How Much Pwr Are They Running?

[Slyguy]

Okay read this post and about half way though went looking for my muck boots, got to the end and now wearing hip waders, lol.

3's

Greg

I'm putting on a scuba suit.

[TooManyMiles]

I have to agree. It was getting mighty deep. I just jumped into the pickup and headed for high ground.

Conditions must have been just right Thursday night. I got replies on Channel 26, 28, and surprisingly 6. The Carolinas, Alabama, Mississippi and Pennsylvania.
I was only pushing about 90 through a Predator on the mobile.

[Deleted User 14541]

Some people are lucky enough to live in an area with very few operators that run low power. The kW comment I made is the how it is here. You can take a low power mobile and work dx.....until the guy down the street drops the hammer. If I go back to my home town where radio is completely dead ill work dx on my driver and not worry about someone trying to key on me. Your results may vary and skip conditions apply.

[Buzzweiser]

Many of the super bowlers are still running old school equipment. Lots of Tram radios, JB 12 drivers and JB 2000, Maco 1KW and Big Phantom final amps. Once in awhile you'll hear a few running Henry 3, 4 and 5 K Classics. I know a few of the big bowler's here in my area and some are starting to run pill amps. They are still running the Tram radios and a few older other types but generally running those into a 4 pill driving a 16 pill. Many don't run that much. There were always rumors of some big dogs out in Texas running a true 50k station but only ever saw one in real life. And he'd even tell ya that he rarely cranked it all the way up. Most of these guys just have these massive beams running on the flat side and bodacious audio. If you want to work the bowl get ya a big flat side beam, an old Teaberry Model T strapped out with a Tug-8 D104, and a 4 to an 8 pill amp and you'll hear your name all day long.

[Deleted User 14541]

There are a few operators around here with big toobs. They ones that do don't talk about it on the radio and rarely fire up the big one. They're not the guys on 6 that say "I'm just on this driver". Lol

[Ohio_359]

Many of the super bowlers are still running old school equipment. Lots of Tram radios, JB 12 drivers and JB 2000, Maco 1KW and Big Phantom final amps. Once in awhile you'll hear a few running Henry 3, 4 and 5 K Classics. I know a few of the big bowler's here in my area and some are starting to run pill amps. They are still running the Tram radios and a few older other types but generally running those into a 4 pill driving a 16 pill. Many don't run that much. There were always rumors of some big dogs out in Texas running a true 50k station but only ever saw one in real life. And he'd even tell ya that he rarely cranked it all the way up. Most of these guys just have these massive beams running on the flat side and bodacious audio. If you want to work the bowl get ya a big flat side beam, an old Teaberry Model T strapped out with a Tug-8 D104, and a 4 to an 8 pill amp and you'll hear your name all day long.

You're pretty out of touch. I know of at least four 3cx3's just in my neck of the woods, and suthern ahia aint exactly the super bowl mecca of the country. A 4 pill aint gonna get the job done.

[Buzzweiser]

The best you're gonna get out of a 3cx3000a7 in the 11 meter band is maybe 10-11kw pep at full output and if you run it full out it's not gonna last very long. A 5K Henry classic will do 5KW if you drive em hard but they don't hold up. Drive a 5K Henry with a 50-60watt dk and they will loaf forever at 3500watts. And trust me I know southern Ohio isn't the mecca of super bowl radio but I've been to many of other areas of this country that have some of the at least former big dogs in them. Over the years I met Stop Light(aka Lights Out), Black Diamond, Big Apple, Witch Doctor,Rattlesnake, Doc Flintstone and many more. Of all these guys they all ran big equipment and could drop the maul on pretty much anybody else with ease when they wanted but all of them had two things in common, big antenna's and they didn't abuse their equipment. When you run that type of power you can't abuse it or you won't be on the air very long. To run anything more than 10KW you're gonna have to have 440 or 880 running into your shack to get the type of power you'd need to run it. The aforementioned 50KW station in Texas I saw was a modified AM transmitter that was ran off of a surplus 200KW military generator that he bought from a decommissioned missile silo in Kansas. Many of the big city stations you hear on 6 don't have access to that type of power. At best most of them could get a maximum of 200 amps at 220 volts if they left everything else off in their house. I'm sure there's a few that have access to commercial power or maybe big generators but if they do they aren't transmitting from a residential neighborhood. I do know these days if you have the money you can get 32 pill and bigger amps made and there's a few out there but they are few and far between. They run them with big battery mauls and super heavy duty battery chargers or engines with extra alternators. There might be a handful using extreme wattage out there but not everyone on the bowl is doing it. It's much easier for a CB'er to run extreme wattage out of a vehicle these days than it is to run it from a building. I think I'll buy me a used TV remote transmitter truck with a retractable mast, a 32 pill amp, a 20 cell motor maul, mount a 454 chevy engine on a trailer to pull behind it with 4 or 5 300amp alternators and throw in a Buckeye Jimmy Beam for an antenna just so I can play on the bowl.

