[AMPS] (no subject)

[zeitler@ibm.net]

Hi Larry,
The best amp is the one that is built by yourself. You know what you need
and what the expectations of the design are. One of the best amps I ever
built was a deck running (4) 572Bs in parallel. 160-10 meters, full QSK,
etc...No vacuum variables, no fancy roller coils, lots of borrowed ideas
from other amps, eg, the AL-572, Cliperton-L, some ideas from Carl KM1H,
some from Rich, lots of stuff used from the West Coast and ARRL Handbook
(OLD, OLD, ARRL Handbooks--the new ones are great kindling).

The result was an amp that was built pretty inexpensively because I have
been collecting 572B tubes over the years and have a large stock pile plus
tons of good RF parts. I am now in the process of building deck number two,
still using the 572Bs for the moment.

If rolling your own is not feasable then I recommend staying away from
someone elses HB work. If something fails and you need to troubleshoot you
may run into trouble.

I DO NOT recommend the Dentron/Ameritron/MFJ line of amps unless you plan on
running them lighter than the manufacture inflates, er, I mean, recommends.
The AL-1500 is a "legal limit" amp into what, a dummy load immersed in a
nice oil bath? I know of several other AL-1500/1200 owners who have had
problems. I also know of some who have had no problems but they run only 1
KW out so things do not heat up and melt. They are great toaster when run
full bore.

Commercial: QRO, Commander, or Alpha, especially the 78 (now only available
used). If you know enough to be dangerous I would go for a Drake L4B, add
160 and QSK, and call it a day and have some lasagna. Some of the older
henry's are built like the USS Iowa, such as the older 2K-4.

I refuse to buy a new amp when so many good used ones are available so
cheap. Even the SB-220 is a good choice if you make the right mods and
throttle the power back to a kilobuck or so under contest condx.

Good luck with whatever you choose. That is half of the fun.

BTW watch out for the tube costs. 8874s are very nice tubes but very costly.
3-500Zs are available used, gauranteed, US made, from several used tube
dealers for $85.00 shipped UPS Blue Label.

Lane Zeitler
KM3G
San Diego
John 3:3-5
-----Original Message-----
From: K4ab@aol.com <K4ab@aol.com>
To: cq-contest@contesting.com <cq-contest@contesting.com>
Cc: amps@contesting.com <amps@contesting.com>
Date: Saturday, November 28, 1998 1:14 PM
Subject: [AMPS] (no subject)


>
>
>For the second time in as many contests, my Ameritron AL-1500 developed a
>problem during the contest.  Probably not a major problem, but certainly a
>nuisance.
>
>My question...what is the most durable, legal-limit, commercially available
>amp sold?
>
>I'm tired of having amp problems during the contests.  I don't mistreat the
>amp, but I do run 'em hard..i.e.- CQ'ing for hours at a time.
>
>If a commercially available amp is not available, who homebrews and sells
the
>best?
>
>Thanks!
>
>73,
>Larry K4AB
>
>--
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>
>


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