| HB9IJC |
Rating:  |
2022-11-13 | |
| OM2000+ with touch screen |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
| I'm very happy with this amplifier. I have the new touch screen version. Output power factory limited to 2400W. Changed the hidden menu setting to 1000W in order to limit to full legal limit in Switzerland and by the way avoid to burn my R8 traps. Absolutely no overheat and really quiet versus my Ameritron. |
|
| F6EML |
Rating: |
2022-08-10 | |
| very nice amplifier |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Hello ,
I am very satisfied with this amp. I now total 771 hours of use, stand-by and qso. I have 2 small anomalies which may be due to my inexperience:
1 / difficult to obtain 1.5 kW for the 50 MHz band with the dummy load because the Grid current increases rapidly,
2 / there are 30 faults in the Faults table, which updates, but only 13 warnings in the Warnings table, which no longer updates, I think.
Does someone have an idea ?
Thank you very much ,
Michel .
ps: by mistake I deleted my previous review!
Hello , sad news today ,
After switching on the amplifier, without switching to transmission, the mains power supply to the apartment has tripped. After restarting, the following message is displayed "soft start error", I put a new resistor R2 of 18 ohms, it cut again, but the associated fuse F3 of 250 mA is still intact and therefore useless.
To my great regret, I got rid of it, too complicated to repair.
If I decide on a new purchase, I will change supplier, because the power used for 4 1/2 years has always been only 500 W AVG,
73 |
|
| KO1C |
Rating: |
2022-04-11 | |
| VERY Solid Amplifier!! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Update to my previous reviews:
Owned 14 months+.
Still running perfectly. 20 watts in gives me around a KW out.
===============================
I had antenna problems here and I was off HF for two months. Just got everything sorted out and turned the amp on, last use was on 3.933. I went to 3.933 just now, it was STILL perfectly tuned after two months of being turned off and not used.
4/3/2021 Review ==========================
I bought my amp new from Array Solutions.
Amp is easy to tune, on 80 meters 25 watts gets me full legal according to my Telepost LP-700.
I use this amp a LOT on a net I check into on 80 meters, I always check the tune, it never changes.
I have not checked it on 6 meters but I would be VERY surprised if didn't do full legal +.
Jay at Array Solutions and Tibi at OM Power answer any questions ASAP, GREAT support!
Amp is quiet.
VERY glad to have it in my shack.
|
|
| K4TOR |
Rating: |
2022-02-09 | |
| Excellent Amplifier |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Have had the new version of the 2000+, with new touch screen, for a while now. This is a very compact, stout, full legal limit amplifier, running the FU728F. When I say legal limit, it means it is just loafing along at legal limit, with around 25W drive.
Very intuitive touch screen, which is fully customizable, with all the information you'd need.
There is a slew of safety features incorporated in the amplifier:
- VSWR too high
- Anode current too high
- Anode voltage error
- Screen current too high
- Screen voltage error
- Grid current too high
- Grid voltage error
- Heating voltage error
- Mistuning of power amplifier
- Temperature to high
It is not too noisy. Have been running it for hours on end, and the blower, which I have set on temp control, stays at the same speed. I have never heard it having to increase blower speed.
Easy to tune on all bands, no fuss. This amplifier is beautifully made, very nice cabinet, love the touch screen. |
|
| ON7OFF |
Rating: |
2021-10-04 | |
| Fantastic amplifier! |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I have a Henry 2KD Classic amplifier. One day, one of the capacitors failed which I repaired later. So what amplifier should I buy? Solid state or tube? A lot of research revealed that the solid state are easier but tend to fail. I consider this technology not yet as being perfect, so I decided to buy an OM 2000+ as my backup. Let me tell you, it became my main amplifier. The amplifier is absolutely the best purchase I have made in years. It is rock solid, has enough securities built in, so you cannot destroy the amplifier with a bad SWR, wrongly positions band switch or when you forgot to turn down the input power of your radio to the amplifier.
