EDIT: My original response here exceeded the max character limit, so I need to edit out some....so..Bob,
1) First off, please accept my sincerest and heartfelt apologies....especially for addressing you as "Rob"....it was an erroneous assumption on my part as my older brother "Robert" is called "Rob" (and, you didn't sign any of your posts, so I made a casual mistake and addressed you as Rob rather than Bob), so in addition to my other errors this one is simply a mistake of mine due to a casual assumption.
I am sorry about this, really I am!
Even though I'm a easy-going/casual guy (and do write and talk about ham radio in a very casual way, as opposed to professional/career situations), I now realize that some folks take this casualness as an affront....so, please accept my apology here, I meant no offense and I am sorry that my casual erroneous use of Rob offend you!
2) Secondly, please know I am truly sorry for hurting your feelings, and for your feeling condescended to, or insulted in any way! This was 100% not my intention, ever!
{heck Bob, you were asking about an "Alpha", I was thrilled to help! (anytime I get to rave about Alpha, is a good time for me!)
And, I am still attempting to help!
So, I do hope you will see that my intentions were actually those of being a "nice guy" and fellow long-time ham, with thoughts of promoting "good will", and attempt to help my fellow hams....
And, I get to ramble-on about (and tout?) Alpha's....that is a pleasure....
So, I hope when you read this here, and what I highlight below, you'll see this is a simple misunderstanding my friend....and, I am truly sorry about that!}3) Next, allow me to further apologize, this time in detail....(I did attempt to apologize to you earlier, and it seems that my statements of regret, continued info / answers to your query, and further offers of any assistance have gone unnoticed....so, allow me to move forward in detail, so there is no further misunderstanding...)
From what you now write it seems to me (in my opinion), the majority of the problem here was my abrupt writing style / and sort-of "short-handing" of thoughts, where I made assumptions that you were understanding my train-of-thought, and whereby you misinterpreted what I was writing.
Bob, PLEASE read again what I wrote Wednesday in explanation...I realize I was vague, but I never for a second was attempting to "talk down" to you, nor to ever be condescending....and, it is unfortunate that I failed to include a few descriptive / directive words in a few paragraphs of mine, in my original posting here / my original attempt to answer your query, and I feel if I
had simply included just a few short words in those sentences, you would've clearly seen that, quite opposite of what you inferred, that I was stating that since all those questions have already been discussed over-and-over again,
there was no need for me to bother you with them, as you were evidently looking for more detailed info/comparisons, and what I (we?) needed to give you more specific info (on the '9500 and other choices) and some detailed recommendations, was more info from you.
While perhaps in an inept way, I was attempting to draw more info / details from you, so that I actually could offer you some more specific recommendations.
And, I failed to write that properly, for that I accept responsibility and ask you to accept my apologies.
If we look at what I wrote, and simply
[added the words that were in my head but not on the screen], I feel this whole episode of you inferring you were condescended to, could have been avoided.
The way I'm now interpreting your question(s) [please correct me, if I'm wrong] is less about the Alpha 9500, and more like many of the questions here regarding amp selection....[we just need to get more info from you, in order to give you a more critical look at the '9500 and better answer your queries]
These are the typical:
"what amp should I buy?" ....
"Solid-State or Vacuum-Tube?" ....
"how good IMD do I need?" ....
"do I need 1500 watts out?" ....
"do I need 100% duty-cycle, no time-limit, 'brick-on-the-key'?" ....
"if I desire a 'tube amp', which tubes should I avoid / which ones to look for?" ....
"if I desire a SS Amp, which devices should I avoid / which ones to look for?" ....
"are there 'no-time-limit' SS Amps?" ....
"what is the 'best' amp?" ....
etc etc.
etc....
And, to be blunt, all of these questions have been asked, answered, and beaten-to-death...over-and-over again....many times here....so, [there is] no need [for me] to go through all of this again.
I feel strongly that
if I had just included these few words, above in red and in brackets, that I was thinking but didn't type, then we would not be here today discussing this, but rather having fun with ham radio and helping our fellow hams.
