In a message dated 7/12/07 11:06:46 PM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> On Jun 1, 2007, at 10:01 AM, Lee Buller wrote: > > > I thought that these amps were...well...not as efficient as tube > > amps thus not being attractive to hams. > > I think this is true. It's still cheaper to produce several hundred > watts with an old tube design than to do so with solid state devices. > Although that may not continue for long, as certain tubes become > unobtainium, and solid state devices slowly get cheaper. That's part of it. Another part is that power level measurement has changed from the old power-input measure to the "new" power output measure, so efficiency doesn't matter as much as it used to. > > > So, > > what has changed? Have the SS Amps gotten more efficient? > > I think the price point for this type of equipment has shifted upward > to the point that solid state amplifiers are practical in the market. > > There's also the general amateur acceptance of no-tuneup transmitters. While > it is possible to build tube rigs with no tuneup controls (the CE 100V, 200V > and 600L did it in the 1950s!), it's arguably easier to do with SS. The big item, I think, is the cost and availability of the different designs. Not just the tubes but all the other parts, many of which would have to be custom made. The total price of a conventional tube amp and power supply, with tuning controls and QSK, really starts to climb when you're getting a lot of parts custom-made. That situation is complicated by the used-equipment market. If you want to run, say, a pair of 3-500Zs, and are willing to do your own tuning, a Drake L4 or Heath SB-220/221 can do the job. Even if you have to put fixup into one and retube it, such amps are pretty price-competitive to a new pair-of-3-500Zs amp. There's also the danger of creating an amp whose tubes become unobtanium. You can get a really good deal on the Heath SB-630 amp, because its conduction-cooled tube is very expensive to replace. Elecraft has built itself on the idea of offering products that are *not* exactly like everything else on the market, but rather go off in new and exciting directions. On FD I spent some time with a KX1 - the thing is simply incredible, but also, there's nothing on the market quite like it. The Elecraft amps show that trend as well. 73 de Jim, N2EY ************************************** Get a sneak peak of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
