Amplifier Madness

[W1MSG]

Just thought I would make a post about power addiction. I hope some of you will share your experiences as well.

I upgraded my license August 2010 to General and discovered the world of HF, as I was making contacts with 100 watts I ran into the problem of not being able to work all the stations I could hear. I also had DX troubles trying to get through some of the pile ups I heard and alot of times just couldnt get through. So using due diligence I did some research on boosting my power.

My 1st Amp was the Econo Ameritron AL-811 3 tube. Purchased brand new from HRO in NH. Brought it home hooked it up and thats when the learning kicked in. Got some great info from the folks on this site and was cranking out a consistent 600 watts. I was managing to get through most pile ups and having a blast, I think that's when the Bug bit me to achieve Full Legal Limit.

Next I worked a trade deal for an AL-80B, it was in Great shape and I was getting between 900 to 1100 watts out depending on what band I was working. Now I'm thinking this is all I will ever need, NOT... A friend was selling his fully modded TL-922A, and knowing how he treats his equipment I just couldnt resist. The TL-922A will give you Full legal limit most of the time but you have to push it a bit. Luckily another friend was looking to get my AL-80B so there ya have it. So to this point with about $300 to $400 additional each time I was pretty much where I wanted to be, or so I thought.

Deerfield NH and Nearfest, walking around the fest I scoped out a table with 3 Commander Amplifiers on it. I have a friend in Maine that has one and loves it, so I looked at the HF-2500 a little closer and found that it was in near new condition with not a mark on it and approximately 10 hours use. It was calling my name all day Friday, but I resisted. Saturday morning I walked by again and took a better look. Now I am doing the computations in my head, I had sold a bunch of stuff and had a few extra hundred in the pocket so I pulled the trigger, just couldn't help myself !! 33 watts of drive for Full Legal Limit ! When I sell the TL-922A and with my earnings at the Fest I will be about $600 out of pocket for the new Commander.

Now for the kicker, this has all transpired in 14 months, yup just over 1 year ! I dont even want to talk about the radio trades and swaps that have gone on as well, or all the audio rack gear that has been added for my Flex SDR-1000.

Hind sight being 20/20, if I had to do it again, I think I would have saved mu nickles and just gone big first time around instead of the path I chose, but then again what fun would that have been ..

Sharing time, anyone else ?

 

[RatsoW8]

I've owned a bunch of amps over the last 25 years of hamming. Not now though. I never made more contacts with an amp than without. I learned that making improvements in your antenna system is a better investment.

Some people have to have big amps though...a lot of expense and hassle for a few db more IMHO.

 

[wavrider]

What Ratso said is the way to go.

In the shack at this moment is a Heathkit SB-1000, Heathkit SB220, Heathkit SB-200, Dentron clipperton L, Drake L4, Hunter Bandit 2000B and last but not least the homebrew 4-1000A, which loafs at legal limit output.

Which one do I have in line? None. I use the Mosley PRO67B yagi and a hundred watts for 10 through 40 meters.

Look at the amplifier in this manner, use the formula to see exactly how much DB gain that 1500 watts gives you over 100 watts. Then visit your antenna system, coax losses etc and see what your ERP actually is, chances are improvements can be made to your antenna system that will gain some DB's.

It is nice to have around 400 to 500 watts, sure makes it easier for the recieving op to hear you, but that can be had by using a yagi vs an amplifier.

Power addiction? It is fun, and yep I had a case of it many years ago, then I got educated and realized I was talking to the meter swing, changed my way of thinking and got interested in making contacts with 100w and the antenna.

 

[RatsoW8]

Another thing I should add. I do tend to enjoy playing around with amps. Nothing like the smell of hot tubes in the shack on a cold winter night!

 

[Atlasta]

Speaking of amplifier madness: Ham radio amplifier

It's probably best that I not go and check this guy out even though he is relatively close to me.

