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Monday, June 4, 2012

KX3 and a Boat Anchor Amp


A year ago, in a rare foreshadowing of radios to come, I acquired a linear amplifier built around a single 572B running grounded grid. It matched my Central Electronics 20A and the seller
had done really nice job of replacing the four original/modified 1625s in the P&H Electronics LA-400B with a 572B.

Now, seeing it in my shack, I realize that I have a potential May-December wedding here. Sure enough, my KX3 with KXAT3 easily drives the 572B to 100 watts out. The next step is to build a relay box that bypasses the amplifier and delivers -100VDC cutoff bias on receive. It can be controlled via the KX3 Keyline Out signal and a "Keyall" board from Jackson Harbor Press/WB9KZY.

At 35 pounds this one will be a heavy weight. I doubt it will see any picnic table operating but it will certainly help warm up the shack next winter.

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