N4ZR posted a similar question on August 12, 2022 and few people publicly responded. I am sure some people will privately email you with their experiences. It seems like some people have great luck with the KPA1500 and others keep blowing LDMOS finals. It would be nice to pinpoint the cause for blown finals, power level, mode, antenna etc. Reducing power reduces the efficiency so much that doing so does not help reduce the final's heating. I also follow the SPE Expert list and blown finals is a common topic there. LDMOS finals are nowhere near as forgiving as ceramic tubes! I have not heard of any issues with the KPA500 finals, even from people that have had blown their KPA1500 so it may be more robust.
John KK9A Scott Manthe N9AA wrote: Hi Everyone, I'm in the market for a legal limit solid state amp. There are lots of options out there, but I've been an Elecraft fan since the beginning and have owned a KPA500, K3/P3, and KX3/PX3. So, obviously I'm a fan. However, I'm also aware that over the years, some of the gear has had an issue or two, which generally have been taken care of by the good folks in Watsonville. So, for the KPA1500 users out there, do you have any serious issues to report for the KPA1500? I have "heard" that they're not as robust as the KPA500 and that occasionally there have been failures with the PA devices. Is this true? I was one of the people that saw the KPA1600 run all day every day at Dayton years ago, and have dreamed of that amp ever since. I know the KPA1500 probably can't live up to that ideal, but are there issues a potential buyer should be aware of? Thanks in advance for any and all feedback. 73, Scott N9AA ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
