Texas star 800V

[shortchange]

New be with a Q? Can or has anyone ever use a Texas star amp with an HF rig. People have said that its not a good idea because stray RF might leak back into the radio and burn/damage the front end. I know that the amp is not FCC accepted but it would be nice if I can use it for now

 

[TonyV225]

Just use the thing it does not matter what amplifier you have if its misstuned or the SWR is high there will be problems as an end result. Ide suggest a tuner that will handle what this amplifier puts out PEP. Im not familiar with an 800

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Any of the typical CB amplifiers will have a problem when used on the HF bands especially the lower bands. Most of the time the amps will not function below 20m due to the input/output transformers being built for 25-30 MHz. Also most CB type amps exhibit MUCH higher gain on the lower bands like 40 and 80m if, IF the function down that low at all which makes driving them a bit difficult. I won't even get into the biasing and class of operation or what happens to that operating class when the amp heats up.

 

[TonyV225]

Captain I knew someone would chime in with this I just want to clarify that I also understand what you were saying to him about the efficiancy of running some of these amplifiers on the other HF bands but I know that I have got onto this topic on 80 meters and I had said to run it because if hes mobile and moving the havoc that maybe transmited out with the intendedd signal a little more forgiving from a mobile than from a guy on a base station running that same amplifier without the filtering ETC

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Captain I knew someone would chime in with this I just want to clarify that I also understand what you were saying to him about the efficiancy of running some of these amplifiers on the other HF bands but I know that I have got onto this topic on 80 meters and I had said to run it because if hes mobile and moving the havoc that maybe transmited out with the intendedd signal a little more forgiving from a mobile than from a guy on a base station running that same amplifier without the filtering ETC

I just wanted him to be aware that they are built to operate around 25-30 MHz and do not function well on all HF bands. The gain of the transistors is much higher on the lower frequencies. Typical wide band 3-30 MHz amps have a gain flattening circuit on the input tat reduces the drive in an inversion relation to the transistors gain thus evening things out a bit. That coupled with the fact different ferrite is used in the I/O transformers makes quite a difference. just a heads up to anyone trying to drive one of these amps on 80m.