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Reviews For: QRP Labs QCX 50 watt amplifier

Category: QRP Radios (5 watts or less)

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Review Summary For : QRP Labs QCX 50 watt amplifier
Reviews: 2MSRP: $29.50 + $16 for the enclosure
Description:
This 50W Power Amplifier kit has no Surface Mount Components (SMD) to solder. A suitable power supply e.g. 20V 5A is required to be able to achieve the full 50W output - refer to the manual. It is designed to be driven by a standard QCX CW transceiver kit (QCX powered by a 12V supply). A key feature of the kit is the solid state fast transmit/receive switching which provides full break-in (QSK) operation (hearing the band between your own dit and dah keying). This amplifier is not intended to be a Linear (for SSB use) - it is designed for single-band CW operation only. The design uses only low-cost, commonly available components such as the pair of IRF510 in push-pull as the power amplifier transistors, and 1N4007 as the PIN diodes for transmit/receive switching. If you damage any components such as the IRF510 transistors, they are easy to source and replace.
Product is in production
More Info: http://shop.qrp-labs.com/50wpa
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0025
WA7AXT Rating: 2023-05-17
Excellent amp. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've built 3 of these. 80, 40, and 20 meter versions. They all work just like the documentation says. They are fantastic, full qsk. My qcx+ transceivers drive them to 30 watts with 13.4 volts, and 50 watts with a 19.5 volt supply.

Get an adapter for the DeWalt 18 volt nicad batteries XRP DC9096 that allows the battery to run any dc load through wired hookups. The adapters are available on Amazon. They run the amps nicely. DO NOT power the transceiver with the 19 volt battery, you will ruin it. Just the amp.
KC7YRA Rating: 2021-04-02
A whole lot of amplifier for dirt cheap Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I bought this amplifier as a companion to my QCX radios. For roughly $50, you get a solid-state amplifier capable of producing 50 watts. And the whole thing is smaller than the QCX+ radio itself.

At 13.6volts, the amp puts out about 25 watts with around a watt of drive. At 20-22 volts, the amp puts out the full rated 50 watts.

Build instructions and assembly are just as great as all of the other QRP Labs kits. Within a couple hours, I was able to get this kit built for my desired band (40 meters) and tuned as per the instructions. All you need is a volt meter.

For the QCX+, the interface is a simple stereo cable. You do have to swap some wires around, but it takes just a couple minutes.

The amp can also interface with other QRP rigs. It requires a 5+ volt switched TX signal. I built a little interface for my FT-818D that works great. I highly recommend this little amp for some CW action where you want to shoot over the QRP limits!