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Reviews For: Alpha 8410

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

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Review Summary For : Alpha 8410
Reviews: 114MSRP: 5395
Description:
The Alpha 8410 utilizes an enhanced version of the bombproof RF deck, found in the Alpha 99 and Alpha 8100. On the 8410’s control board you’ll find a microprocessor that allows us to normalize amplification performance, calibrate the power and gain metering for each specific band, and increase reliability and durability. All of these functions aggregate into a single greater benefit for the user, ease of tuning. The 8410 comes standard with USB and serial ports for remote monitoring and performance data logging. The power supply stack found in the 8410 has been designed for maximum durability and reliability, while allowing for extremely easy voltage tap changes.

This amplifer is handcrafted, designed, and built in Boulder, Colorado, USA, comes with a 4-year warranty.

Tubes: 2 x 4CX1500B Tetrodes
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.alpharfsystems.com/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001144.9
W9LU Rating: 2012-11-07
Great amplifier Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Over the years I have used a Collins 30-L1 and a Heathkit SB-220 amplifier. I decided to upgrade to an amp I felt had a more robust power supply, and had some protection circuitry in case I messed up something. The 8410 is indeed built like a tank. I find it very easy to tune, and the panel LED indicators show power, HV, IP current, or gain. For more info, just connect your computer to the USB port on the back of the unit, and use a terminal emulation program. I like the idea of knowing this amp has plenty of "headroom". Did I mention it also looks good? Thanks, Alpha.
VE1HQ Rating: 2012-11-07
VE1HQ Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have owned my ALPHA 8410 for just over a year now
and am very pleased with it's operation. Just loafs along at legal limit with 30-35 watts of drive .I recently had one of the tubes fail and Molly at ALPHA soon had a warranty replacement on the way to me. I'm back in operation again thanks to the fine people at ALPHA . As the old saying goes " you get what you pay for" . Thanks alpha .73 Sheldon
K5HSV Rating: 2012-10-06
One BAD BOY Amp... 8410 Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
All I can say is, "Thank You RFConcept" for making another wonderful manual tune amp. Once in a while, I get the old "this is a amplifier night" from some fellow hams I rag-chew with on occasion. Well... that's not a porblem anymore. I look over and see I'm only putting in 20 watts from my TS-590s and getting right around 875 watts out with SSB, then bump it up to 25 watts and easily get 1kw out. Putting in 30 watts yielded right at 1500 watts. Using good operator practice, I try to only use the power needed to overcome the noise floor and comfortably be heard. I've found the 8410 easy to tune, great sounding and occasionally get the question, "What kind of amp are you running"? I love the warm sound of Alpha mated with my Kenwood rigs. It works for me. Great amp made by a great company... Oh, by the way, Made in USA.

73's,
K5HSV
K6YR Rating: 2012-09-22
A Finely Crafted Instrument Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I took advantage of the generous trade-in period to upgrade from a 91B to the 8410. Good move.

Upon delivery, I took some additional time to explore and understand how this latest Alpha manual amp is designed and put together. Impressive. Now, wonder how it works?

Had fun editing some sniggles with the Manual, but this model fires up and puts out like advertised. The K-3 driver loafs right along with the 8410 at the legal limit. I keep my eye on performance via station PC screen logged into amp circuitry. Very nice feature.

A few inquiries to RF Concepts staff brought prompt and helpful responses.

Now, where's that 40m pile up?
W7XU Rating: 2012-08-08
Love it! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've owned my 8410 for a couple of years. I felt a bit guilty buying an amp when I could have built something, but working 250 to 300+ hours per month doesn't leave me enough time to operate as much as I would like, let alone build something. In the past I've owned an Acom 1000, an AL-1500, and a Henry 2KD-2. I can say that I have been very pleased with my decision to buy the Alpha.

I admittedly had some problems with the amp when it first arrived that necessitated a trip back to Alpha, but once that was worked out the amp has worked flawlessly. Molly and the tech I worked with were very helpful.

Some have commented about fan or relay noise -- I have absolutely no problems or concerns in that regard.

All in all, a great, reliable product with excellent customer support.

WA8EQP Rating: 2012-07-30
8410 SERVICE Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Received my new Alpha 8410 July 19, 2012 noticed a problem with the cooling fan not running when first turned on. If the power was turned off and again back on the fan would start running but if left off over night the fan would not start on first power up. Called Glen at Alpha...after talking for a few moments he decided the amp should be replaced. A new 8410 was shipped out that day and I received the replacement that Friday. All is well!!! Thanks Glen/Molly
VE7IG Rating: 2012-07-27
Excellent amplifier Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
In years past my basement shack finished up with 5 home brew high power amplifiers in rack and panel cabinets. When younger I enjoyed building very much but as an old guy I find I would rather spend the available time operating. When I moved upstairs these amplifiers were eventually dismantled and the parts sold on Ebay. A few months ago I obtained a new Alpha 8410 and after an initial I/O board failure (Molly had a new board to me in a day and a half, outstanding service!) the amplifier has worked flawlessly and runs a very cool and quiet KW. The power meter adjustment procedure after installing the new board was very easily accomplished using the USB interface between the Alpha and computer, with a little help from Molly and company on the phone figuring out the control codes.
Positives: 1. low drive requirements
2. separate bandswitch position for all 9 bands
(no high swr on the input using 2 bands on one switch as you may find in amplifiers from other companies)
3. amplifier runs cool, the fan hardly ever ramps up
4. great protection and safety features
5. extensive and easy to read metering
6. a small footprint for a high power amplifier
7. easy and smooth tuning
8. primary taps on the transformer for adjusting the amplifier for various line voltages
9. uses tubes instead of transistors which tend to blow in a lot of solid state amps if you read the eHAM reviews on them
Negatives:
I can only think of one and that is the 3 minute initial warmup period which is a function of using non-instant heat tubes. 3 minutes can seem like infinity to a DXer listening to a rare DX station calling CQ while the amp warms up! So turn the amp on when you enter the shack and do some paperwork until it is ready to operate!

