In the same spirit of 'releasing to the community' that Zach mentioned, here's a variation on the design for folks that might be interested: https://github.com/zleffke/eagle_pga103

This is an EagleCAD design for a PGA-103 based LNA, including the SAW filter on the *input* (not the output like in Zach's design). I don't have a good write-up so you'll have to download the repo and open the schematic/board in Eagle to find the specific parts and values I used. I think I used a different part then the one Zach mentioned for the SAW filter (more for 433 MHz), but I believe the footprint matches the one he linked to earlier (Thank you! I've been looking for something better suited for the Ham bands....if you can find a similar part for VHF I'd be very interested in it as well!). This does include a 'PTT feature' but that is not a bypass feature, it is to disable the 5V regulator on the board (As part of a larger system of external bypass relays and such). It's worth mentioning that if you install a little jumper on the footprint for the SAW filter instead of the filter itself, the part works well as a broadband preamp for VHF/UHF as well...but you obviously lose the filtering features. I didn't take any meticulous bench measurements on my final units that I built, so am going strictly off the PGA-103 'datasheet values' for my assumptions on performance (< 0.5dB NF, Gain >20 dB)......basically it works 'well enough' for the on air stuff I used it for. I'll also note that the datasheet values for the PGA-103 obviously don't account for having the filter on the input....which will lower the Gain numbers and increase the noise figure if the filter is used.

I should also mention that the circuit I used was heavily influenced by the writings of a number of hams about the PGA-103, the ones I can remember off the top of my head are Kent Britain, WA5VJB and Sam Jewell, G4DDK (http://www.g4ddk.com/PGA103+2.pdf), Paul Wade, W1GHZ (http://www.w1ghz.org/small_proj/Simple_Cheap_MMIC_Preamps.pdf) , as well as Jim Klitzing, W6PQL (https://www.w6pql.com/LNAs%20(preamps)%20and%20MMICs.htm). I basically read all their documents and the bias in my design is similar, just tweaked the layout and used a different 5V vreg (which had some noise suppression features I liked for the ripple suppression on the 5V output). Kent also has little general use MMIC boards available on his site wa5vjb.com that are handy for playing around with the PGA-103s and other MMICs (though they don't have the SAW filter footprints, just input/output/and bias)

One warning about the above project.....I did make the PCB to match a weird enclosure that I had on hand at the time, which used funky SMA connectors, so it has a bit of a 'non-standard' edge launch SMA configuration. That said the ground planes are all there and some of the bottom solder mask already removed.....so a little sand paper or razor on the top solder mask and an edge launch connector should work. Alternatively a coax pigtail should work with the board 'as is'. I attempted to share this Osh Park project if someone just wants to order the boards as is directly from Osh Park ($5.15 gets you three boards): https://oshpark.com/shared_projects/vIgjua33, but again you'll need to download the project and read the schematic for the parts and values I used (all available on digikey/mouser....including the PGA-103 in small quantities now that Mouser is a vendor for them). If someone is really itching for it I could probably be convinced to make a PDF of the schematic and push it to the repo.

Finally, I'll mention that I've started a new version of this project in KiCAD: https://github.com/zleffke/kicad_pga103. That is currently an empty repo, but I'm close to pushing the Rev- design. The first design I'll be droppingin that repo will include onboard coax relays for TX/RX sequencing and the bypass features (I think it will be good up to about 50W through power). Like Zach mentioned, I have a few other projects 'in the queue' at the moment but I hope to circle back to this one in the near-ish future to get it done and out there for folks. I also plan to drop a receive only version of the design that includes the high pass and low pass filters that are part of the duplexer design in the Arrow antenna (think arrow antenna....to PGA-103 based preamp...to duplexer with the filtering for VHF/UHF work...again receive only...). I also plan to add a generic and 'easier to use' version of the original design linked to in the first sentence above......but all of that is in the (hopefully near?) future.

Good stuff! Let's keep building preamps! -Zach, KJ4QLP