70W HF Linear Amplifier Project

Whilst very happy with the performance of the Hermes SDR, I’ve been considering a matching HF linear to provide a moderate (6-9dB) increase in output power. I have ideas about operating portable using battery power; ~50W seems a nice balance between power output and current requirements.

There are ready-made chinese amplifiers available via eBay that supposedly offer ~50W out. I remember researching these some time ago and reading actual output power varied significantly with band and supply voltage. One such amplifier can be seen below:-

There’s two advantages to the above device; no DIY required and (supposedly) a full set of low pass filters fitted internally.

Of course, questionable output power plus the interest in building something have led me down a path that will probably cost more than the above. However, I do still intend to use a Chinese PA; albeit in kit form. This will be mounted on a suitable heatsink and enclosed with switchable low pass filters, power meters (both DC input and RF output), SWR indicator (possibly also SWR protection) plus a low-voltage disconnect to protect batteries when portable.

The module I’ve chosen:-

The above module is rated at 70W. Tests from others report promising results; for reference see:-
https://www.dk9jc.de/blog/equipment/142-diy-kits-70w-ssb-linear-hf-power-amplifier-ft-817-kx2-kx3
https://pa-11019.blogspot.com/2016/11/diy-kits-70w-ssb-linear-hf-power.html

I plan to build this in a matching enclosure to my Hermes SDR, making a convenient modular system; 5W from the Hermes or ~50W with the additional PA.

I have yet to consider how to implement SWR or low voltage protection. Initial attempts at low voltage protection (using a modification of my ‘over voltage proection’: https://www.m0spn.co.uk/2016/10/24/over-voltage-protection/) haven’t proved too successful; using a Zener to switch a transistor results in a sloppy response with too many variables (variable input voltage plus the responses of both the zener and transistor as they start conducting) resulting in a ~1V window where status is uncertain.

1V to an SLA/gel cell can be the difference between empty and damaged. I plan to test using a lower voltage regulator as a reference and a comparator for the digital output; I suspect this is the best way forward. My initial thoughts (and sloppy result) can be seen below:-

For RF power meter I intend to use a variation of the following simple schematic:-

https://cromwell-intl.com/radio/power-meter.html

Updates will be posted over the next few months.