I have a KPA500 and I love it. Fits where tube amps won't go, instant bandswitching and 500+ watts output, no touch, no tune. Makes my K3s a true 500+ watt rig.
@3:28 you can see the row of LED's all out of line and crappy looking. They remind me of my projects when I was 15 years old back in 1985.For the price they charge, Electraft could (should) do a better job.
Think about this? The K3 is a 10w radio unless you opt for the 100w PA. This modest and expensive amp needs 30 - 40w to give 500w. Well why on earth didnt Elecraft make the KPA500 output its full power with the K3 without the 100w power amplifier? So to use it, one has to have the 100w PA in the K3 with the attendant risks of over driving the KPA 500. It is the most ridiculous marketing goof I have ever seen. It doesnt even have any sort of ATU in it either.
I was hoping the K-3 would outperform my modified 75A-2, but it lacked the CW selectiviry I achieve by incorporating a Q-multiplier , standard crystal filter, mechanical filter and National Selecto-Ject tunable audio filter all simultaneously. Close but no cigar. K4OF.
Toward the end of the video he said the amp will detect transmit frequencies between 26 and 28 Mhz and that leaves out the CBers. There was also a minimum and max frequency that it will not amplify. I'm not a CB guy and I'd like this for my Kenwood TS-590SG. 73, KB0EZY
Amplifiers with that amount of amplification would be illegal to sell in the USA without having to check the license of everyone who buys one. They do exist though.
A linear amp’s design must be approved by the FCC for sale in the USA. This particular amp is designed for amateur radio operators. You can buy it without a license but you can’t use it legally without a license. However this would be true whether you were using a tenth of a watt or 1,500 watts or transmit power. You are not allowed to transmit in ham bands without a license.
So this is not for the freebanders below 28 MHz? So funny ´cos the ´led patterns look like they´re designed for them. Make this work for Freebanders and the sll bling-bling dollars will come to you
Note - I'm *not* an owner of any of this equipment, but when I was watching a video intro to the K3 Transceiver's front panel controls, it seemed that it was fairly straightforward to set a max power output for the K3's amplified - so it seems to me you'd just set the K3to 30, 35 watts, and be done with it. Now - I do *not* know if the K3 is 'smart enough' to prevent you from going higher than that when the KPA500 is connected - I'd be curious to find out.
Amplifier mortar $ 3,000, and you are not able to flush mount leds in a row? Shame!. How can you have confidence in the manufacturer? Complete amateur.
I have a KPA500 and I love it. Fits where tube amps won't go, instant bandswitching and 500+ watts output, no touch, no tune. Makes my K3s a true 500+ watt rig.
@3:28 you can see the row of LED's all out of line and crappy looking. They remind me of my projects when I was 15 years old back in 1985.For the price they charge, Electraft could (should) do a better job.
Agree totally, where was QC?
Think about this? The K3 is a 10w radio unless you opt for the 100w PA. This modest and expensive amp needs 30 - 40w to give 500w. Well why on earth didnt Elecraft make the KPA500 output its full power with the K3 without the 100w power amplifier? So to use it, one has to have the 100w PA in the K3 with the attendant risks of over driving the KPA 500. It is the most ridiculous marketing goof I have ever seen. It doesnt even have any sort of ATU in it either.
Very elegant...
I was hoping the K-3 would outperform my modified 75A-2, but it lacked the CW selectiviry I achieve by incorporating a Q-multiplier ,
standard crystal filter, mechanical filter and National Selecto-Ject tunable audio filter all simultaneously. Close but no cigar.
K4OF.
The LEDs look shoddy when you consider the price of the KPA500.
My OCD wouldn't like that.
Toward the end of the video he said the amp will detect transmit frequencies between 26 and 28 Mhz and that leaves out the CBers. There was also a minimum and max frequency that it will not amplify. I'm not a CB guy and I'd like this for my Kenwood TS-590SG. 73, KB0EZY
this features works with a kenwood TS-480 SAT.... have a swr protection???
thanks..
good job Bob, good size review
How much
Did a 6 yr old Girl put those LEDs in? 2200 bucks for 500 watt amp that wont TX on 27mhz... NO THANKS
Shouldn't use an amp on 27 mhz anyway
Someone forgot to leave room for the fan while designing it, huh?
could it do 500w with 10w(KX3) input ?
For CB cut the loop of white or yellow wire.
K4OF.
+BOB RENFRO or the Brown wire
Amplifiers with that amount of amplification would be illegal to sell in the USA without having to check the license of everyone who buys one. They do exist though.
You have to have a license to USE it not buy it. Imbecile.
A linear amp’s design must be approved by the FCC for sale in the USA. This particular amp is designed for amateur radio operators. You can buy it without a license but you can’t use it legally without a license. However this would be true whether you were using a tenth of a watt or 1,500 watts or transmit power. You are not allowed to transmit in ham bands without a license.
So this is not for the freebanders below 28 MHz? So funny ´cos the ´led patterns look like they´re designed for them.
Make this work for Freebanders and the sll bling-bling dollars will come to you
Note - I'm *not* an owner of any of this equipment, but when I was watching a video intro to the K3 Transceiver's front panel controls, it seemed that it was fairly straightforward to set a max power output for the K3's amplified - so it seems to me you'd just set the K3to 30, 35 watts, and be done with it.
Now - I do *not* know if the K3 is 'smart enough' to prevent you from going higher than that when the KPA500 is connected - I'd be curious to find out.
Amplifier mortar $ 3,000, and you are not able to flush mount leds in a row? Shame!. How can you have confidence in the manufacturer? Complete amateur.
no you can get amps with way more than that, no one cares
Yet another grossly overpriced amplifier that most hams cannot afford............. :^/
Ohh boyyy a whopping 500 watts!!!
You are an idiot.
Oh hey, turns out he gets into that in the last ~30 seconds of the video.