I have a fairly new 6600M and once had the PowerGenius on order, but
cancelled after it was delayed and my transceiver was ready.
I'm thinking that the Elecraft KPA1500 is the only full power solid state
amp with qsk that can replace my AL1500 with QSK5.
Thoughts from the group?
Mickey Baker, N4MB
Fort Lauderdale, FL
*“Tell me, and I will listen. Show me, and I will understand. Involve me,
and I will learn.” *Teton Lakota, American Indian Saying.
On Sat, Oct 6, 2018 at 9:02 AM Jim Garland <4cx250b@miamioh.edu> wrote:
> I had a conversation with Nate, one of the sales reps for the new
> FlexRadio "PowerGenius XL" solid state 2000W (ICAS) amplifier.
> Unfortunately, I'm sorry to report that for CW operators such as myself,
> the news is not very encouraging. The issues I inquired about
> specifically were (1) T/R switching, (e.g., whether the amp used vacuum
> relays or PIN diode switching); (2) Whether the 20 msec "warning" the
> transceiver had to give the amplifier before sending RF to it was really
> necessary. And (3) what the measured fan noise is and whether the fan(s)
> used sleeve bearings (which to me normally means low reliability) or
> high reliability ball bearings.
>
> Nate tried to be helpful and did best he could, but couldn't provide
> detailed answers on the spot. He promised to have one of the Flex
> engineers call me, and I'll report back when I get the info. However, I
> did learn that the amplifier uses non-vacuum, enclosed relays
> manufactured by Finder, model 4052.9.012.0000, but I haven't been able
> to track down the relay specs. The US distributor for Finder relays
> appears to Platt Electric Co., an industrial electronics distributor
> based in the western United States. Finder is a new name for me. The
> company appears to make several small power plastic-encased relays
> similar to other brands sold by Mouser, Digikey, Allied, etc.
>
> Normally, one would want T/R switching time, including contact bounce to
> be under roughly 10msec. Nate said that the amplifier is not designed
> for QSK operation, which suggests that the T/R switching may not be as
> quiet as many hams would like.
>
> The PowerGenius XL was obviously designed to meet the needs of serious
> SO2R contesters, but was evidently engineered without much input from
> the (presumed much larger) pool of CW operators and contesters. To me
> this problem is reminiscent of CW problems with some early Flex models.
> Since then, Flex completely solved those problems with their 6000
> Signature series of transceivers, which have superb CW capabilities. I
> hope the CW issues with the new PowerGenius XL amplier can also be
> addressed, because I've got my checkbook out and think it would sure
> look swell on my operating desk next to my Flex 6300 and 6500 radios.
>
> 73,
>
> Jim W8ZR
>
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