Hello ,
Whouah !!! your tube amplifier is a beauty . Myself i am using pentode tube for my amplifiers but my power i only about 300 up to 600/700w but the Plate/anode voltage is only about 1000v. i manage to find on ebay a great seller in Ukraine and i manage to grab some
6P45c/
6п45c (Equivalent to EL519) for 16USD and surprisingly they work very well also for digital modes especially PSK31/RTTY the modes i am using a lot. i am refurbishing and modifying a 30 years old citizen band amplifier using also EL519 and i am very happy with the results (more details here :
https://f5npv.wordpress.com/el519-hf-amplifier/ )
With this one above with the Hermes Lite i manage to have about 170w output and the following one is about 300w (I am still implementing and finalizing the biasing)
To comeback with Amplifier for the Hermes lite i think LDMOS transistors remain a great choice since they can provide also a great output with only a tiny input. In addition compare to a IRF510 or IRF530 they are more stable (Bear in minds IRF530 are not the best performer for RF amplification since this kind of transistor is not dedicated for RF amplification). The MRF101 kit looks really nice and if you are looking for something portable this is a winner for sure.
The biasing setup is :
-First you need to check the datasheet of your Mosfet or LDMOS Transistor in order to check the biasing voltage and current magnitude your transistor will need
-You will need a lab power supply with current (Amp) reading and limitation
-a wattmeter
-a dummy load
-A Tinysa or any spectrum analyzer with a RF coupler is highly recommended
-a multimeter
-Setup the biasing voltage to the minimum a check with the multimer
-powerup the amplifier which is plug to your Hermes lite and the dummy load and check to current to ensure the current provided is not too high. The power supply current limitation must be setup according the range of your amplification.
-switch on the amplifier without applying power from the Hermes lite and check to current with your Lab power supply. Note this current and ensure there is no output power and excessive current . If they is some power or current : something wrong !!
-If all good , Key down the PTT without any power from the hermes lite and start to increase the biasing voltage . You should notice an increase of the current on the Power supply current reading and for example if your transistor need 3 to 5vdc with 100ma current , setup the biasing in between (about 4v with and 50ma) . If the overall current is not to high , and you notice no output power on your wattmeter , you are good. If not check your amplifier.
-If all good you can apply some little power and start to fine tune the biasing . During the fine tuning , you need to check the spectrum analyzer and ensure there is no oscillation and a clean spectrum.
This is roughly how to setup the biasing but you can find on Internet more details tutorials.
73s Didier F5NPV