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Reviews For: Ameritron ALS-600

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

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Review Summary For : Ameritron ALS-600
Reviews: 197MSRP: 1299.99
Description:
600W Output Solid State Amplifier w /Power Supply on 100/110/120V for US
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.ameritron.com/Product.php?productid=ALS-600
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
451974.2
N1MLO Rating: 2016-06-18
Protects me from myself Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I was on the fence as whether to get the AL 811 or the ALS 600. Being the cheapest human on the planet I was leaning towards the tube model.

I ended up buying a used ALS 600 for roughly the same price as a new AL 811. After committing every blunder possible with my new amp thank goodness I bought the SS unit. I probably would be through 2 or 3 sets of tubes by now.

It sits on my desk as quiet as a mouse. Plugs into a standard socket and looks like a piece of ham gear. Very happy with the amp and the extra signal punch it provides.
K5TGS Rating: 2016-06-02
Still a Great Amp Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is a follow-up review after several years of use. After many, many times of being on the wrong band, high SWR, or no antenna connection the protection circuitry always saves the amp. The design of this protection circuitry is top notch.

But, during a two-hour net as NCS, I noticed my output was no longer around 500W put 80W, where the power was set on my radio. Couldn't figure out what happened until I touched the case of the amp and found it very hot. Wow, the fan in the amp went out and stopped moving any air through the case.

But, the amp also has protection if the heat sinks become too hot. I opened the case and found a bad fan. Ordered the exact fan from Mouser, installed it, and I am back on the air.

Bravo for a very robust amplifier that just continues to perform year after year.

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Earlier 5-star review posted by K5TGS on 2011-06-25

This is likely the best investment I have made for the shack. It works as stated ( maybe even better) and it really helps break through the noise. I run mine in a 220v line and it runs quite and cool. I also found the protection circuit to work as expected and it has saved me ( and the finals) several times. If you are looking for value and SS design, this is the amp for your shack. I would suggest the remote head as I keep the amp and power supply quite a distance from the desk.
NV8G Rating: 2016-05-30
Awesome Amp Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've owned my ALS-600 for nearly 3 years now. I have it connected to my Kenwood TS-590S. I've had absolutely NO trouble whatsoever with the amp. I live in a HOA restricted neighborhood and have no outdoor antennas. My antennas are HB double bazookas in my attic. So, needless to say, I am not going to use much power with those antennas right over my head. So, I didn't need a very powerful amp to do what I wanted. My goal was to have 100 watts output, with my radio set as low as possible, (10 or 15 watts) so my radio wouldn't have to work very hard. The ALS-600 has been perfect for this. I cruise along all day long with my radio set to 10 or 15 watts and the ALS-600 gives me a very clean 100 watts out when driven that way. So, I ended up with a radio and an amp that are both set to low power and neither one of them is working very hard. That was my goal, and I achieved it with this setup.

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Earlier 5-star review posted by NV8G on 2013-08-24

I've owned mine approx. 4 months now. I don't use it much, but it has worked flawlessly every time I've used it. It really is easy to use and easy to set up. It's also very forgiving when you accidentally try and xmit on the wrong setting. The fault circuit kicks right in and saves you from harming the amp. It's saved me a couple of times! I'm very happy with this amp. I'm using it with a Kenwood TS-2000 via the Armatron ARB-704 relay. I leave my Kenwood set on about 30 watts and get 200 watts out of the amp on 20 meters.
N9GUU Rating: 2016-03-30
Followup Review Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I should have written this review back in late 2014 but I didn't - no excuse...This was a GREAT amp for the first 5 months I had it (see my August 2014 review). One day while in the shack, with the amp on in standby - it just started to snap, crackle, and pop! Smoke everywhere, smoke detector in the house went off (wife really liked that). I called DX Engineering and they weren't interested in anything other than telling me to cal MFJ. MFJ said sounds like the main PA board - he said "that happens sometimes" WHAT? I sent it in to MFJ and it came back repaired in about 3 weeks. After about 3 weeks it did the same thing again - MJF repaired it again but this time it took about 5 weeks.
Anyway - I got rid of the ALS600 and now just have my AL811H - until Dayton - Thinking of a KAP500.
W5LD Rating: 2016-03-09
Disappointing! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Bought this amp new in Sept 2015 and had to send it back in to Ameritron in Feb 2016 for warranty issue. Was told by Ameritron when I spoke with them that the turn around time would be 2 to 3 weeks. They have had my amp for approx. 4 weeks and when I spoke with them today the tech said he MIGHT get to it late next week which will make it 5 weeks. I asked him to send me a new amp and was told they didn't have any ALS-600s to send me. I loved the amp the short time it worked but their Customer Service leaves a lot to be desired!!!
W1XWX Rating: 2016-02-20
Never had any issuers Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I purchased my ALS600 used and have been operating it for about 2 years now. The amp has saved me a few times when I forgot to change the band switch! Yes I admit to doing that.

The previous owner sent me a "setup sheet" along with the amp that is slightly different than the manufacturer instructions. Once setup I have never altered any settings.

I use it almost daily with my Flex 3000, and my Icom 7000. Absolutely no issues to report.
WK2X Rating: 2016-01-23
Great 'starter amp' Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I've had my brand new ALS-600 for a couple days now, and it's the first amp I've ever used. I've come to greatly appreciate its protection features, since I've made a few absent-minded mistakes, like forgetting to let the auto-tuner do its thing with the amp in standby, or forgetting to switch the band switch, etc.. The amp detects those conditions and automatically puts itself into bypass mode to keep you from damaging it. As I get used to having an amp, these incidents should decrease.

It takes about 45-60w to drive the amp to full power. I keep the drive a little low so as not to trip the ALC, preferring to let the exciter handle that stuff.

What a difference 500-600w makes in a pileup! Wow!! My only regret is that I didn't do this sooner.
KB6HRT Rating: 2015-11-11
Very Pleased Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Been thinking about a different amplifier for over a year, have a SG500 since 2009 had good results using resistant dipoles, but going through a AT-AUTO there was a problems with tripping with the SG500 (sometimes). The ALS600s has taken care of all that! 400 to 500+watts
output. With using the ARI it tracks the radio an my AT-AUTO wonderfully so when I need 2S units its right there at the flip of a switch, the internal fan in the AS600s generate little noise, called MFJ about hookup connections an to check myself
before I turned on the power, they went over everything with me to set my mind at easy.........kb6hrt
KC8TLF Rating: 2015-10-29
Very happy after 3 years. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I love mine. The only down side is the relays. The first time I had problems it was like I had disconnected the antenna. The relay inside doesn't' have a cover on like the other relays.After a quick cleaning I was back on the air. (I used a rubber band as I was told when I called Ameritron.)
The second and third year it wouldn't transmit. Cleaned the relay again and I was back on the air. I don't have pets or anything getting hairs in there so it's just dust build up. I did read others have had the same problem so I put a cover over it, as others have tried. Hopefully I can go longer than a year this time.
I really like the accessories like the ARI-500 and remote. (I haven't tried it yet but I just contacted them about which cable I need.) The only thing I could wish for is that you could buy a module to add QSK.
KE5SUE Rating: 2015-09-28
Great Amp Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Well I have had my als 600 for one year now and it has preformed great it does everything that ameritron said it would do. Out of the box until now it has worked great. I run it at about 400-500 watts but have pushed it to the 600 just to see if it would do what they said. If I get a new amp it will be the 1300 or 1306.