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write your own review of the Collins 30L-1.
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W7NWH
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 15, 2007 23:15
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Great medium power amp
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I enjoy using my 30-L1 Amp! My first linear and was really easy to hook up and use. I used an ampkeyer to toggle the amp from my Icom Pro III. I have spare tubes at the ready but the thing is still able to push 500 watts which for me is plenty.
I purchased off of Ebay which at times can be dicey. This was a clean unit which really surpasses the modern stuff being built in it's power range.
Make sure you get tubes that can be used in a horizontal mounting arrangment and that are in a matched set. A good source is RF Central which is where I ordered my spares.
I did put a drop of machine oil on the fan. One thing I'm not used to is how hot the thing runs. I had it somewhat enclosed, now I keep it out in the open with lots of air circulation.
Anyway, great amp, highly recommended when you don't need legal limit.
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K4KIO
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 30, 2006 10:11
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Works per specs
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I've been using a 30L-1 for about three months. It is my first amplifier so admittedly, I don't have a lot of reference to which to compare the Collins amp. Nevertheless, here is my take on it so far.
Very easy to tune with the special comparator circuit. Just zero the meter and it takes all the guess work (and some of the fun) out of tuning and loading.
Works on all the WARC bands without a bit of difficulty, especially if the transceiver has an auto antenna tuner to maximize power transfer to the amp. I like the instant warm up feature and see no problem using it as the factory designed it to be used.
Use of the factory recommended 20.5 foot RG58 interconnecting cable turned out to improve performance noticably. I use a homebrew soft key circuit to key the Collins relay from the ICOM 746 transceiver. The ALC feedback to the transceiver works fine; voltage levels are correct for the ICOM 746.
The meter scale is not the best in the world; takes a bit of staring to see just what is the voltage and current. Keydown input power is close to the spec level as well as I can calculate from the meter. Power output is probably 5-600 watts as well as I can determine from the antenna tuner meter. I really don't know the condition of the tubes that came with this unit; maybe a new set would produce a bit more.
On the whole, I am quite pleased with this amp and doubt if I would see the need go to a higher power level. Great feeling using a classic like this.
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WA7SCH
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 5, 2005 00:26
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Love mine
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I just purchased mine on "gasp" ebay. I love this amp. So far it is the quietest and easiest to tune up amp I've had.
I ditto the comments about purchasing one if you are looking for high power. You don't get that much signal strength out of the 1000-1500 watt class amps.
Make sure you either softkey the amp or your rig uses switching relays.
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K3ICH
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 11, 2005 06:42
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"Sleeper" bargain amp
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I'll never understand why anyone would buy ANY of the current crop of quad (or triple) 811-A amps when the 30L-1's are going for much less. I use mine mainly for field demos, running from a 115 VAC generator. (QRP CW set-ups at your local mall are not going to impress anyone!) It's easy to operate and very compact for it's power rating. If you need a medium power amp, there's really only one choice, a Collins 30L-1. Buy one today and watch the value go UP over the years, rather than depreciating.
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K6RB
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 25, 2004 01:43
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The best medium power desktop amp
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This is my second 30L-1. I sold my first one along with my 75S-3 and 32S-3. Both have been excellent. I use this one as the amp for radio 2 in an SO2R contest set up. The driver transceiver is an FT-1000. I use it in full QSK mode, too. With the Ameritron QSK-5 switch and the little Ameritron relay buffer adaptor, it works like a charm in QSK. My first real work out was the recent WPX CW contest. Radio 2 was the "search & pounce" rig, running 600 watts out into a multiband vertical mounted on the chimney. I was able to work every station I heard. The "tuning" procedure is excellent. I can change bands and retune in seconds. I get nothing but good reports on the signal quality, too.
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PY1BR
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 24, 2004 19:10
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Small Big Amp
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have had my 30L-1 in use now for over 4 years. The 30L-1 is very well built. You can find 100% of Teflon wires. No one on the market has it (as far as I know).
I built my own relay box to operate with modern rigs. Never had any problem with this classic linear amplifier.
What I suggest to do is to replace the blower to a new one (avoiding any new hole of course). I friend of mine found a blower that fits perfectly well. This is to those living in tropical countries where the sun really shines.
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K0IZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 24, 2004 15:32
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Geat Amp
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Let me add my 5.0 to the rest of the 5.0's. Great mechanical construction, great components. Input circuit is true 50 ohms for perfect match to solid-state rigs. Nice looking, quiet, small. Works forever. Very clean spectrum output. Why buy some of the newer amps in this power range and get so-so construction. Super value.
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VK5CC
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 19, 2004 23:31
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OUTSTANDING
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have used the 30l1 for 3 years now and they really are a quiet and reliable Amp. My first one was used with an FT920 and TS 820S and put out 700w key down on 10m.I sold it and straight away realised how silly i was and so i picked up another one which is in use with my S line.The spectral purity is very impressive and they are built like nothing made today and tune up is a dream!The phase comparator circuit is fantastic for easy spot on tuning. This is the best 811a Amp ever built so for medium power it has to be a Collins 30L1.
Chris.
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Anonymous
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 12, 2003 08:45
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doesn't get much better
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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If there was ever a work horse amp, this is it. For the price of a set of tubes once in a while, this amp will work forever. I have had 5 of these amps since 1974 and all of them worked without fail. I have collected some spare parts over the years and never used any of them, this amp just doesn't fail. When I see the current selection of 600 watt out amps on the market, I laugh. They just don't come close to a 30L1. There are zillions of these amps still out there. Buy one if this power level is for you.
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