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Reviews For: Mizuho LA-2X

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

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Review Summary For : Mizuho LA-2X
Reviews: 1MSRP:
Description:
2m linear amplifier, 1W in, 10W out, designed to match the SB-2X portable 2m SSB/CW transceiver.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.mizuhoradio.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0013
K7VO Rating: 2004-06-01
Works well, small and light, but remote line isn't good Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The LA-2X is a very small, very light little black box that sits next to the SB-2X portable 2m transceiver. It, like the radio, dates from the late '70s. The idea is similar to the Icom IC-20L -- give the little portable rig a boost when operating it at home on the base. The amp is small enough to become part of a portable station as well when running both it and the radio from an external battery or supply.

The amp works well enough. Output power is a solid 10W when driven by the SB-2X.

The amp is not RF sensing. You not only connect power, the amp to the antenna connector of the radio, and the antenna to the amp. You also take a small red wire, the remote line, and stick it into a small socket on the back of the rig. It's just bare wire into socket. It doesn't lock in. The flaw is pretty obvious: you need this connection for the amp to be keyed, yet if you bump the radio and/or the amp this line can be disconnected easily. Mizuho did away with this flaw when they brought out the MX-2 and PL-2 amp. For this reason I rate the little amp only a "3". It's OK, it works, but the design wasn't well thought out.

Oh, and the need for the remote line means you won't be using this amp with an older SB-2M or a newer MX-2F, or any other manufacturer's 2m low power rig. The LA-2X, unmodified, is really only useful with the SB-2X. Actually, you'd more likely modify a different radio to bring out a line for keying the amp. The LA-2X just isn't worth the effort.

If you have an SB-2X as I do it's worth adding this amp as a collector's item, albeit one that is pretty useful. Otherwise the LA-2X is probably not for you.