This is the Palomar Skipper 300 amplifier.  As the name implies, the amp was rated for a 300 watt output from a 4 watt drive. Developing its power from four 8950 tubes, this amp was a popular alternative to the D&A brand of amplifiers. This amp featured a fairly simple, and straightforward set of controls, including:  Power on, Standby/Operate, Receiver preamp On/Off, AM/SSB and Hi/Low power. Tuning was accomplished by a single set of load and plate tuning controls. Relative output power was displayed on a tuning meter.

This amp was nicknamed "Chrome Dome" by the locals in our area, due to the shiny, reflective chrome top cover.  Steve was the first in the area to own one. He obtained one in 1974 which was in need of work, and he brought it back from the dead.  He also claimed that he boosted the output power to almost 600 watts. This claim I later concluded was pure embellishment.  It did, however, put out enough power to smoke a Radio Shack 5/8th wave groundplane antenna while battling with the powerhouse stations on Channel 4. He didn't hold onto the amp for long (Steve never held on to anything too long), and he claimed that he got rid of it because it was just "too powerful".  The only other person in our group to own a Skipper was Pheasant, who owned his in the 1975- timeframe.