[Amps] Solid State HF amps and kits
Steve Katz
stevek@jmr.com
Fri, 19 Apr 2002 12:25:35 -0700
There's no question that there's lots of competition for not a lot of
available business, and the board fabricators are scrambling for position.
One time was that standard "no rush charge" lead time for a board fab was
about 4 weeks; now, it's come down to about 5 days for most shops.
Make hay while the sun shines! It may not be like this next year.
WB2WIK/6
"Each success only buys an admission ticket to a more difficult problem." --
Henry Kissinger
> -----Original Message-----
> From: WYsixK [SMTP:wy6k@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Friday, April 19, 2002 12:00 PM
> To: Ron; Don
> Cc: amps@contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [Amps] Solid State HF amps and kits
>
> Ron,
>
> Thanks for the tip, I have since found several places - including one
> in the Bay Area - that will do doubled sided boards for $35 each,
> minimum of 2!! Way better than I remember.
>
> Thanks for the tip, I'll check him out!
>
> Michael
>
> --- Ron <w8ron@stratos.net> wrote:
> > Prototype PCB run ~$300 for 1 or two PCBs to about ~$500 for about 25
> > to 50
> > boards where the lower numbers would be for a physically larger
> > board. This
> > includes about $200+ for the artwork.
> > I use him all the time and have never been let down.
> >
> > If you are paying $2K, you need to contact Don Skowronski
> > <dski@nutronicspcb.com> for a quote.
> > ---
> > Ron
> >
> >
> >
> > WYsixK wrote:
> >
> > > The smallest amount a PCB house will accept here in Silicon Valley
> > is
> > > about $2000. Even for a handful of simple boards (customers
> > supplies
> > > the artwork). Show me a house that will make a one-off for $27!
> > Give
> > > me their contact info and I'll give them some business!
> > >
> > > Michael
> > >
> > > --- Jim Strohm <jstrohm@texas.net> wrote:
> > > > WYsixK <wy6k@yahoo.com> says--
> > > >
> > > > >Now I read this again and realize that Steve Katz mentioned the
> > ways
> > > > in
> > > > >which the RFE amps failed to meet FCC requirements. So is the
> > issue
> > > > >not that the FCC dislikes kits per se but that the kits that are
> > > > >offered do not meet FCC requirements?
> > > > >
> > > > >I checked out the Communications Concepts web site and see that
> > the
> > > > PCB
> > > > >for their 1000 watt solid state amp is $27. What's outrageous
> > about
> > > > >that?
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Do you know what fabricated PCBs cost, even in short runs?
> > > >
> > > > With the art work in hand, I could go to a custom board house and
> > > > have
> > > > one-off boards custom-made for less than what CCI is asking. In
> > a
> > > > quantity
> > > > run, the price would fall well below two dollars a board very
> > > > quickly.
> > > >
> > > > And -- did you happen to check the price of the active devices
> > for
> > > > that
> > > > 1000-watt CCI amp? You probably will not believe me when I tell
> > you
> > > > that
> > > > it's over $900.
> > > >
> > > > On the other hand -- most of the RFE amps use the 2SC2879 device,
> > > > which
> > > > sells in small-handful quantities at about $15. each. Properly
> > > > biased and
> > > > heatsinked, these are good for 100 watts each all day long.
> > > >
> > > > So on the one hand you've got CCI selling amps made from
> > expensive,
> > > > hard-to-power, hard-to-cool Motorola devices, and on the other
> > hand
> > > > you've
> > > > got RFE selling amps made from cheap, easy-to-power, easy-to-cool
> > > > Japanese
> > > > devices.*
> > > >
> > > > The RFE amp goes straight out the door and under the dash of a
> > semi
> > > > for
> > > > about 20% of the cost of the CCI amp -- which requires some
> > > > relatively
> > > > sophisticated work to power up.
> > > >
> > > > Are you starting to get a clue about the political and societal
> > > > ramifications of the RFE decision?**
> > > >
> > > > I've never advocated the unlawful use of amps on 11 meters.
> > However,
> > > > I've
> > > > never completely agreed with how the FCC chose to close the 27
> > MHz
> > > > barn
> > > > doors after all the horses ran off in the mid 1970s. That
> > appalling
> > > > lack
> > > > of enforcement was mirrored in the FCC's laissez-faire attitude
> > about
> > > > the
> > > > ham bands until only a few years ago. Fortunately, we hams are a
> > > > little
> > > > bit better at self-regulation than the CBers, except for maybe on
> > a
> > > > few
> > > > narrow slivers of the phone bands.
> > > >
> > > > Jim N6OTQ
> > > >
> > > > * You need to see the inside of a Texas Star 667.*** And THEN
> > > > explore the
> > > > reasons why you can legally buy this and other Texas Star radios
> > > > legally,
> > > > and why they're all FCC type accepted.
> > > >
> > > > ** And what about the FCC's decision to add 17 CB channels in
> > 1977, a
> > > > choice that put Hy-Gain out of business at a time when we could
> > not
> > > > afford
> > > > to hemorrhage any more jobs to Japan, Inc.?
> > > >
> > > > *** And then compare THAT to the inside of an Ameritron ALS600.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > _______________________________________________
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