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| Reviews Summary for SPE Expert 1K-FA |
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Reviews: 42
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Average rating: 4.9/5
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MSRP: $3849
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Description: 1 KW Solid State Fully Automatic Linear Amplifier HF and 50Mhz
Announcement to all the U.S.A. and Canada purchasers.
Steppir Antennas is the new distributor for the for SPE Expert 1K-FA in USA and Canada
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More info: http://www.linear-amplifier.com
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W9CLA
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 2, 2009 09:14
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Great amp in a small package
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I received my SPE Expert 1K-FA last week (Series 3) just before the recent price increase to $4,050 US. I love the amp so far. It is very quiet. All the features that you want in an amp are in that very densely packed box. Mine easily runs 1KW out on my LP-100 vector watt meter. The carrying case is a really nice touch and the manual is well written. I am seriously debating the purchase of its bigger brother the 2K-FA but at nearly $9,000 US I need to think about it a bit more. There is only one downside that I see to this amp…the tuner/antenna switch and it was addressed in the new 2K-FA. You have to run four coax leads into your shack in order to benefit from the auto switching antenna selection/tuner. I don’t know about most of you but we get our fair share of lightning in the summer and by not having an auto-grounding remotely mounted antenna tuner I will have to manually disconnect all my antennas if a storm is forecasted. The other downside is that I only ran one coax line into the shack because I used a remote switch. I was not crazy about stringing three more 100 ft. runs of RG-213 from my tower base into the shack in order to use this feature.
The soon to be released 2K-FA has a remotable six position antenna switch that you can mount outside. I wish they would have done that for the 1K-FA as well. I do like the amp very much and would highly recommend it although it is a pricey amp at $4.00 US per watt.
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IK0XIH
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 19, 2009 09:25
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The perfect machine...!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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After my review of 25 Feb 08, here I come to update my experiences with this fine automatic amplifier and the very competent and fast SERVICE from SPE and particularly by the owner Mr. Scasciafratti IØZY.
After the first start difficulties on which the PA has been repaired quite after the purchase all has worked in conjunction with my rigs TS2000 and FT1000mkV giving to me the feel of owning a very automatic radio station.
As the time never knows what will be tomorrow in this last period the 1K-FA PA has been recovered at the Factory Service for 2 other times due to a broken transistor and the second time for some faulty capacitors in the tuner unit. All together the 2 repair stops have taken a few days, the whole rig has been re-checked and the costs have been taken into the rig's warranty.
During these days I had also the opportunity to talk to Mr. Scasciafratti IØZY about this fine equipment and he has given to me some more informations on the work around this small gem.
Here I must to compliment and thank all the SPE team for their fast and serious work.
I do hope to try also the new BIG BROTHER 2K-FA as it will be on the market, guessing it will have the same success around as the smaller brother.
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N7WR
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 15, 2009 19:41
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What an Amp!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Received the amp yesterday and spent the time to read the manual (comes on disk). Manual was clear and easy to understand. Followed the set up steps inputing antennas for each band and then setting the tuner for each.
First try out for the amp was in today's North American QSO Party SSB test. Ran 200 q's in one hour and the amp performed flawlessly. The fans went on in "low" and stayed there due to the rapidity of contacts. Never got high enough temp to step up to a higher speed. Fan noise on low was not excessive.
I am exciting the amp with a Yaesu FT 950. Band changes are instantaneous with the amp tracking band changes on the radio and the auto tuner doing its thing. Getting full output on all bands though its range of tuning on 160 is fairly narrow from the dipole's resonant frequency. Tunes my HF yagi (C-31XR) to a 1.1 SWR on six meters though that antenna is not designed to work on that band.
This appears to be a well designed and well built amp in a very small enclosure. The front panel read out gives lots of information about the amp's performance.
More detail later after I've had a chance to play with it a bit more.
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VK3FY
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 5, 2009 01:55
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Great Amp
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I have owned my SPE 1k-FA Version 3 for about 2 months now.
