[Elecraft] Linear thoughts

[w7aqk]

Hi All,

I don't really have an oar in this debate, since I am 99.99% sure I won't be 
buying one--a 1500 watt linear, that is.  However, it seems to me that all 
this advice to Eric should include some reasonable estimate of what one 
would be willing to pay for it!!!  So far, I think I've only seen one such 
estimate--3 times the cost of a KPA500, which is probably a fair guess!  If 
you throw in the upgraded tuner, you are talking $7500 or so!  Wow!  $5000 
more just to gain slightly less than 1 S unit!  I like to think in terms  of 
$/S unit, rather than $/watt.  The latter seems meaningless at this level!

Well, some folks will probably spend that in a heartbeat!  I guess that's 
about what the new Flex amp everyone is talking about will cost.  If 
Elecraft could do it for much less, they may be on to something!  Still, at 
this price level, a few hundred bucks one way or another may not mean that 
much.  Nonetheless, I think we do need some feel for a price point to keep 
appetites in check.

For what it is worth, I think keeping the ATU external gives people an 
opportunity to control cost somewhat.  A big plus would be access to 
Elecraft support!

Even sitting on the sidelines this is rather fascinating!

Dave W7AQK