Elecraft Product Ideas

[Fred (FL)]

We just got back to upstate NY, on shores of St.
Lawrence River ...... and am dreaming about new
Elecraft products and projects we hams could build and
buy.  Please ping in with ideas & improvements:

1.  A 13.8vdc  dual-6146 TUBE AMPLIFIER, separate box,
with view of the tubes ... 200 watt PEP.  I know
it may sound odd - but TUBES crank it out better than
solid state - no matter what they tell us!  I'd buy
one in a heartbeat.  KIT (similiar ham project, to
HF PACKER .... FCC backs this amp form)  PARTS -
for Elecraft-BACKER-AMP, optional for this project
hf amp.  Powerable - from a 13.8vdc Astron type
supply.   BACKER-KIT project form only.

You wannna xmt SSB as SSB should be heard?  I think
every ham, over 40, would buy and use one!  Do you
remember the Heath HW-32/22/12!  

2. A small separate POWER/SWR METER, hf, 160-10
or 80-6, 15/200 watt range, KIT.  BNC/SO-239
I/O's

3. A KIT vertical QRP/100W ANTENNA .... back packable,
with decent SWR and carry-able in form.  

4. A KIT horizontal END-FED-ZEP ANTENNA ... back
packable, with decent SWR in carry-able form.

5. A KIT LOOP HF antenna, back packable, hangable,
plug-together, qrp to 200W.

6. An in-line POWER OUTPUT INDICATOR (bnc, bnc)
sensitive/viewable to .250 watt variance.
Two (2) versions;  NEON, mico-meter.

7. A marine-grade BOATABLE, tossable marine (river,
lakes) portable HF ANTENNA.  (Float, water ground
line, tow line, boyant)

8. Elecraft "Golf Shirt", XXL please!  White
please, and some form of cotton/poly - not
cheap.  Small K2 on front pocket.  Collar,
short sleeve.

9. Elecraft HF PORTABLE TUNER Kit; meter, dummy
load option, Elecraft K2 gray, 15/200W ranges.

Kit Summary:

           Elecraft HF-BACKER 200W 6146 AMP KIT
           Elecraft POWER/SWR METER
           Elecraft QRP Portable VERTICAL ANTENNA
           Elecraft QRP Portable ZEP END ANTENNA
           Elecraft QRP Portable LOOP ANTENNA
           Elecraft Output POWER INDICATOR
           Elecraft Marine Portable HF ANTENNA
           Elecraft GOLF SHIRT
           Elecraft ANTENNA TUNER - SWR/Power.

All of these potential product ideas - are suggested
to be stand-alone products .... and NOT to be built
into
any existing (K2) rigs.  Rather - share the table,
products.

It's early, and winter 06/07 is coming.  I believe if
you design it and offer it - we will come!

Thanks,
...I still have 3/4 of a roll of Kester Solder left!
Fred N3CSY
Cape Vincent, NY

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[N2EY]

In a message dated 5/20/06 7:19:38 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
[hidden email] writes:


> 1.  A 13.8vdc  dual-6146 TUBE AMPLIFIER, separate box,
> with view of the tubes ... 200 watt PEP.  

Nice idea, but it would compete with the KPA-100. A prime
rule of marketing is that you don't compete with yourself.

I know
>
> it may sound odd - but TUBES crank it out better than
> solid state - no matter what they tell us!  

I'm a hollow-state fan and builder/user from way back.

Please explain how "TUBES crank it out better than
solid state". 100 W of clean RF is the same RF
whether it comes from silicon or vacuum.

 I'd buy
>
> one in a heartbeat.  

I might, too. But it would be more expensive than a KPA-100,
and probably use even more amps. Also bigger and heavier.

It would need a DC-DC inverter capable of supplying the
plates, screens and grids of the 6146s. Also 1.25 amps to light the
heaters. Variable caps and bandswitching, etc. Many custom parts,
and the parts would have to be bought new.

