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Reviews For: Mirage B-1016G

Category: Amplifiers: RF Power - 6M/VHF/UHF+

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Review Summary For : Mirage B-1016G
Reviews: 9MSRP: 350
Description:
10W in and 160W out amplifier on 2 meters, sturdy construction.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.mirageamp.com/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0094.7
W4KVW Rating: 2015-12-12
Does the job. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have the Pre MFJ model of this amplifier also known as the Brown Model.It does just what it is suppose to do.The amplifier has heat sinks from end to end but I still placed a large 12 volt muffin fan on top of the amplifier that runs all of the time when the amplifier is on since I use it on FM contacts it gets warmer than if it were being used on SSB.For the Used price of $165 shipped it's tough too beat this amplifier & it makes 2 meter FM Long Haul Contacts much easier & easier is a Good Thing in my opinion.The preamp works very well also & it helps dig those weak signals that are just not quiet getting here out & makes them readable.Don't know about the New model Post MFJ but the early model is a keeper & a Winner.Like many things sometimes it's tough beating the Original. {:>)
WA7KGX Rating: 2014-01-03
Check the relays Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I picked up a B1016 at a hamfest. This is an older unit with the brown panel. It's 10 watt input rating is a good match for some of my radios.

At first the preamp wasn't working. The problem was in the relay that cuts in the preamp. In my unit I was able to pry off the cover and work on the relay contacts. The contacts still need a burnishing tool or crocus cloth, but the preamp does work now. Sometimes I have to toggle the preamp switch to get it working. There is no question at all when the preamp is switched in.

A 120 or 140 mm computer fan on the heatsink might be a good addition if one ratchetjaws on FM.
CT2JJB Rating: 2007-05-10
Great little amp Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have an earlier version B-1016, and the amplifier performs great.

I can pull out 220watts at 15volts with 18w drive but its not safe, because my amp does not have SWR protection like the new ones.

Most of the time i use only 100watts in FM because my vertical antenna (X-510) it´s not rated to operate more than 100w in FM, it is rated to 200 watts but in SSB only.

With an yagi antenna and 15watts in, i allways use about 190watts in FM mode and no problems at all.

Use a well tunned antenna.
Please dont forget to use fans to cool down the amplifier, its very important you do that.
And if you respect the duty cycles time, you should have no problems at all.
K3ROJ Rating: 2005-07-01
Nice Amp Except for preamp Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The amplifier works very well using it 100 feet away in my shed driving it with an Elecraft XV144 transverter in turn driven by an Icom 756PRO from the shack.
My only problem is the preamp went out on me and cannot find a 3SK240 replacement anywhere. Does anyone know of one? I use a pair of 13B2 beams and use it with the preamp turned off since it doesn't work. The 160 watts certainly makes a difference on SSB and CW especially during contests. Thinking about getting a Commander Amplifier soon however and use this Mirage for FM here in the shack.
AB3BK Rating: 2005-06-14
durable Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have the old brown faced model of this amp. I've had it for three years now. I use it for CW, SSB, and WSJT modes at full power. I once ran a FSK441 meteor scatter sked for 1hr and 15mns with this thing at 160w. It got hotter than a frying pan but no failure or loss of power. I recommend this amp if you want a some extra punch on 144.

Dave
KI4ECW Rating: 2004-09-03
Solid Performer Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I've owned my Mirage B-1016G for about 6 months. It is a solid performer in every respect.

It's OK on 2 meter FM but you really can't tell much difference even with a high gain directional yagi. I use a set of Cushcraft 26B2 boomers (see separate review) and only get about 50 miles extra when going from 50 watts to 175 watts.

On 2 meter FM the pre-amp pulls everything up about 2 s-units and does a decent job putting a weak signal about the background. With the 26B2s, I don't really need the pre-amp. It's more useful when working my 2 meter ground plane.

The B-1016G really shines on 2 meter FM for long range ground wave and DX. It use it with a Cushcraft 17B2 and it REALLY gets the job done. The preamp is VERY helpful here, too.

It takes me from about 250 miles to almost 400 miles on long range terrestrial contacts and the pre-amp makes sure that I hear 'em when they respond to the CQ's.

I give this amp high marks for ease of use, performance, and reliability. If you're sure you need one, it's worth the price.

M0PRO Rating: 2002-11-04
Nice Amp! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This is a great amp, nice quality, good output. Using a 12v battery with 10 watts drive from an FT480R, the amp gave me around 100w out on SSB, but with a 13.8v PSU the amp gave a healthy 150w +. There is one word to describe the pre-amp... EXCEPTIONAL! It cuts background noise and brings signals (FM and SSB) up by a good few 's' points. 90% of the 2m DX contacts that I've made wouldn't have been possible without the pre-amp. They are quite expensive new, but I picked my immaculate boxed example up for £150 used, it was a great bargain and I'm totally happy with it. The amp stays quite cool when I'm operating /p, but can get a little warm in the shack when thrashed for long periods, but no warmer than a typical 100w HF rig would normally get.

This is the first Mirage product that I've owned and I wouldn't have to think twice about buying a Mirage product again, well done guys!

73, Jack M0PRO
N2ETJ Rating: 2002-02-27
Good bang for the buck Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Have had this amp only for a short while, but find it to work very well...... 5 watts yields about 155 output...... yes you can put in 10 or more but for slight increase, 175 watts, don't see necessity to hit it that hard. After prolonged transmissions it does get hot but yet to shut down. Small muffin fan sure keeps it cool. On SSB preamp works very well with only slight floor noise increase and signals really pop out of nowhere. On FM, preamp is questionable, yes it does bring up signals dramatically but weak signals are still about the same in audio copy with and without preamp... guess it is designed for SSB where it shines. Draws about 25 amps..... protective circuit works great for high swr, over-drive, and temp(even though never shut down for temp yet} The real question is would I buy it again...... answer is YES..... does what I expected and nicely built... any questions, feel free in contacting me via e-mail..... 73 and good DXing Rick
ON1VHF Rating: 2001-12-16
Very good value for money Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This amplifier works great! When I bought it, I had no power supply to make it work, so I used a 10 amps ATX computer power supply "to just give a try". My TX is a Kenwood TS-780 with 10W or 1 W output on FM and 10 on SSB. I was not surprised when I saw that it was able to deliver 60W FM on 12V but, when I tried SSB, the wattmeter reached 150W! The power supply was able to keep the surge for a bit more than 30 seconds, so it was perfect to give it try. With the 17B2 16 meters above ground, I made nice SSB contacts to whith French and UK stations, up to 200 miles away and without an exceptionnal propagation.
When I uses a 20 amps-13.8V power supply, the amp gave 220W for 10 W input and around 100W with 1 W input. This is much more than Mirage says...

As legal power without a special authorization is limited to 150W in Belgium, I had to reduce the power supply voltage to reach back that power.

The preamp works great, even if the tone of the reception change significantly when using it.
The only problem so far, is that this amp can get really hot, even if used on a 50% duty cycle.
I sometimes have to decide to QRT only because of the heat!
Mirage says that is is protected, but I am afraid this could damage the amp very quickly.

To conclude, I would recommend this amp to all hams having like me a limited budget and a small radio. It can really boost both your transmitting and receiving ability.

73's de ON1VHF