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write your own review of the Ameritron AL-811.
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W9UCR
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 4, 2012 03:28
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Outstanding Performance & Value
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I had a minor problem initially with the amp (T/R relay that didn't give full receive on occasion.) On the advise of an Ameritron Tech, I cycled the relay a few hundred times and now all is well. I'm basically a CW op and I drive the amp with my FT-950. 35 Watts gives me 600+ Watts out in CW and I read about 650 Watts PEP on my peak-reading Wattmeter on SSB. While true QSK would be nice, the cost of the conversion is beyond my budget so I just set the delay in the exciter to be compatible with my sending speed (around 25 WPM) so I don't have to listen to a lot of relay clatter and all is well. The cable I purchased on eBay has the ALC connectors on it but I've never used them. I've had several amps before, all running 3-500Z's so the 811A's are a new experience for me. I sure like the replacement cost of these tubes! All in all, a great amp for the money. I've thought of moving up to something like the AL-82, but the advantage over what I now have is a little less than 4 dB (about 2/3 of an S-unit) and not worth the extra $2K IMHO.
73, Bob W9UCR
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VA3MLV
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 23, 2011 15:19
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does what its supposed to
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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This is my first time writing about a piece of equipment,i have a Ameritron AL811A and i could say that it is a good linear for the operator that wants a easy 5 to 600watts pep, its got inexpensive tubes, easy on the wallet, basically everthing that has already been said by other operators.Im a new operator and i will say that it tunes up easy and is a great add on to a amateur station. Basically it is a linear that you can turn on and get a few hundred watts out that will help , but most important is the antenna. 73 happy holidays
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KB0KYV
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 20, 2011 19:27
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Satisfied!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I had some trouble when I first got it out of the box. A tube was damaged in shipping. Ameritron took a look at my amp and got it back to me in about 2 or 3 weeks free of charge. It's worked great ever since. I've had some experience with old tube gear so I already knew how to take care of the finals. It gives me 500 W out with 50 W in. (I was told by an Ameritron tech that this is the best way to run it.) I've been using it for over a year and it still gives me over 600 W out on tune up so I guess I'm doing things right.
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KB8O
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 12, 2011 12:48
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good amp for the money ...
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I picked one up in Dayton used ... Once I got it home I found that 1 out of 3 tubes were bad . I ran it on 811's for about 6 months on 120v . During this time the amp put out close to 600w with about 50-60w input but I noticed the meter lights would dim on key down . During contests it would run hot . I was still very happy with a 600w amp for $300 used at Dayton ...
I now have the amp on 240v , and 3 572's in the amp and couldn't be more happy . No more dimming of the meters on key down ... 30w pretty much gives me 600w output on all bands , and the best part is the thing runs so much cooler now . If I could suggest one thing to anyone about the amp , it would be spend the extra time and run a 240v line in the shack ...
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AE6ZW
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 24, 2011 00:19
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AL-811 3 x 811A
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I had a opportunity to check out and make minor repair of AL-811 ( 3 x 811A tubes ) . I do not have much experience with tube amplifier, but it had some loose connectors. unlike solid state device, LOAD / PLATE tuning setting changes depend on amount of power output and driving power. it seems like do comfortable 500 wts in normal CW operation. 600 wts if pushes to limits. I have notice it tune better at close to full power output, other wise, many of the band, my LOAD setting was all the way counter clock wide ( maximum capacitance ). it seems like good AMP for its price range.
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N4ZAW
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 27, 2011 06:38
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FOLLOW-UP
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I'm still running the original tubes,and have spanked them hard. I'm still getting full 600 clean watts output and have had no other issues, other than inrush "whoomps"... So many, that I got a store-bought inrush filter, which cured that little deal. This amp is very forgiving, as I'm a band-wanderer, and have on many occasions, temporarily-forgotten the bandswitch. This is quick death to tubes and power supplies, but so far, it has taken these momentary lapses of reason in-stride... Basically, I licked-out so far, I'm sure. I have my own "chart" for settings, and they have remained very accurate in my installation. Most usage has been on 40 and 80 meters, with "visits" to 10 n 20.
For the money, this AL-811 is a very good choice.
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KD5UDE
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 29, 2011 09:15
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excellent
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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i'm still running mine now since october 2007 and it is still working perfect and still has the 811a tubes in it it came with full output and not one problem buy it easy to tune and operate perfect amplifier! i'm happy with it!!
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K8BDW
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Rating: 4/5
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Feb 19, 2011 15:57
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Good Amp
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I replaced my 811's for 572B's years ago. I run SSB only. Folks, keep in mind, the power supply in the 811 cannot handle the max power the 572's are capable of. When tuning up, use MINIMUM power, 10 watts or less. Your drive should not be over 30 watts to achieve the 600 watts the power supply can handle using the 572's. Have fun, watch for arching inside the amp that may occur if SWR is not what it should be. Trust me, experience! Do not exceed 600 watts if you use the 572's. These tubes idle at this power level and should last longer than we on this earth.
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W2RS
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Rating: 4/5
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Feb 19, 2011 12:17
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A workhorse, but swap the 811As for 572Bs if you work CW
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I picked up my AL-811 from a local ham's estate about five years ago, and it's still going strong.
My main HF amp is a Collins 30L-1 and, no, Art Collins would not have made an AL-811. Quality-wise, it ain't no Collins. The 30L-1, however, doesn't cover 160 meters and that's mostly what I use the AL-811 for. For five years now, it's been a solid, reliable performer.
I am mostly a CW operator, so the first thing I did when I got the amp was to swap out the 811s for Taylor 572Bs from RF Parts. I'm still on my original set. If you operate mostly SSB with its low duty cycle, you can probably get away with keeping the 811As, but their maximum rated plate dissipation is only 195 watts (for three tubes). On CW, running more than about 350 watts output would exceed that.
With the 572Bs, you can safely run the amp at 500-600 watts CW output, and 300 watts on RTTY. As other reviewers have noted, the power supply and RF components are the same as those of the AL-811H.
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DF2DD
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 9, 2011 08:41
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Solid AMP
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I am totally satiesfied with the AMP. Very solid and mine is very quite. Puts out around 550W. Mostly run it at max. 400W. You know: The last 100W will kill your AMP, hi. Would buy it again.
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