the NT
wow wow wow what a crystal clear explanation . I will use a baseline coax to my straight line . I hope that makes a big difference thx
Thank you Jim, Really enjoyed this video and the Information in your brain.... thank you Sir...73's. KM4YOU, Boca Raton - Florida.
Thanks Greg. Sometime soon I will explain why and how I do the videos. Basically, it has to do with guys who helped me as a youngster. They were from the depression and WWII. I was lucky to have them in my neighborhood. 73, Jim
Great information Jim! Thanks.
Thanks again for the kind words. 73, Jim
I have been on cb side since 74 I am thinking about coming over to ham thanks good info
It's fun to look back at these videos Jim! I hope you are doing OK and I will call again when you suggest the best time, Cheers and 73 K6IDX
very good video, clear explanation !!
Great information Jim! and there are lot of idea about of having a good antenna is in the first case.well im the junior of the 9M2GV which silence key.. Thanks.
Running an amp just makes everything better, enables you to meet people and, critically, allows you to STAY on the air and have a good LONG chat with them. If you have conditions that allow that with 100w then hats off to you - but often you do not. A plain ol' resonant fan dipole on 80 and 40m with a kilowatt will make you a huge queue of friends a few enemies as well. It'll be a blast. ;)
Yep! That extra 2 S units is huge! There are many times, as you know, when 100 watts is even too much. For other times, the amp helps. Thanks Steve. 73, Jim
Oh Boy!!.. feel sorry for your neighbors.. :-)
"What is a linear amplifier? ...it's an amplifier with linearity." LOL.... Jim, you should've been a politician. :)
I was. I was elected to a school board. I was also a Planning Commissioner, member of the fire code board, building code board, disabled code board, head of the emergency communications group, volunteer with Cal Fire as a VIP and other stuff I can't remember at this time. Politicians today, well, not the same thing as a few years ago. Thanks very much for watching. 73, Jim
Deliciously funny 😆
Hi Jim I really enjoyed the video and your others, keep them coming Geoff M0CRO
Thanks Geoff! 73 from CA!
Can't sleep but dreaming of an amplifier!
very good video/explained whit great care. TKS
New HAM. Just got my callsign earlier this year, and have since upgraded to general and then extra. No amp yet. Havent yet decided if I want to go that direction. Seems in life that when you add “more power” to just about anything there seems to other consequences related to other equipment etc. Ive spent most of my efforts to date setting up a clean shack....grounding system, minimized RFI, “clean” power through minimized AC use.
Nice Jim .. just now graduating to a tube linear HA 14.. learning mode now.
Great video, thank you
Jim,
Enjoyed the video. Built an SB221 in the early 80's, but was no able to use it because was only a Tech Plus. Bought all the parts from Heathkit to add 10m and also another rocker switch to add standby capability on the front panel. All my ham gear was packed away in a storage unit when I was injured in an auto accident shortly after competing the amp build. Now, 25 years later getting back into the hobby and the storage unit will be emptied soon as it is now just too expensive. All my ham gear will be back home. Will need to recap the amp before getting it back on the air. Can use it now since upgrading to General. :-)
Yes, new caps and don't forget to replace those resistors across each of the caps. You will find they have changed value. Order new ones and get extras. Try to get the same value on each cap.
I know about accidents. I fell 14 feet and broke my neck at C6 in 1998. Seems to be getting worse every year. Ham radio has been a great asset to me especially since my accident.
73, Jim
Ah, the bleeder resistors. I already have a few of the Harbach kits in the amp and will use their FB-220 filter kit. Just checked and it does come with the resistors.
WB3BJU
Chatting to much of the world on 5 to 10 watts! Kilo Delta Zero Yankee Tango Wiskey. Thanks for sharing! Best regards!
Definitely right about antenna I found on 11 meter (CB) you can get more distance out of a good antenna and 4 Watts than a bad antenna and 100 watts. Once your antenna 📡 Is optimized then an amplifier will really shine especially on SSB! great video brother 73s! 👍
New to the hobby and a new sub--Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching Rick! 73, Jim W6LG
Good vid Jim. Tnx & 73 !
thanks for showing that drake amp, really beautiful in it's simplicity' i would be concerned on the sizing of the power trannie,
Jim, would love if sometime, you would go into the difference between going in triode vs tetrode in the transmitting signal.
