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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
N3US Rating: 2012-05-13
Even Better than my Alpha 99 Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have owned my Alpha 8410 since January 2012 and I love it. I have been ham since 1963 and used many other Amplifiers including Drake L-4B, Heath SB-220, Henry 2KD, Collins 30L-1, Alpha 76, and Alpha 99. The 8410 is by far the best manual tune Amp and its operation is very smooth. The Amp is very quiet even when my shack temperature occasionally kicks the blower into medium speed. The protection features are awesome & a few times the Amp tripped out as designed due to cockpit error such as the band switch in the wrong position. Several questions to Alpha were patiently and courteously answered by Molly and Glenn. This Amp is a keeper. The Alpha 8410 is world class and even better than the awesome Alpha 99.
W2LO Rating: 2012-04-23
Superior Design and Quality Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had my 8410 for a couple of years now after using a 91b for about 12 years which is still in use. My decision to buy the 8410 was based on my experience with the 91b and I have not been disappointed. Alpha builds units that are conservatively designed and are a joy to use; they pump out RF without straining so running RTTY, for example, is something their units take in stride.

When I call Alpha with a question I speak to someone knowledgeable and helpful, an experience which is all too rare today. I stated in my 91b review that, "I wish the consumer junk I buy were a quarter as good" and this statement holds true for the 8410.

They aren't cheap but as has been said, "Quality doesn't cost, it pays". You're getting what you've paid for with Alpha.
AG5AS Rating: 2012-04-16
Great equipment Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just bought at HamCation in Orlando. Works great with my Flex-500A and BigSteppIR vertical antenna. The service is what you would expect for a high end machine. Save your money and buy up. You will not be disappointed.
WA6RKK Rating: 2012-04-08
Easy opration and fail safe Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I thought I lost my best friend after 33 years of Qso's. My Alpha 78 took a dive with a band switch failure. After looking at the issue of replacing the switch it was an easy decision to leave it in the hands of an expert etech. I sent it to RF Concepts and had it repaired and updated. Then I decided to trade it in for the new 8410 because as I am getting older I realize that the fail safe measures incorporated in this amp would benefit me. I am extremly impressed with my new 8410's ease of tuning. It requires even much less drive for legal limits than my 78. Most of all when I make a mistake it doesn't spank my hand,but just sits there quietly blinking at me.Now if we can both last another 33 years together we'll be happy ).
NU1O Rating: 2012-04-07
8410 Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Alpha Amps come with a 4 year warranty, which is the best warranty in the industry. Ameritron comes with a 1 year warranty and ACOM's warranty is 2 years. Since I used my American Express to purchase my 8410 they add a year to RF Concepts' 4 year warranty, so I wound up with a 5 year warranty.

Two months after purcasing my 8410 I heard a "pop" and my LED wattmeter would not work. I called Alpha the next day and their tech (Glenn) diagnosed it over the phone as a control board. They mailed a new one out to me the same day and I installed it myself, even though they said they would help me over the phone if I ran into problems. I only had to make 1 solder connection and adjust the power readings via the software interface for every band. It took about an hour and it saved me a shipping bill.

I have now owned the amplifer for 9 months and I couldn't be happier with my 8410. Simply stated you can't beat an Alpha for quality of construction, service and warranty.
W3XAF Rating: 2012-03-28
MY 8410 is a dud!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought an ALPHA 8410 on 2/1/2012. The serial number is: 841012050301. The amplifier worked fine for about three weeks. After three weeks, the 250V/2 Amp fuse blew every time I turned the amplifier off. I finally ran out of spare 250V/2 Amp fuses and bought about 15 fuses from Radio Shack. The Radio Shack fuses did not blow every time I turned the amplifier off. Last week I was tuning up on 20-Meters. When I reached 1200 watts, I heard a "sizzling" noise, smelled burnt electronic parts and noticed that the RF Output LEDs had extinguished. The Grid MIN and MAX LEDs work fine but I no longer have any illuminated LEDs when I tune up my ALPHA 8410. The LEDs themselves are not burned out because I can see them illuminate on tune-up. Also, the HV KV, GAIN and IPA LEDs still work fine.

