I have the anytone 6666 and it used to get really really hot whilst transmitting on FM or AM. I've now put a fan at the back of the radio, an old pc fan 4mm, connected to my 12v power supply output , and it works a treat. It keeps the radio really cool and I don't get any more errors, or hot radio...
@globalmobile0176 жыл бұрын
My nearest neighbor is about 50 miles away and 4 Watts it just doesn’t do it from the car. I have always ran some sort of amplifier in the car since the late 80s and now with TVs being all digital it really doesn’t seem to be a problem. Most of the time 100 W will keep me in the conversation.
@marcstrauven46972 жыл бұрын
Hello Fred, the problem is not the amplifier. The problem is that those amplifiers are used without a good LOW-PASS FILTER. I tested many AMPLIFIERS on DUMMY antenna and in between I placed an RF-SAMPLER and ATTENUATOR so I don't blow up my spectrum annalyzer. If you use such amplifiers on 27mhz transceivers then you get HARMONICS on the amateurband! (its very bad) But if you use a good LOW-PASS filter then you don't have those HARMONICS that interfere the amateur band. It remains illegal , but if you can't ressist of using one then at least use a good quality LOW-PASS filter. The problem is that people have not the adequate equipment to see what realy happens with there signals when they are amplified. First the CB station ,then commes the AMPLIFIER ,then commes the SWR POWER meter, and then the LOW-PASS filter and finaly a good tuned antenna. And don't forget to use a good power source an use feriet on wires. If you do that, then you will have a lot of pleasure without interfere the amateurband and they might tolerate you. This was a very good pressentation you did here. Greethings from Belgium.
@raytowler22864 жыл бұрын
Hello Fred, good idea to drive low into the linear, your 9900 pa will last a long time. 😁 👍 Plus you always have the extra boost on rare occasions like dx. Great video and your spot on about improving the aerial performance first. 73 😎 ✌️
@CB-RADIO-UK4 жыл бұрын
Yes i gave up with amps and paid attention to the antenna.
@AlfOfAllTrades6 жыл бұрын
I live in the countryside, running - well, was running, until I let the magic smoke out last week - a CRE 8900 and a Sirio 5/8 antenna. I've got a 100W amp, but rarely need it other than for DX and even then I try without first. The point isn't to run everyone else over, but rather to extend range when needed. In my book, anyway.
@glennfryer15396 жыл бұрын
Yep things have moved on.... now TVI is in the past with Digital TV’s and stuff around... The suck the juice though, used to run mine on a separate power supply back in the late 70’s ... Great video, definitely inspired to get back into CB again !!!!
@AdamosDad4 жыл бұрын
I bought my first tube type foot warmer in 1966, you could hear it on the neighbors steam iron. I did talk from Indiana to Hawaii, South America, Nova Scotia, Jamaica and various odd places, as a ham totally legal these days.
@CB-RADIO-UK4 жыл бұрын
Neighbours steam iron LOL :-)
@stevetaylor84466 жыл бұрын
Back in the day, I was running a standard 4w Muppets radio, Antron 99 in back garden, as high as I could get it (inadequate) and boxed in by houses either side of me running uphill, then houses across the top. Had a miserable time being heard, popped on a Bremi BRL200 plate and load linear on to my setup and everyone heard me again. Nothing more proud than making it on 4w and now I've started up again, that's my intention...but have a set of Zetagi claiming 200w (we all know they won't push that), but none the less sitting there just incase I need to up the anti in case of an emergency. Great video again Fred, keep up the great videos...very helpful to many
@indridcold84335 жыл бұрын
There are restrictions on the power of the radio where I reside, 4 watts AM, 4 watts FM, 12 watts SSB, the amplifier power limits are 1500 watts. But I think people often go far above that without any repercussions. OFCOM does not care.
@CB-RADIO-UK5 жыл бұрын
Same in the UK. Most people nowadays are sensible. I was on about 15 watts today and got out just as well as 100.
@davidcooke77445 жыл бұрын
I’ve got a silver rod on a 3 meter mast tied to the garden fence post with ratchet straps. I reckon it’s close to 30ft total height it works great 👍.
