You’ve said that you don’t like making videos. But your darn good at it and at explaining the inner workings of these amps. Please keep making more videos Tom 💪
Even 811 tubes, which do not even have oxide on the filament like 572's do, can do well into 1000 range on peak emission tests at 1500-1700V. You don't want to run them at peak saturated emission, but that is an excellent test to root out poorly made or worn-out tubes. It is much better that looking at them at lower emission levels.
Tom you are the absolute master in these fields of study -- genuis would be an understatement! I wish i could be an apprentice of yours, even at the ripe age of 40 I'd rather be in field i am passionate about and never am sick of amd learn from the best there is to learn from! Thanks for doing these videos, theyre awesome i hope you do more in the future. Your website is my absolute go-to for cold hard facts on every subject you cover as its presented in a way to make the reader understand why the answer is what it is versus just the answer itself but not having an understanding of the principles that dictate it. Appreciate it Tom! 73 Cory K9CDR
I have an AL811 SN 19537 with the ten meter mod that will not key up. I bought this used a year ago and this is the first time I have hooked it up, so I don't know if it was working when I bought or if the 10-meter mod had something to do with it. Thanks KA5PAL
Tom, just picked up an 811. Can I just replace the 811 tubes that are in it with 3 572Bs? And will that provide more than 600 watts? Do I need to do any other upgrades ? I could not see a brand of fan on the back of my amp to see if it had a Cooltron fan and I didn’t see where it did.
So I see you used a pulser. There's not a lot of pulser information on the web other than explanations of how it works and why we use it. Every article I have read either uses the CW input or has the pulser wired to the micrphone for SSB pulsing. No one has every used a simple two dollar app to create the same pulse audio and just use the microphone element as the conduit. Maybe others can chime in but I see no disadvantage to using this two dollar method instead of 50 plus dollars for a hardware pulser.
When you say proper fan, what do you mean? I have an early 90's 811 with a 33cfm fan. I just put a set of 572b's in it, and can get 700w (rtty mode when tuning up) when I max out the grid current. So along that lines, in your video, you have the plate current at about 750ma, peaked on the meter. I haven't gone back on the tube specs, but you're not concerned with going into the red on Plate current?
Fan CFM free-air ratings are all over the place from the actual measured flow in the amplifier. I don't know what fan you have, but any Ameritron 811 amplifier with the Cooltron fan (which seems to go back at least four years) will have woefully inadequate airflow, about 1/3 of the air necessary for 811 use. Even though the manufacturer claims near 25-35 CFM (depending on the data source) the Cooltron fans measure 8 CFM inside the amplifier. This is a major problem because temperature rise inside the amp will be 3 times what it should be at a given heat dissipation. I'm not in the least concerned about anode current. The life threat to 811 tubes is short term average anode dissipation. Anode temperature is primarily the killer of tubes. The 572's have a much more robust anode, easily making a three-hole 811 with 572's far more reliable than an 811H with four 811 tubes.
@@PaulReedy 33CFM is the "supposed" free air CFM. That rating doesn't mean much. That is actually a Sunon 31cfm fan. It flows about 15 CFM in the 811 amp, which is marginally okay for SSB and CW with 811 tubes. The data sheet for your fan is here: www.alliedelec.com/m/d/e7fa8e9dca7dd90ce204f7d91c175fed.pdf
Help with any amp, pickup an amertran al-811h amp. When it arrived all 4 tubes are out of there sockets, and one has a broken top cap. Everything looks okay BUT. The man said he would replace all 4 tubes. Would you return the amp or install the new tubes.
It sounds like the packing was no good or the handling was very rough. If the tubes became unsocketed and moved around inside the amplifier and broke, chances are very good other things are damaged. I would not even attempt a repair by installing new tubes. My advice would be to return it. You might get into a mess if you start repairing an amplifier you just bought.
You’ve said that you don’t like making videos. But your darn good at it and at explaining the inner workings of these amps. Please keep making more videos Tom 💪
Sweet! Had no idea the 811 could do that with mods. You are going to get 2 of them from me to convert/ upgrade
Over 900 with only 1700 on plate is great day for any 3 572b"s
Even 811 tubes, which do not even have oxide on the filament like 572's do, can do well into 1000 range on peak emission tests at 1500-1700V. You don't want to run them at peak saturated emission, but that is an excellent test to root out poorly made or worn-out tubes. It is much better that looking at them at lower emission levels.
