[Elecraft] Small HF amp suggestions

[Ray Sills]

On Nov 7, 2012, at 10:37 AM, Jack Berry wrote:

> That's a little steep for a mobile amp I think. I'm sure it's a good  
> quality amp but I only want up to 200 watts max for mobile use. I  
> may be out of touch, but I think ~$2/watt should produce a reliable  
> amp of less than 200 watts.
>
>
>
> God Bless & 73!
> Jack - WE5ST
>
HI Jack:

Well, some of those amp prices may be "steep", but designing a multi- 
band HF amp =that meets FCC specs= is not an easy task, and requires a  
number of components.  So, that adds quite a bit to manufacturing  
costs.  Not at all like common VHF amps, which are generally designed  
for one band, and can often use printed circuit elements for  
inductors, etc.  And, many of those amps are designed for FM use, and  
are not linear amps.

So, I'd expect a reasonable amp to cost a good fraction of the price  
of a rig... like 50% or more.  I'll wager that the KXPA3 will price in  
at $600 at least.  The Ten-Tec 418 is almost $800.

73 de Ray
K2ULR
KX3 #211