08-03-2019, 04:46 PM
Nev,
The cost of a 6 metre brick of the 50 to 100 watt output range is virtually the same as the cost of an HF and 6mx amplifier.
The costs are all associated with power cables, relays, heatsinks, meters etc. etc. The only difference is the few extra switches and toroids/capacitors for the various low pass filters.
The actual chip used is sufficiently wideband to take 1.8 to 52 Mhz.
There used to be a number of manufacturers who made 6 metre only amps of the 50 to 100watt level, when the solid state transistors were not as frequency forgiving.
But now they have disappeared from the market in favour of the high powered FETs which can do 500 watts with minimal drive with no sweat, provided they have good cooling.
In the second hand market you might find a Mirage 1015G which will do 150 watts for 10 watts in or considerably less out for a lower drive, but they tend to be USA only and the cost after exchange rate and shipping is not that much better than what I originally suggested.
Good luck with your hunt.
Cheers
Peter VK3QI
Nev,
I did a bit of a search for a legacy 50 watt 6 metre amp.
Tokyo Hy-Power used to make a couple of 6 metre amps HL-50B and HL-66V.
It just so happens that there is a second hand HL-66V on Ebay USA at the moment.
Price US$ 399 plus $US 120 shipping. That's US$ 519 which equates to about A$740, but you then have to add 10% GST, which Ebay automatically adds. That brings you up over A$ 800.
Nothing is cheap anymore from USA compared with 5 years ago when we had parity with the US dollar and there was no GST to be added!
Cheers
Peter VK3QI
The cost of a 6 metre brick of the 50 to 100 watt output range is virtually the same as the cost of an HF and 6mx amplifier.
The costs are all associated with power cables, relays, heatsinks, meters etc. etc. The only difference is the few extra switches and toroids/capacitors for the various low pass filters.
The actual chip used is sufficiently wideband to take 1.8 to 52 Mhz.
There used to be a number of manufacturers who made 6 metre only amps of the 50 to 100watt level, when the solid state transistors were not as frequency forgiving.
But now they have disappeared from the market in favour of the high powered FETs which can do 500 watts with minimal drive with no sweat, provided they have good cooling.
In the second hand market you might find a Mirage 1015G which will do 150 watts for 10 watts in or considerably less out for a lower drive, but they tend to be USA only and the cost after exchange rate and shipping is not that much better than what I originally suggested.
Good luck with your hunt.
Cheers
Peter VK3QI
Nev,
I did a bit of a search for a legacy 50 watt 6 metre amp.
Tokyo Hy-Power used to make a couple of 6 metre amps HL-50B and HL-66V.
It just so happens that there is a second hand HL-66V on Ebay USA at the moment.
Price US$ 399 plus $US 120 shipping. That's US$ 519 which equates to about A$740, but you then have to add 10% GST, which Ebay automatically adds. That brings you up over A$ 800.
Nothing is cheap anymore from USA compared with 5 years ago when we had parity with the US dollar and there was no GST to be added!
Cheers
Peter VK3QI