Looking to buy an amp for my HL2

[Peter Olson]

Hello,

Which amplifyer do you guys use for your HL2 and what is your experience with it?

I'm looking to buy a cheap 100+ W amp. Price range up to 750$

Peter

[Ronald Meier]

I use a second hand Elecraft KXPA100. Some are using amps from Aliexpress which are not bad. Also RM Italy offer good products.

Op zondag 1 september 2024 om 21:48:26 UTC+2 schreef Peter Olson:

[Scott Strehle]

I bought a 60dbm.com Neptune 100w amp. It works well in manual band switching and seems to be clean and works well with pure signal.  There is a problem with the amp in auto band switching mode. It fails to key up sometimes. I have contacted the manufacturer and he is going to do a firmware upgrade when I can dedicated some time to it.  I would not let this problem shy you away from the amp. It works very well otherwise.  

Before the Neptune amp I was using a ten-tec 405 I believe is the model. 50 watt solid state amp with auto keying feature. It worked well also but was not as clean as the Neptune. The extra 50 watts did not make as much difference as I had hoped. Half an s unit as the math would suggest.  That being said I have talked half way around the world with 5 watts 50 watts and 100 watts and a hl2.

5 Watts was free with hl2

50 Watts was $250 on eBay

And 100 watts was $550 I think from 60dbm.com to my doorstep as I remember

[Peter Olson]

Thanks to both of you. I will be looking into your suggestions

Peter

[Greg VKthreeKV]

RM ItalyHLA305V and a VK3AMP .......noice

Cheers,

Greg VK3KV

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Hermes-Lite" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to hermes-lite...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hermes-lite/0cc30ec1-77a2-44dc-b278-924afb9923bfn%40googlegroups.com.

[Fudd Best]

Peter,

My stack is Hermes Lite2 --> Micro PA50+ -. big boy RF2k-S.

The PA50+ is dirt cheap ($180) and makes 50 watts (all needed is 30 watts here).

The amp uses $1.80 MOSFETS designed for switching power supplies only  so can't be used on AM/FM.

I changed to real RF transistors MRF186 since PCB provides this support, eacy, just change 2 resistors and set bias to 4.500 VDC.

I hear Neptune amps are solid, good value.

 Cheers,

Randy

W7CPA

[Greg VKthreeKV]

The RM Italy HLA305V is a good quality filtered amp and Auto Band switches,  has two output levels Hi a full power and low around half output power. 5 watts in around 220 watts to 250 watts output on high

Cheers,

Greg VK3KV

On Wed, 4 Sept 2024, 01:22 Chris Baker, <cbak...@gmail.com> wrote:

Can any of these amps auto switch to the same band as the transmitter, or do they need to be manually switched to the band? If so, is there a connection required to the radio, or can they auto-sense the band?

Seems to defeat the whole point of SDR if you have to be at the amp to select the band.

Chris

K0BUF

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hermes-lite/CAL3GjzuXRLYJeH%3DChT5O9o%2BdBpU3ncDf%3Dej3f%3DmV0Nw7NbbnqQ%40mail.gmail.com.

[Mike Lewis]

hla305v_notes.pdf (ab4oj.com) for some detailed perf measurements.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hermes-lite/CAL3GjzuN47kED9ZBMKc0o6ggAQA7yd2nd_1t82QyqBm6BtCfdQ%40mail.gmail.com.

[Chris Baker]

Can any of these amps auto switch to the same band as the transmitter, or do they need to be manually switched to the band? If so, is there a connection required to the radio, or can they auto-sense the band?

Seems to defeat the whole point of SDR if you have to be at the amp to select the band.

Chris

K0BUF

On Tue, Sep 3, 2024 at 1:21 AM Greg VKthreeKV <greg...@gmail.com> wrote:

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hermes-lite/CAL3GjzuXRLYJeH%3DChT5O9o%2BdBpU3ncDf%3Dej3f%3DmV0Nw7NbbnqQ%40mail.gmail.com.