My mate and I purchased one each for the VK9NI DX-pedition which has just been completed on the 29 July 2009.
The amps performed brillantly for the entire activation. We operated on all bands from 160 - 6m
I highly recommend these amps.
They perform exactly as specified. 12,000 plus qso's on CW, PHONE & RTTY.
I gotta get another one so we have all operating positions with one.......
You will not be dissappointed.
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OH2BN
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 28, 2009 13:05
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The "Ferrari" of linear amps...
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Delivered by DHL from the SPE factory in Rome, the Expert 1K-FA (3rd Series) has now been sitting on my operating desk since late July, 2009 – long enough to warrant some early observations about its performance. One key observation is that it’s a fantastic piece of electronic engineering that prompts me to characterize the 20kg signal booster as the “Ferrari” of linear amplifiers. It is radically different from any amplifier that I have used before, starting with the front panel which looks and acts like a touchpad, with no conventional knobs or buttons to play with. Instead, you just tap away your commands after initially “programing” the amp. The very terminology suggests that the 1K-FA marks a giant leap in the development of technology since the design of my previous amp - a Yaesu FL-2100B - inasmuch as you don’t tune this thing up – you program it…
The exciter used at the moment here is a Yaesu FT-1000MP Mark-V Field and the antenna is a Hy-Gain 12-AVQ three-band vertical. Obviously, anything to beef up the signal under these circumstances is highly desirable. For over 22 years, the FL-2100B did a commendable job in this regard until the old workhorse broke down beyond repair two months ago. The twin-tube Yaesu was instrumental in enabling me to work and confirm all DXCC countries on the current Countries List. But since you never know when the next “new one” may see the light of day and be added to the List, you have to be duly prepared to enter the fray, armed to the teeth to crack the pileups…
But back to the 1K-FA. Aided by a fellow DXer (Pertti, OH2PM), the big box was carried by the two of us from a downstairs storeroom to my shack – something of a struggle for us Old Old Timers in our late sixties. Once out of the box, only the ALC and relay cables were connected between the exciter and the amp; I have no use for the CAT cable since the basic setup works beautifully without having to fool around with superfluous CAT connections.
Programing the device was quite easy as per the accompanying instruction manual (CD-ROM), and first contacts were made immediately. This beast of an amplifier runs quietly – amazingly quietly, I might add. But of course, being a heavy-duty product, it’s built to rigorous heavy-duty specifications and this means that it weighs quite a bit. Inside a robust shipping carton is another impressive carton which houses the amplifier plus the necessary cables and other additional items. No wonder the 1K-FA arrived here in perfect condition after its travel across Europe.
It is certainly a joy to operate a fully automatic solid-state amplifier such as the 1K-FA with all the modern features built into the amp.
Best wishes to the entire SPE team; I downloaded the promotional video from the company’s website, so in a way the SPE folks are now a familiar group of people to me, having seen them on that video!
73 – Jarmo, OH2BN
Helsinki, Finland
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WA8EBM
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 27, 2009 15:13
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Quiet Power
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Quietest KW amp I have ever seen. I have a QRO2500-car wash blower, PW-1-loud computer and now the Expert-can't hear anything.
Easy CAT setup. If your rig is not on the list the amp has a built in frequency counter that senses your transmit frequency. Built in antenna tuner. It is the perfect, you don't even know it's there, SSB amplifier. Digital modes should be run at half power. Use it with my K3. Wired up a CAT cable with Yaesu band data signals and it works perfectly. Under 10ma keying current so you don't have to worry about transceiver relays. ALC works perfect with the K3 negative ALC. If you run a Flex, with no ALC input, the Expert has special per band drive settings for full and half power in the Flex CAT setup. Ordered it the Monday after Dayton from SteppIR and been using it for 2 weeks now.
Lots of support on the user group. So far extremely impressed.
