----------
> From: David McPhie <K7SX@worldnet.att.net>
> To: amps@contesting.com
> Subject: Alpha amps I have owned part 2
To: <amps@contesting.com>
> Date: Saturday, April 12, 1997 7:34 PM
>
> Gentelmen, Thanks again for all your advice on upgrading the Drake L-4B.
>
> I promised to relate my experiences with the Alpha amplifiers I
> have
> owned, and wrote concerning the 77DX and SX last week. Some of you have
> commented on what I wrote. I thank you all for taking the time to
respond.
> Refining ones thinking and opinions, is a life long process. Each of your
> comments helped me in some way.
>
> Before I discuss the 87A, let me say a word about ETO, or Alpha Power as
> it may now be known. Part of my opinion about any Alpha amps is based
on
> human interaction between myself and representatives of the company over
> the last 10 years.
>
> In summary, here it is,
>
> 1.Every company in America, needs men like Ray Heaton. He has skills and
a
> personality which help make the company profitable. Any company that does
> not keep profitability formost in mind, will fail quickly.
>
> 2 Having said that, let me say, Ray Heaton should not be allowed to deal
> with public.
>
> 3. It appears that Alpha has figured this out.
>
> 4. As opposed to the experiences I previously had, I have had good
> experiences with Dave. If you call Alpha ask for him. My 87A had to go
back
> to get the band switch realigned. I dealt with Dave. I sent it in 1 week
> after VK0IR was over, and it was back,and fixed, in 8 days
>
> 5. The 87A isn't a 77DX. They dont even begin to be the same. The only
> thing they have in common is they will both run 1.5kw key down all day
> with realtive ease.
>
> 6. I said earlier that the 77DX is built like a battleship. The 87A is
> very well buit, but its design parameters are different. Its lighter,
has
> a considerably smaller footprint on the desktop, and takes up less than
> half the volume of a 77DX. It has 1600 watts of plate dissapation
between
> the 2 3cx800a7s and the ps transformer is rated a just over 4kva. This,
as
> opposed to 1500 watts plate dissapation for the 77DX with a 4.4kva
> transformer.
>
> 7. When I turned on the 87A on the first few times, it would make a loud
> poping sound after say 10 minutes, and turn off. Not fault, but turn off.
I
> called Alpha, got
> Ray Heaton, and was treated like an Idiot, when I asked about it. It
turns
> out that the 3CX800A7s can experience" internal tube flashovers" durring
> the first 100 hours. This is in the manual, but it is not prominent
> therein. Mine did it twice and durring the 1st hour.
>
> 8.Unlike the 77DX I have had the tuning capacitor arc over in the 87A in
a
> condition of severe mistune.
>
> 9.When I got the amp, the bandswitch was misalligned, and it would not
> automatically switch to 40 meters from another band. As mentioned above I
> had to return it, but service was prompt
>
> 10. I've had this amp for 16 months now, and I like it. I dont use any
> other amp. and I have a few. The reason is simple, ease and simplicity.
Im
> not a contester, lightning fast band changes dont matter to me. I only go
> on 40 and 20 right now. I only change bands once a day or so, but when I
> do, Its fast (takes less than 1 second) and I dont have to touch the amp.
> Im 45 years old. Ive been a Ham since 66. Maybe Im getting lazy, but I
> dont like tuning up an amplifier any more than I liked tuning up a tube
> type transmitter or tranciever. Once in a while I find dx on another
band,
> and I do want to get to him fast.
>
> 11. I would like it better if the 3CX800A7s were capable of instant on
> instead of having 3 minutes for them to warm up. but then the 8877 must
> warm up also. I simply turn the amp on when I first come into the shack
and
> sit down and bu the time I have OH2BUAs internet dx cluster up on the
> internet, the amp is on line.
>
> 12.One thing that is a draw back with the 87A that I realized only after
I
> had it is this,
> If you want to make instantaneous band changes to all hf bands, You must
> have antennas on all bands with a 1:1.5 vswr ready to switch to. If you
> dont, You really cant change bands faster than you can switch or tune
your
> antenna, regardless of how fast the Alpha may be.
>
> 13. One note, I thought I would miss the analog meters of the 77DX, the
> swinging needles and all that. I dont. You won't either.
>
> 14. All and all, I like both amps very much. They are superior in every
way
> to the others I have owned. The 87A is not as heavy duty as the 77DX,
but
> I prefer it.
>
>
>
> Dave K7SX
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