Hi Mike!
Likely a flakey Electrolytic.
Good luck - I use the 9500s now.
David W6DR
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Sent: Monday, March 2, 2026 9:00 AM
To: amps@contesting.com <amps@contesting.com>
Subject: Amps Digest, Vol 278, Issue 1
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Today's Topics:
1. Alpha 87A Auto Band-Switching (Michael Tope)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 2026 03:30:53 -0800
From: Michael Tope <W4EF@dellroy.com>
To: "amps@contesting.com" <amps@contesting.com>
Subject: [Amps] Alpha 87A Auto Band-Switching
Message-ID: <54614051-065e-46d3-874e-7b73cc4459b6@dellroy.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
One of my Alpha 87A has a problem with the frequency counter that is
used by the amplifier to automatically switch bands based on the
frequency of the input signal. Normally this is a desirable feature,
however, my amp has this problem whereby it will work fine for a while,
then the frequency counter will start to malfunction. The counter
appears to produce erroneous readings whereby it thinks its on a
different frequency than it actually is. This causes the unit will try
to re-tune right in the middle of a transmission. Eventually it gets so
bad that it renders the amp unusable.
Does anyone know if there is an easy way to turn-off or the disable the
frequency counter in such a way that the amplifier won't be able to
recognize the frequency of the input signal, but it will otherwise
operate normally (with the exception that you would have to select the
band manually). I tried doing this with remote control software, but
that didn't work. I think that just turns off the auto-tuning whereby it
defaults to the stored tuning parameters for the band determined by the
frequency counter instead of following the AlphaMax auto-tuning
algorithm. Eventually I'll want a proper fix for this problem, but I
need to use the amplifier in the short-term, so I need a band-aid that
won't involve hours of troubleshooting.
73, Mike W4EF................
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