David,
?
Never say never.
You say 50W is not enough on 80 meters. On dummy load, it is difficult to make QSOs, but try it with a well-sized antenna. I still use the v2, which has the IRFZ24N that I replaced and has more than 7700 QSOs on 3 bands: 7, 14, 21 MHz, which I use with a single antenna and without an ATU. Currently, the dxcc/lotw cfm is 163/147, which I achieved with a maximum output power of 20 watts. Of course, I modified a few things on the original v2, but the most important thing is that I use it with a current-limiting power supply. This power supply regulates the output voltage downwards above the set current. Thanks to this, the FETs of the final stage were not damaged. This required a little experience (I have 74 years behind me) and technical solutions.
So don't say never, because the only constant is change and we live in a changing world.
--
Gyula HA3HZ
HA3HZ