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write your own review of the Ameritron ALS-600.
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KG8JF
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 21, 2009 05:29
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great amp
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I do not remember if I have reviewed this amp before, but I must say it works very well. Do not try to overdrive to eke a few more watts out of it. It won't work. And, do not expect to get it going too far off resonance. It will fault out if the swr is too high. It is so good to not have to retune when large frequency jumps are made. It is just a fine solis performer.
As to the power, my feelig was, and still is, that if 600 watts does not get one through, 155 watts is not that much better......
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W3LZK
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 20, 2009 20:30
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First Impressions.....Great Amp
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Although I've only had this amp 1 month, I must say that first impressions do mean a lot. Bought this amp to go with my Kenwood TS-570D/G. I have used this amp almost every day for the last 30 days. My antennas of choice thus far are a tuned half wave dipole for 40 meters, set up as an inverted Vee, also in the line up is my Mosley TA-33 classic at about 42' the apex of my 40 meter inverted Vee is about 38'.
What I like most is the fact that once you have everything set you press the PTT button and you're shooting out 500-600 watts. One thing that I had to get used to over my AL-811H is that on the amp there is no band switch per se, you have the frequency switch which gives you a set of frequencies on the switch. Just a bit different than my 811H, on it, if you want to work 40 meters you set your band switch on 40 meters, tune for maximum output and you're good to go. On the ALS-600, you set the frequency switch on 4.4-8.0 position and you're set for that frequency range.
Last weekend as an addition I bought the ALS-500M remote head for this and the ALS-500 amp. Not much to it, but sure makes my Lazy Boy HF station look a LOT cleaner and less cluttered. Have entertained the thought of getting the auto band switch for the amp, but then again,I have the remote head at my fingertips so its not like I really need it.
I am in the process of getting my GAP Challenger back down to factory specs, went to use the GAP with my amp, each and every time I would Xmit the amp would immediately go into fault overload. Upon further examination, found my GAP Challenger's SWR's are way out of whack, think I've narrowed it down to a faulty PL-259 at the antenna, once I get the vertical repaired I would like to see how well the ALS-600 and the vertical function together.
Would I get another one? You betcha, would I recommend the ALS-600? You betcha. As was stated in the summary of this post, first impression.....Great Amp! Again, this is just my first impression of this wonderful little powerhouse. Will do a follow up again after 6 months and then hopefully again after a year in service. Until then, hope to catch you on one of the bands between 40 and 15 meters. One last tid bit, I am one of the NC's (Thur-Fri.) for the Treasure Coasters Net which meets daily 7/365 on 7.135 from 0800-0900 EST. Please, come join us, this net is open to ALL amateurs with an advance class license or higher. Hope to catch you on the air!
73 de Mark
W3LZK
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KD7ATL
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 25, 2009 20:14
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A good Amp
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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it's a good amp 50 watts in 400 to 600 out I agreed
they should make auto band switch standard
would be nice
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AC0FA
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 4, 2009 20:43
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Excellent low drive amp
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have owned more than one ALS-600 and know several other hams who enjoy them as well.
I have noticed a common theme in the reviews of some folks who are having trouble.
The ALS-600 does not require more than 35-40w drive in most cases for full output.
The owners manual states it will take UP TO 100w drive but that is with the ALC line conected and adjusted properly.
The alc circut in the ALS-600 is or should be limiting thie input to about 35-40w.
When over driven 100w in 700w out the four finals seem to blow in pairs.
It will limp along at 250-300w till the last pair blow out.
I don't think there is any protection for over driving the amp other than the alc circut.
Good quality product uses surface mount circut board technology. Could repair by hand. Power supply is neat and well laid out. Compact design. Auto band switching should be standard.
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KD4NUE
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Rating: 3/5
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Jun 4, 2009 08:10
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OK If you get a good one
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I rate this a 3, as that is midscale on the available ratings.
I know many folks using this amp in exactly the same configuraton I am; rig, antenna tuner, antenna. So far, they have had great results.
With me; not so much.
I bought a new ALS-600S on May 20,2008. It was the new version with the remote telco jacks on the front panel.
I also paid extra to get the switching supply.
When it arrived, I noticed very distinct rattle in the power supply. I opened to investigate, shook out the loose hardware, and spent the next hour remounting the main board with the hardware that shook loose in transit.
