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| Reviews Summary for HF Packer-Amp Homebrew Construction Project |
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Reviews: 20
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Average rating: 5.0/5
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MSRP: $124
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Description: Join the HF Packer-Amp Homebrew Construction Project and build a 160-10 Mosfet amplifier, 2.5W in, 35+W out.
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More info: http://www.hfprojects.com/
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write your own review of the HF Packer-Amp Homebrew Construction Project.
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VA3OL
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 8, 2007 08:32
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a great kit
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I bought my HFpacker amp used..... After about 10 minutes of testing it with my K2 on all bands and it was working; it stopped working; I blew it up! Took it apart; checked everything I could, but not having built it I wasn't sure how to proceed..The one thing that I did notice was a screw floating around in there... so I asked on the HFPacker group. Virgil was quick to diagnose my problem from my description. (I didn't tell him about the screw because I wasn't sure that it was the cause.BUT he sure understood the effect.) Bottom line is this: Virgil supports his group; new finals cost $6 and changing them was a easy; I am now getting 30 to 40 watts out for 2 1/2 watts in and haven't had a moments trouble .... and yes I have transmitted on the wrong band (amp on 40 xmtr on 80) it still works.
My points are these:
1. it works as advertised
2. easily fixed
3. cheap to fix
4. support is excellent.
Virgil now has a 100 watt amplifier kit . Given my experience with the HFPacker amplifier I think he may have another winner there.
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AH6CY
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Rating: 5/5
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May 13, 2007 21:57
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Excellent
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I am not an experienced kit builder, but Virgil's help, both via emails and phone calls, was far beyond my expectation and he saw me thru the project. The kit performs just as described. Not only did I enjoy the process of building it, but I love the compactness, lightness and ease of use. This is an indispensable addition to my hill-topping with my FT-817. Virgil should be elected to the hall of fame of amateur radio for his unfailing assistance to fellow hams and his contribution to the QRP world.
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K2LFP
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 4, 2006 19:03
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Bulletproof project
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Virgil is to be congratulated on a high quality kit that assembles like the old Heathkits (super instruction manuals) and performs exactly as promised. It took me a week of off and on again efforts (I bought the already assembled filter board) and the thing worked first time it was plugged in.
I get about 40-45 watts out on 160-20 meters, and about 15-25 watts out on 17-10 meters. This is with an FT817 (and an Elecraft K1) at about 2.5 watts into the amp. On 160-40 it seems to put out almost full output with a good deal less than 2.5 watts. I have to experiment more.
The only problem I have is with one of the chips, U2, thermally shutting down the power supply prematurely due to overheating after some hot and heavy cw ragchewing. The actual heatsink doesn't seem to get hot enough to warrant this. So I normally take the bottom off the box it is built in and aim a 24 volt fan, running at half speed off 12v, across the circuit board. Voila! No more problem.
By the way, it puts out useful power at 1 watt input levels also, so it can be used with the less-than-2.5-watt rigs and get you a meaningful increase in power.
I highly recommend this kit to allow full use of your qrp rigs during this bottom of the sunspot cycle.
Thanks again, Virgil,
Paul, K2LFP/4
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KZ1X
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 25, 2006 11:21
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Clever, Innovative Design
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I built one out of the first build but never posted a review.
Bravo! to the designer, for a truly clever circuit and package design. It takes advantage of readily available, low cost RF deck silicon, and wraps an innovative assembly into a slick, compact package.
Mine went into an Elecraft EC1. Looked super, paired with my K1. I sold the amp to a QRP buddy who needed one for his FT-817, and I am thinking about building a new one just to have around.
Again, bravo!
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W9DZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 25, 2006 08:07
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A nice boost when propagation is poor!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have had my amp for some time now. I believe my kit was from the second build group. At that time there were no finished cases or pre-drilled heatsinks available. Instead of using the minibox that came with the kit I purchased a pre-finished LMB Crown Royal enclosure. I used the templates that were available from Virgil's site to do the drilling as well as the front and back panel labels.
The amp does require some skill to construct. It would not be a good choice for a first-timer. Aside from some time spent getting just the right value capacitors in the switching circuits the amp has worked great from first power-up. I get 30-40W out on all bands except 10M where it drops to 20W. I'm using mine with a Yaesu FT-817.
