[Amps] AL-80A "spitting" on 80m, Relay problems.

[Bill Coleman]

I used my AL-80A during the recent NA Sprint. I found that when I  
went to 80m, it was difficult to tune to more than 300 watts without  
exceeding 150 ma of grid current. After a few minutes, I also heard a  
"spitting" sound in time with the CW coming intermittently from  
either the amp or the tuner. I also saw the VSWR indicator on the  
KAT100 moving around. Thinking there might be arcing or some other  
problem, I turned the amplifier off.

I also had a problem with the relay sticking when returning to  
receive -- signals were greatly attenuated. Transmitting again would  
restore the receiver, although there were a couple of times it took  
several transmissions.

Any ideas or suggestions?

Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr at arrl.net
Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
             -- Wilbur Wright, 1901