This amplifier uses a pair of 4CX1000A tetrodes and you need to be careful to keep the drive power low. The microprocessor control circuitry removes any consideration of ALC and there is no ALC input to the amplifier. Treat it with care and don't overdrive it and at the legal limit it will run cool and splatter free for years and years. Inside and outside this amplifier is a beautiful piece of equipment of the highest build quality. Life is too short for QRP. Get your Alpha now!

W9FI Rating: 2012-07-24
Easy to use and powerful Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I've had several amplifiers during my ham career, including an Alpha 89 that was in almost weekly use for over 15 years. (My own evaluations are always comparing something to something. That makes them specific. I know the Alpha 89 very well, so the 8410 will be compared to it.) About two months ago I traded in the 89, along with a spare pair of finals, toward an Alpha 8410.

That decision didn't come lightly, since the 89 was a strong performer, and a wonderful piece of equipment to use. But for me it made good economic sense to change amplifiers, as its 3CX800 finals have become very difficult to find at a reasonable price.

The 8410 comes with current-production Chinese equivalents of the 4CX1000A tetrode. The tubes are loafing along in this RF deck. If anything this design appears to give the finals even more reserve capacity at 1.5KW output than was engineered into the 89.

Under the hood the two units look very similar. But in operation I find the 8410 to be a little easier to tune than was the 89. It also has a vacuum relay that replaces the 89's silent, PIN diode design. The relay clicks are not loud. Same high build quality. Same worry-free use at high power. Same reliable QSK operation with any solid-state transceiver.

There is a software-controlled protection feature that comes in place of the 89's ALC circuitry. It works effectively. The 8410 comes with a microprocessor and its own control software. There is a USB port on the back panel for installing future updates. It looks like the two amps have similar fault-protection wiring. This circuitry kept me from mistakenly blowing up the old amp during more than one occasion. It should protect the new amp just as well.

The 8410 is the best amplifier I've ever used. It's expensive but a good value for the money. It's a good illustration of the old saying that you get what you pay for.
N9LB Rating: 2012-07-24
New Technology in a Proven Amplifier Design Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I've owned several amplifiers over the years, Ameritron AL-80, Heath HL-2200, THL-2.5K, and an Alpha 86.

I could echo what others have already said about the 8410 being the best manual tune amp ever made, but there is something new to report.

The Alpha 8410 that I received is one of the first Alpha amplifiers with a toroidal power transformer ( in place of the legacy Hipersil U-Core transformer ). The new toroidal transformer is slightly larger and looks like two donuts stacked on top of each other.

See the "RF Concepts/Alpha Amplifiers Monthly Newsletter" for September 2011 for full details and pictures of this new transformer. You can find it in their Newsletter Archive.

There are a number of benefits to a toroidal transformer. It does NOT put out a strong magnetic field around the amplifier ( as do conventional transformers ). I used an F.W. Bell Model 4060 Extremely Low Frequency field strength meter to measure and confirm this benefit. The greatly reduced external magnetic field minimizes any effects to nearby oscilloscopes, monitor scopes, TV sets, etc. Also, there is much less of a chance of inducing 60 Hz hum into nearby dynamic microphones or audio circuits. Acoustically the toroid is very quiet, no vibration, hum or buzzing sounds at all, not even when running at full power!

Highlights of the Alpha 8410…
1. Superior front panel metering – no other amp even comes close.
2. Computer monitoring of all parameters via USB ( use hyperterm or AE9K’s monitor software ).
3. Effective protective circuits for the tubes and every other major component.
4. Very clean on air signal - no distortion and no splatter.
5. Full-wave HV rectifier ( not a half-wave voltage doubler ) resulting in stability and top performance.
6. Toroidal Power XFMR – same as is used in medical grade equipment.
7. It looks and works terrific!
8. Alpha's customer service is top notch.

You just can’t go wrong with an Alpha!

73

Lloyd - N9LB
LA5MIA Rating: 2012-06-21
Alpha 8410 is a exellent amp. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I am the lucky owner of two Alpha 8410 amplifiers, one at my home QTH, and the second at my vacation home.
For a couple of years ago I concider to buy a additional amplifier to my station, it will be a tube amplifier with manual tuning.
I took the decision to buy the Alpha 8410 after long time of search at the marked, with one reason the outstading quality of Alpha products, and the gretefull customer support from the staff at RF Concepts (Alpha).
Another reason for I decide to buy Alpha 8410 is the amplifier is proof to use regarding operator error, the protection system works well for avoid any damage of the unit.
The 8410 require less drive power for and be able to achieve legal power, at my country is the power limit 1000W PEP, its obtained by 21W PEP from the exiter measured by Alpha 4520 power meter, and also displyed at my Palstar HF Auto antenna tuner.
I will highly recommand Alpha 8410, it will scerve yours power demand for years to come with the high quality of the amplifier, and if you need support in the future you will meet the best customer support and help from the friendly staff at RF Concepts!!!!!!.

Harald (LA5MIA).