• You can now help support WorldwideDX when you shop on Amazon at no additional cost to you! Simply follow this Shop on Amazon link first and a portion of any purchase is sent to WorldwideDX to help with site costs.

Tube amplifier


Why by a crap 11m amp when amateur radio amps are MUCH cleaner and better made? Unless of course you want to run ridiculous power levels and splatter all over the band.
I can think of a couple of reasons...one being "Price"...

You can run one of the old "CB" tube amps and get a clean signal out, without splattering 40-up and 40-down if you have the amp and radio properly tuned...

With my Cobra 2000 I run either a "Kicker 500" (1x3 tube) or my Palomar 300A (2x4 tube), and have a very clean sounding signal both on AM and SSB...Don't bleed on anything in the house or my neighbors house's...and get complements daily on how good and clean the radio sounds...

Tubes ar fairly expencive now days tho, but they last forever as long as you don't push the snot out of them...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Shadetree Mechanic
I can think of a couple of reasons...one being "Price"...

You can run one of the old "CB" tube amps and get a clean signal out, without splattering 40-up and 40-down if you have the amp and radio properly tuned...

With my Cobra 2000 I run either a "Kicker 500" (1x3 tube) or my Palomar 300A (2x4 tube), and have a very clean sounding signal both on AM and SSB...Don't bleed on anything in the house or my neighbors house's...and get complements daily on how good and clean the radio sounds...

Tubes ar fairly expencive now days tho, but they last forever as long as you don't push the snot out of them...

Precisely why I said an amateur amp would be fine unless he wanted to run a splatterbox which is typically the kind of customers Whizard sees. Tube amps are much cleaner when run PROPERLY than SS amps are and I don't mean just in regards to harmonics but IMD as well.
 
To answer the question posted???

Wizard made amps are questionable to say the least, and I have heard rumors that he is now calling his products Eagle made but that is only rumor.

Now what exactly type operations are you looking to do with your "tube" amp?
AM or SSB, the different modes will require different type power supplies.

SSB is usually a lighter type PS due to the duty cycle of the mode roughly 15 to 20% duty cycle.

If you wanting to be a BIG HAMMER splatter box operator on AM then get ready to pay out the $$$ for the power supply required to operate a "tube" amp on AM mode.

Many amateur amps on the market, local adds craigslist, etc etc that if operated with common sense will gives years of trouble free use and clean signals.

Over drive them to get "MO WATTTS" and you will be visiting your repair tech on a regular basis.

There are a few amp builders out there that do take the time and expense to make a good product, but you are going pay $$$ for that product.
 
I've fallen out of the loop on who builds what these days because it all seems to be on Facebook. BM Technology used to be what I suggested but I don't even know of he's still building amps.

Big sweep tube amps are a money pit. Not much plate dissipation for your dollar.
 
The biggest problem with sweep tube amps is I can't remember when the last time I've seen one for this band with a decent bias circuit. The designers couldn't resist the temptation to just ground the cathodes in transmit. With 900 volts on the plate when you ground the cathode without applying a negative bias voltage, the DC alone is enough to turn the sweep tubes red without any RF drive. Some diodes with an RF bypass cap work well when placed in series with the cathodes and relay contact that grounds them in TX.

If you want to do a really good job and add precision control of the bias voltage, use a shunt regulator like the TL431 to drive a larger pass transistor. If you need a schematic of this, the basic bias circuit can be seen in use on "The Triode Board" kit sold by IFWTech. If you think there is a chance your tubes are gassy and may experience an internal arc, never use a transistor based regulator in series with the cathode. The silicon diode string is your best friend here because it's the only part I've found that can handle this fault.
 
To best answer the original question, the buyer should gain some first hand knowledge on how to determine if the equipment is quality or not. If you're buying something "custom", don't purchase anything from anyone that won't share some photos of their previous work. If you show photos on this website, there are enough knowledgeable people here to help you spot things that will make a difference before making a mistake.

You'll learn things like how to tell if the AC mains cord is properly RF bypassed so it does not radiate RFI to everyone on your distribution transformer. Do the meters have shielding, diode protection and bypass caps behind them? Has the input circuit been designed as a low pass filter with anything that looks like the right "Q"? Does the power supply and tank circuit look like it could handle the current that would be present to produce the advertised output? Can the tube match that supply without overheating and is it a reliable type that is still available? Is there any form of over current protection or even a glitch resistor? These are the questions inquiring minds would want answers to.
 
"You'll learn things like how to tell if the AC mains cord is properly RF bypassed so it does not radiate RFI to everyone on your distribution transformer."

They call me ButtFuzz, and I'm 4 days away from my 3rd consecutive WATT award!

Worked All Them Toasters!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Shadetree Mechanic

dxChat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • dxBot:
    Tucker442 has left the room.
  • @ BJ radionut:
    LIVE 10:00 AM EST :cool:
  • @ Charles Edwards:
    I'm looking for factory settings 1 through 59 for a AT 5555 n2 or AT500 M2 I only wrote down half the values feel like a idiot I need help will be appreciated