KPA-500 in Contest Conditions

[Richard Thorne-4]

Hows the KPA-500 holding up under contest conditions for SSB and CW?

I've read the reviews on eham but there was only one that referenced
performance in contest conditions (and it was favorable).

I'm curious if the temp stays down and if power is lost as it heats up?

Thanks

Rich - N5ZC

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[Mark Stennett]

We used several KPA-500 amplifiers on the Swains Island NH8S DXpedition and
they performed flawlessly under  24/7 use for 9 days straight in hot and
humid tent conditions.
-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Thorne <[hidden email]>
To: Elecraft Reflector <[hidden email]>
Date: Fri, 12 Jul 2013 08:48:52 -0500
Subject: [Elecraft] KPA-500 in Contest Conditions


Hows the KPA-500 holding up under contest conditions for SSB and CW?

I've read the reviews on eham but there was only one that referenced
performance in contest conditions (and it was favorable).

I'm curious if the temp stays down and if power is lost as it heats up?

Thanks

Rich - N5ZC

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[Irwin KD3TB]

We use the KPA500 and KAT500 combination at our VE2DXY contesting station
in zone 2 for CQWW SSB contest. The combination makes an excellent
contesting setup. I have also used in other CW, SSB & RTTY contests and
very impressed with The performance. I really like its ability to rapidly
change bands with out having to tune an amp. Much different than my older
tube amp.

Irwin, KD3TB

On Friday, July 12, 2013, Mark Stennett wrote:

> We used several KPA-500 amplifiers on the Swains Island NH8S DXpedition and
> they performed flawlessly under  24/7 use for 9 days straight in hot and
> humid tent conditions.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Richard Thorne <[hidden email] <javascript:;>>
> To: Elecraft Reflector <[hidden email] <javascript:;>>
> Date: Fri, 12 Jul 2013 08:48:52 -0500
> Subject: [Elecraft] KPA-500 in Contest Conditions
>
>
> Hows the KPA-500 holding up under contest conditions for SSB and CW?
>
> I've read the reviews on eham but there was only one that referenced
> performance in contest conditions (and it was favorable).
>
> I'm curious if the temp stays down and if power is lost as it heats up?
>
> Thanks
>
> Rich - N5ZC
>
> ______________________________________________________________
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--
Irwin KD3TB
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[mcduffie]

On Fri, 12 Jul 2013 08:48:52 -0500, Richard Thorne wrote:

> Hows the KPA-500 holding up under contest conditions for SSB and CW?
>
> I've read the reviews on eham but there was only one that referenced
> performance in contest conditions (and it was favorable).
>
> I'm curious if the temp stays down and if power is lost as it heats up?

In contest situation, you might not get it as hot as a long winded rag
chew transmission.  I don't contest, but I've gotten it hot enough that
it hits the high speed fan mode.

I would expect a slight sag when it gets hot, but would head off the
heat by going into the menu and changing the fan control from NORM to 3
or 4 (depending on your condx) to keep higher minimum fan speed.  That
fan is a screamer when it hits 70C.  Don't forget to take it back to
NORM when the contest is over.  That will save a lot of wear and tear on
the fan.

Gary
--
http://ag0n.net
3055: http://ag0n.net/irlp/3055
NodeOp Help Page: http://ag0n.net/irlp
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[Jim Brown-10]

On 7/12/2013 6:48 AM, Richard Thorne wrote:
> Hows the KPA-500 holding up under contest conditions for SSB and CW?

It works VERY well. Long before I bought my KPA500, I beta tested it
during a RTTY contest. My instructions were to "run  it with all the
lights lit." It produced full power for the entire contest, even when
things slowed down at the end and I had to CQ constantly.  Yes, the fan
speeds up, but I've never found it to be a problem, because I nearly
always contest with headphones.

The most demanding condition I've found for the KPA500 is keydown
digital modes like JT65A on 6M, where you're transmitting for 50 seconds
at a crack. The fan speeds up a bit near the end of each TX cycle, but
power out remains at maximum.

73, Jim K9YC
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