Base setup advice

[meloyelo]

Just acquired a used RCI 2980 base radio and a Thunderbolt 305 amp. I've also got an older Antron 99 antenna I hope to use. Haven't purchased coax yet. Here's my situation. I live in a subdivision with houses on each side of me approximately 150 ft from where I plan to set up the antenna. Neighbor to the left is on cable TV and to the right is on Dish Network Satellite. I took the radio and amp over to a friends for some testing using his Imax 2000 antenna. We hooked everything up and got some good local reports without the amp. We then fired it up and the amp was pushing out around 600 watts on his meter. We talked all the way down to Miami from here in the Carolinas. Skip was helping out there too though. He is in a more rural area with nobody right on next to him like me and so far hasn't had any complaints from the neighbors. Bad thing about this is that I've got a bad feeling that I'm not going to be able to use the amp in my neighborhood and be stuck in barefoot mode. What kind of advice can anybody send my way to get this thing setup the best I can? Also am I pretty much screwed on using the amp what with my situation in the neighborhood there? Thanks guys!

Meloyelo

[721HACKSAW]

The type of interference I see as most common is audio coming through Surround Sound systems, computer speakers, and cordless phones. Amp power is the leading cause but over modulation is just as bad. There are several threads on this site that address these issues. Get the antenna up high, use good quality coax with a balun at the antenna, use ground rods at the base of the antenna. Talk to your neighbors, tell them to let you know if there is interference. Good luck.

[audio boy]

i have the same situatio if you read my post BLEEDOVER HELP!! it addresses the whole situation i solved my prob by switching from a99 to imax 2000 and having the antenna as high as i possiblee could read the post

[drdx]

I think his situation is a little different. He's asking before he has complaints and has investigated what his neighbors have along with the distance from his antenna. You mentioned an export radio, a pill amp and an antenna even in height with tv antennas, a big difference. That thunderbolt is I think a tube amp and should be a little more friendly, but good info above, and I'd get a low pass filter. Being proactive may help. If you know the neighbors, have your spouse head over there for your FIRST transmit tests and have him/her see if they're hearing anything. If you do have issues, it looks much better nipping them in the bud from the get-go. As I've mentioned before, it is not the neighbors that tell you that you're interfering that should concern you, it is the neighbors that don't, and tell someone else.

-drdx

[meloyelo]

I think his situation is a little different. He's asking before he has complaints and has investigated what his neighbors have along with the distance from his antenna. You mentioned an export radio, a pill amp and an antenna even in height with tv antennas, a big difference. That thunderbolt is I think a tube amp and should be a little more friendly, but good info above, and I'd get a low pass filter. Being proactive may help. If you know the neighbors, have your spouse head over there for your FIRST transmit tests and have him/her see if they're hearing anything. If you do have issues, it looks much better nipping them in the bud from the get-go. As I've mentioned before, it is not the neighbors that tell you that you're interfering that should concern you, it is the neighbors that don't, and tell someone else.

-drdx

Yes, you are correct about the Thunderbolt. It is a tube type amp. I just hope I can use it because it's in great shape and seems to work fantastic. The basic thoughts behind my original post are to try to get good advice from those who have "been there, done that". That way I can try to set it up one time and hopefully be done with it. I know in reality that will not totally be the case since there are so many variables involved. I am sort of concerned about the A99 since I have heard that they can contribute to bleeding out your signal to the local inhabitants. The way my house is located between the two neighbors is that we are all three built on a slope. So the guy to the left is uphill from me and the guy to the right is downhill from me. Not sure how that might play into the equation though. I've got a good relationship with both of them, so I'm gonna let them in on what I've got up my sleeve. That way they can give me a shout if they hear a ghost in the machine. If the close proximity won't allow it to happen then I'll just run it barefoot and be a happy camper. Don't want to be a bad neighbor for sure. Thanks for the input so far guys.

Meloyelo

['Doc]

I wish you luck! About the only way you can be sure there won't be problems is to try it and see, and pray like #$%%! There are NO standards for 'CB' amplifiers, none. Or guaranties that they will work right. Sorry 'bout that.
- 'Doc