"stone-ok" wrote in message
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On Mar 22, 2:39 am, "Channel Cop" wrote:
"Stone-ok" wrote in message

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I was wondering if I could get a little help on an amp purchase or other
modifications that would help in my tranmit and receive distance. I'll
start off by mentioning that I live in the country with little to no
neighbors.

I have a barefoot Galaxy DX55V, that I've brought into the house and
hooked up to a Pyramid PS-14KX power supply with a Solarcon A99 mounted
at
approximately 25', running Tramflex RG-8/x coax at a length of 50', and
an
Astatic 636L mic.

It appears that with my current setup, I can hear traffic approximately
12-15 miles away with static - but they cannot hear me. I was looking
for
someway to clear that up and extend my range so that I could be heard
and
since there are geography obstructions in between (fairly good size
hills), I first started looking at an amp. I first thought of an RMI
KL-300, but was really unsure as to what choices were available due to
what the 14KX would drive.

It has also been mentioned that I should raise the antenna to 35', which
I'm all for - I just don't have anything available to attach it to at
the
time.

Are there any suggestions? Should I forego any amp purchase and focus on
raising my antenna? If I should think of buying an amp, is the RMI KL
series amps worth considering or should I steer towards a Fat Boy,
Palomar, ALA, etc...

Thanks a lot for any assistance that you can give.

Happy Easter!

1] Make sure that your current antenna has a good ground.

2] Attach as many ground radials as you can.

3] See if you can barrow a antenna analyzer to check the SWR of your
antenna system.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I guess I wasn't aware that I needed to ground the A99 all that much,
if any. I do have a single ground rod attached to tha mast that the
antenna's attached to.

I own an SWR meter, and it is currently running steadily around 1.5

Thanks for you response.

1] You really want to try and get your SWR down to around 1.2:1

2] What is the length of your current coax?

3] You may want to try a higher quality coax.

4] You should check you coax connectors: are they old - you might want to
change them, but if you change them and they are the same age as the coax,
then change the coax it is cheaper. If the coax comes with the connectors
installed, then try to get the TEFLON connectors as they last longer and are
of higher quality.

5] Can you adjust the length of your antenna? If you can by loosening a
clamp, be sure to coat it with some RTV (u can get the RTV in any hardware
store) when you have finished adjusting it, as this will give your antenna
protection from the weather. Also, any coax connectors at the base of the
antenna should be covered with Coax-Seal (www.coaxseal.com/).

6] As far as the ground radials, google "ground radials" - there are a
number of sites with information on that subject.

I hope this helps you, as replacing either the antenna or the feed line is a
lot cheaper than adding a high price amp!