[Ron Lewkowicz]

I have the RM Italy HLA-305V and it auto senses the band and switches LPF without any issue.  An RCA connection for PTT is used and is recommended over using VOX method. The cost is a bit higher than the original poster wished to spend, but it seems to be a good amp.  I tried a cheaper one at first and it did not perform well or last long.

[Greg VKthreeKV]

I am a little confused on why so many try to over complicate the Hermes Lite 2 performance offered with trying to have a computer operate the radio so they can go next day to see and claim they are "Working the World" with digital modes and Automation?

I suspect most FT8 operators are laying in a Fetal position rocking backwards and forwards stating they are working the world.....and yet......many now seem to be  missing the whole unique performance offered by and right up the top in performance radio offered at an extremely cost effective price......and just look at the price as a concept of investment to be added in Amplifiers, Antennas etc...

If this raises your blood pressure a little.... You really do not appreciate the radio,a trust understanding or are experiencing just how good it is.......

Life is too short for FT8 as a communication mode live life DX ......

Cheers,

Greg VK3KV

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hermes-lite/12a4f227-47f9-4dc0-a0c6-3803d853118bn%40googlegroups.com.

[Colin Larsen]

And that's when the fight started 🫣😂

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hermes-lite/CAL3GjzteT_Mp50S%3DVmPJK4iiE1OQqwHTFmBeQi5TLpG_k6wd6g%40mail.gmail.com.

[Ron Lewkowicz]

Steve (KF7O) designed the HL2 specifically to work with his interest in QRP digital modes.   Congratulations,  you just totally insulted the guy who designed the radio that you claim to love so much.

[Phil]

Without knowing where you are it’s difficult to know what $750 will buy.  I use a Juma PA-100D with my HL2, it will autotune with nothing more than the RF connection and PTT, simply press the tune button in Thetis and the Juma will autotune.  The PA-100 puts out up to 100 to 150W band dependant and is a quality amp.  It’s worth noting that when using Olivia I need to limit the power to 30w to prevent overheating.  That said the PA-100 is very well protected against overtemp and high swr and parameters are readily adjustable.  It can also be set to display SWR, operating frequency , band and output power.  Band can also be manually selected if desired.  Gain is adjustable in a limited range by selecting imput attenuation., parameters can also be altered if desired using a serial port.  Juma PA-100D is available from Rowaves. 

[Jim KD4YLQ]

Phil,

       thanks for sharing that you run Olivia at 30W to avoid overheating with the Juma PA-100D, presumably with the temperature limit you received it programmed with. I have wondered about that myself (for long Olivia QSOs) and learned from someone a while ago that he runs with   ".... heatsink temp maxed at 68C at 40W output on Olivia". RoWaves replied to my pointed query on this and said that it's good for 70W continuous (!!!), but I believe you'd have to raise the finals temperature limit quite a bit to achieve that, and I'd wonder about how long it would last - or maybe they were thinking FT8 rather than Olivia which has a lower duty cycle. For what it's worth, I asked RoWaves if they were working on an amplifier (with 6M and an auto-tuner) in the 500W range and Andrei (YO6TJJ) emailed me that they are! So, something between the PA-100D and the PA1000 is in the development pipeline for the Juma lineup  - that's what I'm really very anxious to see!

Jim  KD4YLQ

[Joe Word]

I am using a Ten-Tec 418 QRP amp, 5 watts in gets 100 out. It automatically band switches (RF sensing) and has PPT in and out to drive a bigger amp. I have never seen one for sale, so happy I have it.

Joe  N9VX

[Peter Olson]

I could be interested in the Juma PA-100D, but, does anyone know why it does not support 60m?

/Peter

[JK1QLQ]

Peter,

You'd have to ask Juha or Matti to know for sure, but I'm pretty sure it's because the JUMA 100 design pre-dates the ITU World Radio Conference 2015.