Thanks for the awesome video
Thank you very much! I am trying to make them better and have installed some new lights. I've got long way to go. 73, Jim W6LG
Ive been running an FT-991 at 95 watts through a Chameleon Emcomm III End Fed. I consistently get coast to coast (from Oklahoma) with a lot of really good signal reports (not the "fake" 59 reports....lol). Ive attributed this success to a really really clean antenna setup with lmr-400 coax, antenna mast just on the other side of the wall from my shack, substantially reduced RFI, and a choke at the antenna feed point. Between all of this the somewhat hated end fed has been very effective. Even with that there is always "that guy" that just cant get a clean RX from me, even though others in the roundtable or similar can hear me fine, that will tell me to get an amp. I was just told last week from an old ham that if I wasnt going to run legal limit that I needed to find a new roundtable. LOL. Kills me. Several of the other guys started making a point to comment that they could hear me fine. The operator got so mad that he said "someone else here can run the roundtable...then he proceeded to shut down Netlogger that was being used". Wow.
Very interesting and informative. UK ham.
Glad you enjoyed it 73, Jim W6LG
Thanks Jim. Glad to put a video face to the voice. Thinking of getting an amp, here. Have been building-up the homebrew antennas, and wondering if I should go tube or solid state (but don't have a lot of money). Thanks for the video. Lots to think about. HL1ZIX
Thanks teach! subed!
Jim thanks for the Video, you talked about getting a good antenna and feed line. my first antenna is a MFJ2010 ocf dipole with RG8X feeding it, what would be the next steps to improve my antenna setup? i live in Kansas and have the dipole in the trees on the side of the hill, i am thinking about moving it up the hill in hopes to get better reception. I have few questions is there a limit or rule of thumb on the distance from a radio to antenna? should the feed line be a different cable? I received my license last year (just to learn somthing new) but did not get a radio until June of this year. a friend gave me an IC-7000 with an LDG IT-100 auto tuner.
thanks David KE0EFW
Great information. I know the 3-500Z doesn't do very good in long term storage as the tubes go gassy. How well do the 572Bs do in long term storage?
GREAT video, Jim. Even though I can run 1500 watts if I need to, I am, like you, a big believer in putting my money into the best antennas, fed by the best feedline and connectors, at a height that not only clears as many physical obstacles around it as possible, but that is also the right wavelength above the earth, for the frequency I am working on. It is extremely rare for me to run more than 200 watts PEP. If I can hear them, AND they invested in a good antenna system, I can generally talk with them unless they have bad QRM. Only then do I use an amp, and even then I use the absolute minimum needed to carry on a stable, good quality communication.
Jim,
Enjoy your Videos. Thanks for your experience and insight. In the back of my mind I still want a henry!. A local ham when I was a kid had one and it left a indelible mark. It must have I was twelve at the time now i am 55. He had a swan station with the henry. Wow!
I used to go over to Henry Radio in la and slobber and dream.
Thanks Jim.
You bet. And, Henry amps don't sell well. You can find them cheap at estate sales. Must guys don't want to deal with an amp that weighs more than 120 pounds. You might want to avoid the ones with the tear drop meters. They have a habit of failing and they are no longer in production. Thanks Barry! 73, Jim W6LG
Thank you Jim, I've enjoyed your explanation. 73 HA6NN
Thank you for watching and sending the nice note. 73, Jim W6LG
Spot on Jim. A good antenna and transmission line is the priority. And probably much cheaper.
Thank you. I did put in very good feedlines as part of building my new radio room and antenna system at the new QTH in Rocklin California. I should do a video about the feedlines. I failed to correctly mark which line was which that runs from the radio room to a closet about 20 meters away. I did connect to feedline that were unterminated and got a low SWR reading. Also, I found that some commercially installed coax connectors would not completely seat to the SO-239; even though it looked okay. That cause intermittent readings and I chased that mistake for days. Sometime it was fine. Other times the SWR was high. As I said, the looked good. Wiggling the connectors they were just slightly loose with the barrel all the way down on the SO-239. I know that all is confusing so I will video the connections and put that up here. 73, Jim W6LG
Great video Jim! George. w0xs
Better than any TV show.
