| F6BEE |
Rating:      |
2016-05-08 | |
| Recently used 7 units on a major DXpedition |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I can only agree with all what has been written and said earlier about this nice 1.3 K amplifier. I wish to add one feedback from experience with what the amplifier has been primarily designed for: lightweight for DXpedition. I'm just back as one of the 10 operators of FT4JA that made 105 k QSO from Juan de Nova island in March / April 2016. We intensely used 7 units of SPE Expert 1.3 K-FA, on all 10 ham bands from 1.8 to 50 MHz. Seven operators travelled by air from Europe with one amplifier in their suitcase and never had to pay extra charge for baggage overweight. On the island and during the day, the ambient temperature in the tents was 36 to 40 degrees C, which is tough for the operators as well as for equipment, especially those that need efficient cooling, such as solid state power amplifiers. We had not a single failure or security switch-off, even on mode with high transmission duty cycle (RTTY, JT6) and we appreciated to have this extra RF power on 160m and 80m on difficult propagation paths. Another advantage of this amplifier is the high (20 dB) gain: you can run the driving transmitter at low power (10 W) and this also contributes to the overall station reliability.
As the amplifier comes with a full set of connectors, it was easy to build a simple cable to have the amp automatically switch bands and follow the radio, thus avoiding any mistake by tired and sleepy operators. The built-in antenna tuner is very smooth to use.
Of course, I keep this PA to use it in the home shack and for future expeditions.
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| DJ0RD |
Rating:      |
2016-04-25 | |
| Nothing Better |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I've had mine since October 2015 (the 6 months long wait was worth it). My 1K-FA now has a new home in North Germany. I get the full 1.3K out to my TW2010 Vertical Dipole. The interface to my computer and FTdx-5000 is seamless. With the fantastic gain, I run the FTdx-5000 in Class A all the time. SPE can teach other manufacturers how easy a firmware update can be. I am 76 and it sure is nice to be able to lift a KW Amp again :-)
Vy 73 de Bob DJ0RD/WU5T |
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| W6KM |
Rating:      |
2016-04-10 | |
| WHAT A NEW MODERN AMP IS LIKE |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
The WOW FACTOR,hardly describes how sweet it works.It actually out performs my old faithful 75 lb HENRY 2KD5, all this with a built in super fast tuner at only 21 lb!
Using the ALC as control at 200 watts from the Kenwood TS-990S is no problem. Yes it was scary at first but now I never even think about it.
I have worked it hard for over 3 months and it doesn't even get hot under hard use.
Support is only a phone call away for a quick answer to almost any question. Bob Hardie, W5UQ, owner of Expert Linears America really cares about "Customer Service."
Dan Tassell, KC5PCB with Expert Linears America made-up my linear control cable very nicely done and with excellent connectors for me it was a good investment.
Unlike some I only have 2 antennas and moisture will cause SWR to get a bit high at times, but the built-in tuner is quick and easy so retunes are quick simple and effective, when dry reverse is just as quick.
As others have mentioned, after placing an order there is a painful wait, worth it? Yes!
I hope there will be a shorter waiting list for those in the future, with such and excellent design and ease of use, I only see the demand to increase.
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| N4APG |
Rating:      |
2016-03-28 | |
| Very High Quality Amp |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Impressions of the SPE Expert 1.3K-FA automatic amplifier:
PRO:
1. Very high quality physical construction
2. Intuitive software interface
3. Excellent 2-year warranty
4. Excellent support from selling dealer, including sales and support of interface cable for my Elecraft K3S radio
5. Automatic protective features, protects your investment
6. Very well conceived and evolved design, including all interfaces
7. Simple maintenance; no hard to find expensive PA tubes
8. Padded and fitted carrying case for transport to field locations
9. Power supply is flexible and automatic as to AC primary or mains supply
10. ATU is effective and remembers tune parameters for your favorite frequencies
11. Firmware updates are simple - very similar to the update process on my Elecraft equipment
12. Adjustable power output - to properly use only the power needed to enable communications
CON:
1. No printed manual; provided on CD with terminal software
2. Manual clarity in English is barely average due to apparent language barrier - have to resort to excellent dealer support to clarify deficiencies in the manual
SUMMARY:
I give the SPE 1.3K-FA amp a score of 4.8/5.0 (rounded up to 5/5) due to deficiencies with the manual. If SPE corrects the issues with the manual and supplies a printed manual (even at extra cost) then this product is nearly flawless. It is clear the 1.3K-FA is evolved from earlier model SPE amps.
