Perhaps it is just my frugal nature but, $2K+ for a 500W amp is nuts to me!
For the money a new AL-80B with a few tweaks to fix the excess fil voltage
issue would probably run forever if you limited it to about 700W output PEP
on SSB and 500W on RTTY.
With prices as they are today for legal limit amps 6K$ would likely sell
without much fanfare as most of the new school hams simply don't want to
build anything!
Hell, they won't even solder their own PL-259 connectors on or build a wire
antenna let alone anything that might kill them like an amp!
Mike Baker K7DD
K7dd@cox.net
All QSO's are uploaded to LOTW and EQSL.
-----Original Message-----
From: amps-bounces@contesting.com [mailto:amps-bounces@contesting.com] On
Behalf Of Pete Smith N4ZR
Sent: Monday, April 30, 2012 5:17 AM
To: jim@audiosystemsgroup.com; amps@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [Amps] Tubes vs. Solid State (was) Expert Amps 2K-FA: Any
Opinions ?
Bravo, Jim. Interestingly, Elecraft showed a PA-1500 at Dayton for several
years, and I know they had at least one out for field test. It had a flock
of super features, including very fast band-changing, QSK, etc. Sounds a
lot like the KPA-500 X3
Recently, someone commented authoritatively (well, it sounded like it) on
the Elecraft reflector that Wayne and Eric had decided against marketing the
amp because it would have to be priced at $6000, and they thought that price
point was too high. Recent discussion about SS amps, however, seems to
indicate that this pricing would now be reasonable, and I, for one, would
seriously consider making it my first new amp, even though $6K is more than
I have spent on ham equipment in the last decade.
73, Pete N4ZR
The World Contest Station Database, updated daily at www.conteststations.com
The Reverse Beacon Network at http://reversebeacon.net, blog at
reversebeacon.blogspot.com, spots at telnet.reversebeacon.net, port 7000 and
arcluster.reversebeacon.net, port 7000
On 4/29/2012 11:02 PM, Jim Brown wrote:
> On 4/29/2012 5:24 PM, Roger (K8RI) wrote:
>>> Most of the tube designs have been significantly "over engineered".
>>>> That is, the tubes have excess plate dissipation for the power output
>>>> and grids that will take a significant beating.
>> Which is a plus for tubes.
> Naw, it's a plus for conservative design.
>
> One thing that seems to be missed in this discussion about home
> brewing amps was clearly pointed in a comment in this thread -- the
> key to solid state amp design is THERMAL design and protection. Those
> are very different skills than most amp designers of our generation
> learned, so at least in part, it's an "old dog new tricks" problem,
> not a limitation of the technology.
>
> 73, Jim K9YC
> _______________________________________________
> Amps mailing list
> Amps@contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/amps
>
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