The OM power works fine with about 40 Watts in. You can have a maximum input 55 Watts, but then the amplifier might go into security if you happen to pronounce a vowel too long in your speech in SSB. A long "euuuuh" might just trigger the amplifier into fault mode.
The only thing that is a bit frustrating is the 210 seconds warm up time. If you happen to urgently need the power, you have to be patient. But this has nothing to do with OM power. It has to do with the tetrode tube technology.
I get about a solid 1.5kw ~ 1.8kw out on all bands measured on my external Diawa cross needle meter. It will run perfectly with an swr up to 2.0. But when you run it to it's limits (SWR of 2.5), it will trigger the fault mode.
This amplifier will run smoothly if you are looking at a average power of 1.2kw. Tuning is relatively easy. I have added some stickers with arrows on the tune and load dials with the settings for the different bands. By adding these stickers I just have to reposition the tune and load. No need to retune the amplifier again to find the optimal position of the tune/load. You only have to go in the middle of the band. This position will cover basically the entire band.
The communication with OM power was top notch. They are very helpful and will reply quickly to any questions. The only way I communicated with them was by email.
The amplifier is not too noisy. The fan noise level can be compared with the level of noise you get of a microwave oven. There are two levels of fan noise. The low speed and double/high fan speed. The high fan speed only happens at very heavy use and is much noisier. It might be disturbing as it you might have to increase the volume of your radio. But the high fan speed is only turned on for a very short period of time (about 30 seconds). Then it switches off when the temperature has gone down to acceptable levels.
The shipping was delayed at the purchase due to high demand and production issues during the covid pandemic. But that was understandable. OM power even gave me a 100 euro discount because of this reason. Thank you!
The cross needle power indicator is a little generous. My Daiwa seems to be less generous and the power indicated is what I measure on the external Daiwa meter. While the power on the cross needle of the amplifier tends to be another 200 to 300 watts higher.
Which one is more accurate? I have no idea. The digital power indicator of the amplifier matches the built in cross needle power meter.
OM power told me the maximum continuous duty power is about 600~800 watts. Continuous duty is the maximum recommended power when keying up in FM/AM with continuous carrier for one day without having any permanent damage to the tubes.
I haven't used the amplifier on 160 meter or 6 meter, because I don't have any antenna's for these bands.
Just be aware the amplifier is generating a lot of heat. So it will be able to warm up a room in the winter time if you doing a contest!
I can recommend these amplifiers to all of the hams. I rank the OM power amplifiers higher in quality than the ACOM amplifiers. OM power amplifiers are the rolse royce in the current amplifier market at a very acceptable price. |
|
| N2RRA |
Rating: |
2021-04-03 | |
| Not perfect, but incredible amp. Compare to my Alpha. |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I’d give this amp a 4.7 to a 4.8 if I could, but being close to a 5 star figured it’s close enough. When purchasing this amp used I should’ve done an internal inspection of this amp, but I didn’t. This thing still chugged along with four resistors on the blocking cap side cooked and the door knob capacitor at the coil of the anode side showing signs of wear. The solder was melted right off the tube strap on both ends so the amp would get really hot reaching temperatures up to 75°C peaking 80°C. I for some reason had to change the transformer tap as well from 240V to 230V in order to maintain proper heater filament voltage and plate voltage. Not sure why that is, but it now works as should with replacing resistors and door knob cap showing proper readings. For some reason ceramic disc cap at F4 on logic board A shorted, but with all the protection circuits with more fuses through out the amp than I can count protected everything like a champ. Since replacing the ceramic disc cap with a slightly larger one thanks with some help from a great guy and tech Dave who found the problem this amp is awesome.
Comparing to my Alpha in protection circuits it’s up to par. I feel tuning process is the only thing that’s left to be desired in comparison to my Alpha. I find that it comes off tune sometime’s after a while in use so I check it every once in a while. Once you tune an Alpha like mine you never ever have to worry about coming out of tune. You can come back two days later and just key full bore and it’s locked in. Not the same with the OM POWER, but not a big deal I guess. Should also never assume and check your tune anyway. The Alpha put’s that worry to rest cause the panel reassures you you’re still tuned. With the OM Power you need to TX a carrier cause the front panels tune circuit moves around to erratic to know unless you TX a continuous carrier. It’s all preference I guess. The tuning process is also very sensitive so you have to be super careful. The Alpha is more forgiving and stable. Both have the same type of tuning procedure so once you owned either purchasing an ACOM would be no different of operation.
