[Amps] What NOT to buy?

[Colin Lamb]

Learning about amplifiers can be undertaken a number of different ways.  The poorest way is to purchase an expensive, well made, auto-tune amp.  Plug it in and it runs and runs.  You will have no reason to read further.  

However, if you purchase a poorly made amplifier, or one with defects, you will be forced to learn about them (assuming you want to use it).  Having all of the lights in the shack go dim when you flip the power on gets your attention quickly.  Other things that are great attention getters are: holes burned in plates; a "pssssst" while in the standby position; wrapping a grid meter needle around the end stop or vaporizing the meter; fireworks in the amplifier section or a smoke filled smoke filled room.  The more money you paid for the amplifier, the greater the incentive you have to get it right next time.  

The old Ten-Tec Hercules was an excellent amplifier to learn with.  A friend of mine got one in a package deal from an estate.  It was a throw in.  He then sold it to another friend for about $50.  He then found all of the screws were missing from the cabinet (very bad sign).  Further investigation showed the output transistors were all fried and the regulator circuit was not working.  As the prior poster mentioned, calls to Ten-Tec yielded news that there was no support for the amp and that transistors were not available.  He sold it at the next swap meet for $45.  That was a valuable lesson he learned for $5.  The lesson was that he did not need an amplifier.

Colin  K7FM