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Reviews For: HENRY 3KD AMPLIFIER

Category: Amplifiers: RF Power - HF & HF+6M

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Review Summary For : HENRY 3KD AMPLIFIER
Reviews: 1MSRP: $1900 (1992)
Description:
Legal limit desk top amplifier
Product is not in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0015
WB1CQW Rating: 2013-06-15
WITHSTANDS THE TEST OF TIME Time Owned: more than 12 months.
In 1992 after considering all the legal limit amplifiers, I bought the Henry 3KD. I have learned that this very design was used extensively in the military and ltypically eft running all day. I came very close to buying an Alpha 87A, but at the last minute decided against it because I knew it would not be locally repairable, due to their proprietary motors and solid states modules. In retrospect, 21 years later, I am extremely glad I bought the Henry-- for several reasons. First and foremost, it puts out a very clear signal, one for which I have received countless compliments on my audio quality. Second, the single Eimac 3CX1200D7 ceramic triode tube easily puts out to this day full power and has a reputation for being indestructible. Third, the schematic contains no high tech modules and can be read and understood by any tech. Fourth, the parts are of the highest quality. In twenty plus years I have needed only two minor repairs, whch have been performed by my local commercial two-way radio shop-- staffed by hams who truly admire this amp. Their only "gripe" is that it's "constructed like a brick outhouse," so that to get to a part it's like "going through your belly button to get to your backbone," that is, not very accessible. This was the case in trying to fix a solder connection that had come loose in the 20 meter circuit. But still, any way I look at it it's a lot better to let the local boys every 10 years deal with this amp then have to pack up a trouble-prone very complicated Alpha/ RF Concepts amplifier ($7500 new in 2013) for a round trip shipping charge of about $400. Keep in mind both the big Alphas and this Henry weigh in at about 85 pounds, which costs $2-3 a pound to ship! Bottom line, I could have traded this long ago for an auto tune design, but why do that? As a practical matter with my Henry I don't have to retune at all, not unless I move to a whole different section of a band, or unless I change bands altogether. Then what's the big advantage with auto tune versus manual, tuning by peaking "tune" & "load" on a simple RF meter-- a 20 second process? And one final reason that I LOVE this Henry retro piece of iron-- that I can screw up and maybe mistune on a band and not trigger an error message on a high tech design of amp, requiring a dreaded $400 round trip to the factory.