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Reviews For: Island Amplifier

Category: Amateur Radio Equipment Repair

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Review Summary For : Island Amplifier
Reviews: 8MSRP:
Description:
Repair (in and out of warranty) RF Amplifiers Acom, Beko, and most Others
Product is in production
More Info: https://islandamplifier.com/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
6585
K6BRN Rating: 2023-03-15
Excellent Work - Yaesu Quadra VL-1000 Repair Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Island Amplifiers in Placentia CA, founded and run by John Stanford (KF6I), is able to service many brands if amateur radio HF amplifiers and is located close to both Ham Radio Outlet in Anaheim, CA and the Yaesu factory service center in Cyprus, CA.

When one of eight MRF-150 PA transistors in my Yaesu Quadra VL-1000 HF/6M amplifier failed, I chose John to perform the repair. I'd previously opened up the unit and found one transistor to have failed completely and the complementary device to be suspect. The MRF-150s are bolted in/(larger) tab-soldered devices that are difficult to remove without collateral damage. In addition, they carried a bias control thermistor and over temp thermostat on their cases - more opportunity to make a mistake.

Following Dirty Harry's advice ("A man's GOT to know his limitations"), I left this job to someone who has had a lot of experience doing it. I'm an engineer with plenty of lab time, know how to solder well and have lots of tools. But having worked with many skilled techs in a lab, I also know there is no substitute for practice and experience in practical troubleshooting and rework. John has both, in spades.

The repair took about 45 days and was not cheap, but the work was well done, with very clean soldering and component replacement (yes, I looked). The transistor pair was re-biased and the amplifier tested on all bands by John, who provided me with a data/check sheet with drive, power output and efficiency measurements. You clearly get what you pay for at Island Amplifier: Quality work and QA.

After a few thousand contacts, I've found the repaired Quadra to be just a bit BETTER than new. Power output always dropped slightly as the amplifier warmed up in back to back digital QSOs. It still does - this is a known Quadra characteristic. But the power drop is noticeably less than before.

I'm happy, and based on this experience recommend Island Amplifier and John Stanford for similar repairs and hope you have a similar experience if you choose IA for yours.

As a side note, I happened to work John while using the amplifier about a month after repair and was able to let him know just how pleased I was with his work. It's such a small world - especially in Amateur Radio. :)

VA2AM Rating: 2023-02-19
RF-KIT RF2K-S Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I needed to return my amplifier for repair not able to boot-up after a software update. Something happened at the CBP, they lost the box, heavy structure panel damage between CBP & FEDEX. John did a complete rebuilt, calibration by just billing me for the transport damage, LCD board with everything free of charge for the original problem, new box and updated LPF board just in case. I recommend him for your amplifier repair or update.
N2SLO Rating: 2023-02-13
Great as expected Time Owned: more than 12 months.
My review is late, but I wanted to add what others have said. I sent back my Beko HLV1000 to John in November 2021. Amp was not putting out any power. John fixed it for me and it works as it should. Price to fix was not cheap, but these BEKO's require various parts and John's labor. John was in communication with me throughout the process. I thought I had an issue during the recent VHF contest, this one was on me my RCA cable was acting up. John is there just in case, good to know I can have my amp serviced in the states vs. sending to Germany. Thanks John.

As of 2/13/23, amp is not working again. This could be an IC-9100 issue-- as that radio produces a major "spike, overshoot" that is well documented and may have caused the BEKO to fail again. The amp is back with John, we will see. Just bought an FT991A, so this will now drive BEKO when its fixed.
WB6MYL Rating: 2023-02-01
Professional Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have at least 62 boat anchors in my collection and would have preferred to have ordered a new two meter amp with tube finals but there appears to be no one out there making them anymore. So I selected a BEKO amp (see my separate review) as they are probably the best VHF/UHF amps out there, presently. I also feel comfortable knowing that the dealer/service center was only eight (8) miles from the QTH.
Ordering was straight forward and John called me the next day to confirm the order. The amp arrived about four months later from W. Germany. I had an issue with the amp going into SWR safety; I emailed John and he got back to me the same day and helped me resolve the issue. I just got the impression that he wanted me to be happy with the purchase and I was/am; I feel comfortable knowing that if there are any issues that come up with the amp, they will be resolved by John and Island Amplifier.
One suggestion is: that John adds the credit card fee to your purchase. This is a relatively high ticket item so it cost me an extra $116 as a "transaction fee". Consider sending him a certified or cashier's check or postal money orders if he accepts them, to save this fee. Thank you for reading and the bandwidth.
Phillip W. Harris, PhD P.C. WB6MYL

