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Amplfier opinion
I am thinking of buying the Ameritron 600 watt solid state amp and was
wondering what opinions you all may have of it. Thanks |
"Dave" wrote in message news:W3%Qe.291004$x96.260755@attbi_s72... I am thinking of buying the Ameritron 600 watt solid state amp and was wondering what opinions you all may have of it. Thanks You can read the reviews on eHam. http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/603 |
You don't need a linear unless you're on 80 meters - then you really need a biggie. |
Why do you need one on 80? The reality is if you can hear the other guy, he
can hear you. Now if your ego requires that you have to be the first one in the pile to break through, then I guess you need a big amplifier. My pet peeve is hearing a DX station calling CQ DX and some high powered asshole starts out "Good evening again Carlos, your almost as strong as you were last night when we talked........" while some guy with a 100 watts gets to set on their thumbs until Got Rocks is through bloviating. Many are trying to get a new country while Mr. Got Rocks plays "watch this you lowly peons". Yes! you asshole in New England, I am refering to you. You splatter the entire DX window and have no regard for your fellow hams... Not one time have I heard him say, "Carlos listen for KB2***, he is trying to call you". Boy, I am glad I got that out of my system. :) "Hal Rosser" wrote in message ... You don't need a linear unless you're on 80 meters - then you really need a biggie. |
Dave wrote: I am thinking of buying the Ameritron 600 watt solid state amp and was wondering what opinions you all may have of it. Thanks Make sure your antenna can handle 600 watts, and presents a near 50 ohm resistive match. The 4 MRF150 fets do not like mismatches on their output. They are $125 each, and can fail, even tho they have VSWR protection in the Amp. If you don't abuse the Amp it will do well. I have never owned one, but homebrewed an Amp that was identical. Since this is an antenna group, let us know what you intend to use. Gary N4AST |
On Tue, 30 Aug 2005 15:38:30 GMT, "Dave" wrote:
I am thinking of buying the Ameritron 600 watt solid state amp and was wondering what opinions you all may have of it. Thanks I've heard they make a nice little driver for a Henry 8K. |
Yeah, is a pizzzer..
But I get a good laugh when I get through a pile up with 100 watts 10m all the way off to Mongolia. Went to sleep with a big grin knowing some of those KW big bucks bozo's missed it just because the were to busy blasting away instead of listening. Sometimes it isn't just the money and power that gets the prize. Enjoy your victories knowing it didn't cost thousands of bucks and dim your lights. Good Luck. K4TWO "Fred W4JLE" wrote in message ... Why do you need one on 80? The reality is if you can hear the other guy, he can hear you. Now if your ego requires that you have to be the first one in the pile to break through, then I guess you need a big amplifier. My pet peeve is hearing a DX station calling CQ DX and some high powered asshole starts out "Good evening again Carlos, your almost as strong as you were last night when we talked........" while some guy with a 100 watts gets to set on their thumbs until Got Rocks is through bloviating. Many are trying to get a new country while Mr. Got Rocks plays "watch this you lowly peons". Yes! you asshole in New England, I am refering to you. You splatter the entire DX window and have no regard for your fellow hams... Not one time have I heard him say, "Carlos listen for KB2***, he is trying to call you". Boy, I am glad I got that out of my system. :) "Hal Rosser" wrote in message ... You don't need a linear unless you're on 80 meters - then you really need a biggie. |
I've had mine for about 5 years and love it.
