[Amps] plexiglas isolation in coils

[Bob Maser]

Mighty Fine Junk that Ameritron.  I don't know why you guys buy that s--t. 
Don't give me that "good amp for the price" speech because it makes Heathkit 
amp owners mad cuz they have do have a great amp for the price and MFJ 
doesn't come close to Heathkit.

Bob W6TR
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tom W8JI" <w8ji at w8ji.com>
To: <dezrat at copper.net>; <amps at contesting.com>
Sent: Friday, July 28, 2006 12:11 PM
Subject: Re: [Amps] plexiglas isolation in coils


>> I can confirm it is more than "apparently". I owned an
>> AL-1200 which
>> twice had the plastic coil supports let go while running
>> at full
>> power, once on 80 meters and once on 160 meters, both
>> RTTY.
>>
>> I sold the rig to a non-RTTY op and as far as I know he is
>> happy with
>> it.
>
> The AL12 series bower was downsized after the first six
> months of production because no one wanted a high speed
> blower. On SSB and CW the change wasn't an issue.
>
> If people read the manual, which few do, they would see a
> higher speed blower is available or as an option the inlet
> could be pressurized with a booster fan.
>
> We use an AL1200 in 160 CW contests and with two rigs (there
> is a voting system that allows only one TX at a time to
> transmit) the amp runs virtually continuously on CW. There
> isn't an issue if the manual is followed. Mine uses the
> stock blower set on high speed and has a booster fan on the
> inlet.
>
> What critics (especially those who never have built a
> commercial product or been in any type of amateur radio
> manufacturing) is amplifier noise is a much bigger issue
> than RTTY operation, so the compromise is set according to
> end use. The amateur market is entirely different than a
> commercial market, both in margins and what users expect.
>
> It's pretty easy to pick apart any product that is design
> driven to meet a certain market.
>
> 73 Tom
>
>
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