ZS6DX's home page ZS6DX/V51VE Amplifiers (Work in progress.) As much as I love QRP I also love amplifiers, specifically tube amplifiers, I love modifying them, building them and just playing with them! There is something magical about glowing bottles and high voltages producing lots of RF. Below are the amplifiers in no particular order I have at the moment with a few comments on them. This page is still 'work in progress' as I will add more detail and photos when I get a chance. Heathkit SB-200 Amplifier Update: After waiting since August 2014 for parts that I ordered from Harbach electronics for my Heathkit SB-200 amplifier they finally arrived! The delay was caused by our local, useless, postal service going on strike for months!
Minutes after the parts were delivered I was busy assembling the kits. I ordered a power supply module, soft start and soft key for the SB-200. Amb tranx 160 transponder manualidades. I also ordered 2 soft key kits for my TL-922's but I will install them later when I have nothing to do. Below you can see the 3 kits for the SB-200 assembled.
Henry Tempo 6n2 Specs
3 Upgrade kits assembled. The old (right) and new Power supply PCB Installation proved to be easy, thanks Harbach! Top view of old power supply Bottom view of new power supply. The extra transformer at the bottom supplies 12V to an extra cooling fan on top that I installed a while ago. Metron MA1000 Solid state HF amplifier.
The Metron MA1000 is very similar to the T1000 but it runs from 12V with a max output of 600w (The T1000 is a 1kw with 100% duty cycle amplifier.) The Metron is extremely well made and robust, they don't build the like this anymore! This sample is brand new, I took it out of the box. With it's switchable (manual or automatic) band pass filters, it produces a nice clean signal. Metron MA1000 Solid state amplifier Inside of the Metron MA1000, it uses 8 x MR 454 transistors, you can also see the relay switched band pass filters. In the above photo you can see that 2 of the relays are open. As standard maintenance I always clean T/R switching relays on all of my amplifiers on a regular basis.
Yaesu FL-7000 solid state amplifier. What I like most about this amplifier is the no tune, no touch operation you can have when matched to a Yaesu radio with the internal tuner and auto band switching. I finally have my FL-7000 running again.
Henry Tempo 6n2 Amplifier
A while ago it had a brush with lightning, it was unplugged from both the antenna and the power but a direct hit on one of my antennas caused some sparks, and I assume induction, into the shack. The next time I wanted to use it it was stone dead, a quick check showed that the fuse was fine so the amplifier was moved to the workbench for later attention, well, that attention only happened 4 years later! It turned out that the fix was simple, the 48V supply seemed to be fine but there was no 8V or 12V to be found anywhere. So I replaced the 8 and 12V regulators and checked everything else on the power supply PCB.
After putting it all together again I switched her on and there was life! A few checks showed that all was well, she is producing power as expected, the auto-band changing and tuner is working and the fans switch on when they should. I am happy to have the old workhorse back, the amp is so quiet and you do not have to even touch it when you change bands it is a real pleasure to operate. Up and running again!
Inside top view Power regulator section, this was where the problem was. Automatic tuner Finals heat sink and cooling fan. Transformer and power supply. Trans World T1000 solid state amplifier I seldom use amplifiers these days but again I decided to keep it, the robust 'no-tune' operation is just too good to give up, maybe one day I will need a bit more power?
Trans World T1000 solid state amplifier. Matron MA1000 solid state amplifier. While testing the T1000 I also connected my 'expedition/field station' amplifier, the Metron MA1000, very similar to the T1000 but it runs from 12V with a max output of 600w (The T1000 is a 1kw with 100% duty cycle amplifier.) The Metron is extremely well made and robust, they don't build the like this anymore!
This sample is brand new, I took it out of the box. With it's switchable (manual or automatic) band pass filters, it produces a nice clean signal. Metron MA1000 Solid state amplifier Inside of the Metron MA1000, it uses 8 x MR 454 transistors, you can also see the relay switched band pass filters.
In the above photo you can see that 2 of the relays are open. As standard maintenance I always clean T/R switching relays on all of my amplifiers on a regular basis. Fischer F70 New I finally found time to go and fetch my new 70cm amplifier. It is a Fischer F70. It runs a single 4CX250 for a maximum output of 500W, more realistically would be 300-400W. It seems to be well made (German) and in a great condition. Front panel, no tuning needed on this mono band amplifier.
Top view showing the RF compartment with the 4CX250R Bottom view showing the power supply and blower inlet. Connectors on the back Closer look at the RF compartment open. Kenwood TL-922 New Update And then were two! I added a second TL-922 to the shack. The idea is to have 2 identical radios and amplifiers for the main contesting station. Two Kenwood TL-922's in the main operating position. Classic amplifier using 2 x 3-500Z tubes.
This is a new addition to my shack, I have cleaned it up, it was rather dusty, after a 2 hour warm-up to reform the capacitors and heat the tubes I applied RF and it is working well! Below are a few photos of the inside of the amplifier. Underneath showing the tube sockets Tubes removed and tuning capacitors ready to be cleaned. Ready to close up and give it a try! Update: I have now been using this amplifier for a while and what a great amplifier it is! It just sits there with it's quiet fan producing lots of power without any fuss, I am glad I added this amplifier to the shack. Yaesu FL-2100Z This amplifier uses 2 x 572B tubes and is a classic from Yaesu.
This amplifier had been the work-horse in my shack for a long time, since we have a 400w power limit it copes well and has been reliable. Heathit SB-200 Amplifier using 2 x 572B tubes. This amplifier had been modified, by someone else, for 6m use. I am not really happy with the mod so when I have time I will either return it to original configuration or maybe do a better 6m mod. I need to replace the smoothing capacitors in the power supply before using the amplifier again, they are still original and not well!