I highly recommend getting an LDG AT-1000 auto antenna tuner for it. Makes a really slick combination and pretty much assures a flat load for the amp to see. (Assuming you don't need 160m as the LDG doesn't do 160). I tried some real torture tests on the LDG and it has been amazing...like feeding a 40m inverted V on 80m....terrible idea and a rotten antenna...but the LDG matched it right up. Very few auto-tuners can pass that particular test. The ALS-600 has excellent protection circuits. I have tested them on several occasions when not paying attention. The load fault circuitry works very well. I have no reservation about recommending the ALS-600. I use it on both SSB and CW, even RTTY at reduced power. I have used a TS-870s, FT-847 and TS-2000 to drive it and had no problems. IMD measurements on PSK31 indicate -30 dB with the ALS-600 running 200w output, driven by the TS-2000. Have fun. 73 ....hasan, N0AN "Dave" wrote in message news:W3%Qe.291004$x96.260755@attbi_s72... I am thinking of buying the Ameritron 600 watt solid state amp and was wondering what opinions you all may have of it. Thanks |
"Fred W4JLE" wrote in message ... Why do you need one on 80? The reality is if you can hear the other guy, he can hear you. Now if your ego requires that you have to be the first one in the pile to break through, then I guess you need a big amplifier. Depends. I have had 30 - 45 minute QSOs with EU stations while running barefoot on 75. On the other hand, when I check into a local net, I run the amp at 1/2 power, about 600W. There is one person on the net who does not run an amp. Some weeks I only copy him 10 - 50 %. Others have the same experience. These people are all within about 50 miles from me. QST tested the Ameritron SS amp, and liked it. They also like the switching power supply, which costs extra. I believe the linear supply is choke input, unregulated. These are 48V supplies. Tam/WB2TT |
Most folks use 100 watts or less so you can talk to most people with the
same power level or less. Antennas have the ability of amplifying the receiving station's signal to you as well as your signal to them. (gain) building and designing Antennas is a way to learn and and enjoy the hobby. contrary to what some may say, you don't have to be an engineer to enjoy the hobby. If you need the amplifier (like on 80 meters at 9 pm when everyone is trying to claim a freq for an impromptu net) - then its usually less stressful to just switch it off until the band is less busy. |
Dave wrote:
I am thinking of buying the Ameritron 600 watt solid state amp and was wondering what opinions you all may have of it. Thanks How many $per watt for the Ameritron 600? Ameritron lists the ALS-600 at $1299. For base station usage you need the power supply. Total package list price of $1428. Or, $2.38 per watt [SSB]. [600 watt] The AL-811H lists for $799 or $1.00 per watt [SSB]. [800 watt] The AL-80B lists for $1349 or $1.39 per watt [SSB]. [1000 watt] The AL-1500 lists for $3045 or $2.03 per watt [SSB]. [1500 watt] If you are considering base usage the AL-811H is less than 1/2 S unit below the AL-1500 at about 1/2 the price. The ALS-600 is only 1 1/4 S units above a 100 watt base or mobile station. I own the AL-80B. It has about 1/4 S unit below the AL-1500. [SSB] Save some money and put it to good use on your antenna system. |
How does the ALS600 do when using with the Butternut HF9V vertical?
"Ham op" wrote in message ... Dave wrote: I am thinking of buying the Ameritron 600 watt solid state amp and was wondering what opinions you all may have of it. Thanks How many $per watt for the Ameritron 600? Ameritron lists the ALS-600 at $1299. For base station usage you need the power supply. Total package list price of $1428. Or, $2.38 per watt [SSB]. [600 watt] The AL-811H lists for $799 or $1.00 per watt [SSB]. [800 watt] The AL-80B lists for $1349 or $1.39 per watt [SSB]. [1000 watt] The AL-1500 lists for $3045 or $2.03 per watt [SSB]. [1500 watt] If you are considering base usage the AL-811H is less than 1/2 S unit below the AL-1500 at about 1/2 the price. The ALS-600 is only 1 1/4 S units above a 100 watt base or mobile station. I own the AL-80B. It has about 1/4 S unit below the AL-1500. [SSB] Save some money and put it to good use on your antenna system. |