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NT6U
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 17, 2006 16:44
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Well Designed Amp Kit for QRP Rigs
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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The HF Packer Amp is an inexpensive way to "put some boots" on your QRP radio when condx become difficult. This kit went together with no problems due in no small part to the clear instructions and resources provided. The parts provided are of good quality and the design is elegant. I agree with a previous reviewer that the optional case gives the kit a nice finished look. One might be able to improve slightly on the case if you had the time, a machine shop, and a paint booth at your disposal. I have had several opportunities to use the amp with my K1 in portable operation and it has worked flawlessly at full output.
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N2HTT
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 17, 2006 06:25
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Great little amp and fun to build
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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The other reviews pretty much say it all, but I like this little amp so much I just had to chime in.
The amp: Excellent. Very small form factor, light weight, low resting current, instant switch from stand-by to enabled. The operation is very smooth and comfortable using my K1. Power out is 35w or better with 2.5w in, a little less on the higher bands. On any band though, flip the switch and get 2 S-units, just like that. No fuss, no muss, and the heatsink was barely warm after a 20 minute QSO.
The build: straight forward, mine worked as soon as I powered up. Here are some things to keep in mind:
1) I recommend purchasing the pre-fabricated and painted enclosure. It is deluxe, the finished product looks as good as any commercial equipment.
2) I bought the pre-fab interconnect kit as well, and highly recommend it. The cable assemblies are not difficult to build, but I find that kind of construction tedious.
3) Good assembly instructions, along with schematics and a photo gallery are available for download from Virgil's site. Be prepared to use *all* of these resources in the build. Many questions not answered by the step-by-step instructions can be resolved by looking at the schematic or the photos.
and last but certainly not least
Virgil's technical support is the best. There is a Yahoo group for builder support, where questions are answered promptly. Builders also exchange tips and even suggestions for mods and part substitutions based on their experiences. The feel is very much more like a group or club project rather than a commercial off-the-shelf kit.
My kit arrived with a missing part, and two toroids arrived broken - Virgil replaced these swiftly and at no charge.
Thanks for a fine piece of equipment that I had a lot of fun building.
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4X1DM
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Rating: 5/5
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May 4, 2006 23:30
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From 2.5 to 35 watts on all the bands
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Being a radio amateur who likes to use QRP, both CW and PSK 31, I waited a long time for an amplifier like the one designed by Virgil Stamps K5OOR. When conditions change for the worse in the middle of a QSO, this amplifier enables the other station not to lose you. Most QRP kit radios today have excellent receivers, and when conditions get poor, you can still hear the other station, but they lose you. This is the moment when, if you are not “religious” about not increasing power, you wish you could go from 2.5 to 20 watts just to finish the QSO. The HF Packer amplifier gets your power to 35 watts by a flip of the switch (when it is in standby mode). The only requirement is that it be connected to a 10 amp power supply. On most bands, the amplifier puts out 35 watts while draining less than 6 amp. The amplifier’s small enclosure is a marvelous feat of engineering, and the same is true of its operation. Although it is not a simple kit to build, the good instructions available for downloading from Virgil Stamps’ website, together with his help and patience, make it possible for even a less experienced kit-builder to complete the kit. If you, like me, are not good at metal work and/or lack the necessary tools, it is highly recommended to purchase the optional enclosure. Also, to make life even easier one can order all the connecting cables and coaxes already prepared, ensuring that they are well made. The amplifier’s coverage of all the bands from 160 to 10 m caused me to pull out of storage my old HW9 Heathkit QRP radio and hook it to the amplifier (my Elecraft K1 has only 4 bands). One must be careful not to have more than 2.5 watts as input to the amplifier unless the attenuation resistors are changed.
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W3DX
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 26, 2006 20:29
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Great QRP Kit Project
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I really enjoyed building my HFPacker amp. The kit is very nicely designed, with three boards fitting into a very small case. The kit uses very high quality components, and worked perfectly the first time without any problems with 2.0 to 2.5 watts input putting out a beefy 35 watts output. One nice aspect of the kit is a very low resting current of only 5 to 6 mAmps. So it's a great companion for my Elecraft K1 or KX1 for portable or emergency battery use.
I built my HFPacker with the optional silkscreened and drilled case, and highly recommend the optional case kit.
As described by HFPacker, this is probably not a beginner level kit. I would agree with the description as "medium" difficulty, so this should probably be your second or third kit project, rather than your first.
To my friends at HFPacker: thanks for a fun kit building experience.
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WA5ZNU
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 14, 2005 16:51
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Works great with my KX1 and FT-817
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I built one of these and it works great!
I use it with my KX1 on internal batteries or the FT-817 on the 1W or 2.5W setting. It works great for SSB, PSK31, and MFSK, though for the digital modes I use lower power.
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