[NLRS] Wanted - RF Concepts Amplifiers and/or Website

[Duane Grotophorst]

In line below:


--- "Steven H Sawyers (na0ia)" <sawyers@inav.net>
wrote:

<snip>
 
> Now to expand the discussion. If I can't find used,
> then it seems we have 
> the following options:
> 
> TE-Systems - nice line of amps and in production

They seem to be OK (but not great) for performance but
I've heard nothing but horror stories about their
factory service (extremely slow).

> Mirage - another line of amps and in production

Not as good as they used to be now that MFJ makes em,
if you have one of the original brown faced versions
keep it, they were the best of them for quality of
construction, the later KLM built ones weren't quite
as good and the MFJ built ones are the poorest. The
original brown face units don't have particularly good
pre-amps in them but with any modern VHF radio or
transverter today you don't need one and they
(internal pre-amps) don't help anyhow (I don't use any
of them). I have some Mirage bricks from each
manufacturing era so can compare them all.

> Tokyo Hy Power - limited line and you have to read
> Japanese to understand 
> their web site (I don't) plus handle the customs
> importing.

Not familiar with them so can't comment.

> RF Concepts/Alpha Power - limited line.

When this line was more comparable to Mirage's they
were pretty highly regarded. I have 4-310 for 70cm,
haven't been overly impressed, but it is OK. The
current line is very limited for models.

> Does anyone know of others?

According to the DEM website they are developing units
for 6m - 70cm. Hopefully they will come to fruition
soon and be reasonably priced. They will be 28V so it
will be kinda tuff to use them for a rover. However
28V should make them cleaner than all of the
aforementioned brick amps are.

> 
> What are the opinions of the group with respect to
> quality, functionality, 
> and pre-amps?

Ignore the internal pre-amps unless you are using an
older radio. For most modern radios or transverters
the internal pre-amp only increases gain, does little
or nothing for improving noise figure (sometimes even
make it worse), and in crowded band conditions with
many loud signals they can actually degrade RX dynamic
range quite a bit. If you really need/want a pre-amp
spent the extra $ and put it at the antenna where it
can truly do some good.

Duane
N9DG
EN53bj


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