[ADXA] DX on a budget isn't all it is "cracked up" to be!

[Charles McKenzie]

Ouch!!!
KF5TL 
Sent from my iPhone

> On Feb 27, 2025, at 11:44 AM, Randell Curtis, W5ZJ via ADXA <adxa at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
> 
> 
> While in hot pursuit of getting #50 confirmed on 160, I have run into a slight issue. With the rig running in the shack last night, I noticed from the house that I was seeing Sardinia at at decent snr, and that he also had recently uploaded to LOTW, so I decided to run out to the shack to give him a call. 
> 
> PD (puppy dog) and I hurridly ran out to the shack about 9:30 pm, and were immediately disappointed due to not having enough horsepower for Sardinia to hear me.  Being a forever optomist, I kept thinking propagation would be better in 30 minutes...then the next 30 minutes....and so on, until about 12:30am. It was then that I decided to redeem my time, jump over to 40 and work some "gravy" DX just for fun.  Little did I know this thought would be the beginning of the end. 
> 
> I turned the amp off, jumped over to 40, tuned the inv L, switched the amp on, hit send and POW!  After peeling PD and me off the ceiling, I stood there in shell shock as the smell of death wafted up from the inside of my dear Jethrine. While sleepy and in a hurry, it seems that I had failed to band switch the amp. At this point, I was struck with the realization that auto bandswitching and swr protection  are probably some very nice features to have in a solid state amp. 
> 
> In the light of morning, I tended to Jethrine, and realized, that even though she looked rough and tough, she did need TLC, and attention.  Even though wounded, with a little care and $$$, she should be back on her feet in no time. 
> 
> In other news, Mouser is now adding a tariff charge to the replacement mrf300's I just purchased. Oddly enough the tariff charge on the 300an is almost $4 more than the tariff charge on the 300bn. Don't that beat all? 
> 
> Here are my final thoughts...
> 1. Cheaper is not always better...but cheaper can sometimes provide a bigger thrill. 
> 2. PD hates ft8 and would be nervous in the shack...now she won't come in the shack at all.
> 3. If you have an amp, cherish it. If you don't have an amp, be thankful that you aren't paying a tariff on the parts you bought today. 
> 4. A mosfet letting go at 12:30 am is not the same as a mosfet letting go at 12:30 pm. I'll give you 2 choices to pick which is the more surprising. 
> 5. 50 countries on 160 for 1/2 dxcc is near impossible to get. If you have exceeded this at anytime in your life, I suspect you are superhuman...and never owned an amp made by me. 
> 
> Have a great day. Don't forget to give your amp a big hug today.
> 
> Randy/W5ZJ
> 
> 
> 
> <mosfet.JPG>
> ______________________________________________________________
> ADXA mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/adxa
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:ADXA at mailman.qth.net
> 
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html