73

Scott

[Charlie Rubenstein]

True, that the Juma PA100D does not support 60M, but I still (as an owner of one) highly recommend the amp. It supports auto-band switching, has several built in protections, and also supports serial control and monitoring of all functions (something not usually found in amps of this price). I run my station remotely, and control the amp with a NodeRed flow that allows me to control and monitor all of the amps functions. It's a well built amp.

73 de Charlie KB8CR

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hermes-lite/64109301-3584-474a-8423-3ea60138dd47n%40googlegroups.com.

[Georg Lerm (ZS1GFL)]

Hello

I have bought the Xeigo XPA125 amplifier, and will be using that with the Hermes Lite 2 unit.

Regards

Georg

[RP Smith]

Good luck with the Xeigo XPA125.  I went through 3 of those before they gave up and just refunded my money!

N0ROY...

[Miguel Iborra Bas]

check this one out

https://www.60dbm.com/product/100-watt-hf-6m-power-amplifier-for-yaesu-ft-817-icom-ic-703-705-elecraft-kx3-automatic-band-switching/

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Hermes-Lite" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to hermes-lite...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hermes-lite/695c014a-637f-461f-8f26-ed14e16132c5n%40googlegroups.com.

--

73´

EA4BAS

Miguel Iborra

+34607606045

[Robert Muir]

might be of interest to someone, RM have a 10% discount anniversary offer until 22nd Sept. It's available at Wimo Germany, I don't know about other outlets. 

[GM8JCF]

I use an RM-Italy BLA-350 Plus which develops 125W PEP from the 5W out from the HL2. The BLA-350 Plus is capable of at least 350W PEP, but needs a drive level of +10W, so the BLA-350 Plus is not an ideal match for the 5W HL2 unfortunately, (I'm building a 10W HF linear to boost the HL2 output to +10W). However, the BLA-350 Plus when driven bare-foot by an HL2 is perfect from a reliability, cool running, low-fan-noise, purity of signal, point of view, and gives one a really great 100W transceiver to compete against the Yaesu/ICOM/Flex 100W radios, I'd say even better than the usual suspects - Pure Signal is an outstanding feature of the HL2.

73

Peter - GM8JCF

[RP Smith]

I also have an RM-Italy BLA-350 Plus and I just replaced the factory 3dB input attenuator with a short piece of 16 gauge wire and I now have ~ 250W out with 5W in.  The attenuator, as I recall, has one screw that holds it down against a heat sink and two wire leads, one in and one out.  It is located left to right on the main board approximately in the middle of the two RF connectors and about two inches in from the rear.

N0ROY... 

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hermes-lite/88cec0fb-ded3-4669-8223-f862c2c81606n%40googlegroups.com.

[GM8JCF]

Whey, Hey!!!

Thankyou !! I'll take a look inside

Peter - GM8JCF

[RP Smith]

Peter, if you have any problems locating it, I can open mine up and take a picture for you.

N0ROY...

[GM8JCF]

Hi Roy

A photo would be fantastic, thank you ever so much for such a generous off

Peter - GM8JCF

[GM8JCF]

A photo would be fantastic, thank you ever so much for such a generous offer (correcting my typo)

73

Peter - GM8JCF

On Wednesday 18 September 2024 at 00:21:55 UTC+1 RP Smith wrote:

[RP Smith]

[Jean-Baptiste GALLAUZIAUX]

For those who are interested in building their own amplifier I found this interesting supplier in the USA, which provides full kits for amplifiers ranging from 20W to 1kW and kits for Harmonic filters up to 300W, all with interesting prices:

- Amplifiers https://communication-concepts.com/amplifiers/

- Harmonic filters https://communication-concepts.com/harmonic-filters/

73 - Pierre - FK8IH

[GM8JCF]

Thank You So Much, really helpful

[RP Smith]

You're welcome!

