On 2/22/2011 10:42 PM, Rick - NJ0IP / DJ0IP wrote:
It was on display in Orlando.
It's currently in field test. I had one for WPX RTTY, N6XI had one for
ARRL DX CW, there's one in the UK, and my neighbor, K6XX has been trying
to blow them up for almost a year.
I have no inside information, but I'd expect to see them shipping within
a few months.
It's a VERY nice amp, nice package, nice controls. Think of it as a Herc
II in a smaller package (same footprint as the K3, weighs 27 pounds)
with a self-contained 120/240V linear supply, plus 6M. I don't know how
it will be rated for keydown modes, but I was told to run it at full
power for the RTTY contest, and I did. That's roughly 550 W out. It saw
at least 20 hours of action in that contest, some of it (in the middle
of the night) with nearly constant CQing with few replies. During those
periods, the fan would come on at its 25% speed, and the amp stayed
cool. Over the weekend, it occasionally saw mismatched loads. When it
did, it either backed off the power a dB or so or faulted at the end of
a transmission. A push of the reset button got it going again, and I
either fixed the mismatch (with an external tuner) or backed off the
power a bit and kept on going.
If I didn't already have a Herc II and love it, I'd consider the KPA500.
73, Jim K9YC
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