I feel very fortunate to have found it before I switched it on, or left it loose enough that it would come loose in active use.
I used the amp a good bit, until it failed on (or around) October 20, 2008.
I sent it back under warranty, and four MRF-150 MOSFETS were replaced. I also purchased the 10m mod while in for repair and Ameritron installed it for me at no charge.
I got it back home, and really used it very little after that.
I again had to install loose hardware on the power supply, and took quite a few pictures showing how it arrived the second time.
In looking back at my actual time on the air using that rig and amplifier, I probably have around 15 to 20 hours maximum on the new set of MOSFETS.
Last night, I went to 10m to try it out with some folks in the area. For the first time, I switched it to the AUX position, and got 150 watts out with 65 watts in.
I tested it on other bands, and got around 250 (with sag down to 225) wats out, this time increasing drive to 100 watts.
I took everything loose, connected it direct to a Vectronics 1.5K dry dummy load and re-tested with ALC line disconnected with the same outcome.
So, On June 4th, 2009, I discovered the MOSFETS to be on the way out again.
I called Ameritron, and spoke with the tech who repaired it the first time.
I had asked him previously to make sure that all protective circuits were working properly, and to "tighhten up" on the adjustments to make it fault out with any SWR detected that would be harmful.
It never faulted out, never showed SWR, and I don't know how long the MOSFETS had been failing, as I always drove it with fairly low input, kept Mic gain out of the ALC range and didn't expect to see the watt meter bouncing to the top of the scale.
A phone call to Ameritron this morning resulted in "Send it in, and we will repair it again for around $300.00".
This, about 15 days out of original warranty, with one previous complete failure of outputs in the first 6 months.
The second set of 4 MOSFETS lasted a little longer (measured in months between failures, not actual operating hours), as I did not use that setup very oftern after the first failure.
So, if you are considering one of these, take heed.
If you get a good one, it seems to be a good one. However, if you don't, you have to ask youself how lucky you feel when you put it into service.
It cost me $1264.98 to get it to the door in May of 2008. I expect it to be the $220.00 for MOSFETS, and $75.00 for Labor; plus freight both ways to get the opportunity to see how many more minutes I can get between failures.
After getting off the phone, I tried it again on all bands, and in the process, it died again completely. No smoke, and no output.
It has been operated exclusively with a FT-2000, ALC line connected, LDG AT-1000 (Non-PRO) Auto Tuner, through a RF Applications P-2000 Peak Power Meter into a Cobra Ultra Lite Senior Dipole Antenna.
The system was always tuned on CW at around 40 to 65 watts, with the amp in standby, then one short tone with the amp in Operate to check final SWR to be sure there was no problem under load, before going to SSB mode.
The FT-2000 meter funciton always was in the SWR position, the meter the in the ALS-600 never showed appreciable SWR , and the outboard RF Applications metering system never indicated problems on the antenna.
The Outboard meter showed SWR before the Antenna tuner. The Antenna Tuner's meter showed SWR between the AMP and antenna, and the FT-2000 meter showed SWR as seen by the Rig's PA.
If the failure had been due to SWR, it would have shown up on one of the metering stages.
The rig has sufferred no damage, the same antenna has been used between other rigs, including 2 different Yaesu FT-450ATs, a Vertex VX-1700, Ten-Tec Jupiter, 2 different Kenwood TS-2000s, a Kenwood TS-480, a Yaesu FT-747, Transworld TW-100F, Icom IC-706 MKIIG, Icom IC-718, Icom IC-703+, Icom IC-746, Drake 4C Line, Patcomm PC-9000 and probably others that I have long since forgot.
The LDG AT-1000 and the RF Applications P-2000 meter were in line in nearly all the above installations.
It all boils down to failure in the ALS-600 system, otherwise there would be damage to the other gear.
Yet, Ameritron will not warranty it 15 days out of warranty; even after a previous failure in the time frame.
Again, if you get a good one, it is probably OK, but what if you get one with the history of this one and that of others who have reviewed indicating similar expereinces.
At this time in history, the economy is in dissarray and money is tight.
Can you afford to take a chance on getting a "good" one.
To all who haven't had troubles, I am certainly proud for you.
I just wasn't one of the "lucky" ones.
