been reading about moonbounce for months and think i'm ready to give it a shot but getting conflicting info on power levels. some people say 400w is bare minimum others claim theyve done it with 100w and big yagis. my current setup is ic7300 with 4x17el yagis on 2m, no amp yet. should i get the amp first or try as is? also not sure about the doppler correction thing, does everyone use map65 or are there other options that work better

you can definitely try with what you have first, especially if your yagis are decent quality. i started EME with about 150w and 4x12el and managed a few qsos on good moon passes. the key is really elevation angle and libration - wait for when moon is high and libration is favorable. for doppler i use map65 works fine, just make sure your computer clock is spot on. get some practice with the software first using terrestrial signals

honestly the power thing is overrated if you have good antennas. ive worked plenty of stations running 200-300w when conditions are right. your 4x17el should work ok but make sure theyre phased properly - seen too many guys with nice antennas that dont phase right and wonder why they cant hear anything. get your system working first then worry about more power later, save some money