7.78 Db BETTER [+1 1/4 S unit] than 100 watts.
Upgrade the vertical to a beam and the net gain can be as high as +19.78 dB [3+ S units] on the path: 1] + 6 dB in receive 2] + 6 dB in transmit 3] + 7.78 dB for the amplifier. For $1400, a beam has a much better return on investment than an amplifier by itself. The #1 rule I teach new or aspiring hams is "Your station efficiency, and your enjoyment, is directly proportional to your antenna." Dave wrote: How does the ALS600 do when using with the Butternut HF9V vertical? "Ham op" wrote in message ... Dave wrote: I am thinking of buying the Ameritron 600 watt solid state amp and was wondering what opinions you all may have of it. Thanks How many $per watt for the Ameritron 600? Ameritron lists the ALS-600 at $1299. For base station usage you need the power supply. Total package list price of $1428. Or, $2.38 per watt [SSB]. [600 watt] The AL-811H lists for $799 or $1.00 per watt [SSB]. [800 watt] The AL-80B lists for $1349 or $1.39 per watt [SSB]. [1000 watt] The AL-1500 lists for $3045 or $2.03 per watt [SSB]. [1500 watt] If you are considering base usage the AL-811H is less than 1/2 S unit below the AL-1500 at about 1/2 the price. The ALS-600 is only 1 1/4 S units above a 100 watt base or mobile station. I own the AL-80B. It has about 1/4 S unit below the AL-1500. [SSB] Save some money and put it to good use on your antenna system. |
Here's another posting referring to 6 dB "S-units". Have you actually
measured how many dB between marks on your receiver's S meter? I have. Here's what they are, on my Icom IC-730, 40 meters, preamp off: S1-S2: 1.4 dB S2-S3: 1.3 dB S3-S4: 1.6 dB S4-S5: 2.3 dB S5-S6: 1.8 dB S6-S7: 3.2 dB S7-S8: 3.1 dB S8-S9: 4.0 dB S9 - S9+10 dB: 5.6 dB S9+10 - S9+20: 7.3 dB S9+20 - S9+30: 6.6 dB S9+30 - S9+40: 10.5 dB S9+40 - S9+50: 11.3 dB S9+50 - S9+60: 13.5 dB So if I put up an antenna with 7 dB gain over a dipole (about par for a 3 element Yagi), it would kick my S meter from S2 to S6 when switching from the dipole to the Yagi. If I assumed my "S units" were 6 dB, I'd conclude my antenna had 24 dB gain. I'd be mistaken by a factor of 50 -- that is, I'd think my antenna had the gain of an array of about 50 Yagis. I don't understand why we need a 6 dB unit which doesn't bear any fixed relationship to the marks on an S meter. Why not just use dB? Most hams can't measure 6 dB "S units" any better than they can measure dB. I've got it. When somebody asks for a signal comparison and it's a 7 dB difference, I'll just tell him "My S meter went from S2 to S6, which is a difference of 1.2 S units." Everyone should understand that, right? Roy Lewallen, W7EL Ham op wrote: 7.78 Db BETTER [+1 1/4 S unit] than 100 watts. Upgrade the vertical to a beam and the net gain can be as high as +19.78 dB [3+ S units] on the path: 1] + 6 dB in receive 2] + 6 dB in transmit 3] + 7.78 dB for the amplifier. For $1400, a beam has a much better return on investment than an amplifier by itself. The #1 rule I teach new or aspiring hams is "Your station efficiency, and your enjoyment, is directly proportional to your antenna." Dave wrote: How does the ALS600 do when using with the Butternut HF9V vertical? "Ham op" wrote in message ... Dave wrote: I am thinking of buying the Ameritron 600 watt solid state amp and was wondering what opinions you all may have of it. Thanks How many $per watt for the Ameritron 600? Ameritron lists the ALS-600 at $1299. For base station usage you need the power supply. Total package list price of $1428. Or, $2.38 per watt [SSB]. [600 watt] The AL-811H lists for $799 or $1.00 per watt [SSB]. [800 watt] The AL-80B lists for $1349 or $1.39 per watt [SSB]. [1000 watt] The AL-1500 lists for $3045 or $2.03 per watt [SSB]. [1500 watt] If you are considering base usage the AL-811H is less than 1/2 S unit below the AL-1500 at about 1/2 the price. The ALS-600 is only 1 1/4 S units above a 100 watt base or mobile station. I own the AL-80B. It has about 1/4 S unit below the AL-1500. [SSB] Save some money and put it to good use on your antenna system. |
