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| Reviews Summary for TE Systems 1412G |
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Reviews: 11
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Average rating: 4.8/5
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MSRP: $$286
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Description: 2 meter power amplifier, 25w in/160w out, with integrated GaAsFET receiving preamplifier and RF sensed T/R switching
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More info: http://
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WB2WIK
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Rating: 4/5
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Apr 11, 2002 12:32
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Seems good
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I've only had this amplifier a few days but have used it for several hours and have some general observations:
-Value: Very good
-Workmanship: Good, and better than similar Mirage products, compared side-by-side
-Design: Satisfactory. I don't like the little 4-pin "Jones" power connector, as it makes using heavy gauge (e.g., #8 or #10) power cable difficult. The 7-pin accessory socket, while functional, was a poor choice. The heatsink area is sufficient for low duty-cycle SSB/CW work and insufficient for high duty-cycle FM work. The GaAsFET preamplifier, which adds cost, complexity and the requirement for another relay and considerable protection circuitry, does nothing for me. As usual, it is proclaimed to dramatically improve receiver sensitivity, etc, but as usual, I find it improves nothing but the S-meter reading. (Same applies to the preamps in Mirage and other amplifiers.) It's all marketing hype. No modern 2m receiver needs an outboard preamp, unless that preamp can be located at the antenna.
-Manual: Fair. It's long on pages and short on content, and apparently was written many years ago based on the type used (looks like it's from a dot matrix printer, which have gone the way of the Dodo).
-Meets the spec? Yes, it does. With 25W drive and 13.8Vdc provided to the rear panel power port, it produces exactly 160W RF output at 144 MHz into a 50 Ohm load, as stipulated.
-Interesting feature: The RF sensing circuit time delay for drop-out (SSB use) has a rear-panel, very handy adjustment.
-What I'd do differently: Use a larger heatsink, or better still, add a pair of 92mm 12Vdc cooling fans to the heatsink assembly, dramatically increasing duty cycle capability while increasing bill of material cost by only $7.00 (these fans, even good ball-bearing ones, cost about $3.50 each in volume). That would probably result in a selling price that's about $14 higher, and I think anyone would pay that to have the integrated fans.
WB2WIK/6
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