The UPS man dropped off a heavy package from California here yesterday. It was the KPA1500 I just ordered last week. How I came to purchase one is a long story. The short-version is that Elecraft had a Spring Sale and offered $350 off the amplifier plus free shipping. With the 2% cash back I got from the card used to order it, more than $500 in savings was achieved and I calculated I may never have a shot like this again. Especially with the tariffs and the economy sprinting towards recession.

The longer version of the story goes like this…

More than a year ago I got in a very long queue to order the KM3KM Mercury IIIS amplifier. The plan was to use it with my IC-7610 that was anchoring my HF station. Over the course of the year of waiting, I decided to make the 7610 my back-up radio and ordered an Elecraft K4 for daily use. I figured once the Mercury IIIS arrived I would use it with the new K4. But by the time the IIIS arrived I was already toying with the notion of selling it and getting the KPA1500 due to its tight integration with the transceiver.

To be honest, I have so little experience with HF amplifiers that I was a bit gun shy pairing that amp with the K4. If you hang around guys with amps enough there is a common thread. These guys blow-up their amps and/or radio equipment with frightening regularity, and somehow still laugh about it. And in nearly every case it’s due to operator error. I was loathe to join that special club which convinced me to get the amplifier that was engineered for my transceiver.

I’ll get round to hooking up the new KPA1500 later this weekend. Probably. Funny thing, I’m still a little gun shy about firing it all up. I’ve already read the manual a few times and I know how to connect all the dots, but that and pumping out 1500 watts of RF energy are two entirely different things.

Bottom line: I have a barely used KM3KM Mercury IIIS and matching auto tuner for sale, just in case you’re interested? Email me. I’m good on QRZ. Given the continued long wait to purchase a Mercury IIIS I don’t expect this will last long.