| N2FT |
Rating:  |
2023-02-21 | |
| What an amp |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I bought the specific amp reviewed earlier here on eHam by Larry Plumb, WA2TLY. It's been great. I've used it in several DX contests now and the thing is a tank. Luckily for me, the excellent automatic projection circuits have saved me a few times from antenna tuner mismatches. I used to lust after the old Alpha 77's back in the 80's, and based on the reviews of both, I own something even better.
In my ham career I've had a Drake L4B, and a Tentec with the two 3-500Zs (Centurion?), and now this OMPower 2500A. I loved the old L4B and the TenTec, but the OmPower is in a different league.
Only downside I've had is that I always use it with my several antennas through my Palstar HF Auto, so I just tuned the 2500A to my dummy load and saved all the settings. The auto tuning usually works well, and if I feel motivated and have the time I can tweak the tune and load settings on the amp if the tuner can't quite make the antenna SWR 1:1.
I started using it in semi-break-in on CW when I was operating my ICOM 7300 because I heard the 7300's had some amplifier keying problems. I have a 7610 now, but I've been too lazy to find out if it will work full break-in with the 7610, and I haven't missed it much.
I have to keep an eye on the 2500A because if I adjust the exciter power to legal limit on one end of the band segment and start tuning around in a contest, the power can creep up without me noticing to more than the legal limit. Twice now, significantly more. I frequently have to back the exciter power down a little to stay under the limit. The amp doesn't mind and the Palstar tuner doesn't complain, but I did catch a smell once that indicated something in the tuner was getting hot.
I wonder if any other 2500A owners have noticed this?
If so, maybe the 2500A-2 could add an automatic power monitor to set a power limit?
I hope WA2TLY is loving his new amp as much as I love this one. Someone's going to have to grab this amp out of my cold dead fist. They'll need a strong back and a good friend to move it.
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| OH2BJ |
Rating: |
2022-02-18 | |
| Super amp, world class customer support |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| After 3 years ownership and 20k+ QSOs my OM2500A still works as new. In 90's I built couple of amps with the same GU84b but I have to say OM2500A has the reliability and usability I doubt cannot be reached with any other commercial (or homemade) HF amp. Only 'issue' I had with the amp recently was I had to renew my rig to FTDX10 and the firmware in OM2500A did not support new Yaesu:s. This was solved by OM Power/ Tibi with new EPROM Fedexed to me. Now OM2500A works perfectly again. I own Japanese car ISxxx which is famous for it's customer service. OM Power has the same level support. I am trustfull OM2500A will be my amplifier for the next decades (especially with a spare GU84b I recently purchased). I recommend OM Power products for all! |
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| W4PIG |
Rating: |
2021-06-05 | |
| EXCELLENT AMP |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| VERY NICE AMP PLENTY OF POWER. A PILE UP BURSTER . |
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| NE5C |
Rating: |
2021-01-01 | |
| 5 STARS - PURE QUALITY - WITH BRUTE FORCE!!! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Like so many Ham operators, I have owned and operated just about every brand of HF Amplifier on the Market! Including; Commander, Alpha, Ameritron, so on and so forth! I purchased the OM2500A because I wanted Automation, using it along with my Ham Radio Deluxe and I wanted something that would remain a valuable investment. I can tell you that I am IMPRESSED and VERY HAPPY with the amplifier and everything it will do! It works well with my FTDX5000 and fully automated in changing bands with Ham Radio Deluxe! More to come as I get more time and enjoyment, a Special Thanks to Jay with Array Solutions for the incredible service, demonstration, and answering all technical questions, concerning the OM Amplifiers!
In my book it's worth every penny I paid for it. |
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| KW4CQ |
Rating: |
2018-04-13 | |
| Like new 36 months later |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Three years later chasing DXpeditions i can report that this amp has never shown any sign aging or loss of power. It has been successfully used with various Yaesu and Icom tranceivers using CAT control. OMpower produces a beautiful product.
