solve this proble one of 2 easy ways, take the amop apart and use the pieces to build youself a decent amp with good design, or sell it on ebay and buy an 811 from ameritron.

I can buy cbamps all day for $280 for a 500 watt RM from several on line "cb" shops , sold for export only. that doesn't make it legal.


I don't care if you operate out of band or not, I am a ham, not a cop. you answer to the FCC for how you run your station, not me.

bottom line is you have some good advice here, what you do with it is up to you.

73 and gud dx

if I am buying new, and they come as a matched set, I will do it that way, but I have a big box with a dozen 811, and another dozen 572's and some 6146's and some 12by7s and 6mj6s, 6js6c' and 6lq6s and so on. If I have a tube go bad and I have one in the box, I swap out the bad one..

funny thing is at the moment, my only tube am runs 3cx807's and at $550 a tube I don't have any spares for that one..

so yes it is good if you can, but cheap is cool too.

I have had a bunch of amps and for that money I would reccommend an ameritron als 600. the price is right and I think about 600 watts.

the reason I suggest this one is to change bands you just turn the band switch on the amp.  no tune up. no peaking the load and dipping the plate. I have had a ton of amps over the years , sbe's and alpha 76a, and an amp supply 1000NT and several als 500's and 811's and 811h's and so on.

right now for HF I only have 3 amps .the Orion runs  an alpha 87a ( legal limit $6000 or so). The 746 pro has an Ic 2-KL ( 800 watts , autotune with Icom radios, about 1500 bucks) , andthe ts 2000 has an ALS 600. this is the one that comes with the 50 volt supply. ($1200 new and 600 watts or so).  all 3 are autotune.

the reason I say the als 600 is for the money it is the best compromise.  if you do any dxing it is instant on and no 3 minute wait, ( important on fresh DX) and if you contest, you can search and pounce up and down the band with no tune up. and changing bands is only one switch. a good compromise, easy to use and holds resale value.

hope this helps some

and remember once you get it working , let it cook in operate with no input for a couple of hours to let the getter in the tubes to do their job. also don't be afraid to drop in the spare tubes  every 6 months or so  to have them evacuate the gasses buy running in operate with no input. the getter removes any off gassing in the tube. and blow out the deck with air now and then to keep the fins cooling in the tubes..

one of the more common problems with the 811 amps is the high voltage power supply.  they run 4 cap and 4 resistors in the supply. the output voltage is 1600 volts and they use four 400 volt caps.

so what happens is one of the resistors across the caps get hotter than the others and flows a little more current causing one cap to aec, and eventually fail. 4 caps and 4 resistors from ameritron is about 40 bucks if I remember correctly..


 so even putting in 572's is with out gain.  a set of 3 tubes for an 811 is 60 bucks and the prce of one 572 is 60 bucks so you can retube 3 times with 811's for the price of 1 set of 572s', and you still don't get anything extra, except for the cost of the tube.

 I have owned 4 or 5 811 and 811 h's over the years and never had a tube go bad. I just tune for max output, then back down the input 2 or 3 watts. the tubes last for ever if you don't try for every last erg of power.

if you want to run legal limit, buy an alpha.

as an asside, I was working in the 10 m contest last fall from northern Ca, with about 1400 watts, ssb.

I kept getting calls returned  that were what I call ESP calls. These were calls responding to my CQ at such a weak level you needed ESP to work them.

I finally reduced my power out to about 800 watts or so, and  quit getting the very weak calls.  

Bottom line is that at near full power, into a decent antenna (3 ele steppir at 35 feet) they could hear me out farther than I could hear them replying,( most at usually at a barefoot 100 watts). add in a lot of folks don't have a good resonant antenna on 10 meters in this portion of the solar cycle, by lowering my power I reduced the number of folks that could hear me and the average signal was louder over all.

so sometimes, too much signal can be a problem, depending on propagation.

I have a huge box in one of my closets with probbably a dozen 572's, another dozen 811's, a bunch of 6lq6's, 6146's and couple of 12by7's and some 6mj6's and several other similar suitable substitutes.( 6js6c' s ??) and I don't rme=ember what else.

I used to have a bunch of tube radios and amps, like the 101 e, 101ee, swan 350, 3 clipperton L's, a LA 1000 NT, las 811, als 811H, and I yet to replace a tube final in a radio, or any transmitting tube in an amp.

I currently only have 1 radio  ( 101ZD ) that uses the 6146 and one amp ( Alpha87 A) which usses tubes that are around $500 each so I don't see replacing them any time soon. My last tube amp was a Alpha 76 A and I never put a tube in that one either ( 8874') and the gentleman that now owns it is still using those same tubes..


so I would not worry too much about buying spares.  tuned properly and ran at a tad less than absolute max smoke, the tubs will last.  If you do put in new tubes somewhere down the road, I always put them in and let the amp warm up and go into standby and stay there for 3 or 4 hours.  this gives the tubes with "getter" in the envelpoe a chanch to scavange out any remaing air molecules.  then I put it into operate position,  and let it sit with the plate voltage on for another hour or two, with no input.  again gives the getter its best chance to work.

If I have a tube amp in the shack that I am not using often, I will still fire it up in to standby for a half hour once a moth to keep the getter working.  It also helps keep the capacitors formed properly.

there is lots of info about getter on the net, suffice that you give it a chance to work now and then.

I have a huge box in one of my closets with probbably a dozen 572's, another dozen 811's, a bunch of 6lq6's, 6146's and couple of 12by7's and some 6mj6's and several other similar suitable substitutes.( 6js6c' s ??) and I don't rme=ember what else.

