updating my station to 8600M with Mercury LUX or other amps

James Kennedy-WU5E

does anyone think the Mercury Lux can do Adaptive Pre-distortion?

other amps looking at are OM-2000A+

The problem having I is money to get a new amp that follows the radio, the Flex 8600M and bust my budget. I kicked myself in the **** selling my PGXL. I watched the Hamvention video Flex engineer today where it can be done but it will take more info to follow.

thanks

Jim

WU5E

N5NHJ

You would like to think about SPE 1.5K or the new 1.5K Taurus. They are ADP ready.

KD0RC

HI Jim, the capability for APD lies primarily in the radio. If your amp has an RF sample tap (like the PGXL), then you just plug that port into the radio that supports it (like the Flex 8000 series).

If your amp does not have the RF sample tap, one can be purchased or built at a reasonable cost (there are several YouTube videos on the topic). My guess is that a -50 or -60 dB tap would be appropriate. You want a tap that will handle the power levels that you expect to run.

David Decoons, wo2x

it is not 100% clear on exactly how the new 8000 series radios will get the RF sample back to the radio. It may require a Flex specific coupler. That is still to be determined.

Dave wo2x

N4VFR

Dave,
I asked that question to a Flex Engineer during Hamvention. Here's that video.

https://youtu.be/wKOlLoqbW5c?si=T8pZp0YiB3znz7fa

73 Darren
N4VFR

Gord-VA7GP

If you have a Non-APD amplifier, you could build your own sampler. But there are a couple of commercial options, especially if you have a classic amp you want to keep using (eg Collins 30S-1):

VK3AMP in Australia:

https://www.vk-amps.com/products/a-55-db-rf-sampler-2kw-1-8mhz-80mhz-so-239-connectors

Xtronic (their home / website is un-helpful garbage, hence retail):

https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-015644

CleanRF adjustable sampler:

https://www.cleanrf.com/products.html#RF-S2K

But then the sample has to get into the Flex8000 (or Flex6000 😁 like this:

)

Russ Ravella

Man, it just can't be that Flex is rolling out a new generation of radios with APD as their central feature, but are going to require customers to give up either their RX antenna or transverter to USE it ! Because they couldn't be bothered to include dedicated ports for the required connections. Even though they DID include dedicated outputs for APD FIVE YEARS AGO in the PGXL. Unbelievable. Only Flex …

Russ KR6W

Mike-VA3MW

@Russ Ravella

No, you don't have to give up an RX port.

We will be building a sampler box that is a T/R relay that will allow you to use the port for an RX antenna while in RX and an RF sampler port while in TX. N5AC showed a picture of what it would look like during the banquet presentation. (I don't have a copy of that slide deck, so I can't grab the picture).

However, my guess is that it is a very small list of people who may use all 4 possible options on an 8600. I come close with my home station with 2 transverter ports being used for Satellite work and 1 RX port being used by a DX Engineering active antenna.

It is good news that for those that might be fully populated, there will be an option.

Russ Ravella

Ok, that's good to hear. The only mention of a Flex built "sampler" I remember from all the stuff on-line over the weekend is the possibility of one for 6XXX radios.

You're saying there will be a sampler for ALL radios (assuming implementing this for 6XXX radios pans out), which will automatically sense when the radio goes into transmit and switch to "APD mode" during that interval, then back to RX ? I totally missed that. Seems like a clumsy way to do it when Flex could have just added dedicated ports for APD, but I assume there's a good reason for it.

In my case I have my RX ports dedicated to RX antennas and they ain't goin' nowhere. They're essential where I live. And I am definitely going to add transverters to try satellite work too. My guess is something more-or-less similar applies to a whole lot of Flex customers.

Ok, thanks. Russ KR6W

Mike-VA3MW

It was more cost effective to build an external device for a few people rather than all the rework and tooling required to add a dedicated port.

You are a 1%'r on the ports stuff. :)

N3AML

> @"James Kennedy-WU5E" said:
> does anyone think the Mercury Lux can do Adaptive Pre-distortion?
> other amps looking at are OM-2000A+
> The problem having I is money to get a new amp that follows the radio, the Flex 8600M and bust my budget. I kicked myself in the **** selling my PGXL. I watched the Hamvention video Flex engineer today where it can be done but it will take more info to follow.
> thanks
> Jim
> WU5E

Mercury has an an RF sampler... It is in the KM3KM Online store its 140 bucks plus shipping

James Kennedy-WU5E

To make simple Flex 8600M and PGXL have been ordered