>Hi fellows,
>
>I feel the need to clarify my earlier postings regarding Alpha
>Amplifiers. I have received numerous Emails about my last posting, not
>to mention a telephone call from the President of Alpha Power. I would
>like to clarify my position on the Alpha Company which is based on my
>personal dealings with them.
>
>The Company itself relies on word-of-mouth testimonials as a major part
>of their marketing stratagies. However, I can honestly say, that the
>company is greatly lacking in customer service. I called the company
>several times, and they would not answer any of my questions regarding
>input vs. maximum output of their products. I was repeatedly told by
>the company that this was a legal limit amplifier. When I continued to
>asked, they said, "It's an Alpha, that's all you need to know.
Very Interesting. . A similar version of such a statement is what
Rolls Royce salesmen tell customers. My neighbor bought one. It was the
most beautifully finished car I have ever seen, however, the electrical
system proved to be extraordinarily hellish, so they reluctantly sold it.
> Ask your
>friends."
Sounds fair enough. I asked friends and acquaintences who bought 80
series Alphas for comments. Roughly one third reportedly had to return
theirs for service within 12 months due to some sort of sudden failure.
These amplifiers were repaired under the warranty, but unvague
information about the nature of the failure was noticably lacking upon
the return of the amplifier. It seems to me that Alpha is not telling
owners what they need to know.
- It seems to me that Mr. Erhorn's statement, that no Alpha has ever
had an instability problem, is unrealistic, if not hubristic. I
autopsied a number of kaput tubes from Alphas during the past ten or so
years, and failures due to gold-sputtering were common. {photographs in
9-90 QST, "Parasitics Revisited"}. Alpha amplifiers undoubtedly have
fewer parasites than SB-220s, MLA-2500s, 3K-As, and TL-922s, but they not
absolutely immune. . . Every HF amplfiier I built was not perfectly
vhf-stable, except for one, the 4cx3000A, AB1 grid-driven, and even
though it's ten years old, I wouldn't bet a cup of coffee that it won't
have a problem before the end of the month. .
...........
>If they are this hesitant to answer questions about their products, what
>is their service like when you need repairs to your amplifier???? I was
>very put off by this concern of mine,
...as would I
>...so I decided not to buy an Alpha,
>I purchased a Command Technologies amplifier instead.
Have you ever measured the heater potential at the tube sockets in yours,
Stan?
later
cheers
Rich...
R. L. Measures, 805-386-3734, AG6K
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