15W Booster

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iRADIO LA
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15W Booster

Post by iRADIO LA »

We have the 15watt booster, and again we did not get any documentation with this unit.

It seems to only be putting out 5-7 watts. We have the potentiometer all the way clockwise and it is the max we get out. This unit is connected to the PCI MAX Ultra. The PCI Max seems to have the jumper installed, for max output. Is there anything else we can check, do to get up to power. Alot of money for only 6 watts.
Mark C
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aidanpete
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Post by aidanpete »

is there any way of adding another booster to the 15 watt amplifier to get even more power.. :-?
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Post by pcs »

Increase power supply voltage a little.

Regarding combining boosters, its better to get a stronger
amp, say 100 or 150W.
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Post by iRADIO LA »

We were looking at a 300 w but the company went out of business.. We are now looking at your 300 w amp. You do have one that is not a kit right?
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Post by pcs »

We do :)

Are you sure you need that kind of power?
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Post by iRADIO LA »

We have approval for up to 40 mile range. So we want to make sure we have a good clean signal.

What do you have that will do the job for a good price. We do not really need a power supply.
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Post by pcs »

I do not recommend PC based setups for that kind of power.

It is better to use a standalone solution. You can still drive
any transmitter with PC (soundcard).

Well, it all depends on your budget. Look around our website.
You have pro solutions at 10.000W, if that's what you want.

40 miles is hard to cover with one transmitter. Read the how to start
guide for explanation. 300W won't cut it.
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Post by aidanpete »

are ye still selling the 115 watt amplifier for the pci max or will any amplifier work as long as the transmitter is stepped up to 15 watts :)
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Post by pcs »

Any amp can be used with any transmitter provided these
are met:

1.) It must be made for same frequency range
2.) Output power of the transmitter must match
input power of the amplifier. Feeding 15W to an amp
that only accepts 1W will destroy it!
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Marko - PCS Electronics
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Post by iRADIO LA »

Mark (PCS)

Under the features of the 5/15w booster this is said

RF Input Power: 25-250mW (selectable hi/lo via jumper)

Is this the jumper in the booster or on the pci Max?

If in the booster, this could be my problem with the low power. I still think I should get 15 watts from a 15 watt amp and not 6watts.
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Post by pcs »

My answer was referring to the 115W amp question.


As for the power, I have given you a solution. Did you try it out?

Also, what kind of power metre do you use?
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Post by iRADIO LA »

I have tried everything that I can think of externally:

High Gain Antenna
Low Loss Heliax
13.98 volts to amp
13.8 volts to PCI Ultra

Is there anyway to check the amp to see which model it is. Since there is no markings on the outside case?

Even though I am having a few problems, I am very impressed with the speed of the replies. Thanks again for all the help.
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Post by pcs »

Antena has nothing to do with power.

Coaxial cable has nothing to do with the power that the amplifier
produces.

This amp is rated up to 15V DC supply voltage, which is what
the supplied mains power supply is rated at. You are using
1V less, which comes down to at least a few watts less power.
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Marko - PCS Electronics
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Post by aidanpete »

i have the 15 watt amplifier for the pci max i'm just lookin to see if there's any way of a getting a bit more power :)
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Post by iRADIO LA »

I understand these items do not do anything to the power, Well actually it does, in a sense. The antenna at 3db will act as if you were transmitting at twice the power, but if you have low los cable and a good high gain antenna and with a "15" watt amp we should get out more then 3/4 of a mile.

I have experience in radio and repeaters, the point I am trying to get at is if you sell a "15" watt Amp it should give 15 watts not have the power. I was trying to tell you what it is hooked up to.

I have another system that is transmitting at 36 watts with a high gain antenna and even the coax is not as good and can get close to 40 miles, a little rough in some areas, but can hear it. So the point again is it all falls back to the amp. If it is rated at 15 watts, why can't I get 15 watts. Even at 13.8 volts I should get close.

What is the max input rated at? Maybe the PCI card is not full power and that is why it is not driving the amp. I don't have anything to measure the power out at that low of power.
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Post by Sir Nigel »

What you said at the end is your answer. I have the 2004 PCI card with the same booster as you. I get just over 15 watts. The Ultra card doesn't have enough power to drive the booster. Therefore explaining the 5 watts you get. Even if I fed the Ultra card addition power it still under performed. Of course this isn't a problem anymore as the newer ones go almost to one watt. :)
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Post by pcs »

I'm not talking about feeding power to the ultra card,
I am talking about supply voltage of the booster.

Every volt makes a huge difference, he is a long way
from 15V, which is what the 15V are rated at.

Now why do I have to repeat this 10 times?
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Marko - PCS Electronics
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Post by iRADIO LA »

If ALL our questions would be answered, we could understand how your equipment works. There is no documentation that came with these, and the docs on your website really don't explain what we are looking for.

I think we all understand that more volts gets more power, but if you can't put more voltage into the amp, then we must look for another way, if possible. I am trying to look at this in the Scientific way right now.

We do plan on buying a larger amp and use this one as an exciter, but I need to understand the workings of the card.

Not upset just a little frustrated.
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Post by pcs »

OK :)
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Post by iRADIO LA »

OK, I took your advice, and cranked up the volts to 15 volts (14.98, to be exact). and we are getting a hole wopping 7 watts. There really was no change.

Is there a schematic we can get for this 15 W amp? [-o<

Something must be wrong with the unit or it is not a 15 watt amp.

Again I want to thank you for your help. It is we did everything we can but nothing has worked. I just thinkwe received the 5 watt and not the 15.

Mark
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