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Reviews For: Beko HLV-1000 amplifier

Category: Amplifiers: RF Power - 6M/VHF/UHF+

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Review Summary For : Beko HLV-1000 amplifier
Reviews: 16MSRP: £2100
Description:
2m LDMOS 1000w amplifier with integral mains power supply
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.beko-elektronik.de/index.php?do=hlv1000
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
24.5164.9
N2SLO Rating: 2023-02-02
Good But..... Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I love this amp. I already had it out to John at Island to get fixed. I bought mine back in 2017, and used it with the Icom 9100 and Yaesu FT-736R. So, issue is the overshoot with the Ic-9100. The BEKO would shut down (great protection) due to the spike. This is a known issue with the radio. BUT, one time it didn't shut down and I had to send it out to Island amp for repair. That is basis for the "4". The 736R works great, probably because the module is only 20-25 watts, so no chance of a spike up to 100. I am interested if anybody else has this issue, with any radio. The prior poster has the 9700, interested if it also spikes.
WB6MYL Rating: 2023-02-01
A BEAST Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
First of all, I should state that if there were tube amplifiers still being made, I would have elected to go in that direction. That withstanding, the BEKO is built like a tank and the "fit and finish" is first class and you simply turn it on with one switch and it is ready to go; there are four switches on the panel: 1. power; 2. one to engage an external preamp (if available); 3. stand-by position to bypass the amp; and 4. a reset switch if the amp goes into safety mode due to over-drive power of high SWR. When I received the amp, it was disconcerting as it would go into safety mode with an SWR as little as 1.3; a call to the dealer/service center (Island Amplifier, see my separate review on same) resolved that issue. The signal is very clean and I get great reports running my 9700 to it and feeding a 13B2 beam.
A petty gripe is that at this price point ($3300 including a "transaction fee"), one would have thought and hope that a "hard copy" of a manual would have been provided, but that was not the case. Despite that, I am very happy with the amp and would purchase again. Thank you for reading and the bandwidth.
Phillip W. Harris, PhD.P.C. WB6MYL
N3XF Rating: 2020-07-23
Outstanding Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I recently bought my Beko through Island Amps. The purchase was very straight forward and all questions were answered very quickly. I received the amp via DHL air freight from Germany. Shipping is included in the price. It arrived in perfect condition, well packed and great communications via email from DHL.
The amp is a pleasure to operate. It was easy to set up once I realized it needed very little power from my ICOM 9100 to put out full power. I set the drive at about 12 watts. In the June VHF and July CQWW VHF I was able to easily work stations that never heard me in the past.
I am very happy with all phases of the purchase.
K4FX Rating: 2019-04-23
Excellent Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have had my HLV-1000 for almost one year. It is a very nice amp and it does indeed run full power on the digital modes without complaint. Unlike my past amps, both on HF, VHF and UHF would grunt and groan as they produced their output. The Beko is silent except for the cooling fans. It just sits there and chugs along. Very nice amplifier.
N5XO Rating: 2017-10-13
Amazing Amps fantastic customer service from Gerry SSB USA Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I error on the side of caution when it comes to giving my recommendation on a product or a company. I am coming up on my 2nd year of owning several BEKO Amplifiers now and can not give them or Gerry of SSB USA higher reviews.

I have been a VHF/UHF Weak Signal fanatic for some years now, and ran Henry amps for 6, 2, 1.25 and 70cm. While the Henry amps are BRUTES, they also generate incredible AMOUNTS OF HEAT AND NOISE.

Late 2015, I decided it was time to start upgrading the shack and moving to solid state amps, while I went with Alpha for 6 meters, I started looking at multiple other solutions for 2 meters and up. If you look at my shack, you will understand that cosmetics are vital to me as is performance. I talked to several manufactures, and then reached out to Gerry at SSB USA. We had over a hour long conversation and went into some very detailed discussion on the amps, what I needed, etc. I was impressed by his high level of knowledge and his effort to insure that I was getting exactly what I wanted but also needed.

When we finished our conversation I placed an order right away for three Beko Amps all putting out a very solid 1KW for 2 meters, 1.25 meters and 70cm with plans to add the 850 watt 23cm amp this coming spring.

These amps are truly professional quality amps, extremely clean signal, runs at 1KW for hours during our weekly net and morning round tables. I could not be happier with my purchase choice or the company I choose to purchase from.

With Gerry's support before, during and after the sale...I've continued to do business with him for mast mounted Pre-amps, and transverters.

Beko is not cheap, but it will be the last amplifier you will need to purchase, I have been using for just under 2 years now, and even after making several bone headed mistakes like leaving the drive power up, the fail safe circuits protected me from a very expensive repair, they never fail to deliver full power and they do so with out the generation of heat and noise.

