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Reviews For: Palstar LA-1K LDMOS Amplifier

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

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Review Summary For : Palstar LA-1K LDMOS Amplifier
Reviews: 38MSRP: 3795
Description:
The LA-1K is a RF Sensing Dual HF LDMOS 1000 Watt
Amplifier. While the LA-1K will work with a wide variety
of tuners and transceivers, Palstar custom-design the LA-
1K to work as the perfect match for our very popular HF-
AUTO autotuner. Made in the USA
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.palstar.com/en/la1k/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
25384.7
N3CAL Rating: 2022-12-09
Excellent Amplifier Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Overall Excellent Amplifier! Very happy with performance.

Ordered amp directly from PALSTAR back in Jan 2022 and received 4 months later in April 2022.

My shack does not have any way of running a 240v drop so I'm stuck with using the amp on 120v. Like WB8CAC's review I noticed the birdies across my entire receive spectrum anytime the amp was turned on.

I didn't want to live with the birdie issue so I returned the amp to PALSTAR in May 2022 for warranty repair . I paid the shipping cost which was about $100 but in the end well worth it. PALSTAR confirmed the birdie issue on 120v and installed a ferrite core inside the amp's 50v power supply. Turnaround was fast at about 12 days. They told me they were going to add a ferrite core FB77-5621 core to all their production units from now on so hopefully new owners will not see this issue!

The amps been rock solid since it's return and no more birdies! It's paired with my ANAN-7000DLEMKII. Since I'm using it on 120v I'm not driving it as hard only around 750-800 watts but works great with the ANAN and Pure Signal. There is no overshoot with the ANAN so I've never seen the amp cut off. Very happy with it now.

Even though I went through some issues at first the amp is still a five star performer!



WB8CAC Rating: 2022-12-08
Great Amplifier, but... Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Overall, I love the amplifier. Now that I am running it on 240vac, I have no problems and can't think of a different amp I would want. After using an AL-80B, for a long time, using the LA-1K is like being in heaven.

When I first received it, I ran it on 120. After a couple days I started noticing birdies drifting through my receiver. Sometimes they'd keep moving, other times stay in one spot for a while. The problem seemed worst on 40. Turning off the amp stopped this. I called Palstar and was told that this was a known issue when running on 120. If I sent it back they would install a ferrite, in the power supply, that would solve this. I waited several months for the amp, and after a couple days they wanted me to return it to fix a problem that they knew about when they shipped it. Nice. No thanks.

Also, when running on 120, there is a power supply issue that keeps knocking the amp off line unless driven very lightly. This does not happen on 240.

Finally, and this is not Palstar's fault, if you're running an IC-7300, it is a pain to try to keep from knocking the amp off line due to overdrive. Even set at 40 watts, the 7300's "questionable" ALC allows brief power spikes that trigger the amp's excellent self preservation instincts. My fix to this was a Yaesu rig. I really liked that 7300 though.

Bottom line: I love the amplifier, but would NOT recommend it to anyone who can't run it on 240V.
DL6PX Rating: 2022-11-25
Great Amplifier Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I own three devices from Palstar. First, I bought the AT-2K manual tuner. It has always served well. Due to an operation error by myself, the sensor assembly and the switch assembly failed. Replacement from USA arrived quickly. Great. After that, the tuner worked perfectly again.
Later I bought the HF-AUTO. A very nice device that worked wonderfully with my former IC-7610 and a PA Acom 600S.
After switching to the Kenwood TS-890, I replaced the Acom 600S with a Palstar LA-1K. Visually, the two devices, HF-AUTO and LA-1K go well together. And electrically everything works perfectly.
All in all: Only positive experiences with Palstar.
W1SWL Rating: 2022-11-06
Excellent Performance Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I am at the 12 month time period of use and I still totally delighted with the Palstar LA-1K Linear Solid State Amplifier. This amp is quite fool proof and mates extremely well with Palstar's HF-Auto antenna tuner. I typically drive the Amp at 25 to 30 Watts from my Yaesu FTdx101MP for SSB mode. It senses the frequency you are on and switches bands automatically. This is a 5 star performer...
KK7HHN Rating: 2022-11-04
Wonderful product Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I purchased this unit after purchasing and implementing the Palstar HF-AUTO tuner. The two work together seamlessly and allow me to effortlessly use whatever power I need to make the contact up to a full 1kw. Tuning and amplification happen very quickly even when changing bands.

Very well built, excellent documentation, and very fast to make operational.
KN6SD Rating: 2022-08-20
Very Nice Amp!!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I purchased a Palstar LA-1K Amplifier about a month ago. I made the purchase on the Palstar website. It took a little over a week to get my Amp, NO manufacturing wait time (Months/Years).

When I received my Amp it came with a User Guide, Warranty Card, and TWO Power Cords (120 VAC or 240 VAC).

Setting up the amplifier is easy. At first, I was using the 120 VAC electrical service to power the LA-1K. Unfortunately, at 120 VAC the Fans were a little loud, and the keying relay was a little slow to respond at times. I switched over to 240 VAC (Palstar makes this EASY, there's a switch on the left side of the amp) and the fan noise and slow relay issue disappeared. Palstar ships the amp set up for 240 VAC, you really should use it at 240 VAC. The amp will work at 120 VAC, but performance can get a little quirky.

I am driving the amp with 40 Watts, and the output on SSB is 700 to 900 Watts depending on voice peaks. So far, the Palstar LA-1K has performed flawlessly (at 240 VAC). Over-the-Air reports are all great, no distortion or other audio problems, just a nice and clean signal.

I am REALLY Happy with the Palstar amplifier, it's definitely a 5 Star product.

73,
Russ
W0LD Rating: 2022-05-24
Excellent "No Brain" Amplifier Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This amp sits in the club station of TWR International (K4TWR). It is paired with the automatic Palstar antenna tuner. What a breeze to operate! With 30 watts input, the amp loafs along at 900 watts output. It is run on 115 VAC and would obviously perform better if it was run on 220 VAC. If you are looking for a solid, reliable, easy to operate KW amp, this will fill the bill!
NE7X Rating: 2022-05-23
So good, I own two :) Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I owned one for over a year connected to my Flex 6400M. No problems. I liked the amp so munch I purchased a second one and connected to my ICOM IC-7610. Both LA-1Ks are also connected to Palstar HF-AUTO tuners. What a sweet set up. Push and talk - CB Extra Class !!!
W4BUZ Rating: 2021-10-24
Dummy proof solid 1k+ amplifier Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have been using tube amplifiers for over 16 years, so it was time for a change. The amp knows what frequency you are operating where ever you go. If you forget to hook up antenna and key it, the amp goes into standby, if you overdrive the amp, it goes into standby. High swr ? Amp goes into standby. I read where someone had a complaint about fan noise ? I just dont see it, mine sits 2 feet in front of me and I barely know that the amp is on. Very nice easy to use touch screen. 45 watts of drive is a solid 1k. The amp is idiot proof and a dream to use. I am just as pleased with this amp as I am with all of the Palstar products that I own, Palstars quality speaks for itself once again. 5 Stars !!!
W8TZ Rating: 2021-07-02
Reliable Amplifier Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had a LA-1K for almost 2 years. It has preformed well and the only issue I had was a SWR fault that occurred when using it with my MFJ 998RT tuner. Moving the 998RT from the shack to a remote location solved that problem. I am using it with a Flex 6400M and FTDI BCD cable so the amp changes bands automatically, one less thing to remember....

Works great and does what I need it to do, just be careful not to over drive it.