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Earlier 5-star review posted by KW4CQ on 2015-02-26
I contacted Array Solutions in Texas and ordered one of the OM2500A HF linear amplifiers manufactured by OM Power, headquartered in Slovakia. They have been manufacturing top of the line amps for over ten years and are suppliers to many of DXpeditions. The amplifier arrived in perfect condition three days later by truck freight mounted on a wood pallet. While I have only had the amp on the air two days now, some of my preliminary thoughts might be of interest to other's contemplating a similar purchase. In three months I will post a more to-the-point technical review of my experience with this beautiful piece of gear. The OM2500A comes double boxed and at 90 plus pounds requires two people to lift it onto my operating desk. It came wired for 240VAC service with a 3-prong NEMA plug attached to the power cord. I am using the amp with my Yaesu FTDX-5000. To get up and running with the amp you will need just one RS-232 serial cable from the back of the transceiver to the amp. This cable carries your radio's band switching data for the amp. Just go into your radio's menu and set the parameters given in the amp's user manual and your all set to fly. I gave the amp a legal limit shake down cruise using CW on all bands 10-160m and what a nice experience that was. In the Auto tune mode the amp senses the precise frequency of your transceiver and within a second or two tunes itself to that frequency ready for action. Alternatively, you can manually tune the amp by switching operation to the MAN mode on the front panel. 1500 watts is acheived with 50 watts drive from my Yaesu. The amp easily delivered 3 KW CW carrier into my dummy load. The Gu84B ceramic tetrode tube seems to be bullet proof and should last a very long time.
That'a all for now. More in 90 days. |
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| M0ZMX |
Rating: |
2017-05-13 | |
| 24 Months on.. |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Well, 24 months have now passed, and the Amp continues to
Perform flawlessly. So far (and at this point I nearly said "Fingers crossed") I've not had a single issue. But then I've not been at all worried about the Amp. 'Fragility' just doesn't seem to be an appropriate word here... i don't think this beast has any Fragility!!!.. certainly nothing I do to the Amp seems to be an issue. I hadn't even given the Amp any thought until I had an e-mail from a fellow Ham asking me if I was still happy with mine.. so I thought a second review was in order.
Everything I said I'm my review still stands, it's a 'belt and braces' Amplifier. Over the last two years, this Amp has followed my every move across the HF spectrum, the amps protection circuit has never activated (I use a SteppIR) so it's never had a bad load. Point and shoot!!!. the Amp gives out a good clean signal, and I have run on crowded bands without any complaints.
The saying still stands:- "BUY RIGHT,, BUY ONCE!!!"
Do I know about any new amps that have come on to the market over the last couple of years?,,, "NOPE" ,,, why would I be looking?!...that box has been ticked...
Still a solid 5.0/5
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Earlier 5-star review posted by M0ZMX on 2015-02-27
I saw this amplifier at a very good friends shack, I was blown away by its effortless power, no clunk, no hum, no pitch change, this amplifier just delivers without issue. It Follows the radio, shares its rs-232 without issue. I have this amplifier connected with a K3 and a steppIR and all works seamlessly. If it wasn't for the power meter bouncing one could be forgiven for thinking that it just wasn't working, it's really that effortless. I have the 3500A remote unit as the 2500A remote just went over scale,, running on a single phase doesn't stop this amp producing in excess of 2500W.
The amp requires but a sniff of rf and the stepper motors tune the amp in a second. It makes my previous automatic amp (Expert 1k-fa) seem silly by comparison, a heavy and substantial piece of kit, you know when you carry this puppy to the shack!!!
The build quality is exceptional, a real 'Belt and Braces unit'
I purchased this through Vine Antennas and it arrived promptly in perfect condition. great amp, great supplier.
Would I buy again ? "Without a doubt"
A true 5 out of 5 |
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| N5IF |
Rating: |
2017-02-07 | |
| Great! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Purchased the OM-2500A after going back and forth between it and the new 2000a. After a few delays with the shipper, the unit arrived from Array Solutions in great shape. The manual is great plus Jay at AS has created some videos on tuning the amp. I got the amp tuned and talking to my radios after a bit of email traffic that went back to the OM factory. My FT-5000 had one setting the amp did not like and once corrected all were talking.
The amp tunes fast, has PLENTY of overhead power and integrates nicely into the shack. It has a larger footprint than what I was expecting but it still fits well in the shack. The blower is audible, but not so much that it takes away from the use of the amp. The LED displays are fast and easy to read. Compared to the other auto tune amp that I owned several years ago (Acom 2000a) this one seems to have some features that I like better, plus, if there is a tube issue, I can find a tube for under $400 for the amp.
So far I'm enjoying the amp. |
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| N4DCD |
Rating: |
2016-12-05 | |
| Worth every dime |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I have had many amps over they years and just sold a Alpha 99. I wanted something that was a auto tune but not a solid state amp. Also wanted to be able to run 1500 watts all day without break a sweat and this amp is all that. Build quality is second to none and the protection circuit is top shelf. Anyone who uses this amp will not be able to blow out the tubes. Into a dummy load with 35 watts drive it puts out an easy 2000 watts. Up that too 50 watts and you're in the 3k range. So there is plenty of headroom to do 1500 watts on any band and it just runs and runs without overheating in any way. The only down side is the fan noise which is a bit more than my Alpha 99. That's the only thing they need to improve on, have the fan temp controlled not full speed on power up. Other than that, its a winner! |
|
| W5IP |
Rating: |
2016-05-02 | |
| Powerful, smart amp |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I considered several amplifiers before buying the OM2500A with the FU728F tube from Array Systems. Jay, David and Jim at Array Systems are great with their customers. I have had the amp over two months.
