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Recommend an Amplifier for an ICOM 718

S

Shasta69

Member
Jan 18, 2011
48
3
18
NW @ 49th Parallel
Good Morning,
Have a ICOM 718 and looking into amplifiers.

ICOM has their IC-PW1 but for $5K new, I won't be able to swing that.

So what is out there that can get me anywhere from 500-1.5K watts, pretty much plug and play, and works with a variety of antennas (from omni's, beams, to G5RV).

Lastly, I do have a TS500DX. Is it even compatible?

Thanks and 73's!
 

I do not recommend the 500DX to run with the Icom.
I run one on Ten and Twelve Meters in the mobile, I watch drive levels but as you go down in Frequency, the gain will go up and you will start to run into problems, also the texas star bias circuit is unregulated.
This means that as you drive the amp harder, the bias current reduces so you need to watch drive limits.
And a good All band HF amp will have a ALC circuit, that allows the amp to tell the radio to roll back the output power because it's over driving it. This is important to help keep the station's ouput signal clean.
Not to mention band switching....etc.
As for what amp for Legal limit, some of the other guys will chime in on that I am sure.


73
Jeff
 
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Reactions: 1 person
there is plenty of good ones,

find a used yaesu fl2100 or the fl2100b,a old swan 1200x they are cheap...and new i would go with the als600 transistor or the tube rig,the al811 or the al811h...i run the fl2100b and have a swan 1200x...73 de JW tx500 is good,but will splatter on 40 and 80mtrs...
 
I've talked to several guys on the air using Tokyo Hy Power amps who swear by them.

What's your budget?
 
if you want plug and play,.............. I use a THP 1.5 HTX and a THP 1.5 kat tuner,... GREAT combination!!!!!!!!!!!!

the tuner is a little expensive. and it does't do six, but, it follows the amp like a lost puppy dog<More audio><More audio><More audio>

the amp is built like a brick s %^&house ,... I don't see how it could ever fail due to operator error
 
Budget is less than a grand.
Click to expand...
OK, well yes I agree, my little 3 tube Ameritron 811 works wonders when I need it, and well within your budget @ $750/790.
And I also Agree that a extra 200 watts is not a big jump once you step up to 600, but the 811H has the added benefit of using 4 tubes that are neutralized, this makes them a little more stable on the higher bands, but this will push you up to $900/950 in cost.
The good thing is the tubes are inexpensive.
And they are relatively simple.
I am running some old JAN tubes in mine and i am a bit hard on it and it holds up well.
First thing tho....what are you running for Antennas?
You listed several in your first post, but what do you have now?
Many operators find that money invested in antennas is a wise choice.


73
Jeff
 
Before investing in an amplifier, you might want to get an antenna up.The G5RV is one the worse antennas on the market. They are a 20 meter ant. not a true multiband antenna..
Rich
 
n0zna said:
the ameratron 811 or 811h will be the best,there isnt much diffrence in s-unit or db between 600 and 800...so the 811 is right at 700 new...73 de JW
Click to expand...

I agree with n0zna. I've had both the 811 and 811H and they are best bang for the buck in a new budget minded amp. Easy to set up and tune and 800 watts is plenty to DX or chit chat on 75m.
 
I think you need to decide first if you want or can run 220. If not, find an amp that can run 110v. There are many cheaper amps on the market that run 80-10m if you dont need 160.

If you can run 220V, I recommend the AL572B amplifier on the used market. There are several on QTH rite now for around $800. And they run 1300 watts all day every day. And if you want to drive more than 80 watts, they can handle it. My buddy down the road uses his on 11 and he drives 120 watts into his and achieves near 1700 watts!!!! and he is still under the current limit for the tubes. His amplifier is near a decade old and is using the original tubes.

I wouldnt run them like this, but I told you that story to show you the ruggedness of the amp.
 

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