@craigr3064 жыл бұрын
Looks interesting
@trackpackgt877 Жыл бұрын
Yes antenna 📡 Is the most important part u will get more distance with a good antenna on 4 watts vs bad antenna with 100 watts. That being said im all for amps after u optimized your antenna and a good low standing wave then an amplifier really comes in handy and shines!! Cool video brother
@MegaCorm4 жыл бұрын
I dont have a problem with ham users using none ham bands like you say as long as the conduct is there
@SadisticFella4 жыл бұрын
45 year old (old cb'er/dx'er from the 80's) Started with a Rotel 240 and Thunderpole II - Boom i got the bug...Then bought a Meloss Echo Chamber that had been modded. heard skip for first time bleeding over onto FM channels, asked what that was, learned about it and went and bought Cobra 148GTL-DX - BOOMED SSB HOOKED! From that I bought a Zetagi B550P, HP1000, Antrom 99 and made many many contacts with QSL returns and send outs. Bought a Pres Lincoln and combined with other stuff mentioned and one morning at around 8am I got my farthest contact, which was Namibia, Botswana, I was over the moon when I got the QSL card too. Bear in mind I was around 14 or 15 (88/89) Anyway, eventually I had the DTI round twice (never caught) but had to stop due to the early morning knock on the door from them, Mother wasn't pleased at all. Great times though DX'ing. back in the day the skip was awesome, especially when waiting just after xmas and the American skip came over, IIRC I think it was around Easter time March'ish or April.. (hard to remember tbh it's 30+ year ago) Are those Alfa Tango's still around? That was one massive world group. Also if I recall my old call sign for SSB it was 26SB128 (Sideband Bulldogs) Manchester way.
@CB-RADIO-UK4 жыл бұрын
The Alfa Tangos had gone when i came back in 2014. Fox Bravo's still around though.
@700weedkiller44 жыл бұрын
Cheers Fred .top of the day wave.👋 I always have used a linear i primarily talk dx on 27.285 am ..I run a driver amp that puts out 1kw pep.250 bird..into a RCA 6166 steel tube with potential 20kw. But I loaf it along at about 6kw..have a blessed day and 73s 👍👍🇺🇸
@richardshomemechanics55664 жыл бұрын
Hi Fred well explained video I’ve tried a 25watt amp mobile in my van and have now decided to remove it the advantage was minimal over a 10 mile range making hardly any difference..I’m running a vintage cobra 25ltd which is running at 12 volts ( this was done after the amp was used ) and it gets out better than with a 25 watt amp on top of the van I have 1.6 meter springer which a swr of 1.1 across all the 40 fm channels so by trying my self getting a amp is not always the answer as per your video Regards Richard in Essex
@CB-RADIO-UK4 жыл бұрын
Hi Rich. Yes its often the case.
@richardshomemechanics55664 жыл бұрын
Thank you for replying to my comment Fred your videos are really good
@CB-RADIO-UK4 жыл бұрын
@@richardshomemechanics5566 Cheers bud.
@joistein4 жыл бұрын
I had when i lived in Iceland a mobile antenna mounted on a villas rooftop with a metal roof ca 100 m from the Atlantic ocean and had a Galaxy with 12 W on SSB and it was super good for DX.
@Scoob-re2ne4 жыл бұрын
Hi Fred, as always great vids. Like yourself I was on CB back in the day. I started on AM shortly before we got legal FM in the UK. When FM arrived, the breaking channel was 14, and 19 on AM. Since returning very recently to CB. I'm finding it difficult and confusing if these are still the breaking channels , especially as there seems to be very few users in my area of Isle of Wight. Iv found a couple of local nets on UK FM, but it's a bit hit n miss on when they are on channel. I don't have ssb yet until my new rig arrives from Knights, hopefully in the coming week. Could you please do a vid on breaking channels, AM,FM & SSB and how best to use them ? This would be really useful for people such as myself returning to CB , as so much has changed these days. I'm hoping to also get my foundation licence soon as well. All the very best to you, and keep up the great work. Many thanks Scooby,,, 73"s
@sahhull3 жыл бұрын
It's no different than when you was first on. Other than, people use 19 now. 14 vanished around here in the late 80's, there's hardly anyone on now but there is a lot of wannabe hams with pretend C. T. Callsigns. Have a scan thru the channels at various times you'll find something
@Scoob-re2ne2 жыл бұрын
@@garyiow8482 yep, still slinging insults to anyone who will bite😂🤣😂🤣😂😁
@davidbradley74632 жыл бұрын
Hi,I have a Cobra 146...kicking out 12 watts..through a silver rod,31 ft from bottom of pole to tip of aerial.so far in the last 2 months I have spoke to Germany, twice,Paris..Ireland... No burners...and every modulation hitting 8 to 9 signal strength
@markkane51766 жыл бұрын
Nice video Fred ! Sorry it's been a while ,hope all is good 73's from Dublin !!
