Is this a safe route?

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1hardyanimal

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Question: I have a “Pride 150 Amateur radio Bi-Linear Amplifier 80-10 MTR” that I have listed for sale on Craigslist. I was thinking, what if I ran this with my ICOM IC-208h on the 2m/70cm or the same with my Baofeng UV-5r. As a matter of fact my thought was to maybe just use this linear as either my home base or a mobile in conjunction with my Baofeng to give it some extra muscle? Any harm here? My real question is that there is a “SSB and AM” switch, which do I use? I kind of think it would be really cool to use with my Baofeng?
 

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toastycookies

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2 meters is not between 80 and 10 meters. And you want FM.

Question: I have a “Pride 150 Amateur radio Bi-Linear Amplifier 80-10 MTR” that I have listed for sale on Craigslist. I was thinking, what if I ran this with my ICOM IC-208h on the 2m/70cm or the same with my Baofeng UV-5r. As a matter of fact my thought was to maybe just use this linear as either my home base or a mobile in conjunction with my Baofeng to give it some extra muscle? Any harm here? My real question is that there is a “SSB and AM” switch, which do I use? I kind of think it would be really cool to use with my Baofeng?
 

1hardyanimal

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This is what I was thinking...now I feel like a newb. WHich rightfully so, I should as I am. Humility is a strong suit with me lol. I was thinking that with it saying "Amateur" that it perhaps has some type of selectivity in it but oh well. I guess this, my Galaxy and Lafyette are still up for grabs...thank you!!!
 

1hardyanimal

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Yeah that would fit the service, but if I were to purchase new equipment I think I would probably just by another mobile. Now I am having fantasies of running my baofeng off of linears...
 

wrath

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Maybe you should have learned a little about radio before getting involved , those linear if used with Baofeng will self destruct, whereas hook them up properly on HF they could be used safely and really boost your signal.

Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk
 

jim202

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Maybe you should have learned a little about radio before getting involved , those linear if used with Baofeng will self destruct, whereas hook them up properly on HF they could be used safely and really boost your signal.

Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk

Now those are some strong words to be spouting with out being much more specific. Which of the amps are your trying to say will self destruct and why. Your leaving your neck stuck way out here with no explanation.

If your going to make such a wild statement, you should explain why you think that way. Don't leave the rest of us thinking your just trying to stir the pot on this.

Provide the reason your talking this way. In simple terms, put up or shut up and stop blowing in the wind.
 

AK9R

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Question: I have a “Pride 150 Amateur radio Bi-Linear Amplifier 80-10 MTR”
Pride 150 amplifier? In spite of the fact that this amplifier is marked "Amateur Radio" and covers the amateur radio HF bands, I believe that this is basically a CB amplifier which has been expanded to cover the amateur radio bands.

Some background: You should have learned the amateur radio bands when you studied for your amateur radio license. If you haven't gotten that far yet, you will. The 80 meter through 10 meter bands are popular amateur radio HF or High Frequency bands. Citizens Band Radio is often referred to as 11 meters and it used to be an amateur radio band before the FCC re-allocated it from amateur radio to CB in 1958. Note, this re-allocation is the source of some long-standing animosity on the part of amateur radio operators.

Amateur radio operators in the U.S., depending on the band and the license class of the operator, are permitted up to 1500 watts of RF output and they are permitted to use external amplifiers to get that power. Citizens Band operators in the U.S. are limited to 4 watts on AM and 12 watts on SSB and they are not allowed to use external amplifiers. The FCC requires that CB radios be certified by the FCC and one of the things the FCC verifies is the power output. The FCC will not certify amplifiers for CB. The FCC has issued many fines to manufacturers, sellers, and users of amplifiers on CB.

One of the ways to get around the FCC rules against CB amplifiers is to market an amplifier as being intended for amateur radio. That way, the amplifier can be manufactured and sold and it's up to the purchaser to use it correctly. An amplifier that covers 80 through 10 meters probably also covers 11 meters. But, the FCC has rules about this and those rules require that amateur radio 80 through 10 meter amplifiers specifically block the 11 meter band. But, there are ways to get around this.

Unfortunately, CB operators, in their quest to have stronger signals, often modify their radios in ways that cause considerable splatter outside of the frequency they are operating on. Also, many CB amplifiers are not well designed and operate in a manner that causes considerable splatter.

The point I'm getting to with all this is that your Pride 150 may be a good amplifier for the amateur radio HF bands. But, unless I looked at its output with a spectrum analyzer, I would not trust it.

I was thinking, what if I ran this with my ICOM IC-208h on the 2m/70cm or the same with my Baofeng UV-5r.
It wouldn't work. The amplifier you have is intended for 80 through 10 meters. The 2m and 70cm bands are considerably outside the 80-10m range. You need an amplifier specifically designed for either the 2m or 70cm bands.
 

