Here are the <mostly> unedited responses as of 7/17/95 to my inquiry about
experience with the 87A. I have elected to delete the name/call of the
respondee and have edited out only information that might uncover his/her
identity! Draw your own conclusions, and thanks to WB2K for getting this
file onto the reflector.
73 de Tom K2TW@mcimail.com
>>>
Don't be so sure that there are spikes comming from the 781. That may be
what ETO is saying, but I was unable to measure any with my scope. Repairing
the pin diodes removed the apparent spike on the 87A's output LED's. BTW, I
waited nearly 2 months for mine to turn around. Good luck anyway.
>>>
I have the 781/Alpha 87A. I have a LOT of soft faults with the spike out of
the 781 on keying/pushing the mike button. In talking to ETO they are aware
of the problem. They say and have said talk to ICOM. Icom has no interest in
solving the problem. It is also my understanding that not all of the 781s
have the spike. ETO says it can spike as high as 300 watts. Oh well when it
comes back from ETO in a month I may hook it up with the 1000D and see how
it performs.
>>>
This is the second time my unit has been back to ETO. I really think the
first time was caused by lighting in the area. One will never really know.
>>>
Over all I have been very pleased with the unit except for the spike
problems.
>>>
I have the Alpha 87A and as I type this message it sits at ETO waiting for
pin diode replacement. I was quoted a 4-5 week turn around. I would be
interested in what others have said.
>>>
I have had the Alpha 87A for about 2 years now. As I type this reply it sits
at ETO waiting for a pin diode replacement. I agree that a faster turn around
sure would be nice. I was told approx 4-5 weeks turn around. I am using it
with a Icom 781 and have had a problem with spikes out of the 781 rig. Icom
really hasn't shown much interest in the spike problem. I would not suggest
the Alpha and 781 together. Other then the above very pleased with the amp.I
hope the new mods solve this diode problem.
>>>
Yes, I'm not sure that it can be concluded that the PIN diode problems have
gone away...yet. However, the latest update to the QSK diode board is to
replace the on-board diodes with a daughter board assembly that mounts to
the rear chassis near the UHF output connector. Since mine have been
modified Ihave not had another failure, but I think it is too soon to say
that the PINdiode problems are solved...let's wait another year and see what
happens.They've also added a choke and gas protector across the output for
static/lightning protection.
I really dont agree that there is anything wrong with their customer service.
While at times they seem a bit disorganized and slow, the end results have
been very pleasing and all upgrades have been free except for shipping. They
are fairly liberal with their warranty and it IS 4 years not 1 like most...of
course 48 hour turnaround would be nice!
>>>
Thanks for the survey on the 87A. I am not sure what you mean when you say
the pin diode problem has "gone away". Just received mine back from ETO for
replacement of the pin diodes after less than a year of service. Think it is
a problem that needs to be followed. Wonder if ETO is.
>>>
I have had my 87A for slightly more than 2 years, and during that time I have
had to return it at least 4 times. In fact, it has spent more time back at
ETO than sitting on my operating desk. When it works, it's great. However,
I have lost all confidence in its reliability. And dealing with Ray Heaton,
well that is another story altogether...
Several others in our DX Club have also had similar experiences. As of now,
none of us would recommend the 87A to anyone. My purchase was necessitated
by Hurricane Andrew. Had I to do it over again, it would check out the
Command Technologies amps.
>>>
I am using it with 781. has been wrking fb for the past several years i have
owned it. never have had it trip due to swr - i use a tuner when it is high,
or just turn the pwr down. the swr trips at 250w reflected, so you can run
hi swr if you keep the reflected pwr below 250w. qsk wrks fb.
>>>
Hi!. I have had an Alpha 87A, driven by an IC781, for about a year. It has
already been back to the factory once for replacement of Pin Diodes. It took
them 2 months to service it. Every time I called, Ray Heaton had another
excuse for the delay. They finally shipped it overnight at their expense.
