On Mon, Apr 3, 2023 at 04:26 PM, Joe Loverti WW8X wrote:
As for Chinese-made components used in their gear, most manufacturers these days have great difficulty sourcing parts which cause long delays in fulfilling?orders. I suspect most of the parts in most electronic equipment being made today are largely comprised of foreign-made parts. That does not surprise me at all. But I can tell you firsthand the people at Palstar are indeed assembling, testing, packing, and shipping their products in-house.
Joe,
Since I am already an Elecraft paying customer, acquired my KX-2 Shack-in-a-Box from Elecraft during their 2018 Black Friday sale event, thought I would contact their tech support folks to get an idea of their ability to purchase the necessary parts for their KPA1500 1.5kW amp w/internal ATU, that is in-stock and ready to ship, as of this writing on April 5, 2023, for only USD $6,699.95 (free shipping).? That's a bargain comparing with the $3,695.95 LA-1K (just 1kW) and the USD $1,695.00 HF-AUTO combined; totaling USD $5,390.95, as of this writing. ? Paying 24% more for a
full-legal-limit solid-state amp (with internal ATU) that is
truly made in America is a no-brainer!
It was shortly after 1200 hours (California local time) when I reached out to Elecraft at 831-763-4211 yesterday.? A lady answered my call on maybe the 3rd ring, and promptly got me on the phone with the Elecraft tech support individual.? When asked, the gent advised me Elecraft has absolutely no problems acquiring components for their KPA1500 from reputable USA vendors/suppliers (no eBay and/or PRC stuff) at the present time.? Adding that Elecraft outsources to nearby American companies to manufacture their CCAs (circuit card assemblies) to include populating said CCAs with parts provided to them by Elecraft.? Then he told me the KPA1500 is being put together in their in-house production facilities -- truly made in the USA!!
Oh well, I didn't think I would need a 1.5kW amp (and definitely not an automatic antenna tuner of any kind) otherwise the Elecraft KPA1500 would have been on the very top of my shopping list.
73,
Ray
KJ5MI