I very much enjoy my new SPE 1.3k-FA amp. |
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| LA9BM |
Rating:      |
2016-01-22 | |
| A very good alternative |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I sold my 2K-FA because I want a handier box with the new technology and the 4 meter band.
I am not going to repeat all what others are telling before but some news.
I love the possibility to bypass the ATU when I have an antenna that doesn’t need a tuner.
I love the possibility to tx on one antenna and rx on another antenna (beverage etc.)
I love the straight forward operation. Just power up and due to the CAT, band and antenna change according to your radio. Just tune your antennas by the ATU once and your ready.
The service at SPE in Rome is amazing!
There are HAMs helping you when you have bigger problems. They speak perfect English and will always understand your problem.
I had a CAT problem that I was the reason for. Marco and Ganfranco E-mail me 2 - 3 times a day until the problem was fixed.
The SPE Expert 1.3K-FA is a good alternative.
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| UA9CDC |
Rating:      |
2016-01-12 | |
| New standard for DXpeditions |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
After almost 7 years of using Expert 1K-FA I was one of the first to order 1.3K-FA. I go on contest DXpeditions at least once a year. This amplifier is the most suitable because of just 4 main features:
1) Lightweight. Every kilogram counts and dear.
2) Switching power supply. Works on any mains power regardless of the country.
3) Has built in antenna tuner and antenna selector. So you do not need to carry extra boxes and wires.
4. Has a lot of gain. only requires 5-7 watts of drive to produce full Kw.
There are many other nice features built in like remote control, built in SO2R etc but these 4 are the most important for DXpedition.
We have been operating from Maldives almost every year since 1997 as 8Q7DV. We were bringing there different amplifiers starting with AL80B, Acom 2000 and even THP 1.1KFX. All of them had their own pros and cons. But this year we took Expert1.3K-FA and Elecraft KX3. This combo was just 12 kilo and worked very well giving us more then 1 Kw on all 10 bands. We made thousands of QSO both in CQWW CW and outside the contest. Never had any troubles at all. Highly recommended. The only problem so far for those, who wants to get one is pretty long waiting list. Therefore hurry up! Besides Expert 1.3K-fa is the best price/quality ratio as well as price/features ratio. Check it for yourself. |
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| W6OPO |
Rating:      |
2016-01-07 | |
| Wow - solid, quiet powerfull |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
After waiting since the end of March the 1.3K-FA has arrived here in San Jose, CA.
Even though I have seen it at shows it is still amazing. Small, light weight, SOLID and QUIET. What a difference from the Yaesu Quadra in terms of noise, size and weight. And no 3-minute warm-up. It replaced the Alpha 8410 and Palstar HF-Auto at the main operating position.
I just worked 9V1YC with the TS-990S output set to 20 watts and the 1.3K’s output was 1300-1500W PEP. ALC attached. Running the TS-990S output up towards 50 watts and nothing happens. The 990 stays at about 20 watts – no spike, no over drive. Amazingly fast ALC.
Also the TS-990S’s solid state keying works without any modifications. Dan’s (Expert Linears W5UQ) cable works as advertised. With a Y cable on the 990’s RS-232 interface (microKEYER II and SPE sharing [TXD disconnected on DB9]) the amplifier’s CAT does all that SPE said it would.
Now with the fully integrated exciter and amplifier I have a 1500 watt radio. Never have to touch the amplifier! All in a box a little bigger than the KPA500 and several pounds lighter with internal antenna tuner yet three times the power!
With the new PA device (two FETs in one 2.5x1 inch package) and internal switching power supply makes the 1.3K-FA a game changer in the ham market.
