[Elecraft] KW Amp Prices

[DYARNES at aol.com]

In a message dated 4/25/2005 9:15:57 PM US Mountain Standard Time,  
w7is at intergate.com writes:

The  least expensive of the lot is the new Tokyo Hypower
HL2KFX at around $2600  plus $330 shipping.  Its a bare
bones KW amp at 54 lbs with its built  in switching power supply.
If you add a KW autotuner to the combination,  the price starts
to get up near the $4000 range.  Very few in the  hobby can afford it.
So there is a very limited prospect for sales unless  the price could
be kept below 3K.   Here is the web link for a  very interesting amp.





Although I can afford it, they will play "H E double toothpick" selling me  
one at anything close to that price--probably at any price.  Amps are, in  my 
view, the most overpriced pieces of gear in the hamshack.  If you spend  one 
tenth of that amount sprucing up your antenna system you will get more  benefit. 
 The worst thing that ever happened to ham radio was when they  allowed 
amplifiers that run more power than the local commercial radio  station.  The U.K. 
allows, I think, a maximum of 400 watts---or is that  Australia?  Anyway, 
that's plenty!  From that level, the most you can  improve your signal is about 1 
"S" unit--unless you cheat!  Anything more  than a couple hundred watts just 
creates QRM--it becomes brute force  rather than technique!  Obviously I'm 
spitting in the wind, but I just  don't see the fun of running that much power.  
In truth, I'm just a tad  disappointed that a company, which has such strong 
roots in lower power  equipment and innovation, finds it necessary to jump into 
the QRO market.   I realize that everyone has to make a living somehow, but 
the incredible talent  in that company could seemingly be much better utilized 
in a thousand other ways  than amps.  I can only conclude that the markup must 
be phenominal!
 
Dave W7AQK