Thanks Jim, I appreciate your time and knowledge. I just purchased an Ameritron 811H. Radios are Kenwood TS 590sg, Yaesu FT 950 and Icoam IC 736. I never used an amp before and so the antenna issue is an issue for me. I do live in an HOA. I have many trees in the back yard and on a hill so I am fairly discrete. Can you suggest an antenna that can work as many bands as possible but simple and stealthy ? You did mention vertical. Can you elaborate some ? Either way, thanks again and I pray for health and safety for you and your family. 73 Jim !
Jim. Do you have a video on safety using amplifiers? I noticed that you were touching different components. Do you ever need to ground out any capacitors in an amp or is just cutting the power and waiting a set period of time enough? When I repaired radars, we had a grounding stick to ground out the capacitors prior to putting your hands inside but I haven’t seen that when talking about amps for ham radio. If we do need to do this, can you do a short video on the proper way to safely discharge the caps before doing any work? Thanks
For a beginner what would be the best choice solid-state amplifier or a linear amplifier?
I am preparing to take me technician test. I was interested in buying a scanner that can listen to ham, police, and trunkcated fire. You mentioned you were listening to fire in your area. Any recommendations on scanners? I live in Southern CA and have no cost restrictions.
Thanks that was good
Yep, a silent key estate sale is how I got my Heath SB220.
My position is that a good antenna is where the most gains can be made. This also allows boosting the received signal as well. Using higher power than the other end is useless, you won't hear them.
Radio Freak yeah I agree it will mess with your hair just look what it did to mine
Thank you.
Jimmy, very well done ! Remember to keep an eye on the filament voltage for long tube life. I really like the Drake L7, very pretty amplifier with those blue meters.
Hope all is well. Vy73, Mike W9NVN
Nice to hear from you. I am now in Rockling and have cancer diagnosis. So, I am ailing a bit. Let's talk sometime soon Mike. If you want to chat on the phone or Skype, let me know. 73, Jim
@@ham-radio Mail me your phone number so we can talk.
email okay on QR
@@ham-radio ok
Finally someone who is smart and has common sense
I sometimes wonder. Thanks for the very kind words. Stay tuned for the next couple of videos that should explain a few things and be interesting with a twist. 73, Jim
Hello, Jim... Thanks for great video about linear. As you said you need good antennas with good coax. I'm using OM Power 2200 its use FU728F Tube and give out 2200W easily. I just keep it just half power 31W from the transceiver give out 1300W which ok for me and keep it running cooler all the day... 73
Hi, That amp is beautiful and works great. Congratulations! OM Power makes very nice linear amplifiers with good reliability. I hope to hear you soon on 20 meters. 73, Jim W6LG
I will be very proud to work Jim... 73 A61CP
Enjoy your videos, thanks. Joe KC3BXZ
Thank you! 73, Jim W6LG
Hi Jim, I'm looking at a used Ameritrom AL811 for $400 (estate reseller) but is about 25 years old... with your Elmer wisdom, is that a good deal or something to avoid. don't know if it works but it is in excellent looking condition. Any thoughts are quite welcome! I hope the new radio is almost finished! Thanks, Rich Stay safe!
Jim, some questions about solid state RF amplifiers. First is, how tolerant are they to great changes in line voltage? Second, are the finals MOSFETS or power transistors and are they only heat sink cooled? Thank you for this helpful video. 73's KB5ZDW
Rene Melendez an increasing number of modern amplifiers use LDMOS devices (a variant of FETs).
Nice intro~
Thanks. I need to fix it. The idea is good the execution needs work. This is fun to do and I am learning a little with each video. Thanks! 73, Jim W6LG
Is there a discount for a group order of 10 or more? Is it military approved?