When it is working, there is little else that will compare. I am loading a
PRO-96 and the SWR isn't always right on.. and the 87A does fine as long as
it is driven too hard. It may be necessary (in fact it is) to go through the
individual tune up procedure, and not just accept the factory defauts. Then
there is little trouble with trip-outs.
>>>
The Alpha 87A is the best amateur amplifier every made. Yes, it wants a nice
low SWR. If you don't have this, buy a Nye Viking MB-V-A tuner so that the
amp. always sees 1:1.
No trouble with the PIN diodes, and I use QSK all the time (driving it with
a TS-930S). Buy it.
Note: to prevent voltage trip-out, be sure to set the internal voltage tap
to the proper line voltage 210, 220, 230, or 240V (I think). You will need
a BEEFY generator if you want to run an Alpha 87A on one.
>>>
I have heard some bad comments re the 87A but cannot give you specifics....
what I can tell you though is that I am very impressed with the IC4KL working
with the 781. It provides very smooth, basically transparent, operation.Power
output is from 1200 on 10 meters to 2 kw on 80 (of course I have itcut back
to 1500 --- ;)
>>>
I've had no problems with my Alpha 87A. It does trip out, but it is usually
operator error, and only takes a second to rectify, once you know it has
tripped out. That is one problem, the unit is so quiet, you might not notice
you tripped out.
>>>
Been pretty happy with mine Tom. Only failure was due to a lightning strike.
I was able to troubleshoot/repair the problem (a teeny diode in the SWR
detecting circuitry) at home. Alpha makes great amps, but is el-stinko on
customer support. I don't find it to be overly sensitive to SWR and I've had
no difficulty driving it with the FT-1000. Nice amp.
>>>
I have an 87A I have used for about 4 years now. It has been used heavily in
contests--for a while, I was able to get on in just about every majorcontest.
Up until 14 months ago it was used with an Icom 761, which looksabout like a
781 to the amp. Since then, I've been using a Yaesu FT-990. Despite having
made numerous serious mistakes while band-switching anddespite having abused
this amp rather seriously, I have never had a singleproblem with it. None.
It is picky about "high" SWR (I think it faults offwith about 200 watts of
reflected power, which happens with a relatively lowSWR at high power). It
also is a little picky about line voltage--this is notthe amp to take out on
field day and run off a generator. But just think:absolutely zero problems
in 4 years of heavy contesting. In contrast, Icould fill volumes talking
about all the problems I had with my Ten-Tec Titan before I dumped it and
got the 87A.
>>>
I have had one here for about 3 years now. Great desktop amp and really like
auto band change, the reason I bought it. Very reliable so far. However,
(there is always a "however") the SWR protection circuit is, I feel, too
sensitive for normal amateur operation. This is an A/D conversion circuit,
so the threshold is digitally set. I constantly kept tripping this ]
soft-fault due to this sensitivity. It is set for greater than or equal to
100w reflected enables the fault. All of my antennas are < 1.8:1 everywhere,
even on the edges. Even at 1500w out this will cause a trip at 1.5 to 1.8:1. I
looked at the circuit and there is no way to chan
ge this w/o disabling thereflected power circuit to the microprocessor. So I
did, by lifting theinput to the processor from the
swr bridge for reflected power. Voila, nomore nuisance trips due to reflected
power. I also have a Nye-Vikingwatt/swr meter in
the line to constantly watch the swr/power since thereflected bargraph on the
87a is now disabled. The forward power bargraphwas
not affected. Since all of my antennas are monobanders w/ proper feeds,etc. I
did not feel like I was jeopardizing the amplifie
r by disabling thisfunction. I have had no other failures or problems. I use
an FT-1000D forthe exciter. The combination is a
pleasure to operate for instant bandchanges. I also have the DX SOLUTIONS auto
antenna switch which iscontrolled by the FT-1000.
I do not recommend the ETO switch since the 87ahas to be ON for it to work. Ô
>>>
I HAVE AN ALPHA 87A AND LOVE IT...I HAVE USED IT IN SEVERAL CONTESTS AND IT
WORKS FINE...I USED IT THIS WEEKEND FOR 24 HOURS STRAIGHT AND NO PROBLEMS...
