[Amps] Amp Warm-up??

[Jim Thomson]

Date: Sun, 8 Apr 2018 20:14:31 +0000
From: Bill Turner <dezrat at outlook.com>
To: Amps group <amps at contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [Amps] Amp Warm-up??

<On Sun, 8 Apr 2018 10:12:28 -0700, K7RDX wrote:

>
>Instant on tubes require no such treatment

<REPLY There is no such thing as an "instant-on" tube except for some
<cold-cathode types which have no filament or heater at all. 

<Even a 3-500Z needs a few seconds. 

<73, Bill W6WRT

###   Most folks would use the term....  instant on..as....almost instant on. 
  I would still refer to a  2-5 second warm up...as.... instant on.  Heck, even 
Eimac  et all, refers to directly heated cathodes as.... instant on.

## The OP  has an  Ameritron  AL-80B... which uses a single  3-500Z.  It already
has a step start  for the B+..which also  step starts the filament .   After the  step start
has completed its  cycle, its ready to go, including the directly heated cathode. 
I would still  wait a few more seconds before hammering it with  drive, but thats  just me.
Im in no rush.   Hit the switch on the amp, turn on the  xcvr, lights in shack,  heat , air
conditioning,   tweak log books,  find a pen or pencil, turn on some other gear, turn on
geochron clock,  fill coffee mug, use the washroom,  etc, etc.   Adjust chair, tune around, 
figure out what band I want to be on, what mode, what freq.   By that time the directly
heated cathode has had  ample time to  stabilize.

##  IE, turn on the amp  1st.... then  do everything else.   If ur in a rush,  2-5  secs  is ample. 

Jim  VE7RF