[TenTec] IF modified, isn't that home brew

[rohre]

The amplifier discussion has overlooked two points.

The cited Palomar amplifier was not stated to be a current product.  If
produced before the FCC amplifier rule, it is not a violation.

It might be a violation to use now on CB, but this is not what the post said.

If you modify something to work on the ham bands, then it is certainly partly
homebuilt, and not what it was originally.  Hams are allowed to build or
modify amplifiers for ham use.  In this day of modular electronics with
prebuilt power supplies, etc., you hardly can build anything from the ground
up.  Anything you did to make it work on the ham bands would imply installing
filters that would make it not operate on CB.  That, together with the
practical limit today on FCC resources, means you are not likely to visited by
the FCC over this.

My own experience is that you can gain on both transmit AND receiving by
improving and adding gain antennas, rather than worrying about going from 50
to 300 watts.  It is far more satisfying to work someone barefoot with my
Scout on SSB than to use a linear.  Barefoot operation allows you to pit your
timing and calling skill against the other operators calling a DX station, and
the ionosphere.  It makes a competition out of something that otherwise would
be a routine appliance operation with a linear.  Using the Ten Tec Scout
allows one to experiment with microphones, antennas and other elements of
operating that to me are the spirit of ham radio.  Now, if you are needing to
make some regular schedule under all band conditions, I am not opposed to
using a linear as conditions warrent, but for general operating, I found as a
DX station long years ago, that even if you have 50 watts INPUT, and are a
rare enough station, you can hear and be heard.

73, Stuart K5KVH
ex- 9M2SM

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