| KE4D |
Rating:  |
2012-02-15 | |
| Superb |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Bought my KPA500 about a month ago. It worked super with my Icom 7000 and my Elecraft K2. Now it sits behind my Elecraft K3. Its like owning a 500 watt radio. Seamless interface, instant bandswitching, no tune, 500 watts out to my vertical and software upgradeable online from Elecraft. Love it!
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| KJ1D |
Rating: |
2012-02-14 | |
| Great Amp |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I have been using this amp now for a few weeks. Absolutely love it. I had been using an Ameritron 811H and it did a very good job but the KPA-500 is a cut above.
I am now waiting for the new Elecraft autotuner to come out to complete my K-line shack. If you are looking for an amp that pretty much runs by itself, this is it. |
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| KS3M |
Rating: |
2012-01-24 | |
| Excellent amp!! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| Received the KPA-500 in kit form on the 19th .. Had the amp on the air in 5 hours… Excellent engineering… This replaces my Kenwood TL922A and SB200… It is driven by my Icom IC-7000 running about 35 watts… I totally recommend this amp if you are looking for a top-line 500 watt amplifier.. Yes, it’s a little pricey but for the quality it is well worth it. Next kit will be the K3… Great job Elecraft!! |
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| W7TEA |
Rating: |
2012-01-21 | |
| Just super |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I've been using an amp of the same power class using 572B's. Works well on CW QSK, built like a battleship and weighs almost as much. But the KPA500 is just a dream. The integration with the K3 is flawless, it's lightweight, has both LED bar graph and LCD readings for power and SWR. It automatically chooses the correct power output from the K3 when operating the amp or running barefoot. I couldn't be happier. |
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| W1NEJ |
Rating: |
2012-01-21 | |
| A great little box |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I just received this amp three days ago on Wednesday, January 18, 2012. I put the kit together that same evening in one session, no breaks. It is just mechanical assembly, not much electronics knowledge is necessary. Unless you are color blind or have problems with your hands, anyone should be able to assemble this amp.
I had no problems assembling the amp, and no small part shortages. It took me about 4-1/2 hours to assemble the amp, and it worked straight away with no problems. I tested it into my dummy load, and it appeared to be working perfectly, but I was pretty tired, so I did not put it on the air that evening.
I spent some time the following Friday on the air with the amp, and it works as advertised. Getting 600 watts PEP on SSB is no problem. I got reports of a clean signal from all my contacts, and no reports of any interference from my family on TVs and other audio equipment in the house.
I really like the six speed fan control. On SSB with PEP of 600 watts the fan is off most of the time, and comes on its lowest speed only after extended transmission. I did a little testing on FM on 6 meters at high power -- in this case it does come on and it ramps up to much higher speeds.
I use this amp with my Flex 5000C and only have the amp connected with RF and keying cables -- no control cables. As advertised, the amp automatically switches bands with no problems.
I have recently moved to FL from CT, and only have a 40 meter off center fed dipole installed. The amp has no problems working into this antenna on 40, 20, 10 and 6 meters without a tuner and without faulting even though the SWR is sometimes approaching 2:1 on some parts of the 40 meter band.
I have observed that the LED forward power and SWR indicators on the KPA-500 track closely with my great little Array Solutions Power Master meter.
I really like the small footprint of this amp. It is 10.8" wide, 10" deep, and 4" high, not counting the fan on the back. And the power supply is inside this box -- no clunky separate power supply. And it is a linear design using a very nice, heavy, toroidal transformer and it can be set up for 120 or 240 volt from the back of the amp without opening the case. I have mine set for 240 since I already had a 20 amp 240 volt outlet available in my shack that I formerly used with my Ameritron AL-1200, but this amp would work fine on a 120 volt 20 amp circuit wired with #12 wire.
The transmit/receive is totally silent as the amp uses PIN diode T/R switching.
