How to amp-up without frying my radio?

[longhaullounger]

I'm wanting to make the mobile rig in my four-wheeler more potent, but I'm not sure I can do it without frying the radio's innards.

The radio is a late '80s/early '90s Realistic (Radio Shack) TRC...I think a TRC-484 but I can't remember the model number for sure. Anyway, if you get to searching for it, I can tell you the most unusual features: The mic plug looks like your home phone (plastic clip-in thing) and the cheap-feeling mic has channel up/down buttons on it. Really limits my ability to get a better mic (haven't found one yet that has that stupid plug), but the stock one works well enough 90% of the time.

When in line-of-sight with other CBers on the road, I can usually be heard. I'm just looking to get more range and clarity for the hilly terrain and to get over the truckstop "AUDIO....AUDIO..." guy who I sometimes hear for 50 miles either direction. Frustrating when you're trying to carry on a conversation.

I currently have a Blue Thunder 200 linear that is small enough to fit in the four-wheeler (compact pickup truck) without much fuss. It's 200 watts, I think. Probably enough to get me out farther than I'll ever need. It has a hi/low switch that would probably stay in "low" the majority of the time unless I just wanted to play around. But is it possible at all to use this with the radio I have? Without frying the internals?

If so, how do I go about hooking this thing up?

[CHAVEZ007]

Low watts into the amp and high watts out! and be 100% sure that the antenna setup is correct and that the SWR is as low as possible or it will reflect that juiced up power right back to your rig (CB and Amp) and you will have a fried system. Also I would consider if you have to cash to pick up a Cobra 29 they make some of the finest radios for runnin fire in the wire.. Oh yeah they sound great too!

[longhaullounger]

Well, I wonder would it be okay to drive a full 4 watts power into my 200 watt amp? A lot of people say to run no more than half-power (2 watts) into any solid-state linear.

I hooked up to my grandpa's old Palomar 500 SWR/Watt meter (I sort of took guardianship of all his old radio equipment when he died-- and he had PLENTY of it! He was big into base stations and CB repair when he was younger. Even found his old FCC license from way back authorizing him to use citizens' band.) The SWR meter shows that my Radio Shack TRC-484 has a deadkey of about 0.75 of a watt.

I suspect the meter is messed up, though, because when I follow the instructions to calibrate the SWR meter and then test my SWR, the needle goes off the chart to the high side. I've been talking on this radio for at least four years now and according to a driver I hollered at today, it still sounds alright-- shouldn't be anything wrong inside the radio, if that's the case. So I think it's probably time to get another SWR meter before I hook up the amp.

Anyone else have recommendations on how they got big "awwwdeeeyo" out of their mobile rig?

[boeing46]

First get that SWR as low as possible. 1.1 to 1.3 max. Next get a good tech to tun down the output on the radio to about 2 watts. It won't put out much bare foot but if your running the amp you're good to go. If you keep running 4-5 wats into that amp you could lose your finals.
Good SWR, tuned radio for amp and a good antenna and you'll be smokin.

[ShutUpStupid]

I would look inside the "box" and see what size pills are in it.
If it has two 1446 pills I would run the full 4 watts into it and not have a second thought or out of pocket expense.
Drop the SWR's as low as possible and roll with it.

[delta5]

What is a "pill"? LOL