Not too long ago, W6KLE informed me on the repeater we hang out on that he had purchased the Elecraft KXPA100 100 watt HF amplifier to go with his KX3. Of course, I was interested in seeing it since I also have a KX3. He offered to bring it over for me to try out, so of course I took him up on the opportunity. When he showed up the other night, he also was carrying his Elecraft K2 and K2 Autotuner. So, I took the opportunity to put them all on the bench for a photo op 
Here are three generations of HF rigs from Elecraft. From left to right, the K3, KX3, KXPA100, and K2 sitting atop the autotuner:
After taking pictures, it was time to hook up the KXPA100. Don had never even taken it out of the box it was shipped in, so this was going to be the first smoke test! The hookup is very a very simple procedure, but you need to make sure your KX3 has recent firmware. This is because the KX3 talks to the amp to turn the amp on and off and also key it. Don also got the internal tuner option for the amp which the KX3 ATU TUNE button can control, as well.
Here's a pic of the amp sitting on a box in front of the bench. We had to do this because the power cable supplied was just a little short to reach my power supply.
I must say that this amplifier is really nice. For someone that wants a fantastic HF rig that can go portable or hook up to a 100 watt PA in the shack, this combination is tough to beat. Don't forget that Elecraft also has hook-up cables for the KXPA100 for the Yaesu 817. Lastly, the interface cable supplied with the amp has an RCA key jack in case you want to use the 100 watts to drive a larger amp.
Here are three generations of HF rigs from Elecraft. From left to right, the K3, KX3, KXPA100, and K2 sitting atop the autotuner:
After taking pictures, it was time to hook up the KXPA100. Don had never even taken it out of the box it was shipped in, so this was going to be the first smoke test! The hookup is very a very simple procedure, but you need to make sure your KX3 has recent firmware. This is because the KX3 talks to the amp to turn the amp on and off and also key it. Don also got the internal tuner option for the amp which the KX3 ATU TUNE button can control, as well.
Here's a pic of the amp sitting on a box in front of the bench. We had to do this because the power cable supplied was just a little short to reach my power supply.
I must say that this amplifier is really nice. For someone that wants a fantastic HF rig that can go portable or hook up to a 100 watt PA in the shack, this combination is tough to beat. Don't forget that Elecraft also has hook-up cables for the KXPA100 for the Yaesu 817. Lastly, the interface cable supplied with the amp has an RCA key jack in case you want to use the 100 watts to drive a larger amp.
