While I personally, have not posted any listings for RF amplifiers, I do know people who have recently, only to have their listings pulled by Ebay. The listings that Ebay seems to find objectionable, are those for a specific name brands of amplifiers. I don't understand what the reasoning is behind this, as I still see countless other "CB" linears, offered all the time. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to bash Ebay as I'm sure they're only following the advice of their legal staff. I further hope that my intention is not misconstrued. I do not advocate the illegal operation of linear amplifiers, on the 11 meter CB band. I do however, see the useful application for many such low cost amplifiers, for legitimate purposes on the Amateur (ham) bands.
I am a licensed, Advanced Class, Amateur Radio Operator. I have, in my personal vehicle, a class AB1 amplifier, originally designed for use on CB, that I have altered and use quite regularly and legally on the HF bands. I should also point out, that in my 20+ years as a Ham operator, the laws have changed quite a bit, pertaining to the legal manufacture of amplifiers in the 26-30 mHz range. While I am not well versed on the specifics of the CFR, as they relate to this subject, I am pretty certain they DO NOT apply to individual amateurs, who wish to either build, modify, buy or sell existing devices, for their own legitimate purposes. My first HF rig was a Cobra 148, that I reprogrammed the PLL, to operate exclusively on 10 meters. One would likely need an amplifier for that 12 watt rig.
My point is this, why single out one particular model or manufacturer? It would seem to me that a blanket ban, on any RF amplifiers capable of operating, or easily modified to operate on the 10 or 11 meter bands, would be a more effective approach, if the intention is to stop the exchange of CB linears on Ebay. But then, where do we draw the line, defining what is or is not modifiable. Practically any RF amplifier can be modified to operate illegally in one fashion or another. The ease or complexity of said modification would vary dramatically, depending on such things as the original design of the device and the skill level of the person doing the mod. So should we ban all RF amplifiers? What about those used for medical or scientific purposes, putting aside the obvious impact on the Amateur Radio community. How about broadcast transmitters? I've yet to encounter one of them that didn't include some type of high power, RF amplifier, in the output section. Personally, I could modify a 10KW, FM broadcast transmitter, to operate in the 2 meter Ham band. With the maximum legal output for Amateur's being 1500 watts, this would potentially render an old Harris, FM-10H3, as a significant building block toward the manufacture of a highly illegal, 10 kilowatt amplifier. (I'd hate to see that electric bill.)
Obviously, my examples are more than a little inflated. My point is this, why are we prohibiting the legitimate sale of any particular make of amplifier, by licensed Amateur operators. While I don't have the answer to the bigger questions at hand, I submit that this isn't it. The same sort of logic would suggest that prohibiting the sale of products manufactured by Ford Motor Company, would make a significant impact on global warming. Everybody would simply buy from the guy offering a Chevy or Toyota. More appropriately in this case, the guy with the D&A or MaCo.
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