Rick,
I have had the LA-1K for 5 months.? I'll preface this by saying I think it's a great piece of gear, but it didn't start out that way.
My first ten minutes of use went well, but then it suddenly lost output power dropping to less than 200 watts out with 40 watts drive.? I talked with several other hams who have the LA-1K, and they were all helpful. After several tests, the conclusion was made the amplifier had lost it's finals shortly after I started using it.?
The next step was to contact Palstar and get approval from them to return the amplifier for warranty repair. However,? Palstar was not overly accommodating.? Instead, they accused me of over driving the amp which they said caused the damage. I argued I had not driven the amp by more than 40 watts, but Palstar didn't seem to believe me.? I will emphasize I was very careful to operate the amplifier the exact way Palstar recommend.? After a few days of discussion via phone and email, they agreed that I needed to return it.?
Their turn around time was good, and a week after sending it back for repair, Palstar contacted me via phone.? He agreed that the finals were bad, and he said they would be replaced under warranty. But, he acted very irritated. He told me he has sold several thousands of them with no failures. His comment was, "I don't know what you did to this amplifier."? The truth is, I had done nothing to it, except try to use it in the way it was intended.?
Once the repair was completed two days later, he called me again, and said it was fixed, but I had to pay the return shipping.? I had already paid for shipping back to them, and this was starting to get expensive. I was displeased and angered at Palstar's insistence that I had mistreated the amp.? And, I felt return shipping under a warranty should be at their expense rather than mine.? Since they had my amp, and I wanted it back, I ended up agreeing to pay the return shipping.
Since receiving the repaired amplifier, the unit has performed magnificently.? I believe I just had the bad luck of having defective finals, and all it needed was a new set.? Anything new can have something go wrong, and that's why we have such things as warranties.? Why they wanted to blame me didn't set too well, but all is well now.
I typically run the amplifier at a drive of 20-40 watts.? I have never driven it with over 45 watts.? This amplifier is very well built and designed.
If this issue had happened with an Acom, it would've required shipping it overseas.? As someone else on this forum stated, just the fact alone of Palstar being in the USA is enough for me to buy "locally."? And, beyond that, I believe the LA-1K is built as well or better than any in this price range and design.?
Since acquiring the LA-1K, I have added the Palstar HF-Auto.? In my opinion, this tuner is top of the line.