 

[BJ radionut]

Speaking of amplifier madness: Ham radio amplifier

That package on Ebay right now or was!.....What a Butcher Job...all that crap and dollars for 4 or 5 db (less than 1 S unit) over a nice stock unit...
Just looking at the layout of the tubes, that power supply should have a built-in Halon system
GL with that one
All the Best
BJ

 

[Justme]

For 2 meter i made a amp 2 x MRF 247 30 years back.
On HF i always tried to improve the antenna system first, then came a sick Heathkit SB-1000 along.
Completely rebuild it, new 3 - 500 ZG and that one is about as far i go since 5 years.
Mostly only used on 160, the rest i can do with the 200 watt from the FT 2000 D.

EQplus and MD-1 mike from Yaesu does the rest and carefull settings in the Ft 2000 D menuu with the EQ plus.
Always get good audio reports without asking.

Must be doing something good then

 

[ElectronTubesRule]

Having spent my senior year and one year out of H.S. work in an Electronics repair facility that was broadcast and Ham heavy with customer's I learned early on from my then Mentor not to do the Gear/Equipment Safari if you could help it. Back then I had no wife well I do not have one of those now but that is a long story no kids etc......He told me early on when customer like you had gone through radio's and amps in a 12-24 months time frame not to be like them. TO decide on what I needed or wanted and then save for that and do not let your itch get the better of you. I saw it first hand with my friends that did much the same thing you did but with illegal gear intended to be used on Citizen Band. So it has nothing to do with intelligence or social class or income because I saw it in Armatures and in CB'ers young and old alike.

I have to say though that outside of my adrenaline junky days I was never one to be wasteful or rash with my money. I would bet my life before I would waste a dime. In fact I had a budget that I stuck too starting at the age of 17 that included things like entertainment, food, car insurance, emergency fund, fuel etc.....Even in college I had a budget and once I exceeded what was budgeted for each area that was it....I never allowed my self to steal from Peter to Pay Paul.......

I think having good mentors in middle school, high school and growing up rather poor made me mindful of money.

So I would not feel bad a lot of people do just as you have done. People like me are not the norm. In fact I went from a 40 Channel Realistic CB to an RCI 2950 and never looked back....When that was stolen I went to a President Lincoln. The other radio's I own like 40Ch USB type accepted Class D CB's where purchased so I would not be breaking any laws. I knew I would at some point want to become licensed and I figured that breaking the law and using gear that I was not licences to use would not be a wise thing to do. I would never have gotten in trouble since I am not a trouble maker do not run a splatter box and do not operate in area's I should not be in. It was the principal of the thing. Kind of like you do not sell drugs to raise money for needy kids! It is the spirit of the thing!

Now on the other hand hind sight being 20/20 you can help new younger member's not repeat what you did. You did not lose a lot of money in the deals but it still was not the best way to go about getting to where you are now. Sometimes we have to tell ourselves no because no one else will and be patient.

I am buying my parts to build my own amp after I have paid all my bills and bought food, car insurance etc....Never mind I went from a nice 6 figure job to losing my home, I sold 1 SUV and one 4X4 and 5 Rifles to pay attorney fee's and such.....Still lost my home not enough spare cash to keep paying the attorney fee's......I have went from working for a large corporation in a white collar salaried position with full benefits to being lucky to find work paying $8 and hour and getting some Farm work and odd jobs like fixing car's and computer's and such for locals. So I know what it is like to be able to buy what you want one day to not being able to afford anything. In fact if I had to buy my parts only in the USA I would not be building anything. I got $60 worth of Diodes for $3 from China including shipping, 350watt tubes from Russia for $14 each including shipping, $1600 worth of capacitors from Russia for $40 shipped to my door steep. So really I understand what it is to want.

On that same note not everyone is power hungry. I went 4 years with just 100 watts of power before going to 1600 watt's then a few years latter 3200 watts. That was mobile so that meant more alternators, isolator extra batteries you name it. Now I have no power in my mobile and I am not going to even hook up my tube amps until I pass my test. So the trick is knowing who needs to have the talk and who is not going to need the talk about being patient and saving for what you really want instead of doing the equipment Safari....

I will say this too. I am very impressed that told your story because most men will not admit to doing the Gear Safari! We all know people who have done it but no one ever admits to it! So you impressed me with your honesty and the fact that you know it was not the best way to do things hind sight being 20/20! People can only learn from other's when other's talk about their own experience!!! Other then my mentor no one really pointed stuff like this out to me when I was in H.S.!