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Reviews For: Henry 2K-4

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

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Review Summary For : Henry 2K-4
Reviews: 5MSRP: 3000 new in 1960
Description:
80/75 to 10 meters, no WARC bands, 1800 watts output using pair of 3-500Z tubes in grounded grid configuration. 1960 vintage.
Product is not in production
More Info: http://henryradio.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
1555
W4ACW Rating: 2023-02-04
Henry 2K-4 amplifiers are built like a battleships! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Solid legal limit amplifier 80-10. Except no 30 and 160 meters. Only modification is vacuum relays replacing the mechanical ones which makes it QSK full break-in also. I am the second owner of this amplifier and it's in remarkable shape for 45+ years old. Hardly a mark on it.
WB2VVV Rating: 2022-07-10
Solid 80m thru 10m Amp! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Have owned this amp a long time, and never needed to re-tube it. It is a heavy amp that would really like more drive than modern rigs can deliver. I have used it with a Drake C Line and a Collins S Line which put out more power than modern rigs, and then it really shines. When the 17m band first opened I had already installed the expansion crystal in my C Line and installed an excellent elevated ground plane antenna with 20 radials, and was QRV the day that the 17m band opened. Back then I kept regular contact with a shipboard radio operator that was also a ham, wherever he was in the world. He used to say I always had the best signal of the hams he used to speak with!
N0XM Rating: 2014-03-22
Solid amp Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Other than 30 and 160 meters, amp does great on 10-12-15-17-20-40-80 meters. Won't tune on 30 meters, and 160 is way out of the amp's OEM design limits. Pretty heavy piece of equipment to get moved into the shack, needed help as it approximated 125 pounds. Seems to built in a durable manner and the 3-500 tubes are still viewed as being reliable and are still able to be sourced readily should they be needed.

I'm happy with the purchase. Wish I could have afforded one back in the 1960's. Seems to have been worth the wait.
K7XDX Rating: 2012-10-28
A solid powerful performer Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I picked this up used from a local ham. I was using Ameritron 811H with 572b tubes and wanted a legal limit amplifier. It had been sitting in storage for a while I would say.

It's heavy,makes quite a bit of heat and noise, but what a peformer. looks great in the shack.

I cleaned it up and checked the voltages. It is easy to load up and very forgiving. Never misses a beat. I added a buck transformer to the filament supply to drop the voltage down to since was designed for 220 and I have a hot 250 volts supplying it.

Legal limit is no problem. Great audio reports.
Sure you can get easier to run amps now for more bucks, but it's a HENRY!
NE7X Rating: 2010-10-31
Solid as a tank Time Owned: N.A.
This amplifier if over 50 years old and its still running full duty. I run my Henry 2K-4 on SSB, CW, RTTY and AM, no issue, BIG signal....

Easy to work on, lots of room for your hands and soldering tools. Replacement parts can be easily obtained at any hamfest or ebay.

One issue I did have, using any older RF amplifier with the newer solid state transceivers, the internal T/R relay energizes to slow. To resolve this, I replaced the internal mechanical relay with 6ms vacuum relays. Now the 2K-4 not only works great with the newer radios, its also full QSK break-in.

For detail pictures of the QSK mod, go to http://www.ne7x.com/henry_2k4_mod.htm

This mod will work with any of the older RF amplifiers which use slower mechanical T/R relays.

73s and enjoy the hobby.

Thomas NE7X...
Website: http://www.ne7x.com