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1-10 of 13 messages
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Ameritron AL-811H Questions
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by AA5HP on March 25, 2007
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I have an Ameritron AL-811H on order from Gigaparts and have a couple of weeks before they are available and it ships.
My question is, besides the 10 meter mod that I will do, are there any other mods that I should consider or is the amplifier going to play just fine out the box?
I seem to remember reading about some mods that were performed with mixed results and opinions.
Thanks in advance for the advice.
Joe AA5HP
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RE: Ameritron AL-811H Questions
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by KD5NCO on March 25, 2007
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I would assume most folks responding to the mods question would need to know what you desire to do with the amp outside of it's designed capabilities
For 160 through 10 meters it will work as advertised
Do yourself a big favor when it finally arrives... you have to open the amp up to remove the packing from the tubes and set the transformer to your site power input voltages... while in there, look at and touch every thing you can see and get to. Ameritron final quality control has take a nose dive and there will be several loose connectors, screws and nuts, cold solder joints and wires wrapped but not soldered...closely look at the leads for the caps across the meter connections
I recently received a AL 572 that had several of these faults... I think I found all of them and after telling the factory, I corrected them myself
Ameritron will send the Amp with the 10 meter wire clipped already if you sent them a copy of your license when you ordered or if you asked for the AL 811 "X" export version from the dealer and he looked up your call and verified that you are an Amateur
If they have not built it already you can still get this done
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RE: Ameritron AL-811H Questions
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by AA5HP on March 25, 2007
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Thanks for the reply.
I am using it for normal 160 through 10 meter operation.
I ordered it from Gigaparts and they said that when I ordered it (February 24th) that there was a 6 week back order on everything from Ameritron.
I can't imagine Ameritron doing the 10 meter mod for me before they send it to Gigaparts or is the amplifier going to be drop shipped from Ameritron themself?
Is that is the case, I will contact them and have them do the mod for me.
The other mods I was curious about involved a retro kit that I remember reading about that supposedly cured some inherent problems that might show up on some of these amps. But then I read that someone else said not to purchase the retrofit mod kit so I am a bit confused.
I just want the maximum clean output I can get on mainly 20, 17, 15, 12, and 10 meters.
Thanks again for the help.
Joe AA5HP
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RE: Ameritron AL-811H Questions
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by W6JAK on March 25, 2007
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I've had an 811H for over a year now. Other than the 10M mod and changing the input voltage to 220, I have not done anything else. This is a solid, stable amplifier. It is fault tolerant to a point, as I have done the typical stupid mistakes, such as keying up on the wrong band, with no apparent damage. I would not recommend any mods to this unit. It's a fine amp for the money and there are no mods I'm aware of that would make it better. The 811H replaced a Yaesu 2000B, and the 811H is a much better amp.
Enjoy the amp and have fun.
73
Jack
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RE: Ameritron AL-811H Questions
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by AA5HP on March 25, 2007
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Thanks for the info.
Did you buy it new and was it drop shipped from Ameritron or did it come from the distributor you bought it from?
I know I can do the 10 meter mod as it is a simple procedure but if it can be done in the factory before it ships to me that would be great.
Thanks
Joe AA5HP
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RE: Ameritron AL-811H Questions
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by W6JAK on March 25, 2007
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Joe,
I bought the amp almost new from another ham, so can't tell you how Ameritron ships.
Jack
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RE: Ameritron AL-811H Questions
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by KD5NCO on March 26, 2007
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My AL 572 was ordered from Omega Electron incs and Ameritron shipped it and the ATR-30 tuner directly to me via UPS
UPS managed to abuse the boxes but on inspection I accepted as the corner damage was only on the outer of the two boxes
Ameritron does an excellent job of packaging for UPS abusive shipping
Customer service at Ameritron can be a challenge to get through to... go to their web site 662-323-8211 is their number
Giga Parts and other dealers have a back door number they will not give out for obvious reasons
If you ever get the phone to ring something other then "busy" a nice lady named Sonora will help you with your questions and desires...
Because they seem to be a "one man" show, I would not bother them with the 10 meter mod request unless you had other needs and desires...
Example would be having them add the GOP-100X Factory installed Grid Overload Protection board that they manage to keep a secret.
It cost me an extra &69.95 for it and the only way I found out about it was downloading and reading the manual for my amp while I waited for it to be built.
On their web siten hit the "price list" link and peruse ALL the parts.... this is a good drill because the manuals, parts lists, and other particular info for each of their products is terribly noted anywhere on the web site or catalogs.
In your AL-811 or AL-811H manual there is NOT a note about the GOP 100X Grid Protection Curcuit so if you want to learn more about it open the AL 572 manual. In the price list they have it listed "for ALL Ameritron amplifiers"
Perhaps you want it pre wired for 240VAC (hint they supply the cord and molded connector for 240 this way) and they call it an AL 811X (export with the 10 mod completed)
But like I said, if all you need is the 10 M mod they are going to tell your exactly what color wire to clip and where they hid it from view
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RE: Ameritron AL-811H Questions
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by AA5HP on March 26, 2007
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Thanks for the great info.
Is the GOP-100X a user friendly mod or is it something that should be done at the factory?
I will go to their website and look it up.
I have not heard of this mod and wonder if grid overload is a common problem with the AL-811H amplifier.
I can easily snip the wire for the 10 meter mod but don't want to dissasemble the whole amp if that is waht is necessary to install the GOP-100X.
Have you had any problems with your amp since you got it?
Unfortunately when I ordered my AL-811H at the end of February, there was a 6-8 week back order on all Ameritron Amps so I am kind of just trying to read up and find out as much as I can about it before it arrives.
Joe AA5HP
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RE: Ameritron AL-811H Questions
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by KD5NCO on March 26, 2007
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Joe
Other then having to tighten up some hardware, solder or re-solder a few connections, and the associated worry about warranty or ship the damned thing back...I am very happy with the costs, ease of use, and power of this amp.
My first tube amp, sort of...I have a Drake TR4 that requires damned near same setup, tune, and load so I was fairly familiar with the process and why.
Because I am working still, and aging, and don't play radio every day my thinking on the Grid Overload Protection circuit was a back up for those bone head times when you tune 80 Meters into a dummy load and then switch to the wrong or open antenna port or some other bone head error that can snuff a amp in a hurry. Plus, years ago I watched my Elmer tuning a large amp with AM and it seemed to me that big amps were very touchy to settings and technique. I figured the fast response trip circuit of the GOP 100 might save me some pit of the stomach ill feelings as smoke rolled out of the new amp cabinet.
On the other hand... thousands of owners do not have these protection circuits and the amps do survive.
Either way, in my AL-572 the Grid Overload Protect board is hung down from the power supply board and it does not look like Major surgery to add it later if you think it is an issue....
From what I read here and in the "books" the AL 811 design is tried and tested good amp and the 811s are a fairly forgiving tube and the costs for a mistake are not excessively high. The tuning and use process is not as touchy as I thought so if you follow the steps and develop good habits the GOP is not needed.
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RE: Ameritron AL-811H Questions
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by WD8PTB on March 26, 2007
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Fax(or mail) Ameritron a copy of your ham licence while you are waiting for the amp. Call them and ask them to send you the mod after they get a copy of your Licence. 73 Don WD8PTB
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