The design team at SPE has a well thought out design and very solid construction. Good job!
73,
Bob - W6OPO
San Jose, CA
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| VE7NY |
Rating:      |
2015-12-29 | |
| Expert 1.3 |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Used on Willis island 2015 vk9wa, what a great surprise.
We had two amp and they never let us down not even for a minute, they run all time .
On our 2 elem steppir we had lots of birds which cause high swr but the amp will go straight to protection mode.
This amp went through a lot and I do mean really a lot and if would it crash I would not be surprised ,but did really well and we were very pleased.
For sure in would love to have one in my shack, light and easy to carry on with me on the airplane.
I did not try any test with this amp other then put him at work 24/7 for 9 days and couple days before departure.
Excellent . Great Job Expert , Great job Gianfranco.
Regards everyone and thanks for working us on vk9wa.
73 Sandro VE7NY |
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| ZS6RJ |
Rating:      |
2015-11-20 | |
| Outstanding - at home, on DXpeditions or with QRP Radios |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I already own the Expert 2K-FA and 1K-FA. These linears have been successfully used on various DXpeditions (7P8D, 3DA0ET, 7QAA, A25RJ/DX) and have performed faultlessly.
I purchased the 1.3K-FA with a built-in tuner for the express purpose of being able to go to future DXpeditions with a small aircraft carry-on bag of around 9-10Kg and set up a Kw+ station with the 1.3K-FA and the Elecraft KX3. You can't beat that. Plus the built-in tuner means that sometimes less-than-optimal DXpedition antennas will be easily matched.
Although I only recently arrived back in ZS land from Rome, I've put the Expert 1.3K-FA through its paces in two contests - the CQ WW SSB and the WAEDC RTTY, working about 1 600 odd QSO's with the linear. The 1.3k-FA combined with the Elecraft KX3 have set a new ZS record in this year's WAEDX RTTY Contest. That's the background. Here's my impressions:
Outstanding processor speed in terms of menu setting, response to key presses and display change - a quantum leap forward over the 1K-FA.
For ops that will be using this linear both at home and in the field for portable work, the new feature of two different memory banks for the built in antenna tuner are a real time saver. This means you can keep your optimal antenna tuner settings for your home antennas in bank A and have bank B set for your DXpedition or field day antennas, thus saving you the retune process when you get back home.
I would highly recommend the antenna tuner option.
The 1.3K-FA is outstanding for digital work - both in terms of longer key down times at high power than the 1 and 2K models, as well as the fact that in the MID power setting position this little amplifier meets or exceeds even the 2K-FA power out per band for key down modes such as RTTY.
Cooling and temperature recovery from prolonged periods of transmit is much improved and extremely fast compared to the 1K and 2K FA's- thanks in part to the single final unit meaning higher efficiency and no combiner circuitry. During the WAE RTTY contest, where I was ruthlessly hunted down while using the special ZT6T contest call in continual pile-ups, the temperature remained below 50 degrees C and rapidly came back down to the upper thirties whenever a slightly longer transmit break than usual was taken. To sum up on this point, the cooling efficiency is excellent, meaning the fans have no need to kick up to howling banshee level, generally.
Then of course, (aside from the US spec to comply with the 15dB rule) I have to comment on what I suspect will be one of the most sought after features for field work - 5 to 6 watts of RF input from a QRP rig will comfortably give you 800 to 1Kw out, and 10 watts will provide 1.3 to 1.5Kw indicated RF out.
Fit and finish are excellent, the switching PS is silent (no hash out that I could discern on any bands) and the size really nice, having been reduced in height a couple of centimetres from the 1K-FA specification, in exchange for a similar increase in front to back depth.
A superb powerful and lightweight product that I'm really looking forward to taking on DXpeditions.
73, Roger, ZS6RJ
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| DG3XA |
Rating:      |
2015-09-06 | |
| Great |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Nr. 160. Absolut top. So many power!!! Vy interesting features. Yes, 20 db+ gain.
The tuner works well. |
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