Like others, I was concerned about the cost of the final tubes in amps like the ACOM and Alpha. I wanted an easy legal limit so it would likely outlast me. I already have a Yaesu Quadra and had an aging Alpha 87A, since sold. I wanted quick auto-tuning. I wanted a hefty power supply. I looked pretty hard at a solid state amp that has strong features, but didn’t like some of the info I was getting on signal quality issues and it wasn’t available for delivery for some time anyway.
The OM2500A is delivered on a wooden pallet and is a pallet full of amplifier. It is shipped, transformers in place, ready to plug in to single phase 220 volts, but it better be a stiff circuit. After unpacking and a two-person lift to the operating table, it worked immediately on manual mode, but had difficulty reading the CAT commands from my FTDX9000D. I spoke with Jay at Array Systems who immediately corresponded with Tibi at the manufacturer. While they offered good and multiple recommendations, I found the problem to be in the setup of the radio. In the Yaesu radios, the CATTOT needs to be greater than 1000. Default is 10. When the radio was set right, the amp responded immediately at 19200 baud and now doesn’t miss a beat, tracking the radio precisely.
This is an extremely high-quality, well-built piece of gear and the cost reflects it. It is 92 pounds of instant QSY from 160-10. It does not, like the Quadra, cover 6 meters. It will handle 1500 watts of RTTY and the blower air is only warm. The signal reports have been outstanding.
The operator must pre-tune the band segments, but once done, the amp returns exactly right, immediately. The amp requires as little as 22 watts to drive 1500 and never more than 35.
The remote control unit does put the Operate/Standby switch close to hand and you can see the LED readout from a different view. There are other functions, but, I guess, as an old school type, I like seeing the amp. The fan creates a bit less noise than the 87A. Not silent or as quiet as the Quadra, but not bad and not audible over the PR781 microphone nearby.
Array Systems has announced a two-holer version of this amp, the OM4000A. The 2500A might do 3 KW. I would think, for the two-holer, a three-phase 220 volt circuitry would be wise, though I haven’t seen any info on it. Array Systems also has a new 3.5 KW auto-tuner, the DU3500AL from DU8HA. I bought one and it mates beautifully with the OM2500A-F, tuning everything in advance by tracking the CAT in the transceiver. I will review it separately.
In conclusion, a Japanese transceiver connected to a Texas distributor-provided Hungarian tuner and a Slovakian amp with a Chinese tube feeding a Missouri(PRO-96) antenna works quite well in New Mexico.
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| WA2TLY |
Rating: |
2015-12-31 | |
| Very good power amp |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I have been in ham radio a long time but out of it for 20+ years. This is the first power amp I have ever owned. I was originally intending to purchase the A2000 but Jay at Array Solutions directed me at the OM2500A. Jay and his crew handled all of the connection wiring for my ICOM7851. They also installed the 220V plug and wire as well as fully tested it before shipping. It arrived on a wooden pallet weighing over 100 lbs. Once opened everything inside appeared to be undamaged although the outer box was a little beat up. Two man carry up to the 2nd floor and into the shack. The manual gives the most minimal amount of information and should really be expanded and improved. I wasn't sure where some of the connecting wires went and had to call Jay who responded immediatly. The amp worked immediatly as expected and the auto tune feature worked although I am not sure how accurate it stores the tuning values because I frequently will fine tune it after a signifcant frequency change. I chose the chinese made FU tube at Jay's suggestion - a little less expensive and in active production. The fan noise is noticeable but not intolerable as I had the amp right next to me. When I raised it up some so that the fan was above my line of sight much less noticeable but not totally silent either. When I do something stupid the protection circuitry seems excellent. There is about a 3 minute warm up delay and I can put out 1.5kw cw key down signal all day with no effort- maybe 30 watts to drive it. I suspect it would handle 2 or 2.5 kw as well but no reason to run that kind of power. The front leds show power out and reflected power and grid current. If reflected power exceeds about 300 watts the amp will automatically shut down. I have used it on 40m thru 10m but not on 80 or 6 yet.
I cannot comment on longevity yet and I think I still have more to learn about how the amp operates- a better written and more thorough manual would have been helpful. Support from Jay and his crew at Array Solutions anytime I had a problem was quick and easy. I did buy the remote but I don't see much use for it the way I am operating.
I would actually like to give this amplifier a 4.9 due to the lack of a good manual otherwise seems very solidly built and excellent backup by Array Solutions.
Larry Plumb WA2TLY |
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