| KD4NUE |
Rating:    |
2009-06-04 | |
| OK If you get a good one |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
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 |
Rating:      |
2009-05-20 | |
| Excellent Amp |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| 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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| N3QVB |
Rating:      |
2009-03-19 | |
| Review update |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
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 |
Rating:      |
2009-03-19 | |
| Sweet Little Amp |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
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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| K4ZMI |
Rating:      |
2009-02-16 | |
| Just won't let you down |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| With the ari500 auto band changer and the mfj998 auto tuner, the amp is purely magical. |
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| KT9O |
Rating:      |
2008-12-31 | |
| Easy to use. |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Set and forget. Make sure your antenna is resonant, because it WILL shut down on you in an instant!
After 3 years with no trouble of any kind, I like it's ease of use. |
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| KC9MSA |
Rating:     |
2008-11-24 | |
| Not bad...... |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I do like this amp, although, it does not make 600 watts everywhere like it says it will, and the power meter on the front seems a little loose.
On 10 meters, about 500 watts is all you get. On the low bands I do get right at 600, maybe a little under, but come on, how much power do you want out of a modestly priced solid state linear?
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| W6GF |
Rating:      |
2008-10-20 | |
| Simple to use |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I have lots of radios and amps. The ALS-600 sits in op position #1 on the second port of my ORION ll. On the first port is an AL-1500. With the ORION, the ALS-600 and an auto Palstar tuner it is band changing heaven on the second port.
Although the ALS-600 struggles to make specifications it does make the output power. Its PEP reserve is not great so you have to watch drive. I must admit I run it very carefully and it has been good to me. Just watch the swr and drive. As others have said, if you are a DXer, it is a good second amp.
But as a primary amp unless you need the no tune feature, there are much cheaper amps that put out more power. It is real interesting measuring power output. I have SB-200 and AL-811/AL-811H amps....I have checked power out using an accurate Palstar meter. The difference between the ALS-600, SB-200, and the AL-811 amps is tiny. As, I think Yogi Berra once said, I would not want to live on the difference.
I gave it a 5, because for what it is it rates it. But a used SB-200 will do the power and cost you maybe $300.00.
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| K1LEM |
Rating:    |
2008-10-20 | |
| Almost Passable |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I bought an ALS 600 in March, when Ameritron was backlogged on all tube type equipment.
I believed the power was probably enough, given its about 3.9 db below legal limit.
However, the unit as shipped did not make it to even nominal power on 75 meters, a band that many times needs some punch.
The most I could get with a perfect 1 to 1 VSWR was about 475 watts. However, on 40 meters the amp does make rated power easily at 94 watts drive.
Other than that, the unit is well made and appears otherwise designed well.
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| K2MMO |
Rating:     |
2008-09-30 | |
| Seems ok |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| Works well on CW and SSB I use it strictly for DX and I seem to be able to get through pileups ok..... 65 watts on TX/400 watts on amp but you never know what the future holds with any MFJ related product....I hope the AMP gods continue to smile on me. |
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