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Reviews For: Ameritron ALS-1300

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

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Review Summary For : Ameritron ALS-1300
Reviews: 63MSRP: 2,899
Description:
HF No tune Amplifier, 1200 watt solid state w/switching PS
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.ameritron.com/Product.php?productid=ALS-1300
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00634.1
W6FCS Rating: 2014-05-19
Neat Little Amp Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Received today 5/19/2014 after a month wait, from DX Eng. Serial No 24072. Installed 10 meter option. Turned on, followed instr in manual. Only operated it on 20 meters. 50 watts drive gives 1200 watts out. I'll test out the other bands when I use my wire antenna (currently using 20 mtr mono beam). After using my big Henry amps for many years, it certainly is fun to run this little amp. I am a happy camper. You will be too.
K2UE Rating: 2014-04-07
Seems to be mature Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I purchased the ALS-1300 to replace an Alpha 87A, which is a tough act to follow. I use it with an Apache Labs Anan-100 and PureSignal Predistortion. On 160m to 30m I use an MFJ-998 into a Alpha Delta DX-B Half-Sloper, and for 20m up I use a K4KIO Hex Beam. The ARI-500 interface is nicely able to auto band select using the Kenwood mode from DDUtil on the OpenHPSDR CAT output. I set up the power level on each band to where the the ALS-1300 is showing a 10% gain decrease from it maximum value, essentially the 1dB compression point -- this ranges from 1000 to 1300W on the various bands, with drive levels from 50 to 70W. With PureSignal on (I never turn it off) the off-air IM measures -55dB or better, and needless to say, the signal reports are excellent. For my purposes it is perfect, and fast to deploy. The internal workmanship seems good, as judged by a retired commercial SSB design engineer. Solid-state plus predistortion is clearly the future. Highly recommended in this context.

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Earlier 2-star review posted by K2UE on 2011-04-28

One of the HV supplies shorted in the first 15 minutes of operation, while just checking power output band-by-band into a dummy load. Very low efficiency on 160m and 80m -- PA current much higher than on 40m and above. Built-in wattmeter is wildly optimistic -- lucky to get even 1000 Bird wattmeter watts on most bands. Got an Icom PW-1 instead (at somewhat higher cost), which does effortlessly what the ALS-1300 claims to do.
W8EZI Rating: 2014-04-07
Works like a charm Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I am 71. I owned an Ameritron AL-80B for 13 years. It was and is a great design and good amplifier. I sold it because I am no longer able to lift it and carry it outside for a yearly compressed air cleaning.

I sold it and bought the ALS-1300 because I can lift it. Sounds like dumb reason, but getting old means making adjustments.

This amplifier was an older model that had been back to the factory for repair and mods for a second time and the ham who owned it was fed up. He told me he would sell it to me as soon as it came back from the factory. That was 8 months ago. It has been doing a great job for me ever since then. Thanks God for the overload circuits in it. I would have blown it by now without them. It is so easy to get in a hurry and make a mistake. A nearby ham on 75 meters who has a lot of experience told me he heard a subtle difference in the audio quality over the AL80B.

I like that fact the MFJ is in America and has a long track record of support for their products. Other amplifier companies have come and gone.

BTW, I looked over this amplifier inside and out before firing it up. I was looking for bad solder joints or just anything amiss. It looked OK. I also own an ALS-600. You must be careful with the 1300 when switching between the two amplifiers. The 600 will take 80 or even 100 watts input without blinking. The 1300 cannot stand that much input power. I run it full bore output with 60 watts input. Any amount over that pops the overload circuit. I have mine hooked to 220. I have seen 1500 watts come out of this thing before I quickly turned down the drive to get around 1200 watts output.

