Legal Limit Solid State Amp - SPE 2K-FA, KPA-1500 or ??

Rick - W5FCX

Looking at solid state legal limit amps with integrated tuner for use with 6700. The SPE 2K-FA and recently introduced Elecraft KPA-1500 look pretty sweet and similar. I have a KPA-500 which is a great amp but looking for a bit more punch to break through pileups with my Spiderbeam. Not sure what other amps should be on the shortlist. Rick, W5FCX

Varistor

Why only solid state? There is a guy on swap.qth.com selling OM Power 4K auto for a reasonable price. There are also a few Alpha 9500s for sale. And of course plenty of Alpha 87s. Or if you want 6m, a brand new OM Power 2000+ auto from Array Solutions.

Rick - W5FCX

Oh, I forgot one of my other requirements. Must be capable of operating it remotely since my station is remote. I will check those out - thanks!

Rick - W5FCX

Alpha 9500 looks like it has had lots of reliability issues based on e-ham reviews. My impression is solid state amps are more reliable over time, hands free once configured and can be easily operated remotely.

Varistor

Consider who will repair the amp if something happens. Expert is being repaired by “Bob in Texas” and the German kit is just a kit, no service.

Ria

Bob Hardie has actually been very good with service with his amps (provided you buy your amp from him per the SPE agreement). Remotehamradio is using a ton of them and Ray has no issues with getting service from Bob. I know others who send their amps to Bob and get it returned really fast. If ever Bob gets out of the business and nobody replaces him, the factory in Italy will pick up the service. That said Bob’s sales have been going pretty strong so unless he suffers with his health like Frosty did I don’t see an issue in the near term. My issue with the SPE amps is duty cycle. The 1.3K-FA is not really good after 1kw for extended duration SSB. The IMD also tends to suffer at higher power levels. The 1.5 May be better since it uses the 1.8kw device but still only uses one of them. If I wanted an amp besides the PGXL i would get the KPA1500. But that’s moot because I have the PGXL and hopefully it ships soon.

W2PP

I have an ACOM 2000a, 2kw++, can operate remotely, key down all day long, rock solid reliable and in mint condition, 2 and a half yrs old if you want it, email me
pgprendergast@yahoo.com
Peter

Varistor

Indeed, the Acom is a great amp.

KY6LA_Howard

I agree that Solid State is the only way to go in the 21st century. I lost far too many Q’s from rare DX in the old days (prior to 2005) waiting for tubes to warm up. It’s really nice to be able to instantly click and shoot. Tubes fail at the Contest station all the time so also another $$$ reason to avoid I have a 2K-FA which I operate remotely much of the time. It’s a great Amp. It will easily exceed legal limits on SSB BUT it definitely is not 1500W (more like 1150W) on FT8. Does that matter. ... yup Haven’t run the KPA1500 yet but looking at the specs it does not look to be able to support 100% duty cycle @1500W. So I would recommend that you wait a few weeks to see if Flex will ever deliver the. PGXL. I worked RIa on hers and was impressed that she could run FT8 all day at 1500W.

Mark_WS7M

Hi Rick,

I also have SPE 2K-FA.  I've heard Ria comment about the LDMOS (newer tech) being more rugged and that is probably true, but the SPE amps are extremely well protected.  There are two CPUs monitoring that beast and it shuts it down if things go wrong very quickly.

I agree with Howard.   It is a 2 kw + amp on voice and I can push it to 1900 on CW if I really try but it will reduce power automatically in any sort of key down mode.  Part of the protection.

I have my eye on the PGXL but will wait for it to get some road testing before I jump on it.

In case you are interested I do have an SPE 1K FA that I will sell.  It's not a legal limit amp but it will give you 11-1200 on SSB and a good solid 900 on CW.

Mark - WS7M

Ria

I also have SPE 2K-FA.  I've heard Ria comment about the LDMOS (newer tech) being more rugged and that is probably true, but the SPE amps are extremely well protected.  There are two CPUs monitoring that beast and it shuts it down if things go wrong very quickly.

