Here is a clip from the Ten Tec reflector regarding the introduction by
Elecraft of a pair of new design solid state amps. I was among a few
folks who got to see the 1.5 KW prototype last year at Dayton, and
apparently one or both amps were displayed recently at Visalia. The
800W version looks like a great Dxpedition amp, and the 1500W amp is of
particular interest to serous contesters, given the way SO2R has been
mechanized. The 1500W amp has an "A" and a "B" input and an "A" and "B"
output. If you apply drive to "A" you get output on "A," etc. This
allows one amp to do the job typically done by two amps in an SO2R
station. The price is well below that of the auto-tune ACOM 2000A,
Alpha 87A or yet to be shipped Alpha 9500 (in the FCC cert process at
this point). Critical to the SO2R application, and yet to be revealed,
is the time lag required for band switching.
FYI and 73, Hal, N4GG
The question was raised on the Elecraft reflector about the status of
their soon-to-be-introduced solid state amps. This was Eric's reply to
the query............
We officially previewed the amplifiers this weekend in our booth at the
Visalia DX convention and prior to that we were not able to answer all
of the emails we were being flooded with. (I just got back into the
office today.)
We previewed working units of the KPA800 (800W) and KPA1500 (1500W+)
solid state amplifiers at the show. We are now going through the FCC
certification process for these amps (basically to show that they can't
be used as CB amplifiers). We can not take orders until after we receive
the final certification, which usually takes 90-120 days.
The KPA 800 is a single box amplifier with an internal custom designed
60V switching power supply. It weighs approximately 36 lbs. Dimensions
are 16.5"w x 15.5"d x 7"h.
The KPA1500 uses two enclosures. The main desktop RF deck is the same
size as the KPA800. The power supply enclosure is approximately 4" high
and is the same depth and width as the main unit. It can sit under the
main enclosure or under your operating table. The KPA1500 easily makes
1500W+ on 160M - 10M. We also plan for it to cover 6M with lower power.
(Approximately 400W). The main RF box weighs about 40 lbs and the power
supply box about 15 lbs.
Here is a short list of additional features:
. *Full Break-In Silent Diode T/R*
. *Microprocessor Controlled*
. *Auto Band Switching* (RF Sensing) Very fast..
. *Built In Auto-Tuner*. Matches 3:1 at 1500W
. *SO2R ready.* Two Rig Inputs / Two Antenna Outputs (2nd rig routes to
alternate antenna)
. *RS-232 Port* for remote control and firmware downloadable updates. .
*Key-In / Key-Out sequencing* for older rigs . *Custom Designed
Switching Power Supply (RF Quiet)*
The assembled version of the KPA1500 should sell for about $5,900; The
KPA800 about $3,900. The kit versions for these should be around
$300-500 less. (These are not final prices and may vary several hundred
dollars.) We will pre-assemble the 60V switching power supplies and the
internal RF transistor cards on the kits. (Don't worry - there is still
plenty for you to build. :-)
We expect to be able to take orders later this summer and plan to ship
production before the Pacificon hamfest in mid-October.
73, Eric WA6HHQ
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