#ShouldHaveBoughtAnExpert — A Blind Ham's Journey to the Expert 2K-FA Amplifier
By Justin Mann, AI5OS — Austin, Texas
I've been a ham for over 30 years. In that time, I've run tube gear that would make most operators nostalgic — a TS-520, Kenwood TL-922, Drake B-line, R4B and TX4, Heathkit SB-200, and all manner of gear in the shack. Classic stuff. Beautiful, even.
But here's the thing nobody puts on the brochure: running a tube station means juggling three moving parts simultaneously. Change bands on the radio, dial in the VFO, switch the amplifier to the correct band, load the tubes, tune for maximum output — all while wrestling with an antenna tuner that "sort of kind of worked, until it didn't."
For most hams, that's just part of the hobby. For me, as a blind ham, it was a full-time job just to make a single contact. I always wanted a t-shirt with a picture of all that gear and a sign that read: "And all this for a 5-9."
Then I blew up two sets of 3-500Z tubes in about 30 days trying to QSY from 40 meters to 17 meters. $600 in tubes. $1,500 in repairs on the TL-922. And a whole lot of frustration.
Enter the Expert Amplifier.
This changed my life.
Gone was the tuner. Gone was the coax switch. Gone was the mess of RF prone cables all over the desk and rack. Gone were the expensive repairs. Gone was the constant struggle to get three pieces of gear working in harmony just to get on the air. I started with the Expert 1.3K, loved it, moved to the Expert 1.5K, and eventually knew I needed the big boy — so I got the Expert 2K. All that tube gear? It's in a museum now, or in that old ham shack in the sky.
Combined with the SPE-LAN unit, I can work my station from anywhere. Click of a mouse, and everything just works.
But what really sold me wasn't just the performance — it was the people behind it. When I contacted the factory in Italy and told them I was a blind ham who needed a way for the amplifier to communicate with me, they didn't just say "sorry, can't help." They wrote a custom program called Vi-Term that allows any blind operator to control the amplifier independently. Aside from Kenwood, what other ham radio manufacturer offers that kind of service?
I love these amps so much that I flew to Nashville to demonstrate to country music legend and fellow ham Ronnie Milsap, WB4KCG, just how much easier his operating life could be with an Expert in his shack.
So if you've got a pile of tube gear that's a pain to warm up, tune, and babysit — but you still want to get on the radio and actually enjoy the hobby — call Uncle Richard at MTC Radio. He'll hook you up. Richard takes trades and will trade for most anything.
Don't be the ham missing the pileup, missing the ragchew, and muttering to yourself...
#ShouldHaveBoughtAnExpert
You might cry a little. Or a lot. But it'll be because you finally made that contact, got that QSL, or just realized you don't have to work this hard for a 59.
73, Justin — AI5OS, Austin, Texas