@CB-RADIO-UK6 жыл бұрын
Cheers Mark. Nice to have you back fella. All good this end. Hope all ok with you.
@davidcooke77445 жыл бұрын
Things ain’t changed in my area still using burners still playing music still trying to talk over each other. Oh what fun to be a CBer all I do see if I hear someone else on another channel.
@raytowler22864 жыл бұрын
Rule of thumb, for every doubling of power you gain 1S point 😉 👍
@CB-RADIO-UK4 жыл бұрын
Very true.
@danieljones29363 жыл бұрын
I believe that's incorrect. An S unit is 6db, a doubling of power will only increase your signal by 3db. To increase your signal by one S unit you would need to quadruple your power.
@grandpaandlucas7054 Жыл бұрын
@@danieljones2936 yes your correct 1 s point is 6db or 4 times the imput power. 1 watt into an ampflier and 4 watts out is a gain of 6db.
@westoftherockies5 жыл бұрын
well if you're lucky enough to live on top of a hill you'll prob be ok, but modulation is the most import aspect, you need 100% audio or as close to that as possible, a lot of stock radios have the modulation turned down and even a power mic won't help much, the mod pot has to be turned up, then you need a decent antenna and a good match. get the antenna up high as possible if you use a beam that will help or if you're on a hill you're in a good shape.
@fredyellowsnow74926 жыл бұрын
It's interesting to look at an SDR screen and see the splattery output of the cheap amps when they're cranked up to max. You wouldn't believe how wide they go - 20kHz isn't unusual. I have an RM KL203P, but hardly use it, and when I do use it, I drive it at half power, in an attempt at some sort of clean output. Ok, it might not be as clean as an amp costing ten times as much, but it's nothing like as dirty as the claimed output would be. In contrast, there's a German DXer who has a 1kW Acom, running into a 4 element Yagi, and his output is straight as a ruler, and tight as a drum. A pleasure to listen to, too. Of course, an Acom is well out of my reach, but I can dream...
@CB-RADIO-UK6 жыл бұрын
Thanks Fred. Your bang on with the splattery output. I just connected my 150 to the 9900 and thats exactly what i got a poor output. Something to play with now though :-)
@indiana1464 жыл бұрын
So you got stateside on 12 watts wow
@llamedosr78436 жыл бұрын
The Italians aren't talking about the world cup much.🤔
@christophersmith11556 жыл бұрын
YOU WILL LOVE A 1600KW TEXAS STAR
@CB-RADIO-UK6 жыл бұрын
I know. I could also grill steak on it. :-)
@sharpesrifles4136 жыл бұрын
Going to put a small 25/30 watt amp in the car good here in Scotland due to so many hills
@Perthshire6 жыл бұрын
Sharpe's Rifle's you don’t need an apostrophe in rifles
@sharpesrifles4136 жыл бұрын
David Anderson i know but at the time there was it was the only way i could get the username i wanted
@indiana1464 жыл бұрын
So really the amp does all the work for the radio only putting 3 watts in and wattever amp.kicks no pressure on radio
@CB-RADIO-UK4 жыл бұрын
Yes thats the idea.
@matty411444 жыл бұрын
Boots with built in pre amps are better for mobile use. The 100 watts maybe total power on ssb
@Scottyrock10005 жыл бұрын
Yep, back in the day my amp would really mess with a nearby tv.
@CB-RADIO-UK5 жыл бұрын
Older CRT TV's did pick up CB.
@bigdEnergy6664 жыл бұрын
Derp... it's the frequency, Kenneth. TV fell on the 2nd harmonic of 11 meters. Derp
@sahhull3 жыл бұрын
I caused no tvi when I had an illegal am, SSB rig with burner.. The tvi started when I got a UK legal 4w FM rig.
@EdzashedFudwinkle3 жыл бұрын
Had a kk203 for a few weeks, works ok if needed on sideband, I don't use it for Am/Fm as my 6900n is 2-40w variable, the 203 wasn't though, so it was all or nothing. Just bought a Zetagi B300p which is variable, comes with fan & fairy lights too. The A99/FS99 upgrade didn't work yesterday, so might go with the skip master or imax instead now, well see. Enjoy the week Fred & Follower 🙃
@ianslee89684 жыл бұрын
I used to run a 500w Zatagi in the car. With the use of the amp, had to keep the engine or the battery would drain quickly.
