In addition to the wealth of responses I received, a few folks were
interested in hearing a summary of my findings.
There were two very common themes that seemed to turn up:
1) Get an amp and/or xvtr from TE Systems and/or DEMI/Q5. These are readily
available, have options available for a wide range of drive levels, and
sometimes show up for sale used. DEMI even offers a 100W xvtr, which would
perfectly meet the needs of the Rover Limited class while also reducing
complexity. Going the TE or DEMI route is, however, rather expensive.
2) Find a used Mirage or RFConcepts amplifier. In most cases, depending on
how much power the xvtr can produce, folks were using multiple amps. Two
very common setups providing 100w (or just over) were:
transverter -> RFC 3-22 -> RFC 3-312
transverter -> RFC 3-22 -> Mirage 2512G
Jeff, WB8LYJ, gave some very sage advice: think outside of the contests,
don’t discount the options above 100w. He suggested grid or state
activations, and meteor scatter, could benefit from additional power. This
advice leads to the other option that popped up in the responses: a Harris
Channel 11 amplifier. They seem well documented, and single-module
amplifiers can meet my original goal while also providing headroom up to a
few hundred watts for other activities. Like the Mirage or RFConcepts
option, this path can require patience and/or luck.
Several folks mentioned that it takes patience. I've been searching ebay,
ham classifieds, and local club sales off and on for a couple of years and
would agree. Used gear does not seem to turn up too often. That said, a few
of the responses I received included offers to sell some gear.
73,
-detrick
K4IZ
On Thu, Feb 4, 2021 at 5:59 PM Detrick Merz <detrick@merzhaus.org> wrote:
> Wow, a lot more responses than I had ever hoped for! I expected I would
> just get an idea or three to research over the next few months, and instead
> got many many ideas and offers to wade through. And thank you for checking
> my math, Rover Limited does indeed only allow 100W on 222, not 200W.
>
> 73,
>
> -detrick
> K4IZ
>
> On Thu, Feb 4, 2021, 07:55 Detrick Merz <detrick@merzhaus.org> wrote:
>
>> Hi folks,
>>
>> I keep thinking about adding 222 to my Rover Limited setup. The route I
>> am planning would use a KX3 and transverter.
>>
>> I keep coming up short on an amplifier. Getting 1000+ watts seems
>> relatively easy, and expensive. The class limits me to 200W.
>>
>> Any suggestions for a amplifier appropriate to my class?
>>
>> 73,
>>
>> -detrick
>> K4IZ
>>
>
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