The biggest advantages to the OM power is the three different displays that you can custom tailor to your liking. The three antenna ports in the rear also make it nice to run three resonant antennas with ease which is a great feature. It is slightly smaller and much lighter due to the fact the transformer is a terroid and smaller and it is a single tube versus a pair of tubes like my Alpha. Fits nicely on a desk. If everything is working as it should the way my 0M power amp is working the amp on regular rag chews will and should never go above 40 to 50°C. If you are DX chasing, or contesting it should not go over 60°C. If it does the amps blower fan automatically goes into high mode and the blower well literally cool things down within seconds. The CFM‘s in this thing is incredible.
Main reason for the purchase of this amp was for 6m operations which does beautifully at full legal limit. There are other features in this amplifier that is absolutely awesome, but pretty much in a nutshell this is my review and if you should ever purchase an OM power amp I think you will probably be pretty happy.
73 |
|
| ZL1BBW |
Rating: |
2020-12-08 | |
| My 1st brand new amp. |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I had been gearing up to build a new amp to replace my L4B. But in the end decided to go with a new new amp.
Their is a large choice out there, but the consensus in ZL was that OM Power represented good value.
As a predominately cw operator, the 2000+ fitted the bill nicely.
Ordered direct from OM power, they were really great at answering my questions. Delivery was so easy, got a tracking number and followed it across the world, until it arrived in Auckland, had pre paid Customs so that was no issue, then it disappeared for a few days, next thing a pickup outside the house with it in the back, we live in a rural area. Packaging was superb.
Its a small but quite heavy amp, on the desk and got it going, its generally quiet, the cooling is good, tend to use the extra fan now in the summer to keep the temp well down.
Tuning is a snap, you get a preloaded chart to kick off from and that will get you going, I have noted all the sweet spots for my operation and its just a matter of turn the dials and off we go.
Its made my CW operation really enjoyable, I dont like so called QSK, but its great on that anyway, on short semi breakin its fantastic. My few QSO's on SSB have confirmed it good there as well.
Had to have a separate 240v 20 amp feed run into the shack, the normal 240v plug feed was just not up to it.
To sum up, its everything and much much more than I hoped for.
Was sad to see the L4B go, but it went to a good home as did my previous HB amps using 2 x 4-400's. |
|
| N9CHM |
Rating: |
2020-11-27 | |
| Excellent, small/lightweight for a legal limit+ tube amp |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I've had several dozen legal limit amps in the last 44yrs, and now have an OM Power 2000+. I decided on this amp for several reasons. 1) my main reason is its small size, no need to remove/install Xfmer, lightest legal limit amp on the market at 53#, 2) handles small SWR changes with ease (up to 2.4:1) with zero issues, 3) does 6M, 4) legal limit all day with 700W head room (23-24W in = 1500W out).
The OM2K tunes really fast, like tuning an ACOM, tuning indicator shows you when you find the right load, once set, going back to the pre-sets is spot on. The power out on tune up is very close to what my PowerMaster meter says, although while in operation, the internal watt meter on the amp shows average power, so I just ignore it and watch the PowerMaster for peak power out. The ACOM amps (as well as the Palstar & SPE Expert SS amps) showed more power out on the internal watt meter (several hundred watts higher at full power) than what the external PowerMaster showed due to internal metering of those amps.
So overall, the OM2K is similar in tuning and power out as the ACOM 2100 which I owned at one time (both amps are equal in their build quality-which is EXCELLENT), but the OM2K weights 13# less with no need to assemble/disassemble and new cost, at the time of this review, is ~$800 less than the ACOM 2100 (when you figure in taxes + shipping). I just prefer tube amps because they are more tolerant to SWR changes (I experiment with/build many different types of wire antennas). Finally, I have the OM Power option for "Pure Signal" for the amp (not offered with ACOM), should FLEX Radio ever offer that option. However, with the low drive needed, the OM2K has a very clean signal as verified by others who have ran their own two-tone tests (3rd order, -42db at 1500W-see previous review by K6AER).
