Hi Brian My experience with the KPA500 exactly mirrors yours. After some fairly long overs, my fan begins to sound a bit like a vacuum cleaner although nowhere near as loud as my former linear, a Yaesu FL7000. I do not find any cause for complaint. It is simply a fact of life.
I am also bewildered by people who say they never hear the fan in their K3. Mine comes on almost from the start and I can always hear it, even with my headphones on. 73 Barry Simpson VK2BJ On 22 January 2012 11:40, Brian Alsop <[email protected]> wrote: > Like all things too good to be true, this posting about the KPA500 is a > bit unbelievable. Like cars, YMMV. > > My experience with the KPA500 is much different. I suspect Jack only > operates SSB. > > On CW expect the fan to come on after a few transmissions in under 30 > seconds. Levels 1, 2 and sometimes 3 are often heard when doing some > rag chewing at 500 W. The temperature stays below 70C as it should. > RTTY is about the same with contest type operation. Expect the fan to > operate as designed for these modes. > > It is not an absolutely quiet fan. I doubt Muffin type fans can be more > quiet that what is used on the KPA500. One would have to go to a > centrifugal fan like used on some of the really silent big amps to have > it "pin drop" quiet. > > 73 de Brian/K3KO > > > > On 1/21/2012 23:19, Jack Berry wrote: > > > I'm with you Fred. I wish Elecraft made cars. They would read our minds, > last for 20 years and get 300 mpg! > > > > On Jan 21, 2012, at 4:03 PM, Fredric Serota<[email protected]> wrote: > > > >> I don't usually say much on these lists. But I have just finished > building > >> my KPA500, and I have to say that in my almost 50 years of hamming, > this is > >> the most incredible piece of equipment I have ever had. Now, I am not > >> related to Elecraft in any way. They don't even know who I am. But I am > so > >> impressed with the quality of components and the engineering and thought > >> that went in to this little package that I may sell my other amp (name > >> starts with the first letter of the Greek alphabet) and buy another. My > >> other amp is so noisy, the fan runs so loud and the "QSK" relays > >> clickity-clack" when sending CW. The KPA500 is as silent as can be, > >> generates over 600 watts without any noise at all. The only time I can > hear > >> the fan is when I shut down the amplifier, it turns on to bleed the high > >> voltage to make it safe if you want to poke inside. No other piece of > >> equipment I have ever had does that. It follows the K3 without > blinking. And > >> the software gives you all the measurements, including temperature, > that you > >> would ever want to know. And the satisfaction of breaking a pile up with > >> half the power I usually run, puts the fun back in operating. > >> > >> > >> > >> And all you guys can say is you don't like the color of the buttons. > >> Unbelievable! > >> > >> > >> > >> Fred Serota, K3BHX > >> > >> ______________________________________________________________ > >> Elecraft mailing list > >> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > >> Post: mailto:[email protected] > >> > >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > >> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > > ______________________________________________________________ > > Elecraft mailing list > > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > > Post: mailto:[email protected] > > > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > > > > > > ----- > > No virus found in this message. > > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > > Version: 10.0.1416 / Virus Database: 2109/4757 - Release Date: 01/21/12 > > > > > > > > ----- > No virus found in this message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 10.0.1416 / Virus Database: 2109/4759 - Release Date: 01/22/12 > > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:[email protected] > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