The biggest advantage that PG XL has for cooling is MEffA. MEffA adjusts the bias and thus operating class differently  for each mode. For CW and single tone digital modes it operates class AB and for SSB it will operate "AAB" which is still AB but closer to class A in linearity. The tradeoff is more heat for SSB mode but as a result CW and FSK modes run cooler. This is why I can run all day with digital modes without issue. In addition there is the vapor phase heatsink which enables quick recovery time for uses such as SSB contesting, as I got to experience last weekend.

LDMOS' biggest advantage is its ruggedness and gain but these really don't apply here because the filter network is still the weak point in any amp and you still need protection. Gain is hampered by **** outdated FCC rules.

John - K3MA

I can add some clarifying information.  Bob Hardie will fix SPE amps that were not purchased from him with the same excellent service as those that were purchased from him.  I know because I purchased from the other dealer in TX that went out of business and then had a issue that needed repair.  Bob turn it around door to door and back in under a week.

Secondly, even if Bob was not able to repair amps the repair tech that was used by the other dealer is still around.  I do not know if he jump back in but it would be a option for SPE to investigate should it be needed versus having to ship the amp back to Italy.

I also agree that there are many protections built into the SPE amps (as well as other SS amps) but some have failed even with the protections.  I personally know of two 1.3K that had to have the LDMos replaced.  

I have had a SPE 1.3K from the first batch that arrived in the USA over two years ago.  I run the amp 24/7.  I can concur and validate Ria's comments from personal experience.  Mine is the low drive version 6-9 watts will get full output.  However, I run it with 800 to 1KW output to keep the IMD clean.  Except for the Meanwell power supply needing to be replaced two times.  Once after a couple days of use and the second time after about 16 months it has performed perfectly.

Ria

I can add some clarifying information.  Bob Hardie will fix SPE amps that were not purchased from him with the same excellent service as those that were purchased from him.  I know because I purchased from the other dealer in TX that went out of business and then had a issue that needed repair.  Bob turn it around door to door and back in under a week.

While he will service those that were bought from Frosty, he will not service any that were bought outside of the US. Some of us bought amps from the factory in Italy, Australian or UK dealers and he has refused to service them, either under warranty or for time and materials. I believe he cited the SPE agreement but I am not 100% sure.

Steve K9ZW

I have an Expert, two Alpha-9500s and aPGXL. Alpha-9500s appear to come in two flavors, with the earlier version dependent on a particular fan running right. When it doesn’t it get pricy. The latest version of the Alpha company, with Dishtronics in a lead role, is servicing the Alpha-9500. A friend just sent his Alpha-9500 and two Alpha 87a’s in after a lightening strike. Alpha 9500 does have an accelerated warm up option available. The Expert is a nice amp, and I have the 1KW version. It’s interface software isn’t much (nor is the Alpha 9500’s) but they work great with DDUtil. The PGXL is really nice. I was just working QSOs using SmartSDR for iOS from a family home in Arizona, and received excellent signal reports. 73 Steve K9ZW

Steven WA8Y

Neither buy the RF-Kits B26 RF2K+

Steven WA8Y

Neither buy the RF-Kits B26 RF2K+

Rob N4GA

Consider rolling your own if you like building things.

Rob
www.n4ga.com

Rich McCabe

If you want an amp right away, then you don't want a SPE.  I talked to Bob, and current wait time on about everything was 2 months.  I dont know if that is a legit two months or "flex two months". LOL

Rick Ciotti W3DIY

I have been operating the new SPE 1.5K since December. It will output the legal limit but only for relatively short QSOs. Power will degrade to 1.3K during rag chews. W3DIY

Rick - W5FCX

Thank you all for your comments and advice.  After careful consideration, I decided to go with the SPE 2K-FA. Expert Linear have one available coming in near the end of this month, so timing is excellent as I need to get 220 VAC wiring prepared in the meantime.  Bob and team are about a 30 minute drive from Cypress where I live, so that's easy from a support perspective.