Bottom line, the ACOM 2100 and OM2K are very similar amps in build quality, they run electrically identical tubes (4CX1000A vs FU728F, but the OM2K has an auto bias feature should the tube ever need replacing), very fast tuning on either, 1500W out with room to spare...however the OM2K costs much less, is physically smaller and weighs less, all of which is why I moved to the OM2K. |
|
| NZ5F |
Rating: |
2020-11-03 | |
| Super nice amp lots of power on 6m |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Had this amp a very short time. It is a beautiful amp with plenty of head room and power.
I think it has been said in previous reviews that it is pretty challenging tuning it on 6m and a bit difficult on HF but not too bad. You do have to retune if you move within a band so definitely not for those who are hooked on solid state, lol. Three antenna outputs are real nice though you do need outboard meters. The meters are not at all accurate. The differences between my Power Master and the meter on the amp is stark so keep in mind you will need outboard power meters like a power master or LP100 or similar I would recommend.
Besides challenging tuning I have absolutely no issues with it. This small amps has oodles of power and a very effective cooling system for the valve. Really love it. |
|
| K6AER |
Rating: |
2020-10-13 | |
| Game Changer |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
2020 Fall
I bought the OM2000+ in mid-2016 to replace my Alpha 8410 and 8406. Cost then was $3500 delivered from Slovakia. The amp arrived 6 days after the order was place with DHL asking where I wanted the pallet placed. After carrying the amplifier to my up stares ham shack. I appreciated the weight reduction over my older Alphas with their iron transformers. Weight on the amplifier was 57 lbs. as compared to the Alphas at 89 lbs. Ran a maximum headroom test and the amplifier put out 2232 watts 160-10 meters and 1704 watts on 6 meters. Placed it on the air with no problems. Excellent on the air reports. I did a two tone IMD test and on the HP8953E spectrum analyzer, my third and fifth, etc. tones were down 42 dB at 1500 watts out.
In the fall of 2017, we had a bad lightning storm and, on my way home, I saw the lightning strike hit the top wire of the power lines going down the road to my house. When I got home, everything checked out OK including the hams shack until I turned on the OM2000+ amplifier. No matter what I did, error would come up on the display.
Net day I took off the cover to the amplifier to see what the problem was. I had left the amplifier connected to the 240-volt feed and in a lightning prone area that was a mistake. The AC input switching board looked like it was used for practice in an Arc welding class. Called Jay at Array Solutions and sent the amplifier off for their repair. This was on Monday. Friday Jay call to tell me the amplifier was repaired and ready to go. I sat down waiting the cost of the repair. He said it was covered under warranty! OMG! Jay covered the repair when their product reliability had no bearing because of a lightning strike. I got the amplifier back on the following Tuesday strapped to a pallet. I have had only one other problem with the amplifier when a fuse just failed in the Power Supply Board. Replace the fuse from the fuse packet that came with the amplifier and no problem since. I now have a master AC off switch for the ham station with surge protectors at the power feed to the house and at the ham station.
All in all, the amplifier is very well designed with beautiful construction inside and out. The OLED display will tell the operator everything you need to know about the amplifier operation. Cooling fans are very quiet with the second fan coming on only when the tube exhaust temperature goes above 60 degrees “C”. On the air reports are great with a very clean signal at 1500 watts out, I also ran a test with the amplifier running at 2000 watts CW into my commercial dummy load for 8 minutes, no problems and the tube exhaust temperature never exceeded 66 degrees “C”. For Tune and Load just set to the numbers and you are ready to go. In an interesting note, the amplifier only draws 25 watts in the standby mode. Yes, it takes 210 seconds to warm up so I turn on the amplify first when coming into the shack. By the time I boot the computer and see what bands are active the amplifier is ready to go. Typical drive for 1500 watts out is 29 watts in on 20 meters.
