During the SSB Sweepstakes, the amp performed flawlessly.  I could not believe how cool it was after running for several hours straight.  Since the contest I have made several other contacts with the amp and each time I received excellent reports on my audio and signal quality.  The only drawback coming from the Collins grounded grid design is the warm up period required prior to being able to transmit.  In a contest application is this not a big deal, but when tuning the bands for DX, it could result in missing a rare one.  This is a comment I have seen many times, but in reality, I power up the amp when I turn on the radio, just in case I need the amp, it’s ready to go.

The amp is very easy to operate and after getting the initial settings for the Tune and Load adjustments for my station, tuning up is very quick.  I would have liked an amp with auto band switching and auto tune, but those cost more money than I was willing to spend.  The HF-2500 was purchased from W4MYA for $1.10 per watt versus $3.24 per watt for a solid state 1kW amp.  For a considerable savings, I’m willing to put up with manually changing bands and tuning the amp.  I just have to be diligent during contests to keep the amp tuned as I move up or down a band.

The construction of the amp is rock solid.  The switches and knobs are designed to last with a tough rugged look and feel.  The amp has two meters, one for gird current and the other that is switchable between plate voltage and plate current.  I leave the second meter set to monitor plate current and monitor it and my power meter when tuning.  I do wish the amp had SWR and power output metering, but I am willing to put up with using an external meter for these functions.

The amp features a blower to keep the tubes cool, and at times, the noise can be annoying.  I have read several articles on modifying the amp with a temperature control switch for the blower to reduce the noise.  I have considered doing such a mod, but that is just one more point of failure and the cost of replacing a tube is more than the amount the noise bothers me.  It’s not overpowering, but it can be bothersome.  The placement of the amp in the station increases my awareness to the noise since the exhaust is right next to my radio.  If I move the amp to the left side of my desk, I doubt I would notice the blower noise.

Overall, I am very pleased with the Commander HF-2500 and would have no problems recommending it to anyone looking for a well built amp that loafs along at 1500 watts out.  It is a welcome step up from my Collins 30L-1 and will get help me log many stations in the coming years.  I have been told this is a very trouble-free amp and based on my experience so far, I believe it.  I was looking for an amp I would have for the next 20 years and this seems likely to outlast me.

Saturday morning I decided to adjust the center frequency of the 80m wire from 3.650mHz to 3.800mHz. Somehow I did not notice that as I was pulling the one side of the antenna back up, it had become caught on a tree branch and the wire was hanging down into a branch with rain soaked leaves. A quick check of the SWR didn’t register an issue - it was about 1.5:1 at 3.800 - close enough.

The 4 hour trip to Fredericksburg was a mistake because I arrived at home with only minutes to setup the amp, get the tuning numbers sorted, and eat something before the start of the contest. I would have arrived home with the amp with plenty of time to spare had I not decided to stop at KE3Q’s and the AARC’s site - I was in the area so I figured I had plenty of time. Funny how time slips past you while you are stuck in shopping plaza traffic.

I intended to start the contest on 40m since I had some success in the CW contest two weeks earlier. Seeing that 20m was while getting the amp sorted, I decided to give 20m a try. In 2006 I had a great first hour with 64 qso’s. I was able to find a frequency about 5 minutes before the start at 14.206 MHz and started calling CQ making sure everything was setup. Andrew, K3ASK heard me calling CQ and wwe had a quick chat and then the contest started and then the QRM started in - there were some huge signals on either side of me and they were pushing closer and closer. After 15 minutes and only6 qso’s, I decided to drop down to 40m. The first hour only yielded 32 qso’s and a very disappointed contester.

In retrospect, i should have looked closer at my 2006 log and took note that I ran on 14.251 MHz. Up there, I could have had a clear run, but we’ll never know. Next year I’m making a closer study of the data, and to that fact I have assembled a few charts that detail my efforts in the ARRL SS SSB from 2004 forward.

ARRL Sweepstakes SSB Log Analysis

I have everything ready to go - the antennas are setup, the computer is working correctly, and the family knows to not bug daddy. It’s contest season and this is Sweepstakes phone. The contest starts at 4pm here in Maryland and the plan is to start with a run on 40m then move to 80m as the rate drops in the second hour. If I have the amp, 80m will be difficult, if I don’t have the amp, 80m will be brutal. Let’s hope for the amp.

See you in the pile-ups, de WM3O