With that mod to my amp, I can run 3 Watts out of my HL2 and I get ~ 150W out of the amp.  I seldom push it to the full 250 Watts out.

NROY... 

[Jean-Baptiste GALLAUZIAUX]

Two other medium to low price kits of Power Amplifiers:

- https://www.multus-sdr.com/index.php?rt=product/product&path=78_85&product_id=188

- https://amateurradiokits.in/product/hf-broadband-linear-amp-wa2eby/

73 - Pierre - FK8IH

[Marius Lubbe ZS1ML]

I have a Recent RS-928 150W HF Power Amplifier, that has various modes so you can get full output 150W for various input as low as 2W I believe. 5 W will get you 150W.

See: https://youtu.be/7khXSbkJWYg?list=PLAK_S-5siFBWtDOnQCGYlWEQp8JqN3Ei3

 

It is said that it is designed for superior performance and reliability. This powerful amplifier offers a range of advanced features to ensure optimal signal quality and protection, making it an essential addition to any amateur radio setup.

 

Key Features:

RF Detection Automatic Band Switch: Effortlessly switch bands with automatic RF detection, ensuring seamless operation across different frequencies.

Built-in Low Pass Filter: Enjoy cleaner signals and reduced interference with the integrated low pass filter.

Automatic Temperature Control Heat Dissipation: Maintain optimal performance with automatic temperature regulation, preventing overheating during extended use.

Full Digital Power and Standing Wave Display: Monitor your amplifier’s performance with a full digital display of power and standing wave ratio (SWR).

Comprehensive Protection Functions: Safeguard your equipment with built-in protections against high voltage, low voltage, high SWR, and high temperatures.

Specifications:

Power Supply: 13.8V ± 15%

Maximum Current: ≤25A

Maximum Output Power: 150W ± 10%

Maximum Input Power: ≤15W

Dimensions: 215×80×190mm

Weight: 1200g

The RS-928 is designed for users who demand high performance and reliability from their HF power amplifier. Its compact size and lightweight design make it easy to integrate into your existing setup, while the robust protection features ensure long-lasting durability. Upgrade your radio system with the RS-928 150W HF Power Amplifier and experience unparalleled signal clarity and power.

[JK1QLQ]

As someone commented in that video.  Please do not support IP theft.

[Christopher Zeman]

@Greg VKthreeKV

The beauty of Amateur Radio is the variety of modes we can choose from. Your like, dislike, or an opinion of a particular mode doesn't define it. Guys like you made similar statements about SSB.

Chris

N9XCR

Hello,

Which amplifyer do you guys use for your HL2 and what is your experience with it?

I'm looking to buy a cheap 100+ W amp. Price range up to 750$

Peter

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Hermes-Lite" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to hermes-lite...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hermes-lite/0cc30ec1-77a2-44dc-b278-924afb9923bfn%40googlegroups.com.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Hermes-Lite" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to hermes-lite...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hermes-lite/CAL3GjzuXRLYJeH%3DChT5O9o%2BdBpU3ncDf%3Dej3f%3DmV0Nw7NbbnqQ%40mail.gmail.com.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Hermes-Lite" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to hermes-lite...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hermes-lite/12a4f227-47f9-4dc0-a0c6-3803d853118bn%40googlegroups.com.

[Paul WA9BTV]

There’s no right or wrong to our Amateur Radio hobby.  We all get something different out of it based on our interests.  It’s sad to see contention amongst our hobby to suggest anyone is wright or wrong with their specific interest. 

Enjoy the hobby and all that it provides and the diversity we have in the technology. 

73,

Paul 

WA9BTV

Sent from Paul's Iphone 

On Oct 6, 2024, at 2:34 PM, Christopher Zeman <chze...@gmail.com> wrote:

@Greg VKthreeKV

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hermes-lite/f4590ee4-cd64-44ef-9261-8fb6b693cf45n%40googlegroups.com.