On 2/23/2011 12:05 PM, Mike Stricker wrote:
I saw the KPA500 at the Orlando Hamfest. Yes, it looks nice. It also looks
cheap much like the rest of their equipment.
You mean it didn't have a fancy front panel that added cost without
adding useful function? In my experience, The KPA500 has a steel
chassis. Elecraft is what Ten Tec used to be -- state of the art rigs,
but at a moderate price point, and without fancy front panels. K3s get
dragged on airplanes all over the world, and they hold up pretty well.
I expect no less of the KPA500. Also, the Ten Tec gear I've owned (Omni
D, Omni V, Herc I, Herc II, 425s, 229s, 238s) are good designs and
decent quality, but none could be called rugged or elegant, and their
mechanical build quality is nowhere near as high as the K3. I haven't
looked inside an Orion.
For the kind of money they are getting for their equipment, the mechanical
aspects have, in my mind, a lot to be desired.
Let's see if I have this right. The K3 sells for $3K - $5K, depending on
how you load it, has functions and performance that is equal to or
better than top of the line rice boxes that sell for $10K, and you think
it's over priced?
I would think that for not a whole lot more, they could double the thickness
of their aluminum panels but then again, I am not falling for the Elecraft MoJo
any more.
I think the Ameritron ALS-600 is a better deal.
You've GOT to be kidding. I used an ALS-600 at PJ4 during a major
contest (because the AL1200 was broke). It's a REAL CHEAPIE, and folded
back to only 200W with a 2:1 SWR. The KPA500 gave me 500W out with more
than 2:1 SWR. Ameritron is Mighty Fine Junk, not even close to being in
a league with Ten Tec or Elecraft. Also at PJ4,That AL1200 uses the same
tubes as my Titan 425s, but the similarity ends there. Yes, the 425 is a
30 year old amp with nothing automatic in it, but the Ameritron is a
cheap piece of junk by comparison. In the days before that contest, we
fixed two things that were broke on the AL1200. In the first hour of the
contest, something else broke that we couldn't fix, which is why we were
stuck with the ALS 600.
73, Jim K9YC
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