Pull up a chair, I feel this is gonna be a long one............
As others have said, in the general sense, it goes guitar amplifier -> stereo receiver -> 'amateur radio'
From there, it's complicated, as would befit a discussion about complications.
When it comes to audio gear, there are three basic components of any system, and they are power amplifier, preamplifier, and speaker(s). An integrated amplifier is made up of a preamplifier and power amplifier, while a receiver adds a tuner section to the mix.
A guitar amplifier, in the basic sense, is a form of integrated amplifier, sometimes with one or more speakers built-in. Some guitar amplifiers have built-in effects, but the basics are there.
An amateur radio setup, like an audio system, can be made up of several basic components. These are as follows, in terms of complication:
Linear amplifier -> Receiver -> Transmitter -> Transceiver
An amateur radio receiver is similar to an audio receiver, but meant to receive different bands (and with different features). A transmitter, essentially, is the opposite of a receiver, in that it outputs a signal on those bands. A transceiver, as the name may imply, combines a receiver and a transmitter in one box. Here is a picture of a typical tube-based ham radio transceiver from the late '60s/early '70s, a
Heathkit SB-102 with its matching power supply/speaker:
The big knob in the center is for tuning, with the two dials located above it, and the bandswitch to its lower left. Some of the other knobs adjust the transmitter section, while others have more to do with general settings, and others adjust the speech input. The meter can be switched to indicate various things, including speech level and transmitter output current. Here is a photo of the insides:
16 tubes on five circuit boards, plus the two 6146 'final amplifier' tubes in the black HV cage, so 18 total. The power output of the transmitter is section is rated for 100W. The (solid-state) power supply is mounted in the back of the speaker cabinet pictured above, as seen here:
A
linear amplifier is, essentially, the ham radio equivalent of a power amplifier, meant to boost the output of a smaller transmitter. Here's a photo of a typical linear amplifier, a
Heathkit SB-200:
I don't have a photo of the insides of mine, but as seen
here, it essentially consists of two large 572B tubes coupled to RF circuitry and a solid-state power supply. The large knobs on the front tune the output stage, while the smaller two control the meter, which helps monitor power output. Speaking of which, it's rated for 1,000 watts(!) on CW (morse code), though I'd more realistically be looking at 600-700W in voice operation.
-Adam KB1YTN