>
>Rich,
>
>I don't think so. My ACOM 2000A has been quite solid in the autotune
>department. I had a couple of problems initially -- a bad Kilovac vaccum
>relay (gone when I replaced it with a Jennings)
/\ ¿Does the vacuum relay operate from a speedup circuit using a coil PS
of 3 - 5 x the rated coil V, current limited by a series-R.?
>and a bad 4CX800 (oh, those
>Russian tubes!)
Chortle. I hear that Svetlana tubes which have handles - such as the
8281 and the 8171 - have better quality control.
> My Alpha 87A has been a rock for seven years -- a couple of
>minor problems here and there (bad op amp in the metering circuit and a bad
>replacement tube), but nothing related to the autotune.
>
/\ ¿Do you have a kaput 3CX800A7 from the Alpha 87A? If so, name your
price. I would like to check a kaput tube for loose gold -- like I did
for a dud 8877 from an MFJ/Ameritron AL-1500. (Figure 24 on my Web site)
The autopsied gold-sputtered 8874 seen in the photograph in "Parasitics
Revisited" -September/October, 1990 *QST*- came from an Alpha 3-holer
amplifier.
later, Dick
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "2" <2@vc.net>
>To: "Dick Green" <dick.green@valley.net>; "Amps" <amps@contesting.com>;
><TNeill1648@aol.com>
>Sent: Sunday, July 01, 2001 2:10 PM
>Subject: Re: [AMPS] ACOM Amps
>
>
>> >
>> >Tom,
>> >
>> >I'm sure ACOM is alive and well. Last I heard, they had shifted a lot of
>> >their production to the new "1000" line of manual tune amps and are
>selling
>> >a lot of them. As I understand it, they underestimated the demand for the
>> >2000A and as a result are not making enough of them. I would also suspect
>> >that their margins are better on the 1000. I guess they decided they
>don't
>> >need to advertise either one.
>> >
>> >73, Dick WC1M
>> >
>> /\ Dick -- I used to work for the Technical Support Dept. of The
>> Pacific Missile Range at Point Mugu, CA. Our dept. repaired Collins
>> 208-U10 autotune linear amplifiers. When a 208-U10 was in good working
>> order, it was like Godzilla rising from the ocean. 50mW in would result
>> in 15kW out. However, on average, roughly half of the 208-U10 amplifiers
>> on the Range were broken, awaiting parts and repair. It seems that mo'
>> complicated is not always mo' betta. An interesting parallel is the
>> Antilock Brake System on automobiles. Even though ABS is way more
>> complex than garden-variety brakes - because it's computer controlled,
>> ABS is supposed to prevent wheel locking, thereby reducing the chance of
>> a crash. However, Insurance company statistics show that ABS equipped
>> autos have a higher accident rate than autos equipped with ordinary
>> brakes. My guess is that this has something to do with the ABS'use of a
>> computer. Do computers ever Crash?
>> - Perhaps the margin on the model 1000 ACOM is better than the margin on
>> the autotune 2000A due to the difficulties in troubleshooting autotune
>> amplifiers?
>>
>> cheers
>>
>> - R. L. Measures, 805.386.3734,AG6K, www.vcnet.com/measures.
>> end
>>
>
>
>--
>FAQ on WWW: http://www.contesting.com/FAQ/amps
>Submissions: amps@contesting.com
>Administrative requests: amps-REQUEST@contesting.com
>Problems: owner-amps@contesting.com
>
>
- R. L. Measures, 805.386.3734,AG6K, www.vcnet.com/measures.
end
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