Tom you are the absolute master in these fields of study -- genuis would be an understatement! I wish i could be an apprentice of yours, even at the ripe age of 40 I'd rather be in field i am passionate about and never am sick of amd learn from the best there is to learn from! Thanks for doing these videos, theyre awesome i hope you do more in the future. Your website is my absolute go-to for cold hard facts on every subject you cover as its presented in a way to make the reader understand why the answer is what it is versus just the answer itself but not having an understanding of the principles that dictate it.
Appreciate it Tom! 73
Cory K9CDR
Hi Tom amny thanks for this video it has been very very useful please make more useful videos
how are you getting 150W out of a barefoot IC-746?
This is the same guy who strongly advises not to turn up radios for more output yet he's done that with his own rig.
I have an AL811 SN 19537 with the ten meter mod that will not key up. I bought this used a year ago and this is the first time I have hooked it up, so I don't know if it was working when I bought or if the 10-meter mod had something to do with it.
Thanks
KA5PAL
Tom, just picked up an 811. Can I just replace the 811 tubes that are in it with 3 572Bs? And will that provide more than 600 watts? Do I need to do any other upgrades ? I could not see a brand of fan on the back of my amp to see if it had a Cooltron fan and I didn’t see where it did.
I’ve seen some AL-811 with 572B swaps and grids directly connected to ground… does it make a good RF ground to the grids?
Well that is more PEP than the 600 of the 811 tubes
So I see you used a pulser. There's not a lot of pulser information on the web other than explanations of how it works and why we use it. Every article I have read either uses the CW input or has the pulser wired to the micrphone for SSB pulsing. No one has every used a simple two dollar app to create the same pulse audio and just use the microphone element as the conduit. Maybe others can chime in but I see no disadvantage to using this two dollar method instead of 50 plus dollars for a hardware pulser.
What brand/model fan do you recommend
When you say proper fan, what do you mean? I have an early 90's 811 with a 33cfm fan. I just put a set of 572b's in it, and can get 700w (rtty mode when tuning up) when I max out the grid current. So along that lines, in your video, you have the plate current at about 750ma, peaked on the meter. I haven't gone back on the tube specs, but you're not concerned with going into the red on Plate current?
Fan CFM free-air ratings are all over the place from the actual measured flow in the amplifier.
I don't know what fan you have, but any Ameritron 811 amplifier with the Cooltron fan (which seems to go back at least four years) will have woefully inadequate airflow, about 1/3 of the air necessary for 811 use. Even though the manufacturer claims near 25-35 CFM (depending on the data source) the Cooltron fans measure 8 CFM inside the amplifier. This is a major problem because temperature rise inside the amp will be 3 times what it should be at a given heat dissipation.
I'm not in the least concerned about anode current. The life threat to 811 tubes is short term average anode dissipation. Anode temperature is primarily the killer of tubes. The 572's have a much more robust anode, easily making a three-hole 811 with 572's far more reliable than an 811H with four 811 tubes.
@@Jerrythenerdful Thanks Tom. The fan that's in my 811 is an MG Electronics SF11580A, the sticker says 33CFM
@@PaulReedy 33CFM is the "supposed" free air CFM. That rating doesn't mean much. That is actually a Sunon 31cfm fan. It flows about 15 CFM in the 811 amp, which is marginally okay for SSB and CW with 811 tubes. The data sheet for your fan is here:
www.alliedelec.com/m/d/e7fa8e9dca7dd90ce204f7d91c175fed.pdf
Help with any amp, pickup an amertran al-811h amp. When it arrived all 4 tubes are out of there sockets, and one has a broken top cap. Everything looks okay BUT. The man said he would replace all 4 tubes. Would you return the amp or install the new tubes.
It sounds like the packing was no good or the handling was very rough.
If the tubes became unsocketed and moved around inside the amplifier and broke, chances are very good other things are damaged. I would not even attempt a repair by installing new tubes. My advice would be to return it. You might get into a mess if you start repairing an amplifier you just bought.