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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
KB0BK Rating: 2011-04-03
Performs As Advertised Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have been using the ALS-1300 for about a month. I have given it an "SSB" level workout on most of the bands 160M-15M and it has performed exactly as advertised. Moving up to the ALS-1300 was not a difficult decision after using its baby brother, the ALS-600S for several years. I have seen several reports of issues with the ALS-1300, but I never had a problem with the ALS-600S, an experience I expect to duplicate with the 1300. The support team at Ameritron has been great to work with whenever I've had a question, going the extra mile to make sure I remain a satisfied customer.
K7YW Rating: 2011-02-23
Good bang for the buck! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I got the amp 18 Jan and use it daily either on 160 or 20 meters SSB. I have had no problems and it operates as advertised. S.N. 23639. Fan noise is not a problem and seems to run cool. I have noticed when key down in CW the power supply does have a noticeable "buzz". Have any others noticed this? I sold an AL-82, AL-80B and an AL-572 for this amp and have no regrets. I also have an ICOM PW-1 amp, which is a great amp, but at $2200.00 more, I believe the ALS-1300 is the best bang for the buck. One feature I particularly like is the seperate RF deck/power supply. Takes up less space at the operating and doesn't break my back to move either piece!
NG7M Rating: 2010-12-31
Two Trips back and now NG7M is happy Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
If you read my thread in the forums area, you will probably wonder how I gave the ALS-1300 a rating of 4. It comes down to price and service from Ameritron.

The amp shutdown after about 30 minutes of operating back when I bought it in April/May. My serial number is: 23573 (number 73?)

So Ameritron picked up shipping both ways right after I got it... then I didn't operate much after getting it back the first time. The second time it died (Sep / Oct timeframe), I was really upset and again Ameritron picked up the shipping both directions and I got it back the first week in Nov. See the forums and search for ALS-1300, I posted a bunch of pictures etc... when I first got the amp, you can see them there.

So now after getting the amp back the second time, it's working really well and I have been happy with it. I have worked it pretty hard in several contests... I have the same complaints about the ARI-500 interface as the previous reviewer, but it is working well with my 1000MP. The ARI-500 has been hacked with a standby / operate switch on the front which was never documented... it disables the operate / standby switch on front of the amp. Once you figure it all out, it's fine.

So I still rated it a 4 for now... this is a TOTAL gift to Ameritron if you ask me. It's a lot of Amp for the money. If Ameritron can keep the QC going on this and keep up the service that I recieved then I'll call it good for the money. Just keep in mind that you are not getting an ACOM 2000 / Alpha for $2500 to $3000, that is for darn sure... ;)
W4ID Rating: 2010-09-15
NOT HAPPY! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I got my ALS-1300 (serial #50)after being on backorder for many months. I also bought the ARI500 radio interface. I was not able to get the ARI500 to work and talked with Ameritron and was told to return it so I returned it and asked for a refund. I received my ALS-1300 on August 10, 2010. I was very pleased with its ease of use and excellent power output on each band. After two weeks it stopped working. It will not turn on so I called Ameritron and shipped it back on Aug 30, 2010 I was able to use it a few times for a little over two weeks before it stopped working. Ameritron received it on Sept 1, 2010. I filled out a help ticket asking about the status of my amp after they had it 8 days. I got this response two weeks after they got the AMP on Sept 14, 2010 " I\'m afraid we haven\'t got to it yet, but should be fairly soon." I guess that means no quick turn around. I waited a long time for the AMP, spent a lot of money and still don't have an AMP or any idea of when I will have it back. NOT HAPPY! I will give them a one but feel a Zero fits my experience.
Wayne W4ID
W4PIG Rating: 2010-08-31
GOOD SOLID AMP Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I HAVE BEEN USING THE ALS-1300 WORKS GREAT SOLID 1200 WATTS OUT PUT ON ALL BANDS WILL DO MORE IF YOU WANT IT TO. FANS ARE QUIET RUNS VERY COOL NO PROBLEMS. GREAT JOB AMERITRON
W9OY Rating: 2009-12-27
Works Great!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
My first solid state HF amp. It arrived with a screw rattling around in the power supply. No biggie. I popped off the top and replaced the screw in its standoff. The power supply is impressive and it was worth taking the top off just to have a look.

I next popped the top off the Amp and installed the 12/10 meter filter board. It was trivial to install. I also installed the ARI-500 automatic band switch to use with my Flex 5000. I had to hook the supplied cable to a 25 pin male sub-D connector and plug that into a LPT port on my computer. There is a companion program to PowerSDR written by K5FR called DDUTIL. DDUTIL outputs BCD data on the LPT, formatted to match the Yaesu protocol, and the ARI-500 speaks Yaesu so I was all set.

Once mated my ALS-1300 is now frequency agile and band follows my band changes with the F5K. The F5K remembers the drive level on each band, so I don't even have to set the drive I just click the band and hit the key.

I get 1200 W on each band, some bands it will do more, but I'm running it in spec at 1200 W as recommended. I paired this up with an Ameritron coax switch that I modified to be band following as well so the whole station is now point and shoot!! No matter the band, I just click on a spot on the DX cluster and I'm ready to rumble... errr engage the pile-up. This amp will also work in the same band following fashion with the Flex 3000

The only thing it doesn't have is 6M, but for the money its hard to beat

73
K6TBD Rating: 2009-12-22
Great Amp But Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Ser. #39 arrived a couple of weeks ago and was DOA. The problem was an intermittent connection in the power supply that was not obvious and the supply is not assembled to make trouble shooting easy. I explained the situation to Ameritron who sent a replacement supply that arrived yesterday. I have been able to operate the amp with the original supply by moving the internal chassis in a certain way with the supply on its side until the replacement arrived.

It is too bad about the supply problem because this amp deserves a 5. I like the remote supply and the amp portion is compact enough to fit in a limited space, the fan noise level is low and it doesn't heat up the shack like my old one. It fires up in a couple of seconds and meets its advertised ratings. I am very pleased with the amp and believe for the price it can't be beat.
AG8K Rating: 2009-12-19
Works Well Ser # 00024 Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have had no problems since I now remember to check the band switch before operation. I tune @ 20 watts and allow the Palstar AT-AUTO to do its job. I then check the SWR & readjust manually if the reflected power is too high.

It is rare that the amp will fault. I normally run about 600 Watts CW and a KW on SSB. If a KW doesn't work on SSB then more power does not seem to help. I havn't ever heard the fans kick to a higher speed and both the PS and the AMP cases stay cool.

N0FG Rating: 2009-11-17
nice amplifier!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have serial # 33 and have been inpressed with it's functionality having no difficulty with rated output( something I was concerned about pre-purchase). The protection circuitry works as it should, the fans are quiet, and the build quality was good.
NT4I Rating: 2009-11-06
DOA out of the box Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Need I say more? Typical MFJ non-quality control. WHEN WILL I LEARN TO STAY AWAY FROM MFJ?