@chrishorst69932 жыл бұрын
Usually 100 watts is good for 1 S units
@26DR7156 жыл бұрын
Good video Fred, everybody uses that little extra now
@nottjohn94186 жыл бұрын
I've got a HLA300. Bring it on.
@MrScotchpie5 жыл бұрын
I'm late to the table here. I cannot understand the obsession with "power". No one needs to use more power. I was pushing 6 watts a couple of days ago, called out on 555, yes amongst all the Italian spaghetti there, and had good contacts in Germany, Switzerland and France where I gave a 5:5. CBer's/Freebanders need to think "outside the box" - literally in this case. The most important parts of a set up is outside the radio. What grade of coax are you using? What is the coax length to the rig? Are you grounded? Do you have a vertical, horizontal cobweb, dipole antenna? What is the impedance? And so it goes etc, etc, etc. What is this obsession with power and watts? Really!!!! I've talked across the continent on legal power with good signal reports even when the skip was good and frequencies were clogged. In fact there is a challenge called 1,000 miles per 1 watt. Yes, 1 watt output will give you a 1,000 mile coverage. All you hear on CB is power this power that and if all else fails, up your power. Idiots.
@CB-RADIO-UK5 жыл бұрын
A good reply and all true. You blew it though with the "Idiot" comment on the end so most CB users will take offense.
@Davidm-M0TPT6 жыл бұрын
Nice Video matey great for newbies :) audio was fine for me :) may need an amp to reach Claudius lol :)
@jean-marcdeclercq88606 жыл бұрын
Nice vid as always Fred, however cb has inferior rigs and amplifiers, even some for the radioamateur. We are talking about 2000/5000 euro and even then they could be some problems. As amateur you can put out 1500 W but in my humble opinion no need for that. I am qrp lover in cw and moderate ampli user just to get out of the noise level. 73
@kevinconnolly63304 жыл бұрын
wish ssb had been tested also fred. great vid as usual 73s
@CB-RADIO-UK4 жыл бұрын
Did not do so well on SSB. There was a video on the channel somewhere.
@simonegrazioli3 жыл бұрын
1:52 27.555 in italy is not a cb band, we can go beetween 26.965 to 27.405 with a max of 4 watts in AM/FM and 12 in SSB so idk...
@albinchilinski6 жыл бұрын
Hi Fred Like your video's keep up the good work
@CB-RADIO-UK6 жыл бұрын
Hey thanks for that :-)
@jhonetomason50784 жыл бұрын
you need a burner tow to get over the qrm from broadband these days on 27 MHz sow you can be heard by others and sow on
@CB-RADIO-UK4 жыл бұрын
Yes noise for homebased stations is the killer. You struggle to be heard on just 4 watts.
@kevinjames98525 жыл бұрын
Today we managed to have a QSO with hi guys but were still not sure who he is and he mentioned you Fred like I love Fred. We couldn't hear a station so we asked Hi guys can you hear him and he said yes and we ask him where he was he told us and its the first time to get a QSO from him. I think I bring at the best in people hehehe
@CB-RADIO-UK5 жыл бұрын
LOL Hi Guys finally finding his voice. He gave us the QTH of a station we could not hear the other week.
@stevenaustin28603 жыл бұрын
i just got a icom 756 pro 3 3 elerment beam antron99 and a hf RM KL405 AMP DOES 350 SSB 73 and enjoy your radio.s 73 and good vid fred. by the way this vid was done ages ago do you still go on the radio iv asked you before fred but never got a answer
@CB-RADIO-UK3 жыл бұрын
Hi Steve. Just sub to the channel bud and you will hear me on air.
@stevenaustin28603 жыл бұрын
@@CB-RADIO-UK oh thanx hope to hear you on soon im only in skelmersdale 73 and merry xmas
@ronknight34174 жыл бұрын
italy has the same restrictions as us fred as dont we
@CB-RADIO-UK4 жыл бұрын
I dont think there are any restrictions in Italy hence they run 1-2 Kilowatt OHHHHH LAAAAAA etc.
