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Reviews For: Ameritron QSK-5 T/R Switch

Category: Specialized Amateur Communication Products

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Review Summary For : Ameritron QSK-5 T/R Switch
Reviews: 6MSRP: 349
Description:
Add on accessory that works with almost any amplifier to provide full QSK with your QSK-capable transceiver
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.ameritron.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0063.2
K5CIS Rating: 2022-02-28
Very bad experience with this product Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I purchased this to have a quiet way to operate Cw (with amplifier) at night while the wife sleeps.

So many things I dislike:
Price: way overpriced
Support: ameritron engineer was very rude
Manual: poorly written
Functionality:
1.) did not work on all bands…some bands caused oscillation
2.) had to open up al811h and cut wires and run current from the amp through the QSK-5 then back to amp (per ameritron’s tech support help
3.) Relay stopped working (had to replace…this was a big pain)
4.) big and bulky
5.) shoddy construction…found 2 cold solder joints that I had to fix after hours of troubleshooting

When the thing works, it works great…but has caused me more grief than any other piece of equipment I have ever owned. I have used the QSK-5 for about 3 years. I recently purchased the DX Connection QSK-2500 as a potential replacement. WOW…wish I had done this 3 years ago! Easy to use…super quiet…small/compact…lots of 20wpm QSK QSOs and it has worked flawlessly. I operate at night while the Wife is sleeping, so “quiet” is very important.
W7WZ Rating: 2021-09-28
Must have for serious CW Operators Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Good product, manual needs improvement and the support is terrible. At the current new price it is not a great value. I bought mine NIB for $250. It took me about 4 hours of research to confidently hook it up to my FT-1000D and Ameritron AL-1200. An email request to Ameritron support was not answered within two weeks. It took them 6-months turnaround time to repair my amplifier. All that aside, the product is working very well. It is quiet, fast and does a nice job of protecting the amplifier and transceiver. I have an ARB-704 inline as well. If you seriously enjoy CW, the QSK-5 is a wonderful accessory.
W6JD Rating: 2008-09-18
Mostly Good Time Owned: more than 12 months.
For the most part I've found the QSK-5 to be an excellent adjunct to my ALS-600 driven either by my K2/100 or K3/100. However I have found the unit
to be very sensitive to tuning matches and rather than shutting down, the lamp/fuses which protect the pin diodes "blow". Replacing them is a pain,
a replacement lamp with a bayonet socket or similar would be an improvement.
KI0Z Rating: 2008-08-30
Beyond Excellent !! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I wanted you to know the AL-1200-XQ is working flawlessly and the new 2.5KW Pin Diode QSK-5 PC internal PC is AWESOME ! It is seamless and silent, you can not detect any attenuation on or off and it is as smooth as if you were using the K C keyer, Perfect With the Icom. The new QSK-5 switch is far better than the old pin-5 switch as far as attenuation,swr change,loading and logic. the 12v jack on the back of the AL-1200 now has a lable called Handshake used for yaesu and Ten tec. Need Help?? talk to MIKE ENNIS @Ameritron he is great to work with....!
K6RB Rating: 2004-06-04
Good Product/Bad Manual Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I can't believe how poorly written the manual for the QSK-5 is. The schematics are incomplete and mislabeled. However, the product is doing a good job. I use it with an FT-1000 and Collins 30L-1 amplifier. If your amp relay line open voltage is greater than 25 volts you better plan on using a buffer between the switch's amp-relay output and you amp relay input -- or you'll damage it. The fuse lamps are hokey and a pain in the butt to replace. But, if your timing is incorrect, they may save you from dumping a kilowatt into the front end of your transceiver!
K1JD Rating: 2003-07-05
An effective if expensive product Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Works extremely well with my K2/100 and Hercules II amplifier. QSK is flawless and no more loud, clacking vacuum relay.
Would have rated a 5 except for a cold solder joint in the device. Fortunately, I was able to find and repair it quickly.
Price at Dayton was much less than MSRP.