[str8stroke]

Yea, this is a older one. But it is entertaining to read. Folks forget the differences between AM operations & FM. Its often when folks talk of CB radio they segue into commercial FM radio comparisons for power. Its too much to explain in a already long post that goes on & off topic! lol

So, on topic of the bowl power. I know a individual who runs over 50K bird watts. I have seen it with my own two eyes. Oh, and they don't measure it with the Bird 43 meter we all know about. ERP is effective radiated power. A very sneaky & mysterious thing I hear thrown around. I hear cats saying "I have a 500 watt rig running through a 20 db gain antenna and start CLAIMING they be running 10KW watts! But that isn't even the correct formula for gain multiplication.

I also know a very handsome, slick talking, silver tongue, devil who gets his name called running only a few hunnit fitty watts on the bowl.

One last thing, you can run as much power as you like on the Bowl with out worrying about getting the hair fried off your chest because the 11 meter frequency is non-ionizing radiation. Not like your cell phone that runs .03 watts. Pump a few hunnit watts out of your cell & your gonna need a tin foil hat!! (only said cause I get tired of people saying: its not safe to run a few hunnit watts on the cb, its gonna make your hair fall out). Disclaimer: I am loosing my hair but I think its cause MY DAD IS BALD! lol

[too_tall170]

i get on 6 and try hahah once in a while break through the squeeze tootall your east coast beast 170 sw pa or northern wv 1000watts out of the mobile

[peterwo2e]

I'm just curious about something. When I listen to channel 6 "The Bowl", I often wonder how much power it takes when they compete or stamp on each other. Does anyone know what kind of power it takes down there to be heard? I'm guessing 5KW but I could be wrong.

is a loaded question and depending who answers you will get all kinds of responses. to be heard i have use 4 watts to make a contact to the pacific island of kingman reef so it took 4 watts to be heard. now to key up on another operator or step on is a matter watts and antenna and nature. use a bigger antenna and more watts than the guy you trying to step on. there is not answer to this question cause it varies so much
on equipment , nature and luck.

[North Texas Mudduck]

dont forget about those big 3-500z boxes
theres a 12 tube in Colorado
a boatload of 8 tubers and a handfull of 10 tubers
we just call them mayonaise jars
or mason jars with the glow

a varmint 250 driving a 2 tube heathkit driving a 5 tube heathkit will for sure get a name called,, and will for sure get stepped on by the biger boys
but i dont know anything about that stuff

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[EricExtreme]

Those guys can have a blast throwing out thousands and thousands of watts. Personally I have much more fun running QRP. I connect my GE 3-5979c CB Handheld Radio (walkie talkie) and my Magnum 1012 walkie talkie to my 102" whip magnetmount antenna in the car and my Spectrum 1600 5/8 wave lambda aerial at the house. I am able to talk DX on those somewhat easily. For a real challenge I run them off of the stock antenna... granted in over 20 years on the radio I have only made 3 DX contacts on the stock antennas, but that doesn't stop me from trying. I have more of a blast DXing on the walkie talkies than I ever did on more powerful radios... the lower the wattage... the sweeter the reward!

[peterwo2e]

Those guys can have a blast throwing out thousands and thousands of watts. Personally I have much more fun running QRP. I connect my GE 3-5979c CB Handheld Radio (walkie talkie) and my Magnum 1012 walkie talkie to my 102" whip magnetmount antenna in the car and my Spectrum 1600 5/8 wave lambda aerial at the house. I am able to talk DX on those somewhat easily. For a real challenge I run them off of the stock antenna... granted in over 20 years on the radio I have only made 3 DX contacts on the stock antennas, but that doesn't stop me from trying. I have more of a blast DXing on the walkie talkies than I ever did on more powerful radios... the lower the wattage... the sweeter the reward!

when you run qrp you striving to improve your radio skills as a radio operator. This is not what the super bowl is about. The super bowl is just running as much power as possible to step on as much stations as possible not an ounce of skill is involve here being that you not really looking to talk as far as possible. All you need is a fat wallet or a good corner. I also like to work qrp and I do all modes lsb, fm, and am. It takes lots of patience and time to search the best frequency not to mention a good radio with good ears.

[silvereagle1]

Anyone ever do a "history of the bowl" ?

Who are they?
Where are they?
Why channel 6?
how many years have they been around?
Popular names over the years you may have heard?
Something started the "bowl" who when and how?
And if we always have to hear about anything over 4 watts will get you in FCC trouble from certain operator groups that really push this issue then why do we never hear of any of the bowl boys pushing 50 to 250 thousand watts getting in trouble? it shouldn't be too hard to find them. Just food for thought.