The RF Kits RF2K+ is tempting, as I love building things, but alas, my build/maker time is already spoken for.  Too much uncertainty around the PGXL at this point, and I'm all SDR and solid state with hands-free remote operation, so avoiding tube-based amps.  The KPA-1500 is certainly tempting, as I already have a KPA-500; however, the 6 RF ports on the SPE-2K and ability to operate the full GUI remotely and proven integration with the Flex 6000-series were the deciding factors for me.

Great to have so many excellent choices these days.  Thanks again for the quick feedback on my question.

Rick, W5FCX

Igor Dlf

I look forward to the release of the PGXL!
I have not considered other PA-devices for a year...

Rick - W5FCX

Received the 2K-FA last Thursday and got it up and running on Friday after 240 VAC circuit was installed.  Thanks for the all the help and guidance.  This was certainly the right decision for me at this time. The Flex interface cable was the biggest surprise for me.  Who would've known that darned cable would make such a difference in the user experience with an amp, but it does - especially for remote station operation.

Here's my review below, in case it's helpful for others.:
https://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/9874

W2PP

I've got the same impressions you had.  That instant on, instant antenna tuner when you switch bands, that is the cats meow!   I look forward to the PGXL when it has the antenna tuner I think it will beat the 2kFA by a nose, but just.  I'll probably keep both amps, I just love this combination with the Flex 6700

Mark Smith - KB5KYX

I have the Expert 1.5K. The wait time was 2 weeks at mid May 2018. Running FT8 it will start out at 1.5k, but rolls back to 1.25K when the temperature reaches 130F. It's not going to be 100% duty cycle, but I'm not running TEST anyway. Bob's shop is close to me, so that was a big plus. Maybe one day I'll play around with water cooling ;-)

Andy - KU7T

Wow, you are really running FT8 with 1.5kW? I hope you do not have any close neighbors, because you are probably wiping out their whole FT8 segment. I am new at FT8, but thought 100W is the most you would really need...

73
Andy
KU7T

KY6LA_Howard

FT8 is a weak signal mode NOT a LOW Power mode. You sometimes need 1.5KW to work the. Weak ones.

KY6LA_Howard

My 2K-FA will not sustain 1.5KW on FT8. It cuts back on heat overload to about 1150W The PGXL will sustain 1.5KW on FT8

KY6LA_Howard

You only splatter if you overdrive the audio. Keep it well out of the red and u can run higher power

Chris DL5NAM

My B26 PA  also hold the 1k5 at FT8 without reducing any time the power.

It's also made in Europe like the PGXL :-)

Rich McCabe

I agree. Low power mode is one of the biggest misconceptions in ham radio.

Mark Smith - KB5KYX

Andy, for local contacts I run 25w to 50w. For most DX contacts I typically run 200w but if I need to use more power to make a DX contact I'll up the power to 500w or even 1000w if needed. I've only had to use 1KW on one FT8 contact. Like Howard said, keep it out of the red and you can run higher power with a clean signal.

With that said, in the past week I have FT8 contacts with Indonesia (9,728 miles on 40m) running 450w into a 80m Windom at 50ft. and to Rodriquez Island (10,917 miles on 40m) running 170w into the same antenna, so you typically don't need all that much power on FT8. But....there is always that one contact that you don't want to lose, and so I suppose it never hurts to have an amplifier that will do a 1.5KW 100% duty cycle key down all day long until the cows come home......just in case. I have 3 amplifiers already (SPE 1.5K-FA, Yaesu VL1000, ACOM 600S), but will likely purchase the PGXL later this year to have a matching Flex station and get that 1.5KW key down.

I have tested the SPE 1.5K amplifier on FT8 at High (1.5KW) power to see what it would do. With the room temp at 70F it will make it through one FT8 contact running 1.5KW, but if I keep going without a rest it will cut the power back when the internal temperature reaches 130F. I'll bet if I parked an AC unit in front of the amplifier, it would do 1.5K all day long.....LOL. And Howard, I said the 1.5K-FA cuts back to 1250w when it reaches 130F, I was wrong, it actually cuts back to 1180w on mine which is about what you're seeing with your 2K-FA. I'm surprised the 2K-FA doesn't do 1.5KW 100% duty cycle.