I ALSO HAVE AN IC-781 AND NO PROBLEMS..THE 781 HAS WAY TOO MUCH DRIVE AND
MUST BE TURNED DOWN BUT NO PROBLEM....MY SWR IS MARGINAL AND WITH A HIGH SWR
IT WILL KICK OFF LINE BUT IT IS NO PROBLEM FOR ME.....I LIKE THE THING A LOT
AND MOST GUYS IN THE STL. AREA ARE BUYING THEM..THE87A IS A LITTLE PRICEY BUT
IT'S BETTER THAN THE NEW FAKE ALPHA AND ONE CAN BE BOUGHT FROM THE YELLOW
SHEETS FOR A GOOD PICE...ACTUALLY I AM THINKING OFANOTHER AMP AND IT WILL BE
A 87A FOR SURE...THERE WERE SOME PROBLEMS WITH THE PIN DIODES TO BEGIN WITH
BUT THAT'S ALL INTHE PAST...BASICALLY I USE MINE HARD..I DON'T ABUSE BUT I
MAKE IT WORK AND ILIKE IT AND YOU WOULD ALSO..I REALLY LIKE THE IC-781.. HOPE
U GET A 87A IT'SGREAT IN MY BOOK...
>>>
Hi Tom...<snip> has one of the new alpha's, and both of us have used it quite
a bit. We both love it. If you accidently have the wrong antenna connected,
it trips out....reset it and it goes again. Not sure about SWR tolerance, but
im sure its OK if its below 2:1, Ive used the amp on 17M using <snip> 3EL 40,
so the SWR cant be too great! Just had to cut back the power quite a bit or
it will trip off the line. As with compatability with the 781, if the 781 is
at all similar to the 765, then no problem. Thats what <snip> uses, as well
as <snip>...he has 3 765's and 2 alpha 87A's...weve never had a problem there
either, until <snip> tried running 160 using the 10M antenna and the alpha
went into "fault" mode....had to turn off and turn on the amp, after warm-up
it worked fine (with the right antenna)
>>>
Just wanted to add some further comments since our brief conversation <snip>.
I used my 87A (w/TS-950SDX) from home on Field Day to see how it would do in
a contest type of situation. I used full legal output and ran stations for
close to 2 hours straight. Amp never even burped! Solid performance. The
grid protection circuit did its job when I mistakenly ran 150 watts drive
into the thing. The SWR protection circuit is set for 2:1 (>70-80 ma grid I,
I think). I used my TH7DXX with no problems and worked 40 meters with my
inverted V using a NYE MB-V-A tuner. The bottom line is: you follow the
instructions and give it a reasonable SWR, it will purr for you. Can't beat
the computerized bandswitching. Now if they could only work on Ray Heaton's
attitude!
>>>
Tom, I have two 781s and two 87As. The 781s have been flawless in about 10
contests over the last 3-4 years (USA all time records in ARRL on 10M phone
and cw--slick trick from Colo--but credit the antennas-8/8/8/8 at
40/80/120/160 ft). I have had one or two problems with the first 87A early
in its life where it would trip out--especially when cold. ETO could never
find anything wrong. When I got the second Alpha and it had the same
problem. I get suspicious of something inshack. Turns out there protection
circuitry is pretty tight on the high end of line voltage. Although my line
voltage is within spec (barely--it runs about249-252) any spikes would hard
fault the amp. I am still waiting for a new <sri lost the rest>
>>>
Summary--I am happy with both my 781s and my 87As (the only 781 problem was
a power supply when my 160 array got hit by lightning.
>>>
Works good, but if the swr is above 1.7 or so, it likes to trip out. We use
stubs to tune the antennas for good swr on the station that uses the 87a and
have few problems. Definitely better than tuning.
