[Elecraft] [OT] Off Shore RF amplifiers

[rick jones]

First of all, I'm NOT entertaining purchasing one, I'm happy with my 100W K3. I've been away from the hobby for a while and I'm catching up on a few things. I'm noticing quite a few add on amplifiers targeting the portable crowd on the auction site. Most are originating from China. Many show an internal picture and I do not see any obvious forms of LP filtering. Is it legal to run one of these amps without FCC acceptance? If the answer is "no" then is an effort being made to educate people why these amps may be causing harm to the airwaves (in the test question pool, for instance)? Hams, being a notoriously thrifty lot, may be attracted to the low price but may not be aware of, or have the ability to monitor their own signals. I'm not trying to stir up any wars, I'm simply curious about the proliferation of cheap equipment of questionable quality control and if there has been a noticeable change to the bands over the years.