MFJ sells amplifiers in general for the rest of us. Meaning, I have a lower middle class income. I could not afford a Tokyo or Alpha amplifier. After owning 3 Ameritron amplifiers I would not even want to buy Alpha or Tokyo even if I had the money. The Ameritron brand as carried on by MFJ is making qualilty amplifiers available to hams like myself. I wholeheartedly recommend this amp.
N4JA Rating: 2014-03-23
Best solid state ever Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I've owned many solid state amps. This one is bullet proof. Ameritron did a good job on the protection circuits. If they didn't, I would have blown this amp during the first week. The problem I have is I have to use my MFJ-998 Intellituner on the low end of 80m. If I see a spot on Logger32, I click on that spot and it switches the radio, SteppIR controller and antenna switch automatically. But then it happens! I forget to turn the tuner off and I see about 9:1 SWR. The linear shuts down and I get an SRW indicator light. This linear doesn't blow like every other solid state amp I've ever used. This amp and my logging program lets me QSY rapidly and all I have to do is change the band switch on the amp. I have the ARI-500 and one day I will try to see if I can get my transceiver to control the ARI-500 and the SteppIR. Ameritron I used to hate you, but now I am in love with this amp. The reason I hated Ameritron is I had the AL-82 and they run too much voltage on the 3-500Z's. That amp will self destruct if you tune it up on the wrong antenna. The 3-500Zs will go into parasitic oscillation and blow the plate tuning cap.
AD4C2006 Rating: 2014-02-26
Great amp. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I was sick and tired to move knobs everytime I changed bands in my former AL-82 and also the blower was too loud so I decided to purchase this quite solid state broadband no tune amp.
After read all reviews was like others very concerned about issues with the power supply but been built in the US its kinda better to have the repair facilities within the country so I made my move and bought it new.
Putting it together was a very easy job, after powering it up made the very first mistake, radio was on 40 and amp was on 80M, no big deal, amp went to standby protecting itself, moved the knob to the right band and found 1200W with just 40W and when drive it with 60W I see 1400W.
Very quite fans, reports given to me show excellent TX audio and solid signal all over Europe on 40M with my dipole. It works easily in all bands from 80 to 15M. Don't have the 10/12M module yet but its been ordered.
So far I am very pleased with its performance.
It works as I wanted.
Another good quality amp from Ameritron

KC0KW Rating: 2014-02-03
Very Nice Amplifier, Life is good Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I was going to buy a Tokyo Hy-Power 2500 and then heard they were going out of business. So I thought I would try the Ameritron ALS-1300 wanting to try a solid state amp. I have been a tube guy all my life. I called Ameritron and their tech said they did have some problems with the ALS-1300 combining circuit and power supply but they had fixed that several months ago and now the unit is very stable and a good product. The ALS-600 had gotten great reviews. Now the ALS-1300 is basically just (2) ALS-600's in one package.

From what I have seen the unit I purchased shows no signs of any problems. I even looked inside and was surprised in that the construction looked much better than I had expected. I have an Icom 7100 driving this amp. I purchased the Ameritron 10M Mod kit and it was simple to install. I also purchased the Ameritron ARI-500 that handles the PTT relay interface and amp auto band switching interface to the 7100. Ameritron supplied the RJ-13D radio interface cable. I did need to add a solder bridge on the 7100 for it to output the auto band voltage. It was simple as outlined in the Icom manual. Wow,,, life is good. The auto switching means I do nothing. Just operate the radio just like I was barefoot and the amp just follows. I just decide if I want the amp on or off or what output power I want by changing the drive out of the Icom. I have gotten great reports of very clean and nice audio.

This thing is small in (2) parts so I can carry it. Very quiet, no big fan noise or heat. I have built amps since I was a kid so I am used to complex operations with gear spread all over. This little amp is simple and runs all day at 1200 watts output on SSB. As with any solid state amp VSWR needs to be low. I have a Palstar HF-Auto tuner if needed to keep the transistors happy with some of my limited antennas.

My other current amp is an Alpha 9500. The 9500 is a well constructed great amp. Some of my Ham old tube friends swear the tube amps are cleaner and have better audio. I have had some fun switching between the Alpha and the ALS-1300. They can not tell much of a difference except for more fan noise in the background with the Alpha running or it talking longer for the Alpha to warm up. Yes the Alpha can move my watt meter further. It also gives me the euphoria of that BIG rig feel as I turn the knobs and watch the meters move. But that really does not translate in to much of a signal difference. Especially considering the price difference between the two amplifiers. Maybe simple is better.

