[Elecraft] FW: [cwops] merger of Alpha and Ten Tec

[Richard Solomon]

Wait until the SPE 1.3K-FA comes out, 16.5 lb's, built-in Antenna Tuner.
If the price is right and it should be between the 1K and 2K, they should
sell a boatload of them.

73, Dick, W1KSZ


On 5/12/2014 11:25 AM, Stephen Bloom wrote:
> Hope it isn't bad etiquette to send this to two email lists
>
>   
>
> I've thought that ExpertAmps and Elecraft should consider some type of
> working agreement.  I have a K3 and 2K-FA that play very well together .very
> nice for QSK, though I did buy the amp with the after market vacuum relay),
> pretty similar to the way the K3 and KPA500 do.  A long time ago Elecraft
> protopyed a single tube KPA-1500 but I think that project died.  Frosty
> K5LBU ..the American Distributor for SPE puts together a lodge safari type
> operation in Africa every year (last year it was 3D2A, this year I think it
> will be 7P7 or 7Q7) and they pair K3's and 1K-FAs and 2K-FAs.
>
>   
>
> 73
>
> Steve KL7SB
>
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> From: cwops at yahoogroups.com [mailto:cwops at yahoogroups.com]
> Sent: Monday, May 12, 2014 8:46 AM
> To: k6rb at baymoon.com
> Cc: cwops at yahoogroups.com
> Subject: RE: [cwops] merger of Alpha and Ten Tec
>
>   
>
>    
>
> Hmmmmm.....if one had to, this merger would be hard to judge. IMO, since the
> demise of Al Kahn, Ten Tec has been sliding downhill. Since Al's departure,
> Ten Tec really has not produced anything new or innovative. I still have
> three Omni 6+ rigs and one of the Corsair II, both of which I think have
> excellent receivers. I owned a couple of their amplifiers and they were both
> good and reliable. I now own an Alpha 9500 which is proving to be a real
> workhorse amp. I am fortunate since switching from the Alpha 8510, which was
> troublesome, to the 9500 , to not really have to utilize their tech support
> again. Ten Tec's tech support was what I would call less than stellar but
> you eventually could get some help from them. My impression, especially now
> with Elecraft available, Ten Tec was slowly sliding down the hill. With
> Alpha showing very slow design capability, in terms of their automatic
> tuner, they are not very attractive either. Both companies probably could be
> excellent for the hobby IF they could acquire some management who were
> capable of looking forward. I just hope we don't lose either one of them!
>
>   
>
> 73,
>
> Tom - W4BQF
>
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: cwops at yahoogroups.com [mailto:cwops at yahoogroups.com]
> Sent: Monday, May 12, 2014 12:11 PM
> To: cwops at yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [cwops] merger of Alpha and Ten Tec
>
>   
>
> I'm still on the fence about this one. I have owned both companies'
>
> products. I had a Ten-Tec OMNI D, two Centurions, and a Titan. I still own
> an Alpha 87A.
>
>   
>
> In the early 1980s, when I bought the Ten-Tec OMNI D I thought it was a very
> good transceiver. With regard to my amplifiers, though, the Titan and one of
> the Centurions both developed power transformer shorts and it was expensive
> to fix them.
>
>   
>
> I have had very good service, so far, from my Alpha 87A. But...I'm not so
> sure the 9500 is an improvement over the 87A, or so I've heard. The 87A uses
> pin diodes and is relatively quiet. The 9500 uses relays and is relatively
> noisy. Both use vacuum tubes.
>
>   
>
> >From my perspective (opinion, not necessarily fact), Elecraft is the most
> innovative ham company; and SPE has succeeded in designing the 2K-FA
> solid-state amplifier that has nearly a 5 out of 5 eham rating.
>
>   
>
> In my perfect ham world, Elecraft would make a 1.5 KW solid-state
> KPA-500-like amplifier. My station would become a K3/P3 and 1.5 KW all
> Elecraft station (actually a pair in SO2R). I'm not sure Elecraft will make
> that 1.5 KW amplifier. So, it's a question about whether a pair of K-lines
> in SO2R would be sufficient for me. There is also the possibility that I
> would get a 2K-FA (W9KNI loves his).
>
>   
>
> So, getting back to the merger, I'm sure it makes economic sense to
> merge...but I'm not so sure I would consider it a marriage of two companies
> who have been and continue to be state-of-the-art ham product makers.
>
>   
>
> You may see it differently, of course, and that's what makes things
> interesting.
>
>   
>
> 73,
>
> Rob K6RB
>
>   
>
> PS: See you in Dayton
>
>   ! ;
>
>   
>
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