"C. J. Clegg" wrote in message
news

I have finally had enough of waiting forever for the FCC to get rid of
their kill-a-fly-with-a-sledgehammer approach to HF amp regulation, so
that I can get an amp for legal use with my FT-817.

Have any of you had any problems getting a Tokyo Hy-Power QRP amplifier
past the border watchdogs and into the USA?

I try to be law-abiding but I'm tired of the FCC's inability to enforce
the rules against the few, so they penalize everybody. I'd just like to
get a reasonable power level out of the FT-817, for times when 5W isn't
enough, and for legal use on legal ham bands with my legal Extra-class
license.

Thanks...


The big issue is that unless you have the technical skills for repair (Extra
Class amateur and the GROL no longer have that meaning) -- you have to send
the Tokyo-HyPower ampfliers back to Japan for repair / service.
I have seen at least 5 units over past 2 years that the poor OM, complains
he does not have the $$ to send it back to Japan for repair --
so he begs me for a few $$ to take it or repair it or scrap it for parts so
he can then buy an MFJ or something else -- he can fix himself for get fixed
in USA.

Comments have been made by Tokyo HyPower earlier this year that they will
have a US distributor in near future.
FCC's recent Report and Order (R&O) in WT Docket 04-140 seems to move in
this same direction (HF amp regulation relaxation) -
BUT not for "dirty" RF amplifiers (such as the RM Italy products and Palomar
clones on eBay).

BTW, the HF Projects group has been building 50 watt "shoes" for the QRP
transceivers for a few years --
and now has the HF SuperPacker Pro 100W Amplifier 7x5.5x3 inch, 3 lb
footprint
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hfprojects/

Why don;t you "get on the US build band wagon" of building your own
amplifier (with your fellow US amateurs in a group) --
then you can actually repair that amplifier -- when you have a problem --
and save some $$$ and time
serial number 2 was just finished by a builder on October 2nd.
http://www.hfprojects.com/hfprojects/

gb

On Sat, 28 Oct 2006 10:17:58 -0500, w9gb wrote:

The big issue is that unless you have the technical skills for repair (Extra
Class amateur and the GROL no longer have that meaning)

Yeah, that's unfortunately true.

I have the skills and knowledge, may be rather short on the tools and test
equipment and time, and perhaps the manual dexterity these days... :-(

Anyway, THP seems to have a pretty good reputation and I'm willing to take
my chances...

On Sun, 29 Oct 2006 21:17:27 -0500, "C. J. Clegg"
wrote:

On Sat, 28 Oct 2006 10:17:58 -0500, w9gb wrote:

The big issue is that unless you have the technical skills for repair (Extra
Class amateur and the GROL no longer have that meaning)

Yeah, that's unfortunately true.

I have the skills and knowledge, may be rather short on the tools and test
equipment and time, and perhaps the manual dexterity these days... :-(

Anyway, THP seems to have a pretty good reputation and I'm willing to take
my chances...


Another alternative is a Ten Tec amp they last produced in the 1970s
for qrp rigs.

bob
k5qwg