[AMPS] Bulletproof

[Ron Angle (AB6ZX)]

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From: 	Bill Turner[SMTP:wrt@eskimo.com]
Sent: 	Wednesday, September 10, 1997 6:51 PM
To: 	Hawkins, Bill
Cc: 	amps@contesting.com
Subject: 	Re: [AMPS] Bulletproof

On Wed, 10 Sep 1997 19:06:30 -0500, w5ec@digitalexp.com (Hawkins,
Bill) wrote:

>Hi all
>Some time ago somebody wrote about an amp, I believe it was  the Ameritron
>AL-1200, and described it as "Bulletproof".
>Does that mean that even I can operate it and it will survive?
>Thanks
>Bill W5EC

On 160 meters, the plastic support rods for the tank coil melted at
the last few turns closest to the cabinet.  On 80 meters, the whole
tank coil went through a meltdown, and just for good measure, the
soldered tap for 80 got so hot the solder melted and the tap flew off
while transmitting.  You can imagine the arc that made.  $26 for a
replacement coil, but luckily no other damage.

I had a soldered coil strap melt down on a KW Viking Matchbox while up on St. Lawrence Island. (The previous MARS operator put a Variac on the plate primary of our HT-33B amp to bring the primary voltage up to 135 VAC.) We tapped the ceramic standoff and put in a stainless steel screw to hold the strap down. Then we put a high volume centrifugal fan on the back of the matchbox to cool it off. We put a LOT of watts into our rhombic; TVI was no problem: the nearest TV set was in Anchorage!  The HT-33 was a real beast.



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