Owner Comments - 4

Below are some comments made by happy FL-7000 owners. Please contribute your comments about N4ATS at this link: eham.net. Thanks! Posted April 13.2007 08:26:12
If you are looking for an under-1KW amp, and want solid state, your choices are limited. There are of course the $4K amps from ICOM and Yaesu. The is also the newly approved Tokyo Hi-Power units for +$3K. At the other end of the scale (in more ways than one) are the offerings from MFJ/Ameritron. Somewhere in between is the SGC Power Cube, Tentec Herc II, and finally the Yaesu FL-7000.
I didn't want to spend $3000 or more and I don't trust the low end offerings. The Herc II is a real risk because of the unavailability of the PA finals. There seems to be pretty mixed reviews of the SGC product, and less than complete satisfaction with after sales service.
I guess I am 'stuck' with the FL-7000, and am I happy! An FL-7000 that is in good shape AND has been serviced by Bill Grassa, N4ATS, is some of the best $1200-1400 you will spend in ham radio. My particular model was purchased directly from Bill with all of his tweaks and mods. This amp is a super combination with both my FT-2000 (automatic band change with one cable) and my little FT-897 (no cable yet, so band change is manual).
When used in conjunction with a good manual tuner (a Palstar AT1KM, in my case)you have a powerhouse with all kinds of fault protection.
The amp is extremely well built with components that will last a long time was proper operating care. Bill Grassa is available for fantastic support and service.
It has been said that the first 500 watts is what really matters. Busting a pile-up with N8S on 17-meters has convinced me of that.
If you are looking for a low profile amp, don't overlook this aging but still hot beauty. K6SBA
Posted April 22.2007 02:12:37
Having used and built tube amps for the past 36 years I wanted to try a solid state amp to run our legal 750W PEP out. After repeated reading of the general introduction of VA7OJ ( What makes a good solid state amp ? ) it seemed that Mosfets like the MOTOROLA MRF 150 were state-of-the-art. So I considered the AMERITRON ALS-600 and the Italian SPE Expert 1K-FA. What made me feel insecure about the whole subject was the fact that few fellow hams use HF solid states except those wealthy plug-and-play guys with the latest ICOM and YAESU amps for $ 5000 up...
But then I ran into this amazing homepage of Bill N4ATS, wow, that FL-7000 appeared to be a real classic piece of equipment.
A few weeks later, the (in)famous German contest-station DR1A threw 4 of them into the 2nd hand market after having used them as pre-drivers @ 200W for contest-work ( now employing 4 brand new ACOM1000 amps ) So I paid the requested $ 1400 and was given a dusty, heavy-weight old lady less instruction manual or any other documentation. Oh-oh-oh....
On the one hand I was impressed by the solid construction and shining beauty after cleaning,
But on the other hand the PROTECT kept tripping whenever 10W drive power were exceeded.
I downloaded the manual from N4ATS and tried to re-align, but without noticeable effect.
Being the shy guy I hesitated to contact Bill who obviously has achieved some status when it comes to the FL-7000.
Much to my surprise though, Bill not only gave me the breakthrough instructions to overcome the difficulties - no, he has cared more than any after-sales-service I ever ran into. This ham spirit is very hard to find these days.
But after having performed dozens of test-runs with the FL-7000, I am not exaggerating when I say: Without Bill, following the YAESU specs, be prepared for all kinds of surprises.
With Bill, the FL-7000 to me is the best solid state HF amp this sort of money can buy. Now this FL, costing me 70% of the price when it was new, has turned into a work horse. 600W as per Bill is enough power ( although you can get more )
Required drive is 20...50W for 160m...10m.... DK5DR
Posted May 9.2007 06:07:10
Bill's legendary reputation with the FL 7000 is well earned and deserved. I obtained one thru trade recently and found it to be hyper-sensitive to SWR, overdrive etc. In short, it wouldn't perform reliably. Sent it to Bill for corrective action. It is now on-line and puts out 800 watts on all bands without dropping off line. Bill turned a dog into a wolf! Very reasonable price, super fast turn around and great performance afterward make recommendation of N4ATS easy! Nobody does it better!!! N7HR
Posted June 2.2007 14:56:19
I purchased an FL-7000 from Bill Grassa N4ATS and needed a Band Data cable to connect my FT-897D to the amp. There is no stock Yaesu cable that will connect the two, so a custom cable was in order. Bill directed me to his associate Steve N3ATS. In short order I recieved a quality cable from Steve at a very reasonable price; excellent construction and quality components. If you radio has a band data jack for controlling an amp, this is the place to go to get custom quality cable.
73 de K6SBA
David in Santa Barbara CA
Posted August 7.2007 20:14:12
After more than a year of flawless performance with my FT-840 and then a FT-2000 front-ending my FL-7000 my system developed a severe RFI problem in the audio. I asked for input from the FT-2000 Yahoo list of 1600 participants, of which many are top technical folks, and all input was to dismantle and try each component and then add a component until the problem part was identified or the problem disappeared.
I was thinking there was a problem with the amplifier so in parallel I asked Bill, N4ATS, if he thought it was the amp and if I should send it to him for repair. His response was a one liner.... "move the PTT line OR the Band Data cable away from the RF lines and this will fix it" I thought he had some pretty "big ones" to act so confident. It was an easy first step so I did what he told me to do. PROBLEM GONE! He scares me a little bit with what he knows about the FL-7000 and rigs in general but the advice is one we should all heed.... be careful when we run our wires and cables!
Besides his technical capability he and his associate, Steve Weiss N3ATS, are a pleasure to deal with.
Bob K2GSL
Posted February 24.2008 21:24:19
Let me say something about Bill Grassa (N4ATS), The man is nothing short of a God send for us Yaesu FL-7000 owners! I recently purchased a 7000 from a gentleman in northern Georgia a few weeks ago, it was just this weekend that i had a chance to finally connect it to my Yaesu FT-920 and see what it would do. I carefully read the 7000 and 920 manuals for connections and operating instructions. After 9 hours of frustration and no luck i was just about ready to call it quits. I decided to call Bill on his cell phone, now mind you this is Sunday, a day of rest , I felt bad about calling him on Sunday but my weekdays are really tied up and I was at wit's end. Bill answered the phone, listened to my situation and gave me some suggestions and had me do a few things to ensure the 7000 was in working order. I hung up, tried them and again no luck. I called Bill again about an hour later, he went to his shop, pulled out the 920 manual and researched alittle, had me try one other thing and then it happened FIRE in the Hole! or should i say RF output at the 7000!!!.
I have nothing but admiration for Bill and his technical abilities, he is a a one in a million and all of us FL-7000 owner/operators should be and are very appreciative for having him available to us.
Thank You once again Bill for your Time, knowledge and especially your patience in assisting me with my no former problem.
Respectfully
Robert Arnold
W4RAA