Elecraft - Full Line Manufacturer

Well, now that I have got your attention with the subject line.....

The recent threads on amplifiers has been interesting since I am looking at adding an additional one to my station.

I know the Elecraft people are very busy with the K3 roll out now, but with the advent of power transistors capable of delivering adequate power, I would like to suggest that Elecraft look at developing their amplifier again.  Whoa now....hold the phone.

I know they are busy....and I am willing to wait....but it seems that the day of the transistor power amp is here and the players right now are IC, Y, Ameritron, and THP.  I am not sure I want to shell out 5500 to 6500 bucks for one of these amps that can run SO2R....but.....

Could there be a middle ground where a KW SS amp can come in at an affordable price...say below 1500 to 2000 bucks?  Little do I know about cost accounting.  Just asking questions...and making conversation.

It seems the market is growing for this type of amp.

Lee - K0WA



In our day and age it seems that Common Sense is in short supply.  If you don't have any Common Sense - get some Common Sense and use it.  If you can't find any Common Sense, ask for help from somebody who has some Common Sense.  Is Common Sense divine?
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[Bill VanAlstyne W5WVO]

Lee Buller wrote:

> I know they are busy....and I am willing to wait....but it seems that
> the day of the transistor power amp is here and the players right now
> are IC, Y, Ameritron, and THP.

Don't forget TE Systems. IMO the best available solid-state VHF/UHF amps.

> Could there be a middle ground where a KW SS amp can come in at an
> affordable price...say below 1500 to 2000 bucks?

That's exactly what I'm looking for -- a bare-bones, no-frills solid-state amp
with built-in PS. Being a VHF guy, I'd love to see full legal limit amps for
6m and 2m at a reasonable price point.

I agree with you, Lee, I think there is potentially a big market starting to
come into being for lower-priced solid state amplifiers.

Bill W5WVO


  Little do I know

> about cost accounting.  Just asking questions...and making
> conversation.
>
> It seems the market is growing for this type of amp.
>
> Lee - K0WA
>
>
>
> In our day and age it seems that Common Sense is in short supply.  If
> you don't have any Common Sense - get some Common Sense and use it.
> If you can't find any Common Sense, ask for help from somebody who
> has some Common Sense.  Is Common Sense divine?
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> Elecraft mailing list
> Post to: [hidden email]
> You must be a subscriber to post to the list.
> Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.):
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm
> Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com 

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[Jerry Keller (K3BZ)]

I agree about the market for a bullet-proof solid state legal limit
amplifier that will work seamlessly with the radio... like the ICOM PW-1
does now with the Pro-series. My Pro3 and PW-1 are so well matched it's like
having a KW transceiver.  I suspect Elecraft could do something like that
with a legal limit amp partner for the K3.... in fact, I would predict they
will. It's the logical thing to do... when the time is right.
73, Jerry K3BZ

----- Original Message -----
From: "Lee Buller" <[hidden email]>
To: "Elecraft Reflector" <[hidden email]>
Sent: Monday, March 17, 2008 2:38 PM
Subject: [Elecraft] Elecraft - Full Line Manufacturer




Well, now that I have got your attention with the subject line.....

The recent threads on amplifiers has been interesting since I am looking at
adding an additional one to my station.

I know the Elecraft people are very busy with the K3 roll out now, but with
the advent of power transistors capable of delivering adequate power, I
would like to suggest that Elecraft look at developing their amplifier
again.  Whoa now....hold the phone.

I know they are busy....and I am willing to wait....but it seems that the
day of the transistor power amp is here and the players right now are IC, Y,
Ameritron, and THP.  I am not sure I want to shell out 5500 to 6500 bucks
for one of these amps that can run SO2R....but.....

Could there be a middle ground where a KW SS amp can come in at an
affordable price...say below 1500 to 2000 bucks?  Little do I know about
cost accounting.  Just asking questions...and making conversation.

It seems the market is growing for this type of amp.

Lee - K0WA



In our day and age it seems that Common Sense is in short supply.  If you
don't have any Common Sense - get some Common Sense and use it.  If you
can't find any Common Sense, ask for help from somebody who has some Common
Sense.  Is Common Sense divine?
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[Vic K2VCO]

Lee Buller wrote:

> Could there be a middle ground where a KW SS amp can come in at an
> affordable price...say below 1500 to 2000 bucks?

I suspect this is hard to do. Although a SS amplifier itself is simple,
by the time you get the power supply, the protective circuitry, the
pretty-much mandatory antenna tuner, etc., the price climbs.

I have another idea. Personally, I don't want (another) KW+ amplifier.
Too big, too much money, and too much RFI potential (I know, it's not my
fault, but I still hate those phone calls).

But an extra 6 dB would definitely make a difference in pileups and
marginal conditions.

What I want to see is a 400-watt "KPA400" to *replace* the KPA3 100-watt
amp in the K3.

It would require beefing up the KAT3 and possibly the heatsink and fans.
It would be best to run it on 48v or so; that would give better IMD
performance on SSB and make the current draw more reasonable. Possibly
Elecraft could also sell a 12/48v power supply. It would also be
possible to add a class-A mode for SSB for even cleaner signals.

The main thing is that I think this could fit in the existing K3
package, which would make it *very* appealing.
--
73,
Vic, K2VCO
Fresno CA
http://www.qsl.net/k2vco
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[Richard Thorne]

I agree with Vic:

An amp capable of 300 to 400 watts, 160m through 6m, would be nice.  
I've been running my current station with a 200 watt rig with great
success. I have a K3 on order and I'm looking at amplifiers to go with
it.  Solid state is a must for auto band switching.

Tokyo High Power has come out with a new one, 300 to 400 watts and
requires 35 amps at 13.8v.  Unfortunately it doesn't cover 160 or 6.  A
matching Elecraft would be preferred.

Rich - N5ZC

Vic K2VCO wrote:

> Lee Buller wrote:
>
>> Could there be a middle ground where a KW SS amp can come in at an
>> affordable price...say below 1500 to 2000 bucks?
>
> I suspect this is hard to do. Although a SS amplifier itself is
> simple, by the time you get the power supply, the protective
> circuitry, the pretty-much mandatory antenna tuner, etc., the price
> climbs.
>
> I have another idea. Personally, I don't want (another) KW+ amplifier.
> Too big, too much money, and too much RFI potential (I know, it's not
> my fault, but I still hate those phone calls).
>
> But an extra 6 dB would definitely make a difference in pileups and
> marginal conditions.
>
> What I want to see is a 400-watt "KPA400" to *replace* the KPA3
> 100-watt amp in the K3.
>
> It would require beefing up the KAT3 and possibly the heatsink and
> fans. It would be best to run it on 48v or so; that would give better
> IMD performance on SSB and make the current draw more reasonable.
> Possibly Elecraft could also sell a 12/48v power supply. It would also
> be possible to add a class-A mode for SSB for even cleaner signals.
>
> The main thing is that I think this could fit in the existing K3
> package, which would make it *very* appealing.

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