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Reviews For: Ameritron AL-811

Category: Amplifiers: RF Power - HF & HF+6M

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Review Summary For : Ameritron AL-811
Reviews: 151MSRP: 650
Description:
Uses three tough 811A transmitting tubes
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.ameritron.com/products.php?prodid=AL-811
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001514.5
KG7OF Rating: 2012-11-18
D.O.A. Out for the Box Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
The amp packaging was intact when I received it from DX Engineering. When I fired it up the output power as equal to the exciter output. After some investigating I found two of the 811 tubes had cracks in them at the top. A perfect circle where the anode cap was. I emailed Ameritron and after a couple of days I finally received a reply. After reading their reply I felt like they were accusing me of the damage and requested I send the tubes back to them for evaluation before they would provide replacements. So much for the "what ever" warranty. I sent the tubes back and eventually received replacements, but in the meantime I went ahead and bought a set of matched Taylor Select tubes. Had the Taylor Selects in the amp and running long before the replacement Chinese Ameritron tubes showed up.

The amp works well, but I give the credit to the robust tubes used. Fit and finish as with any MFJ related product is fair. Scratched and dinged up right out of the box.
KE6K Rating: 2012-11-14
Really reliable and a good value Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Bought this amp from HRO in Anaheim, CA in 2003. My first ever amp in almost 50 years of operating. Hooked it up and tunned it. Worked well on all bands with no problems ever. I would not hesitate to get another one (if this one ever gives up).

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Earlier 4-star review posted by KE6K on 2007-04-27

I bought the amp used at HRO. It was in less than prime condition but worked. I have run it directly to a B&W BD-90 an it loads as well as my rig barefoot. I have also used it with the LDG AT-1000 Autotuner with good results. It has not lost power nor has it had SWR problems. When using the tuner, I first load the amp into a cantenna, then tune the tuner barefoot. When the amp is brought on line, it needs little if any tweaking.
KB3PXZ Rating: 2012-11-04
good amp Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had this amp for a little over 2 yrs now and all I can say is it works. It is pretty forgiving too. I once accidently drove it with my radios full 100w and the only reason I knew it was the guy I was talking to said my voice sounded scratchy and distorted. I usually only drive it with 35/40watts and get nearly 600w out with that. It's a good amp for a good price. Some day I will get an amp that automatically tunes. Until then this works fine

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Earlier 5-star review posted by KB3PXZ on 2010-11-09

Had the amp for a couple weeks now and so far so good. I did not experience any of the problems some others on here mentioned. The videos on the Ameritron site are excellent and walked me right through the process from unpacking to final tuneup (way better than the manual)I only tune it for 500w in CW and don't bother to try to squeeze every last watt out. The added power has made a big difference in how many times I have to call during a pileup. I live in a townhouse and was always afraid to run power but so far nobody has complained about hearing my voice coming out of there toaster. As I said before "so far so good"
K1FPV Rating: 2012-10-01
Good Amplifier, New or Used Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had an Ameritron AL-811 which I bought used now for 9 years. It has performed flawlessly with the exception of the tubes getting soft. But with the often heavy use, it is a wonder the tubes lasted that long. I replaced them with 572B's.

It has been a workhorse along with my 3 other Ameritron amps, an AL-80B, AL-82 and an ALS-1300. The nice thing about the AL-811 is it is forgiving. If you accidentally use the wrong antenna with a high SWR, it is forgiving.

Would I continue to buy Ameritron or MFJ stuff....YES! I usually open the stuff up first to make sure all is well. Occasionally I have found a wire that might have not been soldered or something similar, but for the most part, I've been happy with all the MFJ and Ameritron equipment.

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Earlier 5-star review posted by K1FPV on 2006-03-12

I bought mine used on eBay, and am very happy with its performance. I replaced the 811A's with 572B's and regularly run the amp at around 750 watts out. The tubes still run cool as a cucumber and don't mind as long as the grid current never exceeds 150 ma. which is the maximum grid current rating for a set of 3 572B's. I have mine wired on 230 volts of AC to get better power supply regulation. The amp is very stable and a teriffic buy for the money.
KD5RDY Rating: 2012-09-29
Don't Buy Used Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I made the mistake of buying a used AL-811 on Ebay. After opening the cabinet, it became obvious that this amp was poorly made, using cheap components. The meters are low grade and won't survive very long. The capacitors and resistors were inadequate. The power transformer is weak. My suspicions were confirmed during operations. After 20 mins on 10-meters, my Kenwood TS-450S began to crackle. Lucky this amp didn't blow the front-end of my radio!
I understand that Ameritron serves a niche market, and there is not much competition out there. But a used AL-811 amp is not worthy of your consideration. In fact, there's a good chance it won't even survive shipping! lol
If you really really want this amp, buy it NEW with the understanding that you'll get a couple of good years out of it. Otherwise save your pennies and look for a used Alpha.
73
K9TWO Rating: 2012-07-02
In Progress Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Finally took the cover off after receiving it a few days ago. Went over it with a fine toothed comb. Checked for loose screws, bad solder connections and other potential problems and found NONE. It actually has beautiful soldering and I am a perfectionist when it comes to soldering and have fifty years experience.

Also found the unit I have does NOT match the schematic. On the filament circuit I found gas discharge suppressors to protect your your exciter which I don't see on the schematic.

I will be gettering the new RCA tubes I have from long ago. Still have 3 more RCA 811A's
for spares plus the originals. Bringing it up on a variac very slowly. Will let you know how it works in a few days. Very nice looking amp.

73 K9TWO since 1959 at age 14

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Earlier 5-star review posted by K9TWO on 2012-06-26

Received the amp today and it's still in the box.
I will spend the next several days doing some protection updates and addind a good step start circuit. I will be installing 3 NOS RCA 811A tubes, I have 6 I bought in the seventies. Will have to getter them first. Will save the chinese ones for spares, although will probably never use them. Will do another report later on the operation of the amp.
73 K9TWO
KA3ZHX Rating: 2012-05-16
Excellent AMP Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Purchased about 60 days ago...sets up real easy, very easy to tune..manual is well written...excellent value for the price....like it alot
AA1PR Rating: 2012-04-25
Excellent Time Owned: more than 12 months.
not sure why it is listed here for $650 I paid $799 through HRO...& $50 for heavy shipping fee

this is not what I would really call a desktop amp, my old AL84 truly was.

I have only used mine about 5 times in teh 1st month I got it, it sits there looking pretty
W9UCR Rating: 2012-02-04
Outstanding Performance & Value Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
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
KB0KYV Rating: 2011-12-20
Satisfied! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
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.