The threads about a kit amplifier got me thinking. It is now 1999. The market is saturated with well established companies such as Yaesu, Icom and Kenwood selling high quality radios. Ham radio technology is stagnant with no major leaps in the horizon. The average amateur is aging rapidly with very little influx of new blood. The youth are all interested in computers and the internet. The days of Heathkit are long past; there is no way to save money building kit electronics. The only kit manufacturers sell small inexpensive radios that can be built in a few hours.
Certainly there is no good reason to start a company selling a 100 Watt kit SSB/CW rig....OTOH Elecraft bet it could and it would appear that they are successful. It is now 2010. The same arguments are being put forward for an solid state HF amplifier. In addition, the legal liability of high current electronics is daunting. The population of customers of amplifiers is even smaller than that for 100 Watt kits. Are these arguments correct? I don't know but suspect that there would be a niche market for such kits as long as the manufacturer has no business presence in the US. Hopefully such a kit starts getting sold in the next few years. It sounds like fun. tnx. Conway Yee, N2JWQ ______________________________________________________________ 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