Heatkit HL 2200 Classic amplifier using 2 x 3-500Z tubes Currently (June 2014) this amplifier is down for maintenance with a faulty stand-by switch. Update: I thought I sorted out the standby switch after cleaning it but the problem returned after a while. Since only one side of the switch was used I simply turned it around and now she keys perfectly again. I operated her for a few hours, and then suddenly the output dropped. A quick looked showed that only one tube was lit up.
This happened a while ago with the other tube and turned out to be heater pins that unsoldered themselves due to heat. I should have re-soldered both tubes last time! So I have to pull the amplifier from the bottom of the stack again to fix her. While she is open I will take a few photos to post here. Update: I spent some time today opening up the HL-2200 to find out why the output had dropped again. It turned out that I was correct, the one tube was dark, the one I did not re-solder last time.
A quick check with a multi meter showed an open circuit filament. I carefully re-soldered both pins and the open circuit went away! After putting the tube back all was well again with the power output restored to previous levels! One tube dark, those pins. Re-soldered and all lit up again!
Henry Tempo 6N2 New The 6N2 is an interesting amplifier. It uses 2 x 3CX400A7 (8874) tubes, operating in push-pull mode for 2m and parallel for 6m. The amplifier is capable of 1kw output (I will only use 400w to stay legal) so it should add some punch to my signal on 2 and 6m. It has independent controls for the 2 bands and you can have 2 radios and 2 antennas connected at the same time. Below are a few photos of the inside of the amplifier before I started cleaning it. Interesting matching and tuning setup. Time delay relay, I have never seen one of these before!
6m vacuum tuning capacitor. Rather dirty 3CX400A7 (8874) valve Update: I did get a bit of time today to clean the Henry Tempo 6N2 amplifier, it is now looking new again! I was hoping to connect it up but after studying the manual it seems to be not that simple! The amplifier does not have an internal antenna switch over relay so you have to add an external relay to switch the antenna over AND switch the tube bias, wonder why they did not add an internal relay? Anyway, I have a few relays but need to make sure I have one that can handle 1kw of VHF RF! So it will take a while to get it going. Homebrew HF amplifier with 4-400 My first attempt at a completely home-brew amplifier, the 1 x 4-400 tube give me an easy 'legal limit' (South Africa) output on all HF bands.
I learned a lot while designing and building this amplifier. It is loosely based on a few different circuits I found in ARRL manuals and on the internet. At the moment (June 2014) I am not using this amplifier but the plan is to give it a good check over and return it to service soon. Update: I opened up the amplifier today and checked everything, no problems were found and when I applied power she worked perfectly like the day I finished building her. Looks ok, lets apply power!
Running and producing power, the single 4-250 will give me 400w but not much more, since 400w is our legal limit that is perfect. Yaesu FL-7700 A nice SS amplifier with internal auto tuner. Mine needs some work at the moment as the12V supply is dead after an encounter with lightning, and it was not even connected to the antenna. I am hoping to sort it out sometime soon. TW-1000 1KW SS A SS HF amplifier build like a tank! I have not used this amplifier for years, I think the last time I did was when I used it in a contest, and I have not run a high power contest since 1998! This amplifier will run 1kw with 100% duty cycle in any mode for as long as you want, it was used by embassies for RTTY, CW and SSB in the days before satellite telephones.
Update:I decided to check my TW-1000 amplifier and prepare it for use. I decided to connect PTT and ALC cables internally to the controller rather than the 12 pin external plug, I plug I could never find and I was not happy with my previous temporary arrangement. I must say I forgot how heavy the amplifier is, around 40kg, everything is super heavy duty including the internal 120A 28V power supply! This amplifier is a thing of beauty, I normally prefer tube amplifiers but this one is special. It can run any mode full power with 100% duty cycle for as long as you want.
Here she is with the top cover removed I cleaned the inside and made sure everything is ok, the insides look like new. A quick test showed that the new PTT and ALC connectors are working. Now I need to make space for her in the shack, not yet sure where to put her due to her weight and size.
Band-pass filters and auto band switching relays. I have not connected the auto band switching yet, might do it sometime but it is easy enough to push the correct button on the front panel. Huge transformer on the left, look at those capacitors! TE Systems 1452G 400W SS amplifier for 2M. I have used this amplifier for 2m weak signal work in the past, it will now largely be replaced by the Henry Tempo 6N2 (c)R Venter 2014-2015.
EHam.net Classifieds Detail Date Posted by Category User IP 2012-07-02 (UTC) VHF/UHF Amplifiers HENRY 6N2 KW AMPLIFIER FOR SALE: HENRY TEMPO 6N2 KILOWATT AMPLIFIER Uses a pair of 3CX400A7’s to develop over a Kilowatt out on 6 and 2 Meters. The combination of Push-Pull on 2 and Parallel on 6 requires no bandswitch. There are separate Inputs and Out- puts for each band. I purchased this Amp from an Estate back East and have spent many hours in cleaning it and checking out the Amp. The only problem is that the tubes are toast. I cannot get any Plate Current even though I have checked that the Filaments are good. I put together a 150 cfm Blower System since the original (and marginal) Blower had been removed.
I also have a DPDT Coax Relay for the T/R switch. Also included is a copy of the Manual. I have given up on trying to find reasonable cost replacement Tubes, so I will let it go for basically what I have in it. Price is $650 and it is PICK-UP ONLY in Vail, Arizona (20 miles SSE of Tucson). Trades considered; Heath SB-220 or similar Amp. Email:.Please To send an email. Previous: More Recent.
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