And, here again, I apologize for this, it is my error for taking short-cuts...I am sorry that I failed to write better, and that I failed to convey my sincere interest in actually helping you, and most importantly I am sorry that I failed to be even more blunt and direct..
(which could've been as easy as asking "AF6D, please let me know exactly what you want / need in regards to a new amp, and what about the Alpha 9500 looks "good" to you and what about it looks "bad" to, and I'll try to help...73, John, KA4WJA")I suspect if I had been "less me" / less verbose, and just written that, we'd not be spending our afternoon on these ancillary, personal matters, but rather actually helping our fellow hams!
And, again, I am truly sorry about all of this! Please accept my apology, and let's move forward? Yes? ('cuz, I really don't want either one of us to feel like a horse's patoot...hi hi)
Now Bob, if all of my honest and sincere apologies above, are not acceptable to you, and/or you still feel "talked down to", then I will leave you to proceed without any further assistance, clarifications, recommendations, etc. from me, and I wish you a good afternoon....BUT...
But, if you can accept my apologies and my errors, and move forward....I am still happy to help in any way I can....and, I'm including some additional info for you, below...
And, if you could answer these questions:
"AF6D, please let me know exactly what you want / need / desire in regards to a new amp, and what about the Alpha 9500 looks "good" to you and what about it looks "bad" to, and I'll try to help...73, John, KA4WJA" ...
I will attempt to not be casual....and I'm fairly sure all of us here would be of more / better help?
73,
John, KA4WJA
Rob, Bob,
You're welcome!
The way I'm now interpreting your question(s) is less about the Alpha 9500, and more like many of the questions here regarding amp selection....
These are the typical:
"what amp should I buy?" ....
"Solid-State or Vacuum-Tube?" ....
"how good IMD do I need?" ....
"do I need 1500 watts out?" ....
"do I need 100% duty-cycle, no time-limit, 'brick-on-the-key'?" ....
"if I desire a 'tube amp', which tubes should I avoid / which ones to look for?" ....
"if I desire a SS Amp, which devices should I avoid / which ones to look for?" ....
"are there 'no-time-limit' SS Amps?" ....
"what is the 'best' amp?" ....
etc etc.
etc....
<snip>
2) Just to get you started, here are some very brief generalities:
a) I compared many modern amateur HF amps...have a look.
https://www.eham.net/community/smf/index.php/topic,100600.msg809639.html#msg809639
b) In general, SS amps cost more $$$ per watt....as well as usually needing a tuner (either built-in or external), unless all antennas present a VSWR of 1.5:1 or less.
c) General rules-of-thumb of modern Solid-State amateur HF amps:
---- Most SS amps are "instant-on", and require no "tuning" per se....just band-switching....(many can be controlled by the transceiver, providing totally smooth / seamless operations.....and many can also be run remotely, via IP controls)
---- In general, amateur SS amps are not "no-time-limit" / "brick-on-the-key" at 1500 watts / legal-limit out, but rather use some weird / quasi-deceptive marketing (such as "no-mode-limit", or "reduced output after xx seconds", etc.) to imply high-duty-cycle operations. (in actual fact, they are all limited by their cooling capacity / ability to cool the device itself....and, most have temp sensors that fault-out the amp into "standby", once temps rise to their limits....some have "timers" that only allow constant carrier operations for 7 - 8 seconds, before faulting to low-power or standby....
---- Ironically, most modern SS ham amps will run "continuous carrier" at approx 50% - 70% of their rated/advertised outputs....and, this point (50% - 70% of advertised output) is also usually close to the amp's 1-db compression, which generally means that you can figure a linear output at approx the same power, or a bit lower....{yes, if comparing to legal-limit tube amps, this means that most SS ham amps that are advertised as "1500 watt amps" are really 750 to 900 watt amps....and those that are advertised as "1500+ watts" / "2000 watt max", etc. are actually 1000 - 1200 - 1300 watt amps... }
---- Solid-State amps have worse IMD products than tube amps, many times significantly worse. (although, when looking at the better SS Amps, it is usually the transceiver's IMD that is worse)
---- Most modern amateur Solid-State amps (not their internal device specs, but the whole amp itself) have a 1-db compression point at approx 60% to 75% of their "advertised output" ---- yes, meaning that at their "advertised output", they are not running linearly!
