Power Genius Purchase; What to expect?

Alan

Question for those members who have completed the full purchase cycle for a Power Genius Amplifier  -  After completing the on-line form to be added to the waiting list, what steps occurred next leading up to the receipt of your unit?

My real question is how do you receive feedback on where you stand in line and when do you commit $$ to the deal?

No need to comment on the delays as that has been well covered in other postings.

Alan
WA9WUD

Steve K9ZW

Only effective way is to ask FRS directly. You will he asked for payment and confirmed shipping details when it is your unit’s time to ship. The rest of the wait is anticipation mostly. Congratulations and hope you enjoy yours ( if you have ordered one)! 73 Steve K9ZW Blog: http://K9ZW.wordpress.com

WC6Y

When I called in May 2019 Matt Youngblood in sales said he couldn't take my order, they were still working through their backlog of existing orders. He suggested I should check again in a few months. I just received an email response from him saying that while they are making progress against their existing orders, he still cannot accept my order, even to put me in line on a waiting list.

He confirmed that the PGXL is manufactured by 4O3A. I'm guessing 4O3A is not able to ramp to the production levels needed. Discouraged, I ordered an SPE 1.5K FA yesterday which is promised for mid-October.

If anyone in the community out there thinks I'm making a mistake, I'd like to know now! 

73,
Ken WC6Y

KF4HR

There was a recent change in how the PG-XL order process works.  Initially FRS required a $1k deposit.  I can attest that some people that went through this down payment process are still waiting on delivery.  (I'm one of them).  Now no deposit is required, but rather just putting yourself "on the list." 

As for receiving feedback to where you are in line, your best bet is to call FRS directly, but it's best to expect unexpected delays. FRS will eventually contact you when your unit is ready for shipment, at which point FRS will require payment. 

There's a loosely put together waiting list based on Forum Member input, which has been updated several times.  To get an idea of the period between order date and receiving date, see thread "PGXL June 2019 Updates." 

[Deleted User]

I wonder if Ratheon is going to have to wait like people here are waiting . . . Just my observation . . . Start the bashing.

KT0AM - Mark

Ken, I went through the same process with Flex on the PGXL back in May at Hamvention. After an unsatisfying discussion with Flex I ordered an SPE 1.5K FA that same afternoon. I've been a happy QRO operator now for over a month; you won't regret your decision. And don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing Flex; if they're satisfied with the progress of the PGXL from a business and financial point of view, more power to them. But from the practical side, they are asking considerably more money for a product that isn't available and offers relatively little in terms of advanced features over what the SPE and Elecraft bring to the table. And then there's the tuning capability... but don't worry, the Tuner Genius availability is right around the corner. 

Steve K9ZW

The community list has been nice but didn't include many units ordered for various reasons - mostly because it depended on the purchasing ham providing the information.

Agree that calling FRS will get you the best and latest information.

Personal experience, if FRS has gear available and you want it, jump on it.  I dawdled a couple days deciding when I ordered my 5000A, and that delay pushed my delivery by a couple months when my order just missed the cut off for a production run.  

The SPE 1.5FA is a fine amp.  I enjoyed my Expert and the ham I sold it to tells me how much he enjoys it now.  Not a bad experience at all.  

I am appreciative of the growing integration of the PGXL into SmartSDR, and hope the same integration happens for an Antenna Genius, Tuner Genius (*when out), Rotator Genius, and Station Genius.  Would really make remote operation a great experience.

73

Steve
K9ZW

Blog:  http://k9zw.wordpress.com 

KF4HR

Unlike amateur orders, I would imagine business dealings with Raytheon would involve specific contract terms and timelines. 

Bill -VA3WTB

Both Flex and Ratheon are partners, both will be waiting on each other?

KF4HR

It's a shame we haven't heard more amateurs reporting the delivery of their PG-XL on this forum because the community list would certainly be more informative.  Then again, it's a safe bet not all Flex owners post to this forum.

Steve K9ZW

Perhaps Ralph the reasons are more than being unaware or avoiding the effort? What ham wants an issue with their Spouse if the spouse hasn’t been in the loop? Or wants to attract the more ribald side of the community itself? When taking the temperature of FRS owners one has to remember only a subset of owners are on the community, a sub-subset doesn’t post even though they are on the community, another sub-subset may not post accurate information and we do enjoy some members who do post that are not FRS owners along with a few pranksters. Add to that data set problem that the only party with accurate data, FRS, for commercial and temperament reasons doesn’t provide data. Actually that isn’t uncommon in our hobby for sales information to be scarce unless released for marketing purposes. I can tell you the actual PGXL units are first class performers and the development process is exceptional. 73 Steve K9ZW Blog://k9zw.wordpress.com

KF4HR

All good points Steve.  Thankfully 33 Forum members don't have those issues and opt'ed to provide their order information for the community list.  For those that are waiting it's nice to know at least someone is receiving them.

"I can tell you the actual PGXL units are first class performers and the development process is exceptional."

Yep, that's the reason I've been waiting nearly 2 years for mine.  In the mean time, my Alpha is holding down the fort fairly well.