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Thursday, 17 October 2013, 21:00 PM

I did make one contact on the bowl a few weeks ago. I've tried many times over the past few months. I have to admit it does make you feel like you've done something when you finally get through. Break break break break

[dirtyjob]

heres one from last year that got a visit/fine

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heres another guy that was on 27.165 "channel 17"

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why do we never hear of any of the bowl boys pushing 50 to 250 thousand watts getting in trouble? it shouldn't be too hard to find them. Just food for thought.

The heavy hitters are pushing about 1kw not 50 - 250k , a terrestrial am broadcast station such as my local WRKO in boston uses 50k.

Ive talked there just fine using anywhere between 100 - 500.

easiest way to get a response on the Bowl, start picking on someone with a big signal caling him a mudduck, that will get you a response fast

[bluemeanie]

OK set in a shack with 5KW on am at this frequency and your internal organs are frying. Rf energy cooks you. This is a good way to do it. Maybe that's why the guys on the bowl sound the way they do.

[dirtyjob]

lol that would explain quite a bit

[Ohio_359]

OK set in a shack with 5KW on am at this frequency and your internal organs are frying. Rf energy cooks you.

Not at 27mHz, lol.

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Thursday, 17 October 2013, 22:22 PM

The heavy hitters are pushing about 1kw

Not even close. There are hundreds of 3cx3's all over the county playing on CB, those tubes will do 8-10kw peak. Then there are the 3cx5's and 3cx10's scattered about as well.

[str8stroke]

OK set in a shack with 5KW on am at this frequency and your internal organs are frying. Rf energy cooks you. This is a good way to do it. Maybe that's why the guys on the bowl sound the way they do.

I am assuming you were being sarcastic. Newbies to the hobby, Pls read my previous post above. Some may get confused if they read yours and don't know your joking.

[Deleted User 14541]

The heavy hitters are pushing about 1kw not 50 - 250k ,

250 is extreme but 5-50 is more in the ballpark. IMO. My mobile will easily deadkey a kw and I'm far from a heavy hitter. 1kw and a big head will get you squashed in my part of town.

[silvereagle1]

heres one from last year that got a visit/fine

[Please login or register to view this link]

heres another guy that was on 27.165 "channel 17"

[Please login or register to view this link]

why do we never hear of any of the bowl boys pushing 50 to 250 thousand watts getting in trouble? it shouldn't be too hard to find them. Just food for thought.

The heavy hitters are pushing about 1kw not 50 - 250k , a terrestrial am broadcast station such as my local WRKO in boston uses 50k.

Ive talked there just fine using anywhere between 100 - 500.

easiest way to get a response on the Bowl, start picking on someone with a big signal caling him a mudduck, that will get you a response fast

Lol I was shooting from the hip with the 50-250 wattage statement. I did read the threads about the FCC. Good stuff was kind of surprised about the little 200 watt station causing so much trouble. Good reading material. And this is no joke and a very true story... Today on 26 I couldn't get through then I took your advise and added some extra to sweetin the pot. I turned the echo wide open and roger beep on and kept calling one particular station a muffed mud duck and he came back with a few words of his own. I laughed and told the guy I was just messing with him to get him to answer. He never responded back again.

[LadyMermaid]

No one should ever need to run no more than 1,000 to 3,000 watts and that's pushing it. Many CBers with large amounts of watts (20kw) are on the radio to fight -- such a waste of energy. Most have good talking stations but they have this need to shower who is boss or whose power will out talk the other instead of just enjoying the fact we can talk to each and have fun. Fighting is wasted energy -- same dang thing every days for years and they never get enough of the same thing................

[Deleted User 14541]

No different than drag racing, boxing, bass fishing, golf or those contests where the guy with the most Christmas lights on his house wins. Don't you think the NHRA guys could run the 1/4 mIle a little slower to save fuel? Doing that would make engine components last longer too. You can still point out that the CB thing is illegal...

[Coyoteman]

4 watts AM
12 watts SSB

[Buzzweiser]

I the question was asked why don't these heavy hitters get in trouble more often with the FCC. I think the two posts about the individuals pretty much sum that question up. They were interfering with government radio transmissions and receive. Most often than not as long as you don't interfere with business, government and the local ham operators no one will report you to the FCC. Occasionally a neighbor may file a complaint if you tear up his tv or telephone which nowadays doesn't happen as much due the advance in consumer electronics quality. Of these cases though most get a nasty letter in the mail first. Rarely does charlie come knocking on the door from a neighbor complaint. They send you the letter, sometimes 2 and hope you work out the issue on your own.
The key to any big transmitter whether it's cb or any other type is clean equipment, good shielding and quality antennas and coax.