I used to have a bunch of tube radios and amps, like the 101 e, 101ee, swan 350, 3 clipperton L's, a LA 1000 NT, las 811, als 811H, and I yet to replace a tube final in a radio, or any transmitting tube in an amp.

I currently only have 1 radio  ( 101ZD ) that uses the 6146 and one amp ( Alpha87 A) which usses tubes that are around $500 each so I don't see replacing them any time soon. My last tube amp was a Alpha 76 A and I never put a tube in that one either ( 8874') and the gentleman that now owns it is still using those same tubes..


so I would not worry too much about buying spares.  tuned properly and ran at a tad less than absolute max smoke, the tubs will last.  If you do put in new tubes somewhere down the road, I always put them in and let the amp warm up and go into standby and stay there for 3 or 4 hours.  this gives the tubes with "getter" in the envelpoe a chanch to scavange out any remaing air molecules.  then I put it into operate position,  and let it sit with the plate voltage on for another hour or two, with no input.  again gives the getter its best chance to work.

If I have a tube amp in the shack that I am not using often, I will still fire it up in to standby for a half hour once a moth to keep the getter working.  It also helps keep the capacitors formed properly.

there is lots of info about getter on the net, suffice that you give it a chance to work now and then.

nope, never, not ever.

Yea I agree, I just sold my alpha 76A,


Why did I sell it the truth is that I never used it any more. ....


since I bought my Alpha 87 A...

nice folks, they answer the phone and emails, and are friendly.

I had great luck with them..  

in a word, Yes you can work lots of dx with that setup.  I have not heard the VU7 this time  with a substantial antenna here and I only worked them once  the day before the earthquake tsaunami hit.  Hopefully I can hear the next bunch. You should realize that the folks in VU and 3B and such are at the antipose for the USA, ( in other words, about away as far as you can get from here) and sometimes you can point in a weird direction and work them...ya neve know.

so do the best you can with what you have.  and read some of the books written by dxers, and you will see the best idea is to get on the air and listen and spin the big knob, and work them when the first get on , befor the pile up, and learn operating habbits of them, and so on.

It is patience and persistance that will do you best.

I do some modest contesting and will often send out cards for new countries or new bands ciountries I need and usuall get back about 90 to 95 % of them  I think I am currently at 229 worked and 220 recievd back, so pretty good.  I do send the cards off promptly after the contest, and if USA card send a sase and my card, if Canada or Mexico I send a self adressed envelope and a buck and for the rest of the world I send the self addressed envelope and 2 bucks.

if it is a DXpedition or something unique I will send a 5 dollar bill with a note to donate the excess to the dexpidition.

and then sometimes I will just run a bunch of labels off the logger and send a bunch via the buro, , and get those back some day.....

I used to use IRC's and by special stamps, but now I can send to Mexico or Csanada for 2 stamps ( what ever the letter rate happens to be) and use 3 stamps for the rest of the world.  

I never put a hams call on the envelope, and have had good luck this way.

it works for me, Your Mileage May Vary

glad you got one in the mail, mine has not arrived yet..

it will be here when it is, and no sooner..

I learned to not get in a hurry for QSL cards..

tom N6AJR

 I would spend my $8,000 this way,

used original orion $2500

2 or 3 element steppir beam ( 6m to 20 m) either $995 or $1400

home brew 40, 80, 160m wires ( 25 bucks for wire)

build an desk to hold it all $400 for cabinets and countertops for a big desk

and buy a decent amp, at least 500 watts, like an als 600 ($800 used 1300 new) 811h ($800 new) or good used amp for 160 to 10 m including warc, that uses cheap tubes ( 300z's or 572's or 811's) or solid state.

solid state is better because you just band switch and don't have to tune the amp, hand in search and pounce.

call it a grand for a good medium amp.

and about $100 + or - for a good logging program,

a couple of hundred bucks for cable, connectors, jumpers etc, voice keyers, key and keyer.

and $700 for a good desk top computer with a flat screen monitor use with the rest of it for contesting.

I have 11 hf rigs and 3 big amps and other antennas ( ma5b , dipole, 5btv, solpers etc) but for contesting I use basicalliy an automatic station.

I use the orion and a computer with a logging program and the 3ele steppir and a gap voyager, a voice keyer a bencher key in the orions keyer, and an alpha 87A.

so I see a spot on the logging program, and click on it , which prefills some of the information, and turns the steppir to that frequency, them moves the radio to that frequency and kicks the amp there too. first dit or word autotunes the amp and I make the contact. tab tab , enter and its in the log and click on another spot.

I usually only run 15 or 20 hours on a 48 hour contest and have what you call a little pistol station, not a big gun by along ways. I usually run 350 to 800 contacts in a contest. I enjoy it.

but you can set your self up a nice station for about $6000 or so and save $2000 for new toys, or perhaps to treat the XYL to a day at the spa.. that will certainly help your station..

I have a few and use the orion for contesting, you can get one used from Ten Tec for about $2200 with a warrenty.

I have the original orion, a 746 pro ( my #2) , a corsair, triton IV, scout, TS 2000, omni d ft 101zd, ft 847 and 2 ft 857'ds.  

I use the orion.

I also agree the antennas are necessary, my best antennas are the 3 ele steppir and a gap voyager that I use mainly with the orion. I have other antennas but these are the ones I contest with. I say  a good antenna and a good radio and a good amp that all work well together with a  logging program. the less time you can spend tuning, the more time you spend on the air.