Hi Brian, It's worse than you think!
In the last few years, a new type of CB activity has become very popular - the "Keydown Superbowl". A group, or club of CB'ers will organize a meet where the participants get together to compete over who has the biggest linear, with the most power. Amps with power levels of anywhere from 10 KW to even 50KW are operated, (often into ruggedized vertical antennas). To generate the DC required for these amps, several 72 volt railroad alternators are daisy-chained together under the hoods of trucks (Chevy Suburbans are popular). 7 alternator power plants are not uncommon. The DC goes to large DC regulators, and then to the amps, mostly solid state, but occasionally tube amps are used too. The solid state amps are typically multiple "pill" amps - "12 pill", "24 pill", up to "128" pill or more. Most of the amps are custom built by specialty shops, who advertise on the web, or at select CB shops. The favorite channel is 27.025, the "superbowl" channel. The winner gets a trophy, and sometimes some cash. Veterans of such skill-testing competitions, like to show off large pickle jars filled with "dead pills", the blown finals of their own, and competitor's amps. Some of the more technically talented prefer tube-type amps, with large broadcast tubes the preferred device. 3CX3000F1, and similar are quite popular, in pairs or quads. The amps often occupy most of the cargo space in the vehicles, shared with the requisite extra batteries. So, the next time you wonder why the CB band is always open, while 10M isn't, consider that these people have the means to make their own propagation! The other issue is not the spectrum polution, from these wickedly dirty often Class-C amps, but from the RF fields produced during the competition! Never mind FCC enforcement, maybe the EPA should get involved! Ed, VA3ES
