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write your own review of the Commander HF-2500.
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NL7FK
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 21, 2008 21:44
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I traded down, NOT!!!
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I thought I would be trading down when I went from an Alpha 99 to the Commander 2500. Boy, was I mistaken. I thought the Alpha was a tank but the Commander is a tank on steroids! Can you say Quality with a capital Q?
It is not the prettiest thing in the shack. It does not have any fancy leds, small meters, or mamby pamby fancy writing on the front but if one is looking for nothing short of total brute force then this amp is it.
On 75 meters 27 - 30 watts into this baby produces a whopping 1500 watts out of commanding power with loads of headroom out of the two 3CPX800's. It is quiet and no clanking relays to contend with. Tuning is by the numbers and once learned it is a breeze to turn in a matter of seconds. The controls are smooth and a flip of the band switch proves that this is a REAL AMPLIFIER.
The quality of the internal components will shock you for an amplifier at this price point. I have owned numerous legal limit amps during my radio career and this gem stands head and shoulders above any of them.
This amp is a keeper. If you want to buy mine it can be purchased at my estate sale.....
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WC4R
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 4, 2008 15:39
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A lifetime keeper
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I can't add much to what other HF2000 owners have said. This is a top-of-the-line standard that amps are measured by.
I got mine from a SK in May 2004. He bought it from the original owner in Nov. 1997. The amp was built in April 1996.
Here it is over 12 years later and it still runs like new with the original Eimac tubes. Loafs along at 1500w with 40 watts drive.
I did return the amp to Pat three years ago for a bad relay. Pat was great to work with and the turnaround was fast.
Now Palstar owns Command Technologies and I hope they continue with the quality and value tradition that is expected from the Command name.
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4Z5NU
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 30, 2008 03:14
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Like riding on the wild beast !
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've owned my HF2500 for little over 2 yrs. The model is original HF-2500 with two standard 3CX800A7. Purchased second hand with two spare tubes and in good visual and working condition. With My A4S and this PA finaly can achieve amazing DX performance in huge pile-up battles.
For Me this is very successful commercial amplifier. Build like a tank.
When tuning, I try never exceed 10mA of grid current, 700 mA plate current to get approx. 1kW avg. clean output power in to antenna.
This amp a true beast, so ride careful and enjoy.
Greetings, with regards,
73 from 4Z5NU, Dov.
http://www.qrz.com/4z5nu
http://ric.cqham.ru/bigphoto.php?c=4Z5NU
http://hamcall.net/call?callsign=4Z5NU
http://www.qrz.ru/callsign.phtml?callsign=4z5nu
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W5UDX
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 14, 2008 08:45
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New owner is top notch
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I am the first one to experience Command Technologies new owner, actually I had ordered the amp from Pat Stein, but got to meet Dan Simmonds in the process and let me tell you, he is AWESOME to deal with. I know how hams think when companies change hands but my experience was nothing but the best from both Dan and Pat. Every question asked was answered right away with Dan. Quality is a big issue with Dan and so is his attention to customer service; those two things are what makes a company almost rare today. Dan has a great tower company; AN Wireless and I know he will make Command Technologies, one of the best amplifier companies around. As far as the amp goes, it's top notch, works perfectly in every way, built like a tank. It does 1500 watts with low drive and its very clean, the main reason I went with the more expensive 3cpx800 vs. the 4cx800 witch I found out that supply is drying up. This amplifier is one of those things you buy for life. I have several friends that have had the commander for 10+ years and they are still running them today on a daily basis and still love them. If you are looking for a legal limit + amp with the quality and customer service you would expect from a great company and owner, Command is the right choice.
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K2MK
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 14, 2008 14:08
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Excellent craftsmanship with power to spare
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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The Command Technologies “Commander HF-2500” is a fine amplifier. But there are many high quality full legal limit amps available and making a purchase decision is not easy. The things that influenced me were:
“Had to be a tube amp and preferably ceramic tubes”
The eHam reviews for the solid-state Quadra, PW-1, and THPs are impressive but they are still sprinkled with the occasional comment of blown finals. I think tubes are more forgiving.
“Had to be made in the USA”
I wanted to be able to ship it back to the manufacturer at a reasonable cost if a failure occurred.
“QSK was not a prime consideration”
There is no available QSK option for this amp. I felt that I could live without it. You might feel differently.
“A built in antenna tuner and autotune capabilities were not requirements”
Both of my antennas are better than 2:1 SWR so a tuner was not required. And when I make a band change I don’t have to be transmitting milliseconds later. I don’t mind taking 5 to 10 seconds to change the amplifier settings for a new band.
“Had to be in a manageable weight range for this old timer”
The shipping weight is about 75 lbs total (in two boxes). And either the amplifier or the transformer on its own is easily lifted by one person. Once unpacked I would estimate the chassis at about 25-30 lbs and the transformer at about 35-40 lbs.
“Price had to be competitive”
The price was very competitive and Pat uses Eimac tubes instead of the Svetlana tubes used in the competition’s amplifiers. I felt I was getting better quality for less money.
“Lastly, it had to be new”
I have no luck with used equipment. I wanted a virgin amplifier that I could screw-up on my own and that would be protected with a full manufacturer’s warranty.
