[Amps] SPIKE Question????

[TED & JOYCE]

Hi All,
    Just found this reflector and hoping someone out there may have an 
answer short of new tubes to my problem.....Am running an Kenwood 870 
into an Alpha 87a (about 5 years old)......On phone there is now problem 
with putting out full power...once I go to CW if I drive it and output 
is over about 5-600 watts it just completly shuts down.....NO deffaults 
lites  or anything.....Talked with alpha one time about this and they 
told me tubes were getting soft which I am sure they are.......Short of 
putting 6Bills in to some new tubes is there any suggestions to get 
around this intial volatage strike to the amp from the exciter... and if 
it is necessary to retube is there any way to avoid these  kind of 
problems in the future......Yes before anyone replies it is not in feed 
lines antennas etc etc.........Same freq. same everything fine on SSB 
intial spike on CW turns it off............Thanks and hoping to hear 
from somebody that has been down this road before................Best of 
73"s and a very Happy Thanksgiving too all...........
Ted     K9HUH      "huh: