Hello,
I have been using the 526 since the January VHF contest. It is a great
little rig. And during the last 2 VHF contests, I have worked everybody I
was able to hear with 20 watts or less. That says volumes about the rig. I
qualified for the QRP section of the contest for the first time ever and
the Hams I talked to after the contest said I did better then most of them
that were running 100 to 600 watts. As a side note, the last two contests
are the only ones I did not use my 6 meter amp. The reason again was that I
worked everybody I could hear using just the 526 and a 6M7JHV antenna.
If you must have an amp, build one. There are several good homebrew amps in
the old ARRL handbooks. The 9 dB of gain that you would get out of the MFJ
amp is useable of course, but if you can hear them you should be able to
work them with the rig's 20 watts. With the MFJ we are only talking about a
little over an S unit. If they can't hear you and you can hear them, 2S
units most likely won't even help you. Also if you build your own tube amp
using a grounded grid 3CX800 with a 220 volt main transformer, the current
requirement is much lower and you can key down 650 watts all day with the
20 watts of drive from the 526.
Put the money you would spend on the MFJ amp into better hardline and the
largest M-Squared antenna you can get away with. Or into the transformer
and used tube for you homebrew amp. My setup is the 526 feeding 80 feet of
military extremely low loss coax which is feeding a 6M7JHV at 40 feet. The
amp is not really being used like it was when I used my Icom-706 for 6
Meters. The amp is just a pile-up buster if I do not feel like waiting.
There are very nice 6 Meter only amps now available but they run thousands
of dollars and all but one require 100 watts of drive. Homebrewing is the
way to go with the 526. One homebrew amp even does 6N2.
Good luck and if you can, keep the Scout 555. I feel you might regret
selling it in the future, just my option.
73 Keith
de KE4TEG
At 03:19 PM 08/13/2002 -0700, Larry Gibbs wrote:
I am considering selling my Scout and getting a 526
6N2 rig. I'm sure I can work lots of grid squares with
20 watts, but what if I want to up the SSB/CW power?
The only six meter amp I have found is the Mirage
A-1015G w/preamp. 1-15 w. in and 150-160 out. Anyone
know of other possibilities? I don't need that much
power, nor do I really want to draw 23 amps.
TNX ES 73,
Larry, W3UIO
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