---- The only way to use most modern SS HF ham amps with good linearly, is to run them significantly below their rated/advertised outputs. (although, still not as good as most tube amps)
---- All SS amps will need to be run into a matched load, with VSWR's of 2:1 or less....most will need VSWR's of 1.5:1 or less to produce full output, and anywhere close to clean linearity!
---- Due to the need to cool the device, most SS amps have rather loud (and annoying?) cooling fans.
d) General rules-of-thumb of modern vacuum-tube amateur amps:
---- In general, tube amps are much cleaner / much more linear than SS amps.
---- In general, only the bigger tube amps (like Alpha) will be 100% duty-cycle, no-time-limit, "brick-on-the-key" at 1500 watts / legal-limit output.
---- In general, tube amps are much more forgiving than solid-state amps in regards to "oppss" moments!
---- In general, most tube amps will run their rated power into VSWR's of 3:1, and many will do into much higher VSWR's.....most will run VSWR's up-to or beyond 5:1 at reduced power, with good linearity and no damage.
---- Some tube amps have almost silent cooling (legacy Alpha's)....but, unfortunately, some are loud, like a jet engine (OM Power).
---- Eimac 8877 / 3CX1500a7 tubes are very linear, very rugged, and will last decades and decades....but if purchased new from Eimac/Richardson are wicked expensive (~ $1800)! NOS (New Old Stock) Eimac 8877's are available for ~ $400 - $500 each, and will also last decades (in storage or in an amateur amp)...{fyi, I have four Eimac 8877's that are over 40 years old, and still running full-output, and wicked-clean and linear! And, many, many other hams have the same experiences! }
---- Other ceramic-metal power-grid tubes (transmitting tubes), such as the 4CX1500b, 3CX3000, 8874's, etc. are also still made by Eimac, and some are decently priced and some are pricey!
---- 8877/3CX1500a7 tubes made in China (with various "brand names" like Penta, Machet, etc.) are good, and many folks use them without issue for years....although some report slightly worse linearity and longevity, they sell for ~ $800 - $900, new, with warranty....
---- 3-500z tubes (and all glass transmitting tubes these days, and for > 10 years) are all made in China....the "good ones" are sold in the US by RF Parts, for ~ $300 - $350 each, and come with warranty and should last you years of service....
---- other glass transmitting tubes, like the 811a, 572b, etc. are only made-in-China, and have sporadic reliability.....i.e. ya' pays ya' money ---- and ya' takes ya' chances!
As for what amp to buy?
That's a great question....may I suggest you read thru the pages and pages of discussions here....AND make sure you are making a decision for you and for your application / desire, not mine, not others..
As example, if all you want to do is rag-chew on SSB, then you do not need a "brick-on-the-key" amp, as well as not needing "instant-on", or "no-tuning", etc....and, if you're good at repair / circuitry, etc, then you do not need a "new" amp...however, if you're into contesting, or RTTY, etc., then a heavy-duty amp is called for, such as a "brick-on-the-key" Alpha...and, if you need instant-on and/or instant band-change with no "tune-up", then either an Alpha 9500 or a good solid-state amp (Expert 2K, or Flex Power Genius, or Elecraft 1500), might be good choices for you....
But, again, it should be your choice, based on your application / your desire, not mine or others....(the above are just random examples)
I do hope this helps. (please read the many threads here discussing these matters, and assess them with your own application/desire in mind)
73,
John, KA4WJA
Rob, Bob,
1) Okay, you now let us know a tiny bit more:
I have an assortment of amplifiers and I want better.
