In Part 5 in our series on amplifiers available at DX Engineering, OnAllBands is featuring products from RM Italy—a company that has been manufacturing world-class amateur radio equipment since 1974. Based in Porretta Terme, Italy, the company produces a range of finely engineered, proven amplifiers for amateur radio enthusiasts around the globe.
Before we can get to RM Italy, check out these posts covering other amplifiers we’ve showcased:
Also, read “I’ve Got the Power. What Else Do I Need?” for insights into other upgrades you’ll need to consider when adding a high-power amplifier to your station.
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Here are some of the RM Italy amplifiers you’ll find at DX Engineering.com:
BLA600 Solid State Amplifier
This wideband, compact, automatic linear amplifier for 160 through 6 meters offers low input drive requirements (20 to 25W on 80-10 meters, 30 to 40W for 500W on 160M and 6M) and a host of other benefits. We’ll let James, a DX Engineering customer, explain further in his five-star review:
“First, the BLA600 is perhaps the simplest amp to put in service of any I’ve ever used, and there have been several in my ham radio lifetime. Literally all that is involved is to connect the keying line and output from your transceiver, connect the output to a resonant antenna, and you are ready to go live. Band switching in the amp is fully automatic.
“I’m getting a full 500-watt output on 75, 20, 17, and 10 meters with just 20 watts of drive. I’ve yet to try it on any other bands, but plan to test with 6-meter FT8 in the next few days. That said, the instructions for setup are clear and concise. If you read them before connecting things up (and you should do that), make certain your antenna has a low SWR, and keep the exciter drive at recommended levels. Your experience with this amplifier should be very good.”
Key features include:
- Weighing in at 47.4 lbs., this fully automatic 500W solid-state linear amplifier is suitable for seamless integration with all modern transceivers. It utilizes the rugged NXP/Freescale MRF6VP5600H 50V power MOSFET for high power and reliability.
- The BLA600 is capable of all modern modulation modes. It’s fully automatic, featuring instant RF frequency-reading for band changes and fast, reliable, and silent PIN diode TX-RX switching. This makes it ideal for CW QSK operation. A separately purchased transceiver to amplifier PTT keying cable is required.
- The amplifier has three antenna outputs that are easily configurable on a per-band basis.
- The amplifier’s RF deck has a large heat spreader and copper heat sink which provides an efficient cooling system. There are separate fans for the RF deck and LPF board/power supply for high-duty-cycle operation. Internally, all modules are mounted in a robust enclosure.
The BLA600 features a dual MCU control and an extensive array of protection circuits that look after the amplifier with rapid reaction time.
MLA-400V HF Amplifier
This amplifier covers 160 through 10 meters, providing up to 400 watts output on HF with only 35 watts maximum input. It’s a good choice for operators who want to bump their 100-watt radio to a higher power level. Featuring four Toshiba 2SC2879 arranged in a parallel push-pull configuration, the MLA-400 provides clean Class AB power output.
Low-pass filters with frequencies of 3, 4, 5, 8, 15, 22, and 31 MHz reduce unwanted harmonic output and may be selected automatically or manually. An onboard microprocessor controls all aspects of the amplifier including its various protection circuits. Protection is provided for excessive input power, excessive output power, excessive load SWR, out-of-band operation, and high temperatures.
BLA350 Plus HF Linear Amplifier
This amplifier is intended to be used with a low power transceiver that is capable of an RF output of approximately 10 watts maximum. The compact and fully automatic amplifier delivers up to 300 watts output when driven with less than 10 watts RF input. Internally, a dual microprocessor controls a variable speed cooling system.
On the front panel is a large, illuminated analog output power meter. Plus, the two-line 16-character LCD display shows amplifier operating parameters including frequency, filter selection, and PA temperature. This display also enhances quick navigation of the amplifier’s menu system. Appropriate operations for this amplifier are on HF antenna systems with SWR below 1.5:1.
Choose from these other RM Italy amplifiers at DX Engineering:
- MLA100 HF Amplifier: This unit covers 160 through 6 meters, providing up to 100 watts output on HF and 80 watts on 6 meters with only 5 watts maximum RF input. It’s a good choice for medium power operations with today’s low power (QRP) radios, including many brands of portable and SDR transceivers. This amplifier is intended to be used with a QRP transceiver that is capable of an RF output of approximately 5 watts maximum.
- MLA300 HF Linear Amplifier: This broadband linear amplifier is designed for operation from 160-10 meters, delivering up to 300 watts of average output power.
Also choose from RM Italy VHF and UHF amplifiers, as well as the SPS1050S Switching Power Supply.
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