Folks, we have not ever formally said we would never do a 1500W amp. We have
said at times in the past that we were not doing one at that time, but we never
rule anything out.
We're always looking for good suggestions and marketing input on what we should
do in the future.
73,
Eric
/elecraft.com/
On 12/30/2016 12:16 PM, Guy Olinger K2AV wrote:
On Dec 30, 2016 12:36 PM, "Fredric Serota" <fser...@msn.com> wrote:
Now more than ever there is a need for a 1500 watt amplifier of the
quality and function of the KPA500. PLEASE, Elecraft, reconsider your
decision to produce a KPA 1500.
Without debating how much use is had from a 5 dB increase in signal
strength (a lot), the real reason Elecraft did not do a 1500 watt amp
is all business and marketing. Elecraft is a small business and as
such does not have the financial "mass" to absorb jabs in the bank
balance from the marketplace that do not doubly pay for the research
and development.
There is a breaking point for ham-priced transistor amp equipment
somewhere beyond 500 watts and before 1500 that has to do with
reliability of components at those stress levels, and the cost of
components and circuits to control the amp's response to the
unbelievably bad treatment afforded amps by some purchasers.
If this were not true, you would have seen dozens of 2K transistor
equivalents to the likes of the Alpha 9500 and 8410, with which you
can actually put a brick on the key and let it run at 1500 watts out
indefinitely or until you lose your nerve.
I'm sure the military has stuff, but then the military has specs and
bidding, and they are willing to pay what it REALLY costs for that
layer of reliability.
Hams are unwilling to pay mil-spec prices, and Big E. knows it. They
also know that a major failure of an expensively developed product
with a lot of warranty returns can put a small business into chapter
11.
Wayne & Co have put out a lot of leading edge products, kept their
business rolling through the Great Recession, and embarassed the fool
out of Yakencom for the better part of a decade, kicking the ham
equipment industry into a new level of performance where they really
didn't want to go.
When Wayne *doesn't* do something that gets repeated requests, there
is a reason. I trust his judgement, because he has earned that.
I particularly do not want them to go out of business and find myself
stuck with Yakencom again.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
73, Guy K2AV
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