W8JI - Is it worth buying a new Ameritron AL-80B?

[W7RY]

I don't think N4ATS had ANYTHING to do with it... Tom, W8JI probably did.

73
Jim W7RY

[MAGNUM257]

Happy Thanksgiving to all. Well, Todd, its been about a month since you posted. I believe you decided on the AL-80.  The first line of your post is what caught me, "I am on a limited budget". Well so am I, which is why I followed this post as it wandered around, trying to answer your question.

I bought an AL-811, used, thru Ebay several years ago. It has worked well, with one new set of tubes last year. But I'm looking to upgrade soon after the Holidays, so have you received your new amp, and how is it working?

-chuck

[W4LI]

I'll add my few cents.

First, I purchased an AL-80B and it has been a solid performer.  A friend acquired one used based on my experience and similarly has had very good results.  Admittedly, a nonrandom sample of two, but my point is not regarding the statistics.

While some people bash MFJ, I'll add a contrasting viewpoint.  I see elegance of simplicity in construction and design that are impressive.  Producing a niche electronic product in their typical price / feature / quality range is a very solid accomplishment.  I presume the majority of MFJ products are also around a similar price / feature / quality scenario as well. 

Managing margin and pricing constraints successfully is a complex feat, as is building near failure proof, rich feature set systems at milspec or life critical cost levels.  These are large, heavy items, subject to considerable stresses when shipped.  Designing and testing to catch nearly early failure before it leaves the factory and then being fully resilient to virtually all shipping and handling scenarios will multiply the cost.  Aside from slip-ups we may hear about disproportionally, shipping damage, and early mortality of components, their products seem solid to me.  Like any company, I'm sure they've had issues from time to time and periods that are better than others.  These are intended to be Chevrolet grade, not Rolls Royce. 


Dan Hoogterp, W4LI

[NN4X]

Jim -

Are you saying that with the "Ameritron ALS-500 / MFJ Quality Lacks" thread, started by N4ATS, read 28904 times, and with FOURTEEN PAGES of comments, that MFJ would have done anything different than they'd been doing already?  That strikes me as an incredible leap of faith...


73,
Steve
NN4X

I don't think N4ATS had ANYTHING to do with it... Tom, W8JI probably did.

73
Jim W7RY