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This is the second 1412 I've owned. The first one was
purchased in the mid-1990s and was a good amp although transceiver power
output limitations (about 22 watts) limited the amplifier output to about
140 watts. But the 1412 was reliable and the preamp helped the receive
side a bit although I did feel that the owner's manual left a little
to be desired. But I was still sorry after I sold it three years ago
- until now!!!
The new 1412G is superb! It is rated at 25-50 watts input for 160-200 watts output and with the IC-706MkIIG power output set to "HIGH" the 1412G provides a solid 200 watts output as measured on a Bird 43 wattmeter. One of the nice things about this combo is that I can easily drop power to any desired level using the 706 variable power output function (I made up a chart to relate 706 power setting to 1412G output).
The GaAsFET preamp is the best in-shack 2-meter preamp I've ever used and really peps up the IC-706MkIIG on 2-meter receive. The 706 has about a 9 dB 2-meter noise figure with the built-in preamp off and about 4.5 dB with it on, but the 1412G has a noise figure of 0.7 dB so even with the coax loss ahead of it the system noise figure still calculates out to about 2.3 dB with the internal preamp OFF. (NOTE: It calculates out to 2.2 dB with the internal preamp ON, but in comparisons using very weak 2-meter signals the excess gain of the latter raised the noise floor an objectionable amount and very weak signals seemed more readable with the internal preamp OFF if the 1412G preamp is ON.)
The manual for the new 1412G is very well-written and has an excellent layout, and even provides instructions on how to "tweak" the input and output of the amp for best performance.
This amplifier has got to be a best buy in a 2-meter amp! At the current price of $286, I don't see how you can beat it.
Best Regards, Paul Bock - K4MSG - Hamilton, Virginia
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