HR2.0 - RF-Kit RF2K-S Amp - Ham Radio Amplifier, Legal Limit, Hamvention 2022

2 KW plus output 160-10, 1 KW 6M, 1.5 KW 100% duty cycle. Devices themselves are rated for a lot more power. Legal limit AM phone geezer transmissions are not a problem. Runs cool and quiet. Linux software, free upgrades. RPI 4 processing platform. Light weight. Internal antenna tuner option. Compare the various amplifiers here:
https://www.ok1rr.com/public/amp_overview.pdf

 

100% duty cycle @ FULL POWER is total BS.

8 seconds at 1500 watts then throttled back to a couple of hundred watts for 100% duty cycle.

 

Well just an update. I’ve had these three RF2KS amps since August and it’s now March. I’ve done a good bit of cw contesting along with working tons of new dx. My antennas are all wire antennas - doublet, loop, Extended double zepp, fan dipoles etc. 3Y0J and FT8WW are in the log along with lots of other fairly rare ones. Been using the amps remotely while traveling and so far so good The regular and frequent (about once every 1-2 months) software updates are a one-button install and the software continue to add features, address improvements or both.

my general observation from the groups.io mailing list is that some guys don’t know what they’re getting into with legal limit power- read the RF2KS forum. Read the expert amp forum. Read the electaft kpa 1500 forum and it’s a lot of the same . The vast majority of issues with these amps come down to users being inexperienced going QRO with a computer controlled solid state amp - with a tuner that is designed for a specific function or task. mostly it comes down to using a weak antenna system such as end fed antennas not up to the RF task, bad coax connector installs or not tightened, close to the shack antenna installations causing too much RF in the shack, using some non resonant antenna with poor ground full of common mode or polyphaser failures or using an auto tuner that tuned in the middle of a high power transmission. .

Some also have made rookie or senile induced user errors - any legal limit amp isn’t really intended for an appliance operator to sit back and not be on top of things - it requires understanding of some basic RF physics rules, antennas, and so forth.

Important: be observant - the analogy is how a teen drives versus experienced driver. Experienced drivers know when a tire is low. You feel it. Hear it. And you know. A teen gets in and only knows it’s flat when the tire had had a blow out.

Be astute and observe the environment and be clever at what’s going on with your amp. Inspect what changes to your antenna system day to day and critical thinking applied to RF systems is important in running a high power station. Tube amps are more forgiving to the careless less observant operator … always have been.

But these amps are amazing. Truly state of the art. No other manufacturer can touch the feature set of the RF2KS. Not the Mercury Lux. Not the Elecraft kpa1500 not the Palstar la1k . Not the expert SPE 2K (although close). Not the amps from EB104.

Let’s see how these RF2KS hold up ! So far. Amazing !

 

The above statements looks and reads like an advertisement
for RF2KS amplifiers

 

Just try one.

Good DX
From the KØUO Rhombic Antenna Farm, miles of Wire in the Air & On the Air, “The RF Gotta-Go-Somewhere"!

 

I have 3 of them, so i supposed I have skin in the game.
They are definitely not the right choice for a cohort of our hobby - probably the same cohort that still uses flip phones vs a smart phone, and struggles when dealing with menu-laden radios.

 

I'm doing fine with what I have I dont need
to give my money away

 

So why bother commenting at all?

 

How much do you get for being a shill for this company ?

 

<<--- Mint in box

 

zero ... no affiliation what so ever. Just a very pleased customer who values good ham gear that provides a nice solution.

A shill would not post truth. I post the truth based on my own experience. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

At least you actually use and own one. I can give you credence….

Unlike the many uninformed influencers out there. Case in point this video.

But what else is new?

 

A good antenna is any antenna that's IN the AIR and more importantly On the AIR

 

The RF2KS amp has just (Sept 5 2023) had another firmware update / upgrade; This upgrade is directed to the internal antenna tuner == the performance of said tuner is enhanced with this easy to download firmware update. The upgraded firmware is downloaded free by hitting the "update" button on the amplifier (with the amp connected to internet by wired ethernet or WiFi). The software update should take 45 seconds or less to download and update. Rebooting the amp is needed for the firmware to "take".

Result: improves tuning matching speed and minimum tuned SWR solutions significantly. Note to users: There is also a simple hardware modification that can be done in parallel to the software/firmware upgrade to improve the tuning algorithm even further by increasing the tuning speed and accuracy. This hardware mod requires removing one chip capacitor (C61 on the controller board) with a soldering iron or tweezers on the controller board. A video of that easy procedure is posted here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ycPZgmdnof4 This small hardware mode does not have to be done for the sofware enhancement to take effect, but improves the tuning algo even further as noted.