I don't know. Unless it was just dumb luck, but given several other comments on another thread of mine here, it doesn't sound like just luck.....I was getting out better with an untouched 520 a lot better than with a Cobra GTL I had, which I thought was capable of more...? After someone turned it up for me, BOY! did I (and everyone else) notice a difference. I never noticed a decline in function at all, but even if it would shorten the life of the radio, for $20 or $30 what the heck. I mean, it's not like I'd have to buy a new one every other week. The thing I can't understand is that instead of walking on people, everyone told me I blended in under them (kinda' like getting 2 radio stations at once because neither is strong enough to totally be heard over the other). No other CB I ever had was reported to me to have done that. What would cause that on these?
As for the lack of experience, well, there's only 1 way to learn. I certainly wouldn't touch anything in a $100+ radio (I think I spent $135 for the GTL I had years ago) but a cheap radio like this, I'm willing. I mean, if I'm in doubt of anything I'll ask certainly. I think I was told that the 520 I had was only putting out like 3 watts -max. is 5 if I recall right. Some argue 4 watts, but I though tI read it was 5. (Of course with all the rules of FCC Part 95 Subpart D being broke today, who's going to care about 1 or 2 extra watts?)
But no really, I *think* the guy I knew turned it up to like 6 or 7 but it was a # of years ago. The amount on the S meter, etc. to me ain't the point. I was getting out SO much better -for whatever reason- with that tiny bit of extra power, the rest doesn't really matter to me. I just wanna' see if it'll work again on another radio. As previously noted, I turned the power up more than what he had on my original 520 to like 9 or 10 watts and a few days later sizzled it, but now I know that 10 is too high. Do you guys think 6 or even 7 is too high? And am I correct in understanding that if you turn the carrier up you have to turn the modulation down by the same amount and vice versa? That's what I really did wrong the first time is not turn one of them DOWN when I turned the other one up.