@annax52124 жыл бұрын
Legal power in Italy for CB is only 4 watts and 40 channels am fm
@hedgerowpete6 жыл бұрын
A great video good example
@CB-RADIO-UK6 жыл бұрын
Wait till the second video next Fri. It all goes tits up :-(
@mikericketts9664 Жыл бұрын
That's a 60 watt dead key??? How much is it doing when you talk into the microphone???
@geo0985 жыл бұрын
fred did you say you use an amp on your 450d. I thought there was enough power on those radios? I have just purchased one (450d) and just wondered if im missing something that I could be doing regarding the amp.
@CB-RADIO-UK5 жыл бұрын
Hi Gary. No i dont use a amp on the 450D. I normally run it around 50 watts which i find is plenty.
@bigdEnergy6664 жыл бұрын
Why did a fucking idiot buy a 450 for cb use?
@farty10004 жыл бұрын
what is the best homebase antenna? i heard antron 99 arent that good, i was thinking "Sirio 2008" or "Sirio Vector 4000" got unlimited funds to get the best antenna if anyone has any ideas?
@CB-RADIO-UK4 жыл бұрын
Its a split subject for sure. I would say that that size and height matter. With un-limited funds and if you have space i would also consider a Yagi beam.
@CB-RADIO-UK4 жыл бұрын
Lots of suggestions in the comments on this video. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rNOnqaVjmau8in0.html
@FrenkMI5 жыл бұрын
Italians station at 1 or 2 kW? I don’t think so to be honest, most of Italians use max 600W ssb, not more. Linears of 1 or 2kW are for ham frequency and they cost too much for a cb operator. May be you are referring to the Spanish, in the .555 on summer they really arrive out of scale.
@hamradioqrper65544 жыл бұрын
Good afternoon OM , I think for the maxi power , italians use zetagi b 1200 : 800 W AM / 1600 SSB . I don't know UP so much for the grandi modulatori ( Canale 45 ) . so After they have Ham amps but it so much expansive . and for what ? Kappaaaaaa ??
@pixotica5 жыл бұрын
It's the bad manners that seem to come with those amps, laughs
@CB-RADIO-UK5 жыл бұрын
Sometimes you get bucket mouths. :-(
@pixotica4 жыл бұрын
@GGALLIN1776 ya on ssb we are trying to spread the word if your a stock power guy call on lsb 16, see if we can get a low power call channel going.
@LeeKirkman884 жыл бұрын
People worry too much about signal they'd like to throw on a linear and break peoples needles 30 mile away. To give there Ego's a big boost. To me a linear is a tool for improveing audio it takes away the crackle and hiss for distant stations listening. Signal does'nt and should'nt matter as much as audio quality. I've had people push me S5 and struggled with there audio. I've also had somone push me S1 and could hear everything he said because of the quality of his audio. Audio is all that matters in making contact. Ignore the signal meter.
@CB-RADIO-UK4 жыл бұрын
Yes your spot on.
@indiana1464 жыл бұрын
With a ss9900 do you need it and if you did get one what would u suggest
@CB-RADIO-UK4 жыл бұрын
The 9900 can push 100w in SSB so really there is no need. If you were going to bother you might as well get a 300 w amp which will be more like 200 in real life working conditions.
@indiana1464 жыл бұрын
@@CB-RADIO-UK crikey i didnt know they shoved 100 on ssb
@mechanicandskills72155 жыл бұрын
what would happen if i forget to change the switch to ssd and left it on am and vise versa ??
@CB-RADIO-UK5 жыл бұрын
The SSB switch adds a delay to the relay to allow the amp to stay on when you pause talking. Switched off the amp will cut in and out if you leave a long pause.
@mechanicandskills72155 жыл бұрын
@@CB-RADIO-UK ok thats cool too know because some times i forget to put it on ssb and its on AM its a - RM Italy KL 203 Linear Amplifier and at other times i have it on ssb and my 980 ssb bearcat is on am so far so good thow at least up north where i am. truckers on 19 at best and evin then its a radio check is all you get..11 meters is difficult where i am and on ssb its mother nature making it hard ...lol thank you for your feed back
@robhunter44246 жыл бұрын
Good vid! I found putting an amp in line that my swr changed. The patch lead was 90cm as specified in the manual. Any ideas?
@CB-RADIO-UK6 жыл бұрын
Although people have told me that the SWR should not change when using a amp i have had the same issue as you. I never really got to the bottom of it.