"Fred W4JLE" wrote in message ... Why do you need one on 80? The reality is if you can hear the other guy, he can hear you. Now if your ego requires that you have to be the first one in the pile to break through, then I guess you need a big amplifier. My pet peeve is hearing a DX station calling CQ DX and some high powered asshole starts out "Good evening again Carlos, your almost as strong as you were last night when we talked........" while some guy with a 100 watts gets to set on their thumbs until Got Rocks is through bloviating. Many are trying to get a new country while Mr. Got Rocks plays "watch this you lowly peons". Yes! you asshole in New England, I am refering to you. You splatter the entire DX window and have no regard for your fellow hams... Not one time have I heard him say, "Carlos listen for KB2***, he is trying to call you". Boy, I am glad I got that out of my system. :) I know the feeling Fred. I was trying to work a new SA station on 17m the other night with my measly 100w to an R7. Time after time I would hear the DX station say.."nice to work you again ________", one guy he even commented on working about 6 times over the last year. Well I finally worked him for the new one, only to find I had already worked him on 20m 14 years ago. At least it wasn't on the same band! Max |
"Ham op" wrote in message ... 7.78 Db BETTER [+1 1/4 S unit] than 100 watts. Upgrade the vertical to a beam and the net gain can be as high as +19.78 dB [3+ S units] on the path: 1] + 6 dB in receive 2] + 6 dB in transmit 3] + 7.78 dB for the amplifier. For $1400, a beam has a much better return on investment than an amplifier by itself. The #1 rule I teach new or aspiring hams is "Your station efficiency, and your enjoyment, is directly proportional to your antenna." I will agree that it is best to go with a beter antenna, sometimes it is just not practical. Not many can put up a beam for 80 meters and not that many for ever 40 meters. Most amps will do 80 to 15 meters. Some will go to 10 meters. The specs for a TH3 tribander is only 5.8 db over a dipole. That is slightly less than 4 times the power. That is only for 20,15, 10 meters. That only takes your 100 watt rig to 400 watts. An amp that is worth buying will put out atleast 600 to 800 watts and you can almost double that and stay legal. If you have to pay someone to put your beam antenna, the cost will go way over the $ 1400. The thing of hearing a station and he can hear you is also bogus in some cases. I was trying to work a mobile on 80 meters that was parked running 100 watts. I could hear him just fine. About 1/4 scale on my S-meter. He could not hear me for some local (to him) qrm and qrn. By turning on my amp we could work each other. The amp will not let you turn it to cut out some qrm/qrn like the beam may. |
Ralph Mowery wrote:
. . . The thing of hearing a station and he can hear you is also bogus in some cases. I was trying to work a mobile on 80 meters that was parked running 100 watts. I could hear him just fine. About 1/4 scale on my S-meter. He could not hear me for some local (to him) qrm and qrn. By turning on my amp we could work each other. . . . The idea that if you can hear a station he can hear you is totally wrong, especially at HF. At HF, you can have a terribly inefficient antenna and hear people just fine. This is because the dominant noise is coming from outside the receiver and therefore both signal and noise are attenuated by the same amount by the loss. I can easily hear 20 meter DX on my little Sony SW radio with a 2 foot rod antenna. But there's no hope they'd hear me if I were transmitting with that antenna, even if I'm running an equal or much greater amount of power than they are. At VHF and above, where receiver noise dominates, a station you hear can hear you if you're running about the same amount of power and if your receivers have about the same noise figure. But this isn't at all true at HF and below. Roy Lewallen, W7EL |
On Thu, 1 Sep 2005 14:25:05 -0400, "MD" wrote:
"Fred W4JLE" wrote in message .. . Why do you need one on 80? The reality is if you can hear the other guy, he can hear you. Now if your ego requires that you have to be the first one in the pile to break through, then I guess you need a big amplifier. My pet peeve is hearing a DX station calling CQ DX and some high powered asshole starts out "Good evening again Carlos, your almost as strong as you were last night when we talked........" while some guy with a 100 watts gets to set on their thumbs until Got Rocks is through bloviating. Many are trying to get a new country while Mr. Got Rocks plays "watch this you lowly peons". Yes! you asshole in New England, I am refering to you. You splatter the entire DX window and have no regard for your fellow hams... Not one time have I heard him say, "Carlos listen for KB2***, he is trying to call you". Boy, I am glad I got that out of my system. :) I know the feeling Fred. I was trying to work a new SA station on 17m the other night with my measly 100w to an R7. Time after time I would hear the DX station say.."nice to work you again ________", one guy he even commented on working about 6 times over the last year. Well I finally worked him for the new one, only to find I had already worked him on 20m 14 years ago. At least it wasn't on the same band! Do any of you ever think that the DX stations just might get tired of giving out 59s (or 33s in you guys cases) and might actually want to engage in some civilized conversation with someone they've worked over and over? If a big antenna and higher power make this more enjoyable, what's the issue? Oh, I almost forgot, this is the land of welfare and entitlements. |