I bought a second FU728F tetrode as a spare and installed it into the amplifier. Everything tuned up like the original. Tube cost was $355 off the internet. The final in the OM2000+ is the same tube used in the OM2500. The anode cooling fins are about 40% longer than the 4CX1500B. Gobs of cooling is available with the FU728F Chinese tube. You can run the 4CX1500B in the amplifier but you have to change the filament tap from 9 volts to 6 volts and reset the bias. Your cooling ability will be reduced due to the smaller anode cooling area and you power out duty cycle has to be taken into account.
One last interesting note is that a tetrode you have lots of gain in the tube. Buy readjusting the Tune and Load you can actually get some respectable power out with QRP drive. On 20 meters I got 550 watts out with 5 watts drive and 700 watts out with 10 watts drive, Take note you Icom 705 owners.
My only request from OM Power would to have their OLED meter read peak power out. It will read power out but you must be key down to read the power level. A little software added could save $500 in a purchase of an external peak reading power meter.
I have had the amplifier going on 4 years and I am very happy with the purchase, factory support and daily operation. I highly recommend this amplifier and any other amplifier from OM Power and the support from Array Solutions.
2016 Summer
Well I received the OM-2000+ and I am duly impressed. It was shipped from Slovakia and came attached in a padded double box strapped to a shipping pallet. Took four days from receipt of order. Jay at Array Solution’s was very helpful with the order. Array Solutions paid the shipping and customs. Total cost was $3500 and change. I was able to track the DHL progress the whole way.
Hook up is easy and the manual explains the operation very well. Basically you peak the tuning and adjust the load to center the tuning meter to keep the grid and screen currents within operating limits. USE THE RECORDED PRESETS TO GET STARTED DRIVING AT LOWER POWER LEVELS. For 35 watts in I saw 2100+ watts out on 20 meters. About the same on 40. On 6 we obtained 1500 watts out for 29 watts in. The tuning is a bit sensitive on 6 so you need to go slow. The construction is excellent with sharp attention to detail. Sort of an amplifier version or a Breitling Watch. The OLED meter is very well light with several menus are settable and easy to customize. The amplifier weighs about 57 lbs. and has a small foot print on the desk. When turning on the unit the countdown timer starts at 210 seconds and at zero you are ready to go. The amplifier has many fault protection conditions and you will be hard pressed to harm the amplifier in any way.
The manual is very helpful but is a black and white copy of some original somewhere. The pictures are fuzzy at best and you are better off downloading the manual from the internet and printing a copy yourself. The Analog VSWR meter is very accurate but the meter back lighting needs some work. White LED lights would be helpful here. The amplifier has three antenna selections which is very nice. Fuse sockets ore on the rear and protected with a metal strap. All the watt meter readings were confirmed accurate on my test watt meters. The amplifier has a rear fan and a blower for the tube plenum area. Exhaust is out the top of the left rear chassis cover.
The amplifier came with a test sheet showing the tune and load for 1500 watts out which is very helpful for getting started. Being a Tetrode amplifier your tuning will change with different wattage drives. I found the amplifier efficiency to be very good and the heat from the tube cavity exhaust was normal at legal limit out. The OLED display will give you the anode exhaust temperature. The power cord is detachable which is very nice when carrying something this heavy. The keying patch cable was included along with spare fuses. The chassis has several feet (more than 4) for table top use along with extra feet in the location of the transformer. Fan noise is very low.
The on the air reports indicated the signal was very clean and the spectral foot print was as clean as the IC-7300 exciter. I did notice some transformer hum when tuning at maximum continuous carrier output but under normal CW and SSB modes the transformer was quiet.
This amplifier breaks the price quality barrier for a 160-6 meter, legal limit amplifier with up to 700 watts of head room. Power output is lower on 6 but still above legal limit. It has been a long time in coming where a ham can get this performance for under $3600. I have been an Alpha man all my life and this unit is a game changer.
|
|
