At 2/4/2009 20:16, you wrote: >My thoughts as well :) I know that the Big Bear repeater uses a >Hamtronics and it does well enough but we needed far better quality >and went commercial. > >My only thought that was as a preselector the Hamtronics might have >something to offer.
If we're talking about the LNP-146, I wouldn't even call that a "helical resonator". Looks to me like 3 low-Q coils. Seriously, if your Vertex VHF RX needs help from a preamp, it's defective IMO. The noise floor in SoCal is fairly high in most areas that have a view of LA/San Bern./Riverside. If the 12 dB SINAD is 0.3 µV or less, you don't need a preamp here. Bob NO6B P.S: ditch the LMR400 - it will cause desense, sooner or later. If your antenna run is short enough to not need hardline, use RG-214. The silver-plated braid will keep the duplex "scratchies" away.
