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Reviews For: Ameritron AL-811H

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

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Review Summary For : Ameritron AL-811H
Reviews: 187MSRP: 899
Description:
160-10 meter RF Amplifier. 4 811A tubes
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.ameritron.com/Product.php?productid=AL-811H
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
24.51874.5
KU7I Rating: 2010-10-06
Getting pricey for what it does. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
When this amp first came out it was a relative bargain. It is starting to creep up in price. The last one I owned was purchased new about a year ago in the fall of 2009. As I did in the first one I replaced the stock cooling fan with a nice replacement sold at Radio Shack. It bolts right in and moves about three times the air. The second thing I did was drop in quad 572Bs. This is so when I go from barefoot 100watts to the amp I don’t have to fart around decreasing the drive as is the case with the 811As. With the 811As you only need about 60 to 70 watts and for full power out. This keeps the grid current within specs of these tubes. With the four 57Bs you don’t necessarily get any more power out of the amp but you no longer have to worry about overdriving the tubes. The quad 572Bs will absorb the 100watts without going into saturation and the signal stays clean. The tuned input vswr is not great on all bands it is designed to operate on. Overall it is a decent amp that is getting a little too expensive to be a real bargain. The construction is typical MFJ and is adequate but not great or even very good. I give it a 4. If you want an amp straight out of the box that most large ham stores carry in stock you really cant go wrong. Change out the fan and you are good to go. To me the fan mod is a must. The stock fan barely moves any air at all. There are a lot of these for sale on the used market for around $500 or so which makes them even more attractive. .
CT1JRZ Rating: 2010-09-20
Nice amp Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Well, i just have the Ameritron AL 811H for about 2 weeks. I like it very much. It makes what i want. I use it with a vertical multiband antenna Hy Gain AV 640, and it works realy well. Until now in two weeks i made lots of good qso's around the world. But i just give a 4 in the rating, becouse there are some problem with it.
When i am using it on SSB and clic on the PTT, it just make a continous strange noise on the back of the amp. looks like it´s a friezer working.
I don´t now what it´s. So i have too send it to the ham radio dealer.
So let´s see what hapends.
When i solve this problem i´m going too put another review.
Until there i stay with the rating 4.
KY6R Rating: 2010-09-11
Very Nice Little Amp Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is a very nice amplifier, and the build quality was very good (I inspect all MFJ and related equipment before I apply power).

This amp really fills the bill for me - as I have problems when running 1500 watts. At 700 watts, I have enough umph to be competitive in pileups (especially with the K3 receiver), yet cause no RFI with my close by neighbors.

The big bonus is how inexpensive and easily available the 811A tubes are.

The footprint next to the K3 keeps my shack nice and compact - yet very packs a decent DX punch.
EA3WR Rating: 2010-08-27
Good amp for the money Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I own mine for seven years now and the only problem I have encountered has been malfunction in the plate current meter (fluctuation under standby condition) due to dirty contacts at the Ip/HV switch. Some cleaner spray fixed the problem right away. Exellent unit!
73 John EA3WR
W5DJA Rating: 2010-07-18
Very Good Amp Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have used this amp on 80-10 mtrs. I have owned it for 7 years. I use it every day on at least 80 or 40
Easy to tune and repeatable tuning points for given ants you are using. I recently put a new set of tubes(May 2010)811A's(very inexpensive), very easy to do. Lubed the fan and went on to operating. I drive it with 40 watts(PEP) for a 10:1 ratio + about 5% increase in wattage out. I have used at full output of approx 785w(PEP) on 80/40/20 meters in the past and was satisfied at it's stated spec from Ameritron.
Don/W5dja
K8DSS Rating: 2010-07-17
A very good amp for the money Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have used the AL-811H for about 3 months, mostly on 80 and 40 Meters. I usually use about 45 Watts drive from a K3 and it has an output of 500 Watts+. Just enough to make a noticeable difference for the receiving station. It is very easy to tune and when I QSY from band to band the settings are very repeatable. All in all, a great little amplifier, especially for the money.

