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Been reading the various threads about using these amps on AM. Well, if i am driving one of these units with 20 watts on AM, what can I expect in terms of tube life and overall performance (11 meter plus 160m-10m)?

Also, driving one of these with 80 watts on SSB, what might I expect there?

And as a newbie here, please explain some things about dead key and swing. I haven't a great idea of what all that means.

Other than that, the only other question I have is... if you wouldn't necessarily buy an Ameritron 811H for AM/SSB operation, what could you suggest in its place?

Any experiences with the 811H amps (and possible substitutions) are most welcome!

My budget is $1k (gotta love them credit cards), and anything capable of 11 meter operation is a must (everything else is an option).

Many Thanks!!!

73's.

Snake Eyes

I would look at ebay you may find one with a expanded freq mod done already 811A Ameritron I dont use my Ameritron or Yaesu Amps on AM its rough on those and some dont do much more than an HF radio out in the end result.

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""""was not thinking of a cber sat with his makita screwdriver winding round the presets untill his meter said s9+60db from a guy on a handheld 15 miles away""""

on a solid 220v line with 80 watts ssb in i would expect to see close to 700-750 watts out, with 30 watts in on am 500-550 watts would be my guess using a real meter. you generally need about 100 watt input drive to see peak power output.

there really easy to convert for 10m use, just clip the green wire. if you wanted one already done you can order the standard 811 "X" as long as you have a valid ticket. ameritron will also fax you instructions on the 10m restoration mod if you fax them a copy of your ticket. like i said its just a wire.


if you put a dosy on it i would imagine 1300-1500 am and 1900 or so ssb lol.

if you could find an older sb220 that has good tubes, and has has some updates done to it you would see more power for the same or less cash. 1600-1800 on ssb and close to 1200 or so am could be obtained with the right drive.

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KC0WRG / cdx001

the other factor is if you run it on 220v or 110v

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""""was not thinking of a cber sat with his makita screwdriver winding round the presets untill his meter said s9+60db from a guy on a handheld 15 miles away""""

manual for the 811 . http://www.ameritron.com/man/pdf/AL-800.pdf
manual for the 811H . http://www.ameritron.com/man/pdf/AL-811H.pdf

cutting a lil gree wire in the back enables 10/11 meters . i believe a PTT switch is needed for am use .

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2018 Extreme Mic
Uniden Washington
Palomar 225
Astron RS-35M
Astatic 700
Homebrew .64 WGP

sb220 running on 220v and if you drive it with 100 watts in you have that sucker for 100's of years I drive mine with 100 swinging 160 for a nice blast...

the only thing i found out on this linear is the tuning knob is touchy
but take your time and you don't have to worry about tuning it each day ,unless you surf and talk a lot of channels on 11meter...

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Cobra-90LTD 8 swinging 35 Noclip
Cobra 148GTL
Cobra 148F(EXPORT)
Cobra 200GTL
Mod V-Plus
Homemade 8 pill running 18 volts
Brute force 350
Maco V5000
Spitfire 427 3 element beam

Snake Eyes,
Most, if not all commercially made amplifiers are geared toward SSB type operations, not AM. So, be careful of how you think of the stated power outputs. For the AL-811H, consider operating AM as it states for FM (another 100% duty cycle type emission). Which basically means expect about half of the 'full output' power at best, and watch the grid and plate current readings! 'Pushing' more than the stated amounts doesn't do any good for very long, and gets very expensive very fast.
If you really want to run high power on AM the first name that comes to mind is 'Harris'. There are a bunch of other name brands too. One word of warning! Sit down before checking prices, or at least sweep the floor so you won't get too dirty when you do...
- 'Doc

That was very well put W5LZ that is the whole kit and kaboodle all in one right there

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""""was not thinking of a cber sat with his makita screwdriver winding round the presets untill his meter said s9+60db from a guy on a handheld 15 miles away""""

You need a key line for this and just about any other commercial ham amplifier. They don't key on RF; the transceiver keys a relay in the amplifier. Make sure the transceiver can handle the current and voltage the amplifier requires.

what hes trying to say is the commercial amatuer amplifiers need an exciter or relay to excite (key) the amp or its usless. I know that people make switches or (foot peddles) to press to key these Ive never actually seen one but IO know they can be made.

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""""was not thinking of a cber sat with his makita screwdriver winding round the presets untill his meter said s9+60db from a guy on a handheld 15 miles away""""