I spent several hours yesterday with QSOs on 20 and 40 meters from RI to MI to CA (I am located in southeast FL) and the amp performed flawlessly. I did not miss the 3 or 4 db of extra power that my AL-1200 would have given me, and I did not miss having to re-tune the amp every time I changed bands or frequency.
This amp is more expensive than other amps in its class and the kit version is about $700 more than Ameritron's ALS-600 and about $600 more than the ALS-600S. To me it is worth the extra money due to the small size of the KPA-500 and the fact that the linear (transformer based) power supply is contained in the same case as the RF components of the amp. I also like the LED metering as opposed to the analog meters that ALS-600 uses. These indicators are very fast, and there is a peak hold function that you can activate if you so desire.
Right behind the front panel is a board that is almost the same hight and width of the front panel. It contains all the switches, the LEDs, and the LCD display. This board is connected to the rest of the components using two ribbon cables, and has the microprocessor control that runs the amp. This board looks like a computer mother board -- it contains surface mount components and if it ever has a problem would certainly be beyond my capability to repair. But its microprocessor capabilities are what I think gives this amp its edge over less expensive competing amps, and is worth the extra cost if you can appreciate this functionality.
The fit and finish of the steel case is very nice, and the cabinet is rigid and has a quality look and feel. The amp weighs 28 pounds, and there is no flexing or bending of the case when picking up or moving the amp.
All in all, I am very happy so far with this amp, and highly recommend it.
73
Eric
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| W3PG |
Rating: |
2011-12-28 | |
| Great Product!! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I built my amp from the kit. Easy to put together and really good instructions. I completed the amp and connected my K3 and P3. The amp worked 100% with no problems at all. It is very quiet, tunes fast and follows my K3 band changes. Just made my 1st contact using the KPA500 and got a fantastic report. This is the amp I will keep! Buy one you will love it. |
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| NZ8J |
Rating: |
2011-12-27 | |
| Great Addition to the Elecraft Line |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Received serial number 618 on 23 Dec, assembled it the next morning with absolutely no problems, it took about 5 hours with a few breaks for coffee and to limber up the old legs and back. It fired up as expected and it is absolutely a beautiful addition to the Elecraft line of equipment. When used with the K3 it is like using a 500 watt transceiver, the silent QSK is a thing of beauty. It is a little pricy but in this case you do actually get what you pay for. I hope the greatly anticipated matching KAT500 auto tuner does as well as the amp.
will review again in a few months when the honeymoon is over.. hi hi
Tim
NZ8J |
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| W4WFB |
Rating: |
2011-11-16 | |
| Perfection |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
| I assembled the amp, and it worked great the first time I fired it up. I had a delay in completing it because some of the cabinet screws were missing. Elecraft sent these screws to me immediately. I am amazed at how quiet the amp is. It integrates perfectly with the K3. Buy one and you will be glad you did. It is a keeper. |
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| IW3SQY |
Rating: |
2011-11-05 | |
| Automatic dream !! |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
Amplifier serial #86, purchased in July 2011.
Robust lightweight and ergonomic, fantastic automatic band changewhit rf sensor.
Perfect product,tested dxspedition with 180 to 265 voltage, and worked without any fault or problems, only some autolock when the voltage go under 180V, but i think that's is normal fot its survival.
With 40w, it delivers about 500w key down, whit no time limit, also performs very well on 6 meters, with the same powers developed in hf.
More generally, it is a fantastic product in line with expectations and the quality Elecraft.
Final rating: AAA
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| K2WO |
Rating: |
2011-10-21 | |
| The More I use it, the more I love it! |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
| This amp continues to exceed all of my expectations. It is now connected to my K3 with the optional K3 interface cable. They now work as one and they truly complement each other. I still interface it with my other rigs and it works great, but with the K3, it truly shines. Instant firmware updates, cool operation, great QSK, solid construction. What more could you ask for? This amplifier receives my strongest recommendation. |
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