[Amps] Tubes vs. Solid State (was) Expert Amps 2K-FA: Any Opinions ?

Rob Atkinson ranchorobbo at gmail.com
Mon Apr 30 07:41:17 PDT 2012


>So, perhaps in our quest to make SS amps as compact as
>possible, manufacturers are placing emphasis on size rather than noise and
>high duty-cycle heat conduction properties.  By making cabinets smaller,
>compromises are made that affect performance.

that's not new.  Tube ham amps have been built tiny now since Dentron
started doing it.  The only reason is the average consumer electronics
ham wants a small quiet amp because he does not understand the reasons
why small and quiet are not a good idea.  Look at all the on-line
reviews that rave over Brand X only because it is "quiet." (often
misspelled)  If you are a commercial manufacturer and you want to make
something that will be purchased by a lot of people you do things,
even if they are stupid.  Steve Jobs knew non-technical computer users
didn't like fan noise so he tried to make a computer that was
convection cooled.  In fact most of the macs are under-cooled and have
problems because of that.

One thing possibly in favor of s.s. RF PAs is that I'd think it would
be a lot easier to put the broadband RF chassis in some remote
location, (remote meaning 15 or 20 feet away) where the fans can
really blast away.

Rob
K5UJ


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