Come on Roy, your picking an example that has nothing to do with the real
world. How many people try to work 20 meters on a 2 foot Sony whip? I failed to state the obvious. Given: Both stations are using antennas matched to the transmitter and of a length appropriate to the band being utilized. YaDa YaDa. Back in the AM days, my wife heard me coming out of a skillet on the stove. I doubt she could have talked back to me no matter how high she turned up the heat. :) "Roy Lewallen" wrote in message ... The idea that if you can hear a station he can hear you is totally wrong, especially at HF. At HF, you can have a terribly inefficient antenna and hear people just fine. This is because the dominant noise is coming from outside the receiver and therefore both signal and noise are attenuated by the same amount by the loss. I can easily hear 20 meter DX on my little Sony SW radio with a 2 foot rod antenna. But there's no hope they'd hear me if I were transmitting with that antenna, even if I'm running an equal or much greater amount of power than they are. At VHF and above, where receiver noise dominates, a station you hear can hear you if you're running about the same amount of power and if your receivers have about the same noise figure. But this isn't at all true at HF and below. Roy Lewallen, W7EL |
Fred W4JLE wrote:
Come on Roy, your picking an example that has nothing to do with the real world. How many people try to work 20 meters on a 2 foot Sony whip? Possibly the same people who want to work 80 meters on an 8 foot whip !!!! SNIPPED |
"Ham op" wrote in message ... Fred W4JLE wrote: Come on Roy, your picking an example that has nothing to do with the real world. How many people try to work 20 meters on a 2 foot Sony whip? Possibly the same people who want to work 80 meters on an 8 foot whip !!!! SNIPPED It s easy to see you have no concept of how things work. An 8 foot whip is about as big as most mobiles can use. I just worked a friend of mine that does a lot of camping. He uses either a screwdriver antenna or a dipole only up about 10 to 15 feet depending on where he is at. Most distances are around 200 miles from my house. There does not seem to be much differance in his signal with that low dipole. I am sure the dipole would be beter if he could get it up higher, but you use what you have. Many times the absolute strength of the signal does not make that much differance. It is how well you can get above the noise and qrm that is on the bands. That is where the beter antenna and higher power come in. All of this is for the low bands , when you get to vhf and above then the antenna system usually becomes all important. |
"Ralph Mowery" bravely wrote to "All" (01 Sep 05 19:38:35)
--- on the heady topic of " Amplfier opinion" RM From: "Ralph Mowery" RM Xref: core-easynews rec.radio.amateur.antenna:216043 RM "Ham op" wrote in message RM ... 7.78 Db BETTER [+1 1/4 S unit] than 100 watts. Upgrade the vertical to a beam and the net gain can be as high as +19.78 dB [3+ S units] on the path: 1] + 6 dB in receive 2] + 6 dB in transmit 3] + 7.78 dB for the amplifier. For $1400, a beam has a much better return on investment than an amplifier by itself. The #1 rule I teach new or aspiring hams is "Your station efficiency, and your enjoyment, is directly proportional to your antenna." RM I will agree that it is best to go with a beter antenna, sometimes it RM is just not practical. Not many can put up a beam for 80 meters and RM not that many for ever 40 meters. Most amps will do 80 to 15 meters. Just wondering if it wouldn't be possible to compensate for antenna size, by actively driving the reflective, directive elements using correctly phased amounts of power from the xmtr output. I'm probably preaching heresy in the midst of this bunch of laurelled gurus but I don't mind being told I'm thinking laterally, so shoot your best flames. A*s*i*m*o*v .... Firemen are proud of their hoses. |
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