While we still don't know what your use/application is, nor what assortment you have, nor what "better" means to you (more reliable, easier to tune, cleaner IMD, more power, 100% duty-cycle at full output, etc. etc. etc.? we have no clue)
So....with that general "question"....here you go:
a) In my opinion, the Alpha 77Dx is the finest desktop amateur HF amp ever made....
You can find a clean one, in good shape, for ~ $3000 - $4000, with a good 8877 in it.
The amp will last a lifetime!
The 8877 will last you many decades!
It (and the 77Sx) is the cleanest (IMD) desktop amateur HF amp made.
Wicked reliable, extremely easy/quick tuning, etc. etc....
b) In my opinion, the Henry 3KD-Premier 8877 is tied for second-place (along with my personal fav the Alpha 77Sx...but I won't bother to detail that again)
Henry didn't make that many (but you can find some other Henry 3K's that have been modified/upgraded to a 3KD-Premeir 8877, as well)....I haven't seen any for sale in a while, but have a look around, you never know.
c) In my opinion, the Henry 8K Ultra (big, heavy, 2-piece unit....with desktop control box and remote amp console) is probably the finest amateur HF amp made....but it is not a desktop amp, and it ain't for the squeamish!
I've seen them sell for ~ $10k - $12k....but, I personally don't think I'd pay more than $6k - $8k
It, and its 3CX3000 tube, will last you for decades!
And, it's damn clean in IMD department as well!
There you go...
In my opinion, those are the top 4 choices, in regards to "wanting better".
(if we had more info about what you interpret as "better", and what your application / use is, well then we could all probably give you more specific answers and most importantly the reasons that we recommend or not recommend a particular amp for you / your application)
If none of those appeal to you, or if none of those fit your application, or if none of those fit your definition of "better", then have another look at the Alpha 9500, and give Mike D. a call or email, at Alpha!
That would be my recommendation.
2) As for me being rude?
Huh?
{I'm not certain what Facebook (where I've never been, btw), your career, etc. has to do with answering your question(s) regarding the Alpha 9500, its "value", and/or other amp choices....nor do I grasp what could have possibly caused my polite (but, direct and blunt) comments to be so misunderstood....but, those are really ancillary matters....what matters here is that I tried to help / you get the answers that you desire / and we all part as friends....in my opinion, anything else is just "noise"?}
Seriously, to be blunt....I think you completely misinterpreted my posting!
And, I truly regret that!
I think I'm a pretty decent guy, too...
And, I never for one second tried to "talk down to you"!
If that is how you perceived my attempt to help, there is nothing I can do now to "un-do" that....but..
But, if you do care to read the many other posts of mine, and/or drop me an email or phone call, I still wish to be of assistance.....(if you choose not to do so, no worries here)
Not to argue anything, but perhaps I should clarify?
You asked about the '9500....I (and others) answered you.
You asked for more but were not specific, so I answered you again with more info and mentioning that all I was able to do was answer in generalities as I didn't have any specifics.
I don't think there is anything wrong with any of that.
You seemed to take offense to my reference of the variety of questions to consider?
But, Rob, this wasn't meant as any personal attack ---- rather as a way to spur on some more specific info from you, so we could all provide you with further assistance.
Again, I think you simply misunderstood the effort that I was making to help.
And, that is regretful.
Anyway, I do wish you well....and I do hope that whatever amp you choose you are happy with!
73,
John, KA4WJA
73 (really, best wishes!),
John, KA4WJA
P.S. Bob, I feel like I do need to offer one quick piece of context...
(I
absolutely do NOT wish to sound braggadocios at all, so please forgive my words here!)
I have experience with HF amps for almost 50 years now, both tube and SS.....actually taught some CB shops (and one gentleman that went on to run a successful ham store) about neutralization, etc. as a teenager back in the mid-70's...
I've used 'em, repaired them, built them (homebrew and Heathkits), ranted about them, raved about them, questioned their IMD, etc, etc....
But, some of the others here have even more experience that I do! I'm just the one that sometimes has the time to write on-and-on about them! Hi Hi!
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Topic: Alpha 9500 (Read 1510 times)