Despite what I wrote earlier, I just purchased a used KX3. The price was right, and you gotta admit, it does seem like a cool, little rig. Not being a hardcore QRP guy, the next step of course is to buy or build a small amplifier. I’ve been Googling and came across the following options:
KXPA100. This is a 100W amp, specifically designed for the KX3. By all accounts, this is a great amp, and obviously, works well with the KX3. the downside is that it costs $700.
HardRock-50 Power Amp Kit. This amp kit costs only $300, but the maximum output is only 50W. One interesting feature of this amp is that the software is all open-source and hackable. I’m not sure what kind of hacks I could make to the software, but I like the fact that I could do so.
WiMO HLA-150. I know very little about this amp, except what I see on the website. One plus, obviously, is that it’s 150W output. Another is the price. With the euro at a very favorable exchange rate against the dollar, it only costs $350. A negative is that there’s no automatic bandswitching. When you change bands, you have to manually switch the amp to the correct band.
Ebay. There are a number of HF amps for sale on EBay, like this 45 W amp for $190. I guess there from China. They are cheaper, but I’m not sure that I want to take a chance buying one of these things. With the three listed above, I’m fairly sure that I could get some support if I ran into problems.
I’m leaning towards purchasing the HardRock-50. I like building kits, and the price is right. The WiMo 150W amp seems like a bargain, though, too. What do you think?