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UA9CDC
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 9, 2009 05:52
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Best DXpedition automatic near KW PA
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Expert 1K-FA has been in use here for almopst 2 years. Cosidering all it's features, light weight, small foot print, portability this is really the best DX-pedition near 1KW fully automatic power amp. We have used it in November 2008 CQWW CW from 8Q7DV and made almost 7000 QSO with almost 1000 on 80m alone. I am now considering purchase of another one but there were rumors that SPE is preparing 2KW version. So I will have to make a difficult choise if that is true.
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G3VCQ
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 5, 2009 03:42
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2 years on and its going just great!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have had mine now for two years and although I had a few problems with it in the beginning when the finals blew due to a short circuit and some bad soldering when it was built. As part of the fix it was upgraded to the V3 with additonal cooling etc., it even had a firmware upgrade to allow use with my FT2000, HRD and it all works a treat! (Details available on the HRD website.)
The amp has performed well in contest mode cw and SSB and travel not too bad either! Its off on its holidays shortly to J3 where it can be heard with the call J38CW! I will let you all know if Ihave any problems during the DX-pedition. 73 Colin G3VCQ/J38CW
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EA5FJF
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 29, 2009 01:15
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Great amp!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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What a joy to use! Remember, when switched off it defaults to Aerial 1, so the others are not available. I suppose I could compensate with a complex aerial switching system. Most of the time I run at half power. The difference between 5-600w and 1kW is not a lot!
I agree that it would be useful to be able to use more than just two aerials on each band, and also for the built-in ATU to correct greater mis-matches. But, what the heck, I can still only give it 5/5! Enjoy! Steve EA5FJF/G0JFM
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LA3ZPA
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 7, 2009 02:49
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I have now a 1KW rig
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I have only owner the 1K-FA MK III a some weeks now, I have verry happy with this 1KW amp.
First the size are perfect to my Icom-7700 + SP20, and colur. A supris to my, I diden't expected thar at all.
It is so nice to have this fine line off top ham equipment at a line like this.
To get the Expert on-line tok my only a few minute. The best of the best it play like a champion with my IC-7700.
The setup, to my rig and antenna was do in a blinc off a eye. To have a amp with 5 antenna out put are fantastic, I have a BigIR from 80-6m, 4L SteppIR 40-6m and a dipol 160/80m. The only restriction I have to piont a finger on only 2 antenna for same band. It is probely a software qestion to get all 4-5 antenna out put accessible to a specified band.That all so fare.
I reduse the power and the mic gain to get the ALC down to 0. The amp giv stiff 950-1187w on my Power Master on every band from 160 to 10m, on 6m 857w on my Power Master. The Expert tell a few watt morre or less compare to the Power Master frome 160-6m.
On air
I is like having a 1kw rig, band switching work like a dream, it just push a button on my 7700 and the Expert are one the band at ones. When I move up and down on 80m from 3600-3800 dx window, the Expert are on the spot at ones. On the dipol I have 2.4-2.6 in SWR in the DX window, the Expert are verry quik, I have to see that the tuner on the Expert 1K-FA are better then the tuner on the Ic-7700, so that are a godt contribution to my shack. The first 10minuts off the QSO the the Expert are so quiet, that my lap top make more noise than the Expert, not to bad, when the temp on the Expert are 70C the fan speed increase, and the noise are more conspicuous. I dont fine this as a problem, even the Expert are few cm from my IC-SP20 mic.
After I have adjust the ALC,drive,power and mic level on the rig, tancks to my lockal Ham(LA8IG,LA8IY) the setup sound Q5 and my band wide wase verry narrow even on 1KW output.
Fore my personal I will not splatter , and take more bandwidth than nesserery. Clare and crespy sonund with as norrow bandwith are my goal, and the Expert are clarly a amp to give my this goal.
I find the half out put verry good when proportion are not to bad, just punch the power button, verry comfortable. I comfortable are the main ting with the Expert 1K-FA.
I have tested manuel tube amp like the Alpin 100 in many contest the last 2 yers, nice amp but a anoder leagua when the come to comfortable, band swithing. Size are a diffrent story, the Expert are the size off 2x SP-20, not bad.
I hope the Expert will serve my year to come.
73 de LA3ZPA
Ronny
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