Rred

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Considering the results that the ARRL published after field analyzing a number of those Chinese h/t's, I'd be very careful about putting one on an amplifier. If the radio had drifted out of bounds, the amplifier will make that more prominent as well, and more likely to get a complaint filed.

Just to err on the side of caution.
 

SCPD

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Don’t feel bad about asking the questions, HardyAnimal… There are no bad questions, maybe a lot of stupid answers, but no bad questions.
Everyone was once a Noob- and believe me, the things I have seen (and done !) would amaze you.**
.
So by all means, ask away-- just be prepared to filter the answers carefully--

.
………………CF
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____________________________________________________
.

.
.
**Example:
-- My first 2 metre antenna as a young teenager was a 3 element beam. I made it out of coat hangers and a section of aluminum tubing, mounting it on a wood mast. My father, also a ham, looked it over and, bless his heart, gave me an approving nod,… but said--
.
“You used coat hangers for the elements, Lauri?” Long pause, then “Hmmmm”
.
His “Hmmmm’ made me a bit anxious
.
“Is that bad?,” I asked… “the article I got this design from said to use them”
.
“Yes, but the guy that designed that antenna lives in Southern California… this is London”
.
Long story short- my little antenna worked great, --for about a month,-- before the winter rains of England rusted those coat hangers into pulp. My father let me learn that lesson by-- what is the current saying?…” tough love?’’
.
Since then my career has had plenty of colourful little Learning Experiences- some I’m fond of retelling.. Others, too embarrassing to ever relate….. but I ask (often seemingly dumb) questions all the time, too.
 
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bharvey2

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Joined
Mar 12, 2014
Messages
1,842
Don’t feel bad about asking the questions, HardyAnimal… There are no bad questions, maybe a lot of stupid answers, but no bad questions.
Everyone was once a Noob- and believe me, the things I have seen (and done !) would amaze you.**
.
So by all means, ask away-- just be prepared to filter the answers carefully--

.
………………CF
.
____________________________________________________
.

.
.
**Example:
-- My first 2 metre antenna as a young teenager was a 3 element beam. I made it out of coat hangers and a section of aluminum tubing, mounting it on a wood mast. My father, also a ham, looked it over and, bless his heart, gave me an approving nod,… but said--
.
“You used coat hangers for the elements, Lauri?” Long pause, then “Hmmmm”
.
His “Hmmmm’ made me a bit anxious
.
“Is that bad?,” I asked… “the article I got this design from said to use them”
.
“Yes, but the guy that designed that antenna lives in Southern California… this is London”
.
Long story short- my little antenna worked great, --for about a month,-- before the winter rains of England rusted those coat hangers into pulp. My father let me learn that lesson by-- what is the current saying?…” tough love?’’
.
Since then my career has had plenty of colourful little Learning Experiences- some I’m fond of retelling.. Others, too embarrassing to ever relate….. but I ask (often seemingly dumb) questions all the time, too.

Not trying to "bust your chops" at all but I'd think that far rarer than coat hanger antennas in London are teenaged girls that build them. I recall no such occurrence when I was a youngin'

I couldn't get my sons interested in ham stuff when they were teenagers and the're both techno-nerds.I think it's pretty cool that you and your dad shared such a common interest.
 

SCPD

QRT
Joined
Feb 24, 2001
Messages
0
Location
Virginia
Smiles..Bharvey… :)

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I had to stop a moment and think about the rarity of females in the sciences… and I agree with you- I am a pretty rare duck, when you look at the sciences altogether.
.
In my particular field of physics, though, there are a surprising number of women. My particular department is pretty much 50/50... and we ‘sisters’ give the guy’s a good run for their money (laughing) all the time. My chief engineer, for instance---female---holds a PhD in particle physics (a subject I haven’t *even* a clue about.)
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I was lucky my family never discouraged anything I set my will to accomplish. I think this unfortunately happens to most young girls- if it isn’t familial, its peer pressure. I must say that boys are usually a lot better at their math skills… and those things hardwired into our selective DNA definitely play a huge roll in what we will become.
..
But that said, I never select out girls over boys for advice or counsel-- I encourage both equally.
..
Today I miss our facility’s Open House tours for school science classes-
It was so rewarding, in the years after, to receive compliments, male/female- about how we changed their life’s course. If anything, I encouraged the guys more since they were so often the shy geeks that always paled under the attention given girls.
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All this being said, I still can’t interest any youth to follow what I think would be an ideal scientific career-
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...............Petroleum Engineering.
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In the words of my two nieces “Do WHAT!??” --
.
So much for ‘good advice” :)
.
.
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…………………CF
 
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