Jim, I have a small city lot, 70 x 100 foot, neighbours all around. I heard that HAMS living in city area, like me, are better to forget about an AMP, because it is clear that your gonna cause interferences in all your neighbours audio system, pc speaker, home theater system, and so on. I think it takes distant neighbours to use an amp. Is that right ? De Chris, VE2VAE.
RESPECTED SIR PLS DO SHARE REGARDING CAVITY FILTERS FOR VHF RANGE ..
sir what are those 2 rectangular gauges ?
Great video! Btw, has anyone ever told you that you look a lot like Paul Simon?
Thanks and no. No one has ever said that. Thanks, Jim
Hi. Great video. I believe that I learned a few things. One note though... how about a "warning" not to put your hand inside the amp when it is turned on. Someone is going to do that I am afraid. BTW... I just subscribed to your channel. 73, KI7LJ
how to meaure the recieving in hand radio like baofeng UV 5R
Great Video! de W2CSI
Jim. What size house wire should I use for a sb 200 Heathkit linear. Linear to electrical panel is about 60 feet. Heathkit linear is 120 volts setup.
It would be better to have it on 240; but only a little better. For 120vac, let's figure that out. Let's say it runs about 600 watts output. To generate that output, its input would be about 1000 watts (I am using 60% efficiency). There are tube filaments and other things that might draw current. So, let's guess at 200 watts for other "stuff". So, the amp could be at 1200 watts total. At 120vac that would be 10 amps (10x120). The standard for outlets in most locations in a residence is 15 amps with a few exceptions where it is 20 amps. So, the standard outlet will work fine. Just don't put another item like a coffee pot or toaster or compressor on the same circuit. There is inrush current at startup and some other issues. On SSB the duty cycle is probably 25%. So on average when on SSB, the current draw might be 5 amps. Breakers can handle overcurrent for a few cycles before they trip. All in all, the standard outlet should be fine. The wire size should be 14awg copper. If it is aluminum 14 gauge, then there is a fire hazard and you have a bigger issue than just the amp. Does all of that make sense? 73, Jim
@@ham-radio Yes My house is built in 1918. And my wiring don't have ground. And when I put a space heater on it trips the breaker. So I was thinking my radio will be ok. But as for the 200 I better run another a separate 20 amp circuit with ground and a heavier wire. So if I ran 12 3 I should be ok? And what kind of 12 3 wiring should I get?
Jim... You make me nervous touching all that stuff. I once, as a teen, used a screwdriver to spread the tank coil to get more wattage... Or go I was told. I did get more wattage on my Hornet 75. However. It blew the screwdriver out of my hand and across the kitchen. Lived, learned, never did it again and not I'm a General.
All these great videos on linear operation .. how about simple show on how to hook up linear ? I new on using amertron amps. I want to hook up my ic7300 I have no idea where the external tuner and the watt meter and my digital mfj swr meters go? .. so much confusion I I have internal tuner I don't think useful with swr about 3.. I have restricted antennas .. I using vertical on front door rails using mobile all band antenna. I was able to get 1 to 1 swr with mfj tuner .. now it's complicated adding a solid linear rated at 600 watts I plan on only using low 200- 300 the most ..
I watched alot of your videos but the simple things seem to be left out..
Peelaratstudios need a better antenna. Period.
No bones approach... I like.... I like SS and that's all I've built... the high voltage of tubes just gives me the wooleys
There are some very nice transistor amps now that are at 48 volts. For many, if not most, that is the way to go. Thanks. 73, Jim
But can you use a cb radio linear for Ham
wow 1500 watts is quite the bit of power. where i am we can only run up to 400w on a full call.
I have a 8877 tube great amp
A linear does not make your receive better.
We thank all those stations who spend the big dollars on high gain antennae and Linear amps so that we don't need to.
Be part of the solution ;)
I was working a station in San Diego the other day and he was in the noise thanks to my indoor antennas and then I hear "let me fire up the linear" and then the dude in 10 over S9 :) Made my day! My 2nd or 3rd HF contact on a band other than 10 meters. Some of the foreign stations really run both high gain and high power amps. Portugal on 20 meters the other day was so clear. I was so happy to finally be able to hear someone say my call sign on HF!
