[Amps] CB etc Amps

[Tom Rauch]

> Often, money spent on a better feedline or the replacement 
> of an old one
> might yield better results than trying to squeeze 700w 
> (dirty) out a 600w
> (clean) amp.

That's true with tubes and many HV FET's, but with bipolar 
transistors the distortion starts to ramp up long before 
anything close to saturation occurs.

200 watt LV bipolar transistors used on big antennas or in 
IM critical applications belong in 100 watt power amps. Now 
on a small antenna like a mobile, especially when used with 
a crummy exciter and maybe 400-500 watts output maximum as 
most tiny mobiles are, we might give up significant IM 
performance without disturbing too many people. But when we 
try to run a gallon on a good antenna with a good radio the 
degradation is severe.

I'd stay far away from bipolar transistors, especially at 
high power, in a home station.

73 Tom