Contacting Pat Stein and ordering is a breeze. I called quite often and he always answered on the first or second ring. Sometimes he was in the car and had to call back which he did. The delivery schedule, however, is a moving target. These amplifiers are built to order, they are not sitting on a shelf. So be prepared to be patient or plan on ordering your amplifier elsewhere.
Shipment was perfect. Pat used DHL and the two boxes were extremely well packed and protected. Installation of the transformer and tubes is straight forward although you will need to slide the amplifier towards the end of your work bench or desk so that you can fit nuts and washers for the transformer on the underside of the chassis. Also you must remove both the top and bottom chassis covers for transformer installation. So you will need to flip the unit around both before and after the transformer is installed. Pat uses stainless steel socket head machine screws to hold the cabinet together. He sends along a small 5/64” allen wrench but it is much easier if you have a T-handle allen wrench. A 5/64” T-handle hex key is under a dollar from McMaster Carr. A small awl is useful to help line up the occasional stubborn hole.
Tune up is a breeze, however, I prefer to use the technique suggested by KK5DR. Pat’s technique described in the manual requires a bit more dexterity than I possess. KK5DR suggests dipping plate current with the tune control and peaking RF output with the load control. Then back off counterclockwise a bit on the load control (over-coupling). With the HF-2500 that yields a full 1500 watts output with a grid current of only 30 to 40 ma. I made an Excel chart with the tune and load settings and exciter output for each band (Pat provides filled-in and blank charts). Now when I change bands I just preset the tune and load controls (calibrated from 5 to 95 with 95 hash marks) and adjust my transceiver output power using my external power meter with the amp in standby. That takes about 2 seconds of a 20 to 40 watt carrier either to your antenna or to your dummy load. Then flip from standby to operate and go. There’s no need for any high power transmission until you’re ready to key the rig. No QRM. The process takes less than 10 seconds.
The amp is very clean. The insides are pristine. The outside is very clean, not flashy, just purely functional. There is a flip-down bail if you want to tip up the front panel. The band switch is labeled 160 through 10 with no indication for the WARC bands. Use the 15 meter position for 17 meters and the 10 meter position for 12 meters. The amplifier does not operate on 30 meters. Also, you will need an external wattmeter. The amplifier does not have its own power meter.
I e-mailed Pat for help with the ALC adjustment. Even at the minimum ALC setting it was limiting my FT-1000D to only 40 watts output. Pat had me add a parallel resistance between the center conductor and shield of the ALC cable which solved the problem. I think I ended up with a 10K resistor. But Pat will be the first to tell you that the high speed protective circuitry in the amplifier will protect your investment even if you don’t use ALC feedback. I e-mailed another time about a minor issue and received a quick phone call from Pat with a resolution.
I’ve had no problems with TVI. Just a little audio pick up on my wife’s computer speakers in the next room. Easily solved with a split ferrite bead on the speaker line.
I’m very happy with my purchase and would highly recommend the Commander HF-2500 to anybody looking for a tube type full legal limit amp. And of course you get 1500 watts out for only 30 to 40 watts in. And that includes RTTY.
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W8SPM
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 19, 2008 18:22
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Great
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Ordered my HF-2500 in January and got it a few days ago ! Very easy to tune and runs very quiet!
Pat Stein answered all my questions and spent a good bit of time with me on the phone during the process!
I feel like Commander Amps are the premier products on the market using Eimac tubes ! If you in the market for either a VHF-HF Amplifier Check these out and read the reviews on e-ham about the Commander Products and your decision will be very easy!
W8SPM-Sam Maze in WV
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N1FLH
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Rating: 5/5
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May 3, 2008 05:13
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great amp!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I love the Amp but I just started having an issue with the warm up period. works fine on all bands but 80 mtrs. sometimes it takes twice as long for the green light to come on and other times I have to switch the band switch to 40 and the light will come on. has anyone have an idea what could be wrong? Iv already cleaned the band scitch.
Thanks
Marty
N1FLH
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NJ1X
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 22, 2008 07:52
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12 + years and going great
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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After researching all the amplifiers on the market, I decided that the HF-2500 was my best choice. It is easy to operate and when there's a DX pileup in there, I don't have to "wait in line" for the DX station to come back to me.
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WS8RM
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 24, 2008 06:58
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10+ years and still ticking
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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One of the few things that I've bought and really have not had to think much about - in terms of problems.
10+ years and still ticking with the same tubes.
I almost run "QRP" = 22 watts into the amp, every night on 75m, getting abt 1000+ out and not a problem.
I had to replace the solid state switch and bulbs, (Pat gave me both at no charge) but that was it. Not bad for 10 years of service.
Wayne
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W2EH
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 7, 2007 08:51
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9 GOOD YEARS OF SERVICE
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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After nine years of constant use the only part I needed to replace was one of the solid state switches on the primary and the voltage divider resistors in the metering circuit. After a spectacular billow of smoke from the chassis, a little cleaning, a $35 part was all it needed. The carbon resistors in the metering circuit drift over years and were replaced with film resistors. The Eimac 3cx800a7's have not been abused and still deliver the legal limit on any band. I can't complain, great design by Pat Stein, superior components throughout.
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