Hi,
Having owned an SB-220, and an AL-82, I would take the 82 any day...
Here is why:
Good Points:
1. Solid as a rock
2. Full output on all bands, RTTY contesting
3. Will do 10 Meters
4. Easy to tune
5. So far-- good on tubes
Bad Points:
1. You should run it on 220, (Not really that bad, all decent
amps should be)
2. The band switch is a bit light... If you move it while
transmitting, you replace it. I did not do this on a 220
so I don't know how the 220 would react, probably the same
way.
3. Heavy as heck
4. Noisy, but it moves a LOT of air across the tubes.
5. Replacement of the band switch is a real pain in the rear...
Overall feelings towards the amp:
Very simple to use, easy tune up, solid as a rock. I have used it in
Contest RTTY, and all it does is get warm... Runs fine... Beyond the
bandwidth switch issue, (which I caused), it has had zero issues for the
past 5 years of RTTY contesting. It runs WAY cooler than a Heath 220
does in an RTTY contest. Better air flow, the 82 used a pair of
chimneys, while the 220 I had did not have any.
I would buy it again over a Heath any time, any day....
--
Thanks and 73's,
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On Wed, 2013-11-06 at 16:11 -0500, Pete Smith N4ZR wrote:
> I'm pondering purchase of a (probably used) AL-82. My current amplifier
> is an SB-220, which I use like an active antenna tuner, and which
> delivers 950-1300 watts 10-80 meters.. Where my K3 will fold back at
> just over 2:1 SWR, the SB-220 cheerfully drives an 80M array tuned for
> the CW end, up into 3800-3900. Even though the reported SWR is over
> 3:1, so long as the loading control can find an output peak, I just go.
>
> My principal reason for going to the AL-82 would be to get 160M, but I
> don't want to do it if I would be trading my SB-220 for a touchy
> monster. A couple of questions:
>
> Is the power supply adequate for 1500W CW in contest service?
> Is the output circuit reasonably forgiving, compared to my SB-220?
> Any other significant concerns, aside from the brute weight?
>
>
> 73, Pete N4ZR
> Check out the Reverse Beacon Network
> at http://reversebeacon.net,
> blog at reversebeacon.blogspot.com.
> For spots, please go to your favorite
> ARC V6 or VE7CC DX cluster node.
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