The big problem, though, would be getting it FCC certified. Elecraft cannot
offer
the KPA-100 as an external unit because of certification rules. Hams have
built the
KPA-100 and other amps in separate enclosures, but those are
amateur-homebrew-modifications, not a product of Elecraft.

Ten Tec made a 50 watt external amp for their QRP rigs - the model 405. Sweet
little amp! They had to stop selling it back in the late 1970s when the rules
changed.

The FCC rules affect kits as well as manufactured rigs.

73 de Jim, N2EY
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[Bill Coleman-2]

On May 20, 2006, at 7:17 AM, Fred (FL) wrote:

> 1.  A 13.8vdc  dual-6146 TUBE AMPLIFIER, separate box,
> with view of the tubes ... 200 watt PEP. I know
> it may sound odd - but TUBES crank it out better than
> solid state - no matter what they tell us!

First, you may be hard-pressed to get 200 watts PEP out of a pair of  
6146's. Typically, these babies are 180-200 watts INPUT.

Second, your statement about tubes cranking it out may have been true  
25 years ago, but solid state rigs have come a long way. The K2/100  
can crank it out with the best of the hollow-state finals rigs of  
yesteryear.

This is interesting from a nostalgia viewpoint, but not practical for  
Elecraft from a business point of view.

> 2. A small separate POWER/SWR METER, hf, 160-10
> or 80-6, 15/200 watt range, KIT.  BNC/SO-239
> I/O's

It would be especially interesting if it had reasonable accuracy, too.

> 3. A KIT vertical QRP/100W ANTENNA .... back packable,
> with decent SWR and carry-able in form.

There are several manufacturers producing such verticals now. I'm not  
sure how much you would consider kit-able.

> 4. A KIT horizontal END-FED-ZEP ANTENNA ... back
> packable, with decent SWR in carry-able form.

A KIT for this? Two insulators and a hank of wire?

> 5. A KIT LOOP HF antenna, back packable, hangable,
> plug-together, qrp to 200W.

Like the old AEA Isoloop? This might be interesting, but I doubt  
there's much that could be in kit form. Perhaps if it had automatic  
antenna tuning.

> 6. An in-line POWER OUTPUT INDICATOR (bnc, bnc)
> sensitive/viewable to .250 watt variance.
> Two (2) versions;  NEON, mico-meter.

If you've got #2 above, I don't see why you'd need this.

> 7. A marine-grade BOATABLE, tossable marine (river,
> lakes) portable HF ANTENNA.  (Float, water ground
> line, tow line, boyant)

Not exciting.

> 8. Elecraft "Golf Shirt", XXL please!  White
> please, and some form of cotton/poly - not
> cheap.  Small K2 on front pocket.  Collar,
> short sleeve.

This sounds cool.

> 9. Elecraft HF PORTABLE TUNER Kit; meter, dummy
> load option, Elecraft K2 gray, 15/200W ranges.

The KAT100 doesn't do this? All you need to add is a dummy load.

Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: [hidden email]
Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
             -- Wilbur Wright, 1901

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[Rick Dettinger-2]

> > 1.  A 13.8vdc  dual-6146 TUBE AMPLIFIER, separate box,
> > with view of the tubes ... 200 watt PEP. I know
> > it may sound odd - but TUBES crank it out better than
> > solid state - no matter what they tell us!
>
> First, you may be hard-pressed to get 200 watts PEP out of a pair of
> 6146's. Typically, these babies are 180-200 watts INPUT.
.
---------------------------------------------
That was true for linear amps for SSB service but CW purists could crank up
the plate voltage to around 900v. and get 240 watts input class C.  - maybe
170 watts out.  Plans are in the 1975
ARRL handbook. (T9er) .  In linear service, 100 watts out would be about
max.
--------------------------------------------------
9. Elecraft HF PORTABLE TUNER Kit; meter, dummy
> > load option, Elecraft K2 gray, 15/200W ranges.
>
> The KAT100 doesn't do this? All you need to add is a dummy load.
 -------------------------------------------------------
I think the KAT100 only does this for the K2.  This new kit would be useable
for all rigs, like the T1.
Rick Dettinger
K7MW

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