@stevejones86656 жыл бұрын
fredintheshed1 Hi Fred I have always found that the matching onto an Antenna will change slightly if you swap Radio,s and also as you increase power it will also go up. When you connect the Amp after the Radio then the Amps output Circuit will have a different impedance than the Rigs output circuit so this will make a difference with the swr reading's for instance the Rig on its own may have say 49ohms output and the Amp 51ohms if this makes any sense😊...Also the biggest problem with Amps is when they are over driven which causes very wide signals splatter all over the band and also many other bands as well due to the Harmonics of the fundamental frequency being amplified,this also causes distortion of the audio..so it's always best to under drive which stops most of the problems....last point is that signal strength received goes up 1 S point for every doubling of the power so if you where S1 at 10watts then you would be S2 at 20 watts S3 at 40watts S4 at 80 watts S5 at 160 watts and so on....but if you're S1 using 200Watts then you would need 400 watts for S2......yeah I know dB Signal strength and RF is a strange measuring system ☺...... keep em coming bud.73s
@700weedkiller44 жыл бұрын
Good day sir..when you hook the amp up.does the swr only get high when in operating mode? If you have more coax jumpers..if so try different lengths I personally have to use a 12 foot connected to a 3 foot to bring it into residence ..if you don't have the skill set to make capacitance changes with in the amp play with the coax length..hope this might have helped..have a blessed day from 700 WEEDKILLER in Dayton ohio..👋
@rallypoint14 жыл бұрын
Get a filter and run it after the amp. Your getting harmonics that your antenna can’t send out and going back causing a higher SWR.
@theodoresears43693 жыл бұрын
I have friend with amp with am ssb and also have a switch labeled BIL.What could it be?
@CB-RADIO-UK3 жыл бұрын
Not sure. Not seen that before.
@CB-RADIO-UK3 жыл бұрын
Steve Stevens will be doing a live stream around 7 pm on weds. If you ask on there i bet someone will know the answer.
@TonyLing5 жыл бұрын
I don't see why having two PSUs is advantageous
@letitrotfuckit4 жыл бұрын
i can talk to most of the world with only 400 watts on cb
@nicolalamotta95543 жыл бұрын
ONLY
@Dazza200066 жыл бұрын
Hi Fred I am new to all this I hope you could help me with some advice I want to listen to my local police on their radios so what CB radio would I need and for cheap as possible please?
@CB-RADIO-UK6 жыл бұрын
Hi Dazza. If your in the UK you cannot listen to the police on any radio as its all digital and encrypted. You can however listen to USA cops on this app. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/fLNgm71znt-6kqs.html
@antssmeed46186 жыл бұрын
Lol I was running bremi 500s in early 90s
@waltsmith6515 Жыл бұрын
You should b using 2 or less watts in,for best performance,you should know this if your doing videos, because people think you always know what your talking about
@CB-RADIO-UK Жыл бұрын
Fair point but if the manufacturer says it will handle 10 watts input in the instructions then it should. Yes the reality is that it will splatter RF like mad so less is often more but how many people will push it as hard as they can ?
@waltsmith6515 Жыл бұрын
@@CB-RADIO-UK too many
@RSPYT4 жыл бұрын
Well time for another opinion.... I know this video is a year old but I’ve never seen it. I believe if you want to run anymore than the legal amount of RF power then that should be kept to yourself. When those people come on saying I’M PUSHING 200WATTS IF YOU CAN’T HEAR ME YOUR RADIO IS DEAF. I just take it as attention seeking. I think part of the fun of radio is not knowing what the person you’re talking to is using. The mystery is part of the fun. And anyway, as I think you mentioned a good set up is best, I don’t think my set up is good at all BUT I can talk to all of my friends from 3 miles to 60miles away most evenings on 4 watts without problems and people also in the chat who run boots have trouble talking to the same people.
@CB-RADIO-UK4 жыл бұрын
Its all down to QRM. Example. You will hear good old Eric CB25 in my videos. Eric often suffers S7-8 noise. Only way i can break through that is to give him a S7-8 signal. Only way i can do that it push 100 watts. Most of the time iam around 30 watts which gets me out to all the group. On a very quite day the other week i dropped down to 1 watt and was heard right across london but those days are rare. On another occasion Robbie switched from about 40 watts to 300. My S meter moved 1 point. So its not showing off when people push power its normally just to get heard over other peoples noise.