Jim a friend of mine had a cat that likes to lay on top of his amp in the winter to keep warm.
one time he had the cover off of the amp and the cat jumped up onto the desk and landed on the amp.
he survived but lost some fur...
My friend heard the Cat scream and it ran across the room dazed...
Bello Jim, I know this may be a very basic question but, anyway, I really appreciate your videos , are awesome. What is normally the input of.this linear amps? At what power? I know it depends of the amplifier but, for let's say, an Ameritron single 3-500z valve, what would you use as input?
Hi, It is actually a very good question and has a complicated answer. Depending on the plate voltage, a single tube can run a maximum output of about 800 to 1000 watts. It would need a standard 100 watt transceiver. Drive would somewhere around 70 watts. The amp would be about 60 to 65% efficient. So if there was 900 watts output the input would be about 900 divided by 62% equals about 1500 watts input (rounding off). Remember to keep the ALC at no more than about half scale.....never more.
73, Jim
I have a kenwood tm281 in my truck. It’s had Mars mod done and I use vhf channel the most. Is there amplifiers I can use on this mobile radio to give it a little more power?. It’s a 65 watt but sometimes I need a little more. Thanks KF5SRI
The better thing to do might be to improve the antenna. I really know very little about amplifiers for 2 meter mobile. I am on HF when I am on the air. Thanks Kendall! 73, Jim
Jim W6LG yeah I’m still a little new at a lot of this but still learning. I will do some improvements to my antenna setup. I’m sure it could use some. Thank you sir
Antenna and feedline are the most important things in the station. The ground connection on a mobile is incredibly important as you know. In any case have a lot of fun and see how far you can communicate with that mobile. Also, work towards the Extra Class License. 73, Jim
I need to be able to communicate with my Fishing Vessel through their VHF 25W Radio, how may I proceed since the distance from onshore to the fishing spot is about 50 miles. Please help
Get out of here you illegal immigrant smuggling piece of sheet!
I want to build one where can I get the air capacitors with a 3KV rating?
Look online at Ebay. Swap meets may not happen for a very long time. 73, Jim W6LG
👍👍👍👍👍
dis bruh suprised
Hams tend to be fiddlers....... most of us like those knobs ! haha
I have never owned a solid-state amplifier. Tubes take a while to tune, but they work great (old-school, I guess). Gotta be REAL careful at 1,800 to 2,500 VDC though.
You know Rick, I need to do a video about that. I might use your email as a premise. To give you an idea of what happened to me at age 17+/-, I woke up, maybe a hour later, across the room against a wall. I had been unconscious for a long time.
The mic and the cord were still in my left hand. The plug for the mic remained in the transmitter. I was thrown so hard that is pulled the wires out of the connector. The rest I will tell in the video. Thanks Rick. You are right. 73, Jim
@@ham-radio Glad you're OK, Jim. I had an experience, but at much lower voltage when I was 13. I got across 120 VAC and was frozen across it -paralyzed. My Ma heard me "moaning" for help. If we were much older, we wouldn't have survived maybe.
Wow. I have been told that AC locks you and DC throws you. Mike Holt who is the expert on grounding says that just a few ma. can be fatal. He said something like 1ma for every 10 pounds. And, the GRCI outlets and breakers are 50ma based on a child's weight of 50 pounds. You are so very lucky. Sometimes the one being electrocuted causes the death of the rescuer who also gets locked up. They say use a stick. Thanks Rick for sharing. 73, Jim
@@ham-radio I was actually doing something very STUPID - experimenting with myself. no GFCI (if they existed) would have saved me - just good Ol' Mom.
Thanks for explaining the doubling of your power, gives you a 3db gain, but I just have to ask this...So going from 100w to 400w, you say gives you 2 S-Units which is a 'huge increase' ? Why is it that I have never seen that much difference in someone's transmission when they've gone from say S9 to S11. Now S9 to 20 over, yes that's a 'huge increase'.
