Advanced Receiver Research P144VDG (2m GaAs FET Mast Preamp)
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| Frequency | 144-148 MHz (~7 MHz bandwidth) |
| Power | Receive preamplifier; not for in-line transmit power (use with a sequencer/RF relay for T/R). 11-16 VDC at ~25 mA. |
| Modes | mast-mount receive preamplifier (GaAs FET) |
| Weight | 57 g (2 oz) - Tiny (~2.0 oz) shielded aluminum enclosure; designed for mast/remote mounting; -25 to +65 C rated. |
| rf in | BNC / SO-239 (model-dependent) |
| rf out | BNC / SO-239 |
| power | 11-16 VDC (~25 mA) |
| power req | 11-16 VDC at ~25 mA. |
A superb weak-signal 2 m preamp: about 0.5 dB noise figure and 24 dB gain transform receive on a 2 m SSB/CW or EME station, in a tiny, rugged, fully shielded package that mounts happily at the antenna. Low current and commercial-grade construction.
It is a bare receive preamp - to use it at the mast on a transmitting antenna you need a sequencer and RF relay to keep transmit power out of it, or it will be destroyed. Single-band and narrowband by design (which is the point), so it is not a wideband scanner LNA.
The ARR P144VDG is a reference-grade 2 m mast preamp - 0.5 dB NF, 24 dB gain - for serious weak-signal and EME work. Always protect it with a sequencer/RF relay when mast-mounting on a transmit antenna.
The Advanced Receiver Research P144VDG is a reference-grade 2-meter mast-mount preamplifier for weak-signal work. Built around a GaAs FET, it delivers about a 0.5 dB noise figure with 24 dB of gain over roughly a 7 MHz bandwidth centered on the 2 m band - exactly the recipe for pulling weak SSB, CW and EME signals out of the noise. It is tiny (about 2 ounces) and housed in a fully shielded, rugged aluminum enclosure designed to live at the antenna, drawing only ~25 mA from an 11-16 V supply.
The key to using a mast preamp like this on a transmitting antenna is protection: you must put a sequencer and an RF relay ahead of it so that transmit power is routed around the preamp during transmit. Without that, the first transmit will destroy it - which is why preamps like this are paired with sequencers.
It is single-band and narrowband by design (that selectivity helps reject out-of-band overload), so it is a weak-signal tool rather than a wideband scanner LNA. For serious 2 m operating it is a classic. Compare it with the 70 cm SSB Electronic SP-7000 and protect it with a Kuhne SEQ 1 sequencer.