American hams/former CBers will understand this.
When 4 watts isn't enough, GET AN AMPLIFIER.
FWIW there are still loads of CB amps floating around, and some of
them still work. Even if you get one for a dollar that doesn't work,
you can still get replacement finals ... not for cheap like "back in
the day" but if you compare 1980 finals prices to 2022 prices, they're
cheaper than they seem. According to this calculator
<>
a $15 final (e.g., MRF454 or MRF455) in 1980 would cost $54 and change
today.
RF Parts has them for a little less (around $48), although they appear
to be M/Acom (as in "MAY come on") instead of batwing.
I still haven't started on my QDX -- logistics issues with getting an
RPi 4 and some shack rearrangement, but at least I have a 40M NVIS
antenna ready to use now.
73
Jim N6OTQ