David
KD4NUE
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W4KKX
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Rating: 5/5
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May 20, 2009 20:23
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Excellent Amp
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I've had this amp for almost two weeks now and have had excellent results. The AT-Auto Tuner keeps the SWR down and the amp loves it...absolutely no problems. The mod for 10-mtr has been installed and I have used it on 28 mhz with no problem. Ameritron made the installation of the mod extremely simple and straight-forward. For what I wanted, this amp meets my requirements perfectly.
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W4ET
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Rating: 4/5
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Mar 21, 2009 16:14
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Like it.
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I bought the amp new two weeks ago. It works very well and I really enjoy not having to go through the tune up process that I had to with the AL-811. Although I was well satisfied with the Al-811.
I am using the amp with my 756pro and a Drake MN-2000 antenna tuner. I have gotten great reports on SSB as well as RTTY. I mainly got the amp to give me a little more power on RTTY. I did get the 10/12 meter mod, but no other options.
The fan is a little louder than I remember the fan being on the AL-811, but it is not objectional. I have the amp and power supply sitting on the top of the desk right next to the 756pro and have no reports from anyone hearing the fan with my audio.
Right now I am limited to 20 and 40 meters, so I have not been able to try the amp on the other bands. But it puts out 600 watts on both of those bands with no problem.
I did have one problem. I bought the conventional power supply, not the switching one. When I unpacked the power supply, the decal on the front panel was crooked. This left a gap at the bottom of the face plate on the left side and a "bubble" at the top on the left side. Gigaparts has been great in dealing with this problem, as well as Ameritron and they are sending me a new face plate, although at first Ameritron suggested that I take the top off and trim the decal. I did that, and it got rid of the "bubble" but the gap at the bottom is still there. A few days after I did the trimming, the "bubble" at the top returned (although it was in the middle of the faceplate this time). This is the reason I rated the amp at a 4. The power supply should never have left the factory with the decal crooked like that. But I have to give Ameritron and Gigaparts an A+ for the way they handled the problem.
I look forward to many years service from this amp. It did cost about twice as much as the AL-811 which has the same power ouput, but I believe in the long run it will be worth it.
I may give an update to this review after I have owned the amp for a while and am able to use it on the other bands.
73 to all
Ron - W4ET
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N3QVB
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 19, 2009 14:19
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Review update
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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It's about 1 month since my 1st review, when I first bought the amp. I gave it a 5/5 and I still do. I do have a big problem getting it to work on 10 and 12 (yes, the mod is installed), but I think it's an antenna issue, not the mod. Still checking that out.
Interesting sidenote: My beam (C3S by Force-12)is not resonant on 17 meters so an external tuner is needed if I want to use the amp on this band. Not so with my setup. As an experiment, I tried tuning up on 17 expecting a fault. I was able to get as high as 250W PEP before the SWR went to 1.8. It's not full power, but it's better than 100W without a tuner. Pretty nifty.
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KK1S
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 19, 2009 12:18
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Sweet Little Amp
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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At about 2 bucks a watt it's pricier than some Ameritron tube amps, but for convenience and ease of operation (no tuning) it's hard to beat.
I had a problem with mine, a new model with the front panel remote ports. Fine on 10/12/15/17M, but on 20+ it repeated blew the fast blow 2 amp fuse in the power supply.
Several calls to Ameritron and 4 fuses later I discovered a small metal burr in the rectangular hole punched out for the remote ports. A little filing and Voila! Perfection!
QC could have been better for $1300, and I was considering rating it a 4, but it's a fine piece of gear, performs as advertised, and it's made in the Good Old USA.
The courtesy and professionalism of Ameritron's service reps more than made up for such a minor problem, so I'm giving it a well deserved 5/5.
When the ALS-1200 is type approved, watch eHam classifieds for a lightly used ALS-600.
73
Good job, Ameritron!
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K9YEQ
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 18, 2009 18:19
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UPdate... This amp is super
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I wrote an earlier review and don't understand why this amp overall is rated where it is. I sent a note to manager to suggest the ratings reflect what is experienced within the the last 12 reviews or last year to get a more accurate review to reflect provider improvements. This amp continues to keep me very happy. I load a remote 994b MFJ tuner and I am very pleased with overall operation. Cost per power db improvement, you cannot beat this unit.
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