Thanks JON and Tom ( w8ji ) for the comments and real world testing on the Amplifiers.  I was about to say most ham have trouble setting mic gain and as a result ..Splatter ! !  I Agree with Tom’s
percentage on the air,  except when contesting it seems to double. With the RM Italy or other amps on the market, I think we all agree on not making them legal to sell to Joe Ham. If some do find
one of these amps and use it properly it’s not the end of the world guys. I know of one guy that runs the HLA 300 clean as a whistle and wonderful zero beat audio. I  about fell off my stool when he
told me what he was using for SSB. Now, I do like to boost my QRP/ CW rigs on camping trips and the RM Italy does a nice job at low drive. Never had any complaints and lots of Hams running band scopes
to look for buckshot. Don’t light the firecracker just yet….  I use a 811H at home 99.9 % of the time.  Just get a grip guys, we are not all the Joe Ham appliance operators on the air. Not going to get my
vote to sell them to the general public any time soon ! We agree to disagree………………..smile.

Tony

 [quoteUsing these amps with a SDR receiver, they have a very recognizable splatter/IMD signature.][/quote]

Well I hear you passion, but if used correctly, some Amp are fine. Tom did a check on a RM Italy Amp some time ago and it wasn't that bad on SSB if driven at about 80 %. Many other factors like VSWR, drive, voltage and source driving it ! Most are fine in class C for CW work, but one should analyze output quality before using it on air. Now how about the compressed tweeked DX audio that does the same thing and they seem to get a green card for that. Not the end of the world if the band is not crowded, we have room for experimentation. I dont know about the rest the Ham commuity, but $ 500.00 buck off the Amp means something to me now a days!

Loctite Moly Dry Film Lubricant - 39895

Bob,

I worked Bob, K7JQ on 20 meters the other day and he was S9 / 100 watts. Was a great signal for a long enjoyable QSO. Now there is no Black magic in short
antennas, but some do work better than others. You might give it a try !


Tony  KW6LA/ T2

Western Union Splice. Solder it. Nice splice for any wire.

MFJ sells springs for their practice key and they are perfect for a J-38 key.
Like yours the spring are too heavy to adjust alone. You might have to work
them @ MFJ a bit, cuz they are not in the catalog.

GL,

KW6LA

WOW !!

I can’t believe the advice here. It’s like saying try 259 MPH for ur first drag race !@ !

Sure you can speak Spanish at 60 wpm to start out with …. Bologna. First of all know

that it is an acquired skill like riding a unicycle. No subliminal tape will help you here.

Try this http://www.gordonwestradioschool.com/main/page_training_materials.html

Great way to learn code and many swear by this program.  Good luck and hope to wk

U on the air one day OM.

KW6LA / T2

Has a 600 ohm plug on the front of your radio. This means just about any low impedance mic will work.
Now, all mics have different frequency response so you will need one tailored for communications or
use an equalizer like ( W2IHY ).  Was this not your gripe on audio a few threads back ?

When you don’t understand something on the test, go to Google and look it up. ( Read and Study ) don’t just memorize
the questions. Don’t be an appliance operator Extra ! This was supposed to be for the most advanced Hams in radio. Now
you can be proud of what you know and where you have been !

Good Luck !

When i had mine i used it on 10 12 15 and 17 with a tune. I made a lot of contacts


Compared to What ? ?  obviously not much !    I have had this stick up in the air and it does not consistently get good reports.

If you don’t have a reference antenna to A / B it’s a worthless statement. I have had my share of S9 + reports running 1 watt / QRP

Like myself , you have some very good days with skip !  As the ol saying goes, you cant shine sh@#$$%%^~.

Well…    there are two sides to look at here. The so called wide ( ESSB ) and the ( Norm ? ) If one has audio that clean and
zero beat, you might call it Hi Fi. That’s because it has energy blow 200 cycles. This can sound very pleasing to most, but some
hams are stuck on sounding like an old CB radio ! I like something that’s not fatiguing and mixing with the noise floor on the lower
HF bands. The lower frequencies have value for intelligibility too. Many don’t understand this , but your ears work on information
received in a spectrum. Limit this and you will miss more of what the person is saying. You can go to far with  band width and
frequencies ( high and low ). I have the highest respect for Tom , but the guys with the compressors and HC4 Heil mics can and
do splatter more than some ESSBer’s. The key is to have balance in the transmitted audio and set levels properly ( ALC ) . I was on 20 meters listening to a guy running the other stuff ( screechy tearing distorted / splatter ) which seem to get a free pass these days ?
Are there some that overdue the lows ( YES ! !) but most have a more pleasing sound to my ears and less splatter. Oh Zero beat ?
Might be a good rant too.

All depends, 73’s

KW6LA

40 meters is a nightmare for cw ops right now. Seem the digital guys like to come down to say 7.030 and just turn it on. Rude.. guess if it keeps up we will just reverse the band plan. All that room higher and some must go LOWER !

Jim,

Its like driving a model T, historical and fun. I was licensed back in 1989 and first contact was on 10 meter
CW. I wanted to feel what the old timers felt back when. It was like Ice water in your vains, nothing like it. Well done and hope to work you on the air !

KW6LA / T2

They work very well on CB and 10 mtrs. As Alan said, dont expect the VSWR to be much lower the 1.5:1 and band width of 600 Khz. A tuned 1/4 wave whip will beat it hands down, mounted the right way ~!

Enjoy

KW6LA

I agree with the other post on individual choice in keys. For me, a ( Lionel )  J-38 does
a nice job if mounted on a steel or copper base for weight. You can’t go wrong with a
Bengali key for a real Ham ( Had a lot of Money ! ! ). Nice, but if you don’t have loads
of money check out E-Bay under ( telegraph key ). I have bought many keys there
with good value. I also like the Navy knob and put a lighter return spring in the J-38.
This will give you much more control when setting the key. Look in the web site for
more info on keys (www.mtechnologies.com ).

Good Luck,

KW6LA / T2