I might now think about getting rid of the 9500 while it still has it's value. That is once I get the years of tube mantra out of my head.

K8NDS Rating: 2014-01-16
Excellent Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have owned this amplifier for about 4 months now.
I replaced my Al-82 which is a great amplifier and has given me great service for 8 years now.
I use HL magnetic loops now for all my antennas, they require desktop tuning. My Al-1300 is driven with my FTDX-5000 with the auto band switching arrangement for the ALS-1300. The ALS-1300 removed the amplifier tuning making changing bands and frequencies a piece of cake. I was hesitant to purchase the ALS-1300 until Ameritron revised the power supply issues. My ALS-1300 is flawless, a cool KW+ on all bands into my HL magnetic loops all day long. A really great amplifier , especially for the price. Stations tell me that it sounds very clean, they can't tell the difference from my Al-82. Buy one you will be pleased.
W3MT Rating: 2014-01-15
Outstanding solid-state amplifier. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have enjoyed many years of reliable service from my old ALS-600 amp. It was easily sold on QTH.COM to purchase this one. The ALS-1300 has been just as easy to operate as my old amplifier and just as reliable. Ameritron has another fine product in this unit...
howard j waugh jr Rating: 2014-01-03
initial installation and 10 meter mod Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
i just recieved a new als 1300...after hooking it up, i held my breath as i turned it on.. Wow!, everything lit up and is working perfectly..i was worried about the power supply after reading the reviews left here...i made sure everything from the 220-250 line voltage thru the interconnections of the rig, the power supply, the amplifier, the dummy load and antenna were perfect...

the amplifier puts out a strong hammer like signal with very little input...it takes diffrent amounts of drive on the different bands...i found the amp required only 35 watts to achieve 1200 watts output on 10 and 12 meters and the other bands just requiered 60 to 75 watts to achieve full bore wattage..

installing the 10-12 meter modification board is very simple because there is a blank spot for it clearly marked just under the lid toward the back half of the linear...no wiring connections are necessary as the mounting screws that are already attached to the blank location just need to be removed and after you set the mod board in you just put the screws back in and tighten them down..the cicuit is complete as soon as screws are tighten...then just behind the front panel band switch on the inside of the amp, there is a board with a small jumper plug.. you can remove the plug with your finger tips and move it to the location just above the one it is plugged into now..there are only two choices, the one it is plugged into before you move it and one just above...pull it out and move it up...put the top back on and you are done..pictures are furnished to make the id easy

i have only had time for a few signal reports, but all have commented that the signal was clean and powerful...hope it continues...

WA5BF

W4KKX Rating: 2013-12-12
Continues to operate great since Aug 29, 2009. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
My ALS-1300 operates great and I've owned it since Aug 29, 2009. I use it frequently with a Palstar HF-Auto Tuner into a ZeroFive Ground Plane Vertical antenna (80 - 6 meters). Very easy operation and has performed its duties well.

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Earlier 5-star review posted by W4KKX on 2009-08-29

I have had this fine amp now for a week and have made a number of QSO's (20). It can make the difference, and has in a number of occassions, getting thru the QRN and making a contact.

Running a quick test on all bands, here are the results:

Table
160 meters 10 watts drive/252 watts out; 40 watts drive/1000 watts out

80 meters 10 watts drive/255 watts out; 40 watts drive/1007 watts out

40 meters 10 watts drive/230 watts out; 40 watts drive/1079 watts out

20 meters 10 watts drive/179 watts out; 40 watts drive/1010 watts out

17 meters 10 watts drive/219 watts out; 40 watts drive/1078 watts out

15 meters 10 watts drive/274 watts out; 40 watts drive/787 watts out

12 meters 10 watts drive/184 watts out; 40 watts drive/580 watts out

10 meters 10 watts drive/230 watts out; 40 watts drive/848 watts out

Some of my QSO's have lasted up to 1 hour and there has not been a single problem...runs cool and gives me excellent results.

I also have the ALS-600 which has worked flawlessly too.

Very simple to operate and performs perfectly.

73's
Jean - KB4KKX