[Amps] Flex Power Genius XL 2KW amplifier

[Jim Thomson]

Date: Fri, 5 Oct 2018 18:23:50 -0600
From: Jim Garland <4cx250b at miamioh.edu>
To: Amps group <amps at contesting.com>
Subject: [Amps] Flex Power Genius XL 2KW amplifier

<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

##  The acom 600  and also  acom  1000  wont run qsk,and neither have a built in 2 kw rated auto tuner.
They will  kick offline asap, as soon as  swr reaches  1.5:1

##  The german made  B26 RF2K+   does  not have  QSK either, but does have an option for a built in auto tuner. 
The german amp  only has one xcvr input.... but does have  4 x ant outputs.   Apparently  they no longer use  NFB.
Amp has  33 db gain, and can be ordered with a choice of input pad, like  3-13-16 db...all  100 watt rated. They
tried the diplexer approach, like the Power genious,  but did not see any improvement in IMD, etc. Power genious comes
with an internal  400 watt dummy load for the HP  filter portion of their diplexers.   Power genius does not mention IMD,
I still dont know what it is.   IMD on the german amp is –44 db pep..at  1.5 kw out..and the amp covers  160-6m..including
warc bands.and also mars freqs. 

##  The noise on the power genius  on their u tube demo.... I can hear the fans screaming away, as soon as they start up on cw. 

##  german amp uses  one  fan for the  3 kw switching supply.... amp runs > 72 % eff in linear mode..and now comes with the
just released and newer  BLF-189XR... a pair of em. Old version was the  BLF-188XR.   One small  80mm fan used  for the
myriad of LP  filters..and also the auto tuner.
Two  120mm fans used in a push pull setup..pulling air in through the rear.   Tests  show at 1.5 kw out, the noise level is  30 dba. 
And  ambient shack noise was 20 dba.... with the 1.5 kw amp shut off.   Tester  compared that to his noisy  KPA-500   which 
measured  a whopping 50 dba  when run at  500 watts out cw. 

##  On the german amp, the 80mm fan..and the pair of  120mm fans are not included.  End user selects his own fans, depending on
selected end use... mode,  etc, and also ambient shack temp.    Regardless of which fan is used, they all speed up as heat sink hits 50 deg C. 
No where near the price tag of the other SS  offerings..and a huge bang for the buck..... but tr relays also require the aprx  15-20 20 msec operate
time..so no real qsk... not yet anyway.  They could be modified with a vac relay output and reed relay etc on the input side.     

##  Some fellow ran the german amp through a rtty  contest..with zero issues.  Others have tested on 10M  FM..and others  have tested with  AM.
The heat sink design, and decavitation  chamber and fin setup is superb..and well thought out.  They use an internal raspberry pi  processor to operate
the amp.  The raspberry pi is not included, along with the fans..since it can be procured cheaper locally..vs  shipping from germany.  Its  a no solder kit,
which requires plugging n the myriad of internal cables, installing processor board, and the 3 x fans of ur choice.   Fans are  12 vdc.   Folks have experimented 
and found which fans  provide for min noise....and max airflow.  They also installed  a spacer between the rear cab and rear fan... which further increases 
air flow.   

##  Depending on budget, and application, the german amp is one more option to consider.  It also has the SMA connector on the back apron to provide for the
now standardized.... pure signal output.... fed back to anan xcvrs... and probably other xcvrs..as  PS gets implemented with new xcvr offerings. 

     
Pricing:



-             RF2K+ Kit without Tuner                              2550,-€ 

-             RF2K+ Kit with Tuner                                   2850,-€ 

-             13dB;16dB or 3dB attenuator                        22,-€ 

-             Shipment to Canada                                      190,-€                



Above is the   quote I got for pricing.   1  euro is now  $1.15  US funds.   Aprx  $3500.00 US funds  with all options, and shipping. A bargain

for what u get.  The add in the 3 x fans + raspberry PI..which is dirt cheap . 



I believe a gigavac  GH1  spdt vac relay would easily fit in there.    U can get em In either  12  or  26.5 vdc.   GH-1  is the same as a RJ-1A ,  HC-1, etc. 

https://rf-kit.de/en/2k_Kit.php



Jim   VE7RF