[Elecraft] KPA500 Combiner

[Richard Solomon]

There is a market for a 1,000 or 1,500 watt Solid State Amp, with 
Autotuner,
that covers 160 through 6 and doesn't cost $10 Grand. You could sell a lot
of them if they were priced at $4K or under. With todays LDMOS devices,
that is a doable target price.

73, Dick, W1KSZ


On 3/3/2014 10:39 AM, Vic Rosenthal K2VCO wrote:
> My thought is that connecting two standalone amplifiers, each with its 
> own protective circuits, bias supplies, etc. with a combiner is kludgy 
> and likely to lead to problems.
>
> Now the KPA1500 prototype -- that was neat.
>
> On 3/3/2014 9:33 AM, David Gilbert wrote:
>>
>> I really don't find those kinds of generalizations very constructive ...
>> or accurate.  LOTS of hams live where putting up an additional kilobuck
>> worth of aluminum is out of the question due to space or neighborhood or
>> aesthetic considerations.   An extra 3 db of transmit power can make a
>> noticeable difference for them without violating those other
>> considerations, especially if their local noise levels are low on
>> receive.  Whether that is worth $1K to them will vary from ham to ham.
>>
>> Besides, for many hams who already have decent antennas on a decent
>> tower, it would probably take considerably more than $1K to get that
>> extra 3 db out of more aluminum.
>>
>> Lastly, if you don't think an extra 3 db can represent a significant
>> improvement on HF, check out http://www.ab7e.com/weak_signal/mdd.html
>> Anybody who is an active contester or DXer on HF will often find that
>> extra 3 db useful in a pileup.
>>
>> 73,
>> Dave   AB7E
>
>