I can not recommend the BEKO Series of Amps higher or Gerry and his support.
W0AAT Rating: 2016-06-27
Great amp! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Ordered from SSB like many others here. Great email response(and I got the match preamp, first one in the USA) as we bounced stuff back and forth on power level setup etc. It has ran many meteor scatter contact flawlessly along with the June VHF contest where is saw heavy use running full power. Also have it on EME where it runs cool and quiet!

So far it has self protected from my idiot mistakes like hitting it with 50 watts FM, forgetting the antenna was disconnected after a storm...

The matching preamp has also been a great little item. .5dbnf, plenty of gain to overcome feedline loss, powered via the coax so fewer wires up the tower to deal with during storms...
W5FH Rating: 2016-05-10
Very Pleased with Amplifier Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I had the opportunity to use an HLV-1000 for about 2 weeks. This amplifier was a newly purchased unit that belonged to a friend of mine. My friend, whom is a long time customer of, purchased the amplifier from Gerry at SSB Electronics (Mountaintop, PA). I do weak signal and tropo work on 144 Mhz and really enjoyed the convenience and performance of this amplifier. I like the built in sequencing and the remote preamp control features. This amplifier has nice quality coaxial relays built in that don't introduce loss during bypass or receive conditions. The protection circuits are good. I was impressed by the efficiency of amplifier when comparing 240 VAC draw versus power output. I will be the first to admit these amplifiers are expensive. However, consider that this piece of equipment is compact and light enough you can tuck it under your arm and carry it, that it takes up minimal room in your shack, that it sits there quietly and produces 1.0 KW of clean RF displaying it on a built-in wattmeter, plus it has well thought out sequencing and control/protection circuits that integrate well into your station. This amplifier can really spoil you! I have purchased a number of items from Gerry at SSB Electronics myself and am very pleased with how I was treated and the level of service he gives.

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Earlier 5-star review posted by W5FH on 2016-05-04

I had the opportunity to use an HLV-1000 for about 2 weeks. This amplifier was a newly purchased unit that belonged to a friend of mine. I do weak signal and tropo work on 144 Mhz and really enjoyed the convenience and performance of this amplifier. I like the built in sequencing and the remote preamp control features. This amplifier has nice quality coaxial relays built in that don't introduce loss during bypass or receive conditions. The protection circuits are good.I was impressed by the efficiency of amplifier when comparing 240 VAC draw versus power output. This amplifier can really spoil you!
KC2GOW Rating: 2016-03-31
Great amp Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
After about a month or so having this amp I have been very pleased with it so far. Have even used it to make a few EME contacts already. It runs very cool considering the power output and the fans are extremely quiet. I have it sitting on the desk and it's barely noticeable when running... If you're looking for a high power VHF amplifier then this is the one! Worth every penny and no tubes!!! 17watts of drive making 1kw out with ease...

As a side not and only because they made ordering the amp a breeze - I ordered through Gerry over at SSB Electronics and he made the entire order process a breeze. I highly recommend going through SSB to order any BEKO here in the states, I was originally looking at a few different QRO VHF amplifiers and called Gerry up to pick his brain and he is very knowledgeable about all of his products and is very easy to deal with.
K9SLQ Rating: 2016-02-27
Beko HLV-1000 is Top Quality Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This amp just sits there quietly until drive is applied and then after running T65B for several sequence at 1KW is still blowing cool air. The idot proof protection circuits for overdrive and SWR is lightning fast. Handsome design makes you want to get a 2nd to carry it's 22 lb around and show people. By now you can see I am super happy with it. Best of all I was able to get it in 4 days off shelf from Gerry K3MKZ SSB Electronic see my report on Company Reviews in the Forums
section of Ham.Net
W2RIP Rating: 2015-10-26
Superb Product !! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I bought this amplifier because I would much rather invest in a few best-of-breed products than in a larger number of mediocre ones. That having been said, this purchase is a home run. Both bench tests and on-air experience confirm that I made the right choice.

- Essentially plug-and-play after installing a US power plug.
- Rock solid in service. My unit checked out at 100% duty cycle (with unrestricted airflow) even though BEKO specs are much more conservative. Lots of margin = peace of mind.
- Light weight, including a built-in power supply.
- Thoroughly protected from faults and operator errors with fast response and an audible fault alert that will send you running for cover. (yes, it's configurable)
- Built in sequencing for mast head preamps, including coax-powered models.
- Accurate peak-power meter with immediate overdrive LED indicator. One less external meter/cables cluttering up the desk.
- Attractive, sturdy and straightforward enclosure. Clean, intuitive panel layout.
- Stackable. No fans or vents in the top. Hooray!
- Well packed for shipping, even by DHL :^)

And last but not least, SSB Electronics is a pleasure to do business with. I ordered my amp just as one was ready to be shipped for stock. Gerry contacted BEKO and they not only swapped out the input attenuator to make it a 10 watt version but they re-routed the unit to me directly. I had it in two days. That is service. Thank you Gerry!!