[Amps] SS Amps are expensive...why?

[Stan Gammons]

I see the W6PQL amp kit came up in this thread. Does anyone here have 
that amp?  I haven't priced all of it out, but it looks like it cost 
about the same as other kits. Does the W6PQL HF SS amp perform any 
better/worse than the other HF SS amps?


73

Stan
KM4HQE


On 1/25/19 12:54 PM, George Fremin III wrote:
>> On Jan 25, 2019, at 12:21 AM, Bob Wilson, N6TV <n6tv at arrl.net> wrote:
>>
>> On Sun, Jan 20, 2019 at 1:05 PM Lee Buller <k0wa at swbell.net> wrote:
>>
>>> Why are solid state amps so expensive?  Even the kits are lots of
>>> dollars.   What makes them so?
>>> Lee
>>>
>> Well, one must also consider the effects of inflation.
>
> I will contend that they are not much different in price than tube amps.
>
> Lets take inflation out of it.
>
> You can compare prices with current amps.
>
>
> Elecraft KPA-1500 - Amp and Auto Antenna tuner 1500 watts  $6000
> Full auto no tune amp
>
> Acom 2002A - full auto tune amp 1500 watts   $6500
>
>
> RF-Kit - Solid State amp with or with out tuner   Last I looked it was in the $3000 - $3500 range
> This amp is a kit. But not that much of a kit   1500 watts
> This has a computer and a microprocessor in it to do all sorts to
> monitoring and control
>
> Ameritron AL-1500 1500 watts     $3500  or more if you get the Eimac tube
> Simple amp - manual tune
> no microprocessers
>
> Ameritron ALS-1300 - 1200 watt amp   $2500
> Simple solid state amp
> No tuner not micro processor
>
>
> Ameritron ALS-1306 - 1200 watt amp   $3150
> Simple solid state amp
> No tuner not micro processor
> Has 6 meters
>
>
> I think that there is a market for a LDMOS amp that is dead simple.
> Thank AL-1500 but with LDMOS.
> No built in tuner
> No microprocessor
> Control and protection circuits that are like the W6PQL amp control board.
> http://w6pql.com/amplifier_control_board.htm <http://w6pql.com/amplifier_control_board.htm>
> And it would sale for the same or maybe even less than an AL-1500 amp.
> I was thinking of building an amp like this for my own use.
> And I did for 432.
> But in the end - used tube amps are showing up at good enough prices that it made sense for me to buy some
> used auto tune tube amps.   Tube amps are getting harder and harder to sell.
> They will keep working - tubes last a long time.
> At some point I might move to solid state. Maybe by then I will be buying some used
> Solid state version of an AL-1500 or a used Elecraft or whatever other cool solid state amp shows up
> on the market in the coming years.  There will be many more of these showing up in the years to come.
>
> —
> George
> K5TR
>
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