[Elecraft] KPA800 @ $2.8k: count me in/out

[VR2BrettGraham]

N6XI added:

>I don't think the Elecraft amp is targetting the budget end of the
>market. You can't do that with a solid state amp - tubes are still a
>decidedly cheaper way to go high power. This amp is really two
>separate products - a very light, yet high quality expedition amp and
>a state-of-the-art, full power, fully automated home station amp
>capable of "SO2R1A." (That's running two transceivers with a single,
>time-shared amp.) I believe it will be competing initially in a field
>of one in both categories.

Perhaps out-of-the-box field-of-one.

A transfer relay & a little band switching logic can make any
solid-state amp suitable for SO2R1A - just watch the duty cycle.

Full power, of course, is somewhat relative - for much of the world
market, many existing solid-state amps are already somewhat like
Alphas - capable of a number of dB more than one is allowed & not
break a sweat.

Amplifiers are products where I have felt the multiplier from BOM
to MSRP is hard to justify, as there is little room for adding apparent
value.  One of these is output matching - after years of driving my
Ten-Tec 420E (export Hercules II) into ugly loads, I'm tempted to
say I wish Elecraft current-limited the transistors too & not add
cost to the product for something not exactly necessary.  Or, since
the K2 is like this, could it be that any fancy output matching is an
option one could leave out?  Wish we knew more.  Between now &
Dayton the design will not change if the product is to go into
production soon.  A frustrating little tease for those who are right
now in the process of, or could be induced into making a purchase
decision.  ;^)

73, VR2BrettGraham