VA3IKE Rating: 2023-01-31
My experience with Island Amplifiers Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I had heard from others how good Beko amplifiers were and i looked up who the distributor was.
I found Island Amplifiers and spoke with John Stanford .
John was very helpful and informative about his work and products. I had a 150 watt amp that was in need of repair and he said he could fix it , Which he did and in what I thought was fairly fast turn around. Alas the amp was well over 30 years old and as time had ravaged it (out of service for 20 years) the rust and etc took its toll and I sent it back to John and he replaced some parts at no charge and sent the amp back.
I eventually ordered a new Beko amp from John, complete with my wants in an amp ie power in levels and such.
The amp arrived and John made sure I hooked it up without any pitfalls.
Worked well for a short while but it had to be sent back for warranty repair. John covered all the costs of shipping.
As luck would have it I had no amp for an upcoming contest.
John ordered a brand new brick amp from ( name withheld) and had it shipped to me in time for the contest. John did this on his own, he was under no obligation to do so. And it was sent to me at no cost.
This is the type of customer service that makes businesses great. I will be indebted to John for this act of unselfishness and will sing his praises always.
If I could give you more than 5 stars I would. John Stanford has performed above and beyond anything i would have expected. Thanks John you are the best.
Ike. va3ike
NT8F Rating: 2022-12-18
Knowes what he is doing and does it right. Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Earlier this year I began to look around for a solid-state amplifier. After reading reviews and doing research on what was available, I narrowed my search down to the RF2K-S a German built legal limit amplifier. I found their dealer in the US to be Island Amplifier so I went to their WEB site. After reading the Bio of the owner John Stanford I was very impressed with his background of training and practical experience in electronics and amplifiers.
I called and John answered the phone, I explained what I was interested in and John took the time to go over the RF2K-S along with other amplifiers that he works on from just about all major manufactures. After an educational conversation with John, I decided on the RF2K-S and ordered it from him.
After the amplifier arrived, I had several questions on setup and operation. Between phone calls and texts with John I was up and running. After two weeks of operation one of the LDMOS went bad. I called John and arranged to ship the amp to him. During the time John had my amp he would keep me informed of the repair status any time I asked.
The amp was repaired and tested before John returned it to me, since it’s return three weeks ago it has operated flawlessly.
John is a busy man and it might take a little time for him to get to your amp but when he does, he will take his time and make sure it is right and tested before he returns it. Thank you John
M0JSS Rating: 2022-08-24
Excellent customer service. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
My HF power amplifier an RF-Kit model RF2K-S, developed a problem while I was tuning around looking for YOTA (Youth on the Air) contest. It would no longer go from standby to Operate. Also, none of the antenna selections could be selected.
I decided to call Island Amplifiers who is the US service center and where I purchased my amplifier from. This was on a Saturday Afternoon and figured I would be leaving a message. To my surprise John of Island answered and we proceeded to do some checks and measurements for resistance and voltage. We narrowed down the problem to a missing 15V supply voltage that is derived from the 50V main supply. John even worked on my behalf to get the replacement board FedEx shipped directly to me from the factory in Germany, since he did not have a spare. Did I forget to mention this amplifier was out of warranty. I know he has a backlog of amplifier repair and he dropped everything to help me. All electronic repair businesses are having a tough go with supply chain problems. Not to mention having trouble getting workers. I would not hesitate making a purchase using Island Amplifiers. Another ham I know also had his early model RF-Kit amplifier repaired. While it took a long time waiting for factory parts he received the upgraded amplifier once parts became available.
N0AN Rating: 2022-06-12
RF Amp Repair both in and out of warranty Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I had an out of warranty repair on an Acom 1000 amplifier done by John at Island Amplifier. The service (from initial phone call), through troubleshooting, to shipment back was beyond exceptional. To say it was first-rate, would be an understatement.

This amplifier is 160-6 meters and has a 4CX800 (GU74B Svetlana) single final tube. His feedback throughout the repair process from initial contact and diagnosis all the way through shipping it back was outstanding.

The amp was 2 years old and had a High-Voltage transformer fail. This is, unfortunately, a common failure point with some of the Acom amps, especially if used in digital modes without the add-on external cooling fan. John ordered the transformer from Bulgaria (Acom) and installed the external fan kit, while he had the amp apart (at my request)

The personal nature of the service John provided, and the evident technical expertise were both exceptional. The pricing, both parts and labor were more than fair.

The time to repair and return was very reasonable considering the availability of parts these days, and even the delay from Bulgaria was eased by the honest and effective communication throughout the wait.

A very comprehensive band by band performance summary was included with the return of the amp. It included all the important amp parameters such as Input (RF Drive), Plate Voltage, Screen Current, Plate Current, Output power , Antenna VSWR (Dummy Load), and many others. It is a wealth of performance data that I have never had on an RF amp before.

I highly recommend anyone needing amp repair use John (Island Amplifier). You will receiver excellent service, competent repair and fair pricing. There is no downside.


73, Hasan, N0AN