73' Ed - K8DSS
DH4AAD Rating: 2010-07-17
Vy nice start amp Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The AL-811HXCE is my first rf-amp and I own it in use for more than 15 months. Because of special aerial circumstances I only can use ham radio frequency ranges of 20 meters and upper ranges. Mostly however I am active on ham radio range of ten meters. The four tough 811A transmitting tubes are doing their job very well! But there ist something that every ten meters fan should know: All Ameritron amps are made especially for use from 160 meters to 15 meters. Ten meters always is auxiliary! And ten meters always gives you a reduced performance. If you prefer ten meters or – later on – six meters on new law you should prefer for excemple the european amps of ACOM. All hams I know, who use ACOM 2000A or ACOM 1000 enjoy those amps very much not at least on contest. AL-811HXCE however and by the way will remain being a very nice starter amp! 55 es 73 by op „Ray", DH4AAD, Rainer, QTH Hannover-Herrenhausen, Lower Saxony, GERMANY +++
EI4GMB Rating: 2010-06-28
Solid,Steady,Superb !!! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have my Ameritron AL-811H HF Amplifier almost 3 years now and in that time it has performed flawlessly.I use it as a desktop. The internal fans are a little noisy as are the relays. However using a headset provides a simple cure.I purchased my amp for 800 euros and I would definitely say it provides a lot of bang for the buck!!! It is certainly great value for money!!! My only slight regret is that I didn't buy the HXCE version which includes 10m and 12 m. But then again I don't use those bands a lot!!!
I would recommend using the ARB-704 amp-to-rig interface with the 811H. It protects your rig from damage by keying line transients and makes hook-up to your rig easy!!!
The Ameritron AL-811H is an excellent amplifier. It is an ideal,solid starter amp. and will make sure you are heard!!! It certainly will not disappoint!!!
KX2A Rating: 2010-03-14
Quiet, simple, works. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought my AL-811H amplifier used, and I have had it for a year and a half. It is quieter than the switching power supply for my Omni VI, and puts out between 650 and 800 watts.

Tune-up is easy: (1) Check the 3x5 card for the settings for the band and set the plate and load; (2) Set the exciter output power somewhere in the middle and peak the output on the Autek WM-1 wattmeter, starting with the plate; (3) repeat step 2 at full exciter power, and increase the load control if you can hear the grid meter needle hitting the stop. This procedure takes about 15 seconds, and I do it once per band/mode change.

I have violated every tune-up warning and recommendation that you will read in these reviews, and the original 811 tubes are still running. I have occasionally pinned the plate and/or grid meters very briefly, and I do not retune when I QSY. There is a hole in the back labeled ALC, but I think that is where the love comes out (Ameritron Love Connection). It bears no relation to any hole in the Omni VI.

I thought the amp only put out about 600 to 700 watts, then I calibrated the WM-1 against a Bird and found that the WM-1 read 50 to 150 watts low at ~600 watts, so the actual output is close to specs. I generally have the exciter running around 100 watts, which is all it can do, but I sometimes reduce the drive to keep from bending the grid meter needle. As for carefully monitoring the input power and doing a slow, three-step tune up while monitoring output power, input power, grid current, plate current, and swr, give me a break! If you bought your amp so you can sell it as mint later on, then baby it, but I got mine to be early in the DX pileups or to catch the rag chew across the country. I just get on frequency and call; better yet, I find out where the last guy was and call there. Chinese 811--$19; Taylor 811--$25; new country--priceless.

This amp replaced an AL-1200. It has 1/2 the power, 1/4 the price, 1/10 the noise, and 1/10 the worry of the AL-1200. I would love to have an AL-1200 to accompany the AL-811H, and I would use it about once a month, for ten seconds.

KJ1D Rating: 2010-03-06
Great Amp for the money Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have had this amp now for a couple of months. I only run 500 - 600 watts out. It is all I need. The amp so far has been perfect. Very satisfied. I would but an Ameritron again.