[CQ-Contest] AL-811 for Contesting, OK or not?

[NØRK-Russ Kaelberer]

Hi Paul-We used a brand-new, out-of-the-box, AL-811 at NA7XX for SS
Phone Multi-op November for the 2nd station. I drove it with an
FT-1000MP for about 400 out on 40, and about 475 on 75. It only got very
warm during the last couple hours of the test, when we kind of
alternated between the 9000/Alpha run station and the 811 (5-7 min 80%
xmit at a stretch.) I really had to give it all the drive I had
available, to get that power out. 

 

It was a new amp to me, so maybe we could have done a tweak or two to
get a bit more power. Frankly, I wouldn’t run it in CW, or especially
RTTY, for any stretch of time. But I needed all the decibels I could
muster to snag mults/new Qs at the time. As the cliché goes, "It Is What
It Is. 

 

Running it dialed back with reasonable drive, it might be Okay for a
six-hour period. But as stated below, don’t count on it to loaf along
comfortably. I might opt for a decent looking 220, re-tube it, do the HV
mods, and let it cruise comfortably. YMMV

 

73, Russ

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----

From: cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Paul Roche

Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2006 5:07 PM

To: cq-contest at contesting.com

Subject: [CQ-Contest] Ameritron AL-811 for Contesting, OK or not?

 

I am exploring options for a cheap amp for CW contesting, choices are
new AL-811 with 572 tubes (about 700 watts out) or an old SB-220 that I
have to re-tube and provide the "standard mods" to (about 1 KW out).

 

Can an AL-811 handle contesting, say for 6 hour stretches at a time?
(Family reasons prevent more than this). I must stay CHEAP, and the
AL-81 DOES cover 160, but I want a reliable amp for my first one.

 

Ideas?

 

Paul K3STX