[Amps] Metron "Magnus" MA1000B, Henry SS-750, Henry SS-1200

[Phil Clements]

> I picked up a Metron "Magnus" MA1000B solid state
> amplifier with a nice copy of the manual supplied.
> Man this amplifier is sweet...!

I used to be a distributor for Metron.
A word of caution....there is a group of 2 watt resistors used as an
attenuator in the input circuit. If more than c. 65 watts RF drive is applied
to the input, the resistors will desolder and fall to the bottom of the case.
This happens generally when trying to make the rated power on 12/10
meters. The power output of this amp falls off above 15 meters. Trying
for the extra 100 watts or so on 10 meters that you get on the lower bands
will cost you a re-solder job. Also, a muffin fan is a good investment if you
are running the Metron in the trunk of your car.

I visited the Metron factory years ago. They made a lot of super-high quality
mil-spec communications equipment for the military. The Metron was a
spin-off from this technology...a real work of art!

I now run Henry SS-750 amps here...very similar quality, with larger heat
sink, and built-on dual fans, and 25% more suds.

In respect to the thread running here about solid state amps, one of the
best kept secrets in amateur radio is the Henry SS-1200. It uses 28 volt
devices and can be band-switched remotely.

(((73)))
Phil, K5PC