>From ke7gh@PrimeNet.Com (Brian Short) Tue Jul 18 17:09:26 1995
From: ke7gh@PrimeNet.Com (Brian Short) (Brian Short)
Subject: CT Support Line/BBS
Message-ID: <199507181614.JAA23961@mailhost.primenet.com>
Gentlemen:
This is not intended to be a flamer!
How do I reach someone at CT Support to discuss a problem that I have?
I have left my phone number, but have received no response. Last year,
the support line was reliable in gaining access to the staff. This is
when I purchased 2 DVPs for myself and a friend. Lately, I have not
been able to get through. What am I doing wrong?
Second, I have called the BBS in the past and gotten stuck at the prompt
for password. I am a registered user for version 9.x, but seem unable
to gain access. Again, what am I doing wrong?
I only have one request and a wish:
1. Find out why my FT-890 does not work in CAT mode
2. Add the command to control the Heath Intellirotor (very simple protocol)
A lesser concern would be to have paddle support.
Several kind folks have sent me recommendations about other programs.
Being keystroke challenged, I hate to change just on the basis of the
re-training that would be required. I have been a loyal CT/DVP user
for a couple years now and my only obstacle is the FT-890 CAT support.
It would be nice to speak or somehow otherwise communicate with a warm
body, so that I can make a decision as to whether to pursue the other
options (in no particular order) ;) :
1. n6trlog
2. na
3. writelog
Again, I am not trying to scorch anything. I am just very frustrated
in trying to contact someone for a short discussion of my radio problem.
I have done my part. I tested the radio with other software, sent the
rig back to Yaesu for warranty service and got them to replace the CPU
and all parts in the CAT path. Rig does work with Log Windows. My
only real question is: Can I expect this to be fixed anytime soon?
Then I can make a final decision.
BTW Someone else bought a FT-890 just for contest work of some sort and
is very disappointed that CT does not support it. He has corresponded
with me on a couple of occasions. Another friend locally also desires
to do same, but he is very busy with his profession and has not pursued
it. After all, he has me as his personal consultant.
Sorry to be so long winded.
Very Best 73, de Brian
>From broz@csn.net (John Brosnahan) Tue Jul 18 17:56:41 1995
From: broz@csn.net (John Brosnahan) (John Brosnahan)
Subject: WB2K Alpha 87A Survey Results addendum
Message-ID: <199507181656.KAA16638@teal.csn.net>
As you can see, a section of my comments on my 87As was lost and it was the
most important tidbit (buried in all of my trivia). What I found was that
both of my Alphas had the same problem with occassionally tripping out when
RF was first applied, especially if the amp had just been turned on
--especially (squared) in a cold shack. My line voltage was running towards
the high side (250-251) and I think there must be a temp dependence in the
monitoring circuitry. I subsequently added a big variac to get my line
voltage down to 240 and the amps stopped doing the occasional Fault 24 error
code. (BTW The local power utility had upgraded the 7200 vac distribution
to 14400 vac (replacing all of the insulators with new ones--HURRAY!) but
the new pole pig was without taps so "I gets what I gets" (tm) and that is
when my problem seemed to get worse.) Until I convince them to replace the
transformer with a tapped one I will continue to run the variac.
But if you are having problems with occasional faults similar to mine (Fault
Code 24) even though your line voltage is less than mine maybe your line
voltage tap is set too low and the occasional spike is causing the amp to
fault--especially when still cold. Moving up 1 tap on your Alpha might
eliminate what is only a minor problem (albeit an annoyance) since both of
my amps have behaved the same way.
gl es 73 John W0UN
-------
> I have had one or two problems with the first 87A early
>in its life where it would trip out--especially when cold. ETO could never
>find anything wrong. When I got the second Alpha and it had the same
>problem. I get suspicious of something inshack. Turns out there protection
>circuitry is pretty tight on the high end of line voltage. Although my line
>voltage is within spec (barely--it runs about249-252) any spikes would hard
>fault the amp. I am still waiting for a new <sri lost the rest>
--------
John Brosnahan W0UN
La Salle Research Corp 24115 WCR 40 La Salle, CO 80645 USA
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