Hi, I have had some connection problems. You wrote: ."So going from 100w to 400w, you say gives you 2 S-Units which is a 'huge increase' ?" I don't think I said that. Here's the simple approach to the math. Going from 100 to 200 would be doubling. That is 3 dB. Going from 200 to 400 would be doubling; 3dB. So going from 100 to 400 would be 6dB. Six dB is 1 S unit. There is no S11. S9 to S9+20sB is 20dB. Twenty dB is a 1 followed by 2 zeroes or 100 times. And, that is a lot! 73, Jim W6LG
@@ham-radio You're right Jim, I thought you said '2 S-Units' when in fact you said '1 S-Unit' which to be honest, actually kind of accentuates my point all the more. At 3:08 you said 'that's a big difference' going up 1 S-Unit. It was that increase of only 1 S-Unit that I questioned why it would be a 'big difference'? Maybe that's why you said...''do you need an amplifier....probably not.' If buying an amp and using 400 watts only gets an increase of 1 S-Unit, then I think you're right. It's almost like you have to go with 1500 watts to see any appreciable change in S-Units. You say there is no S11 so let's use a different Benchmark then. My point was that if an Operator comes up from S7 to S8, I would have thought typically, that isn't much of a difference in signal strength but I guess as you've stated, it actually is. Now you mention that 'Twenty dB is a 1 followed by 2 zeroes or 100 times'. I didn't follow that reasoning but I found this page...( www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-db-power-units.htm) which helped me understand your explanation of what Twenty dB actually is. Thanks again for the clarification. Stay safe and healthy.
what is ballon ?
peter leach BALUN, or BALanced-to-UNbalanced (and pronounced the same as if pronouncing those two words, though many will say "balloon" which is incorrect), which is a type of matching transformer to match a balanced line (such as ladder line or a balanced antenna) to an unbalanced line (such as coax). There are also Balbal's and Unun's. You can also use them for impedance matching components with widely different impedances, such as when transitioning from 50-Ohm coax to 450-Ohm ladder line, or matching a 50-Ohm coax feedline to, for example, a roughly 300-Ohm folded dipole antenna so as to reduce the magnitude of the impedance mismatch allowing you to reduce the SWR and better couple power into the antenna. In the case of current baluns (as opposed to voltage baluns, another type), you can also use them to reduce common mode currents coupling back into your shack over the outer shield of your coax when using unbalanced and/or nonresonant antennas so as to reduce unwanted RF in your shack that can result in equipment malfunction (or, more painfully, RF burns if your station lacks an adequate RF ground to dissipate the common mode RF). They are worth studying up on, especially if you are interested in operating HF, as they can help solve a number of common issues you may encounter.
Have been a ham as long as you and need to ask around and see if I can upgrade to a call like KKK6KKKK. Any idea on where or to who to talk with????????? K6LIG EX WA5LIG.
You might -- MIGHT -- be able to get K6KK, K6KKK, KK6KK, OR KK6KKK (Check the FCC database to see if they're available!), but why would you ever want to?
What about my new Texas Star 667V. 😎
I have never heard of that device. 73, Jim W6LG
@@ham-radio Well Jimbo it is a CB type radio and a very splattery amplifier. Of course i was kidding. Been a ham myself since 2007 unfortunately i went through a divorce and was bled dry of my money so i am stuck in a Apt were there are no antennas allowed. I enjoy your videos. Please keep them coming and hope you stay healthy. God bless !!!
Sir, you do not need this annoying intro music. Someone gave you bad advice. As far as I could observe, this kind of music is a thought-killer (proof is everywhere around us). Liked&Subscribed.
I am with you. It was a mistake. Thanks 73 Jim
@@ham-radio Thanks. Stay safe and have a nice day. Regards from Poland.
Why again I need amplifier?
hey jim I email you from QRZ but I got no response. Can I have ur email. I have a question about this stuff.
I got a Cobra 29 LTD. It's picked out to 40wats and I have a linear a superstar 200 Watts if I buy a 500 watt linear would that get me what I need to talk over people
Wow. We should have kept Element 1!
On the other hand, that never stopped slims and idiots.