On March 27, my ALPHA 8410 died on me while I was tuning up on 20 Meters. I heard a crackling noise and then smelled electronic parts burning, ie., resistors, inductor coils or transformer wire, and then I couldn't use the ALPHA any more to tune up. It’s completely dead!! No output whatsoever.
KB3RSB Rating: 2012-03-06
great amp ! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
ive owned several ampfilers , you cant beat a alpha, great tec. support ! easy tuning 35 watts in put 1500 out. great ampfiler !!!
W6XR Rating: 2012-02-24
Excellent Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Several Years ago I replaced my Alpha 86 with a new QRO 2500DX amp solely because of the components used and the circuit used to produce the QRO 2500 which in my opinion is grossly overbuilt. I had no problems with the QRO, but after a few years, the fan got to be too noisy for my liking. Attempted unsuccessfully to quiet the fan but I was not successful so I went into a mode that had me looking at most all available full power amplifiers. At Dayton, while working at a friends booth, I quickly noticed Alpha was set up across the aisle. During the few slow times we had, I started looking over the 8410 which sports a pair of 4CX1000 ceramic tubes. It also has a neat high tech fan that was advertised as low noise producing. The 8410 came home with me and I just love it. It is indeed quiet with little noise from the fan and during full break in CW operation. I've had the opportunity to use it in major contests and it never got off the low speed fan setting which is automatically speed controlled by the circuitry used. It just quietly sets there and easily produces 1500 watts out when excited by the K3. I'm convinced the 8410 will be a keeper for me as long as the amp remains quiet. The cosmetics are great and attractive as they compliment nicely the K3's looks. Making the 8410 a purchase has been a wise investment for me and I'm completely happy with my fourth Alpha. If you want a high tech, easy to tune, QUIET full power amp, the 8410 should be considered. I only hope you will be as satisfied as I am when using the pair of 4CX1000 tubes which I even use on AM phone excited by a Johnson Ranger. It's a keeper!

73

Natan W6XR
AC6DD Rating: 2012-01-17
Nice Amplifier Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
The Amp is pretty well built, quite easy to tune and has good protection features.

The other Amps I currently own are: SB200, SB220 (Buried somewhere in the garage), Acom 2000a, Intech COM1000 (SS).

Since the other Amps I currently use are auto tune or Solid State Amps I was quite surprised how easy tuning the 8410 was. It was almost as easy as my old SB200. The protection scheme seems to work very well, and I found it going off quite a bit when I first started using the amp. I would forget that I needed to actually change things on the front panel when changing bands on the radio.

In my opinion there are really only a few minor areas for improvement:

The manual needs to be revised. I go through a multitude of procedures of various complexity at my work and can tell the difference a good writer makes. The manual can be made better.

The connectors on the back are not labeled. There is a white sticker on the back panel describing the connections. I like to see each connector identified. This might not matter much for someone who will set up the amp and leave it hooked up forever, but I do a fair amount of portable operating and Contesting. I made wiring mistakes a few times - little things help.

I read some discussion online about the blower used in the amplifier. To me it seemed fine, maybe just a bit louder than the Acom 2000 blower. I never had it go high speed. At 24" I measured 48 dB, comparded to the Acom at 44 dB, barely noticable. The twin fans in the COM1000 are very much louder.

The item that bugs me a bit is the RF switching noise . Some say it is quiet, some loud. To me it is relatively loud. When the stock Vacuum relay in my Acom went bad I replaced it with a silicon encased vacuum relay, which is very quiet, so I can't compare.

I would like to see some better quality knobs used, maybe as an option.

A funny thing happened today. I was changing some switching at my station and testing on 20m CW with the 8410 when a W7 comes back with "Big Signal".

Thank you for the nice Amplifier.
W3BJ Rating: 2011-12-31
Great product and support Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have now had my 8410 for 6 months and can say it has performed flawless. If you are not tuned up or some function isnt right, she doesnt key up, and the fault light tells you some thing isnt right. I would not hesitate to purchase from RF Concepts one minute. The telephone support is great and the quality of workmanship is just as good. These amps are expensive, but you get what you pay for most of the time. These amps should last a lifetime with any care at all.