I have had the SPE 1.3k and now have the KPA1500. I drive them with a Flex 6600 and Anan 7000dle.
The issue I had with the SPE 1.3k was once you start pushing it past 1 KW out the TX IMD starts to really get bad. This is due to the single LDMOS RF device being pushed towards its limit. The other issue I had with the SPE is heat dissipation on long SSB transmissions and digital transmissions. The fans would ramp up very quickly and were more noise than I wanted in the shack. As it heated up the power would drop off high to mid power. The KPA1500 fans will still spin up faster with long transmissions or during digital operation but the power supply unit can be located under the desk, reducing some of the noise. Also the fan profile is such that they can be set to have the PA deck turn off or be set to one of five levels. If the temp increases past a certain point the fans will increase. The other thing is the tuner on the KPA1500 is MUCH better than the SPE 1.3k. The SPE amp would not tune my G5RV on 80. The KPA1500 tunes it, although on one end of the band at reduced power (1200 watts). So the tuning range on the KPA1500 is superior. I'm happy I spent the additional money on the KPA1500. Dave wo2x -----Original Message----- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net <elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net> On Behalf Of Dave Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2019 1:45 PM To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: [Elecraft] KPA1500 vs SPE Amps Has anyone had experience with both the KPA1500 and any of the current (1.3K, 1.5K or 2K) Expert Linears from SPE? I was initially leaning towards the 1.3K-FA without the ATU. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to go with an ATU. The price difference to get less than 1db in going from 1300 watts to 1500 was also a bit of a concern. However, I’ve never pushed my 3x8874s to more than 1200 and only on the low bands. I have a KPA500 with the KAT500 and it’s great. However, in a 160 pileup a bit more power would help. Changing bands quickly is awesome. That has me leaning towards the KPA1500. If anyone would like to share their thoughts, it would be greatly appreciated. Also, I’m wondering if anyone has run their KPA500 and a KPA1500 off of the same K3? If so, how did you set it up? Tnx es 73, Dave N8AG Sent from Mail for Windows 10 ______________________________________________________________ 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 rocke...@gmail.com ______________________________________________________________ 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
