LinkRF - EME and Weak signal communication

The DRI-XSeries 10GHz SSPA just arrive

After several years of waiting for a reliable supplier of 10GHz SSPAs at reasonable prices, I decided it would be best to design my own amplifiers instead of relying on other sources. Unfortunately, DB6NT prices are still exorbitant, especially now after the company was sold to Alaria.

Coincidentally, few month ago I've had access to a batch of "brand new" GaAs FETs with average power ratings from 1W to 25W. The price has been incredibly low, and this motivated me to embark on the arduous task of designing an efficient, reliable, and reasonably priced SSPA. I want to begin by thanking Michael DL1YMK, who has been my mentor on this project. He has provided me with invaluable information on dos and don'ts, problems with PCB materials, how to analyze which technology is more reliable for our use (GaAs or GaN), and above all, a long list of mistakes he has made throughout his more than 15 successful years designing amplifiers at 10GHz and 6GHz.

I am very proud to present the DRI-XSeries SSPA. This project aims to produce a 10GHz SSPA capable of delivering 25W, which can then be combined into 2, 3, 4, or even 5 amplifiers using cavity-type phase resonators. The first amplifier presented here is the DRI-X4W, which requires only 135mW to produce 4W of power. The next design is the DRI-X25W, a two-stage amplifier that needs 1.2W to produce 25W of output. This project was developed entirely based on my own needs. Depending on the interest of my colleagues, I can produce up to 20 amplifiers with the number of FETs I have available. Later, I will publish my findings regarding GaAs vs. GaN and why many TGA2312 (50W GaN) transistors exhibit a tendency to self-destruct due to thermal mismanagement.

DRI-XSeries 10GHz SSPA