Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes

Reviews For: HF Packer-Amp Homebrew Construction Project

Category: Amplifiers: RF Power - HF & HF+6M

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.
Review Summary For : HF Packer-Amp Homebrew Construction Project
Reviews: 26MSRP: 124
Description:
Join the HF Packer-Amp Homebrew Construction Project and build a 160-10 Mosfet amplifier, 2.5W in, 35+W out.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.hfprojects.com/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00265
AH6CY Rating: 2007-05-13
Excellent Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
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.
K2LFP Rating: 2006-12-04
Bulletproof project Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
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
KZ1X Rating: 2006-08-25
Clever, Innovative Design Time Owned: more than 12 months.
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!
W7EWLEXNT6U Rating: 2006-06-17
Well Designed Amp Kit for QRP Rigs Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
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.
W3DX Rating: 2006-01-26
Great QRP Kit Project Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
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.
WA5ZNU Rating: 2005-06-14
Works great with my KX1 and FT-817 Time Owned: more than 12 months.
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.