Hi Fred,

Personally, I had a bad experience with the 811H.  I bought one brand new
and had it in the shack for about three months.  One night, while in QSO on
20 meters, it gave a loud bang and quit working.  When I called ameritron to
discuss possible causes of the problem, they were telling me things to check
out visually.  When I told them I was totally blind, the tech's immediate
reaction was that I had most likely over driven the amp because I could not
read the meter and thus they would probably not cover it due to my misuse.
Rather than paying for shipping across the country only to have the warranty
claim rejected, I sold it at a huge loss to a local him and bought a
different amplifier from another local ham.

Now, for the recommendation.  Despite their lousy treatment I now have and
would highly recommend the Ameritron ALS-600 solid state amplifier.  The
difference you would see in output power between the two is insignificant
and the solid state is so easy to use.  You just change the band knob on the
front and that's it.  If SWR, drive power or any of those parameters get out
of whack, it simply shuts down.  I've looked at other solid state units such
as the Tokyo High Power and the Finnfet units in Europe but none of them are
really in my price range.  You can easily find an ALS-600 used for around
$800.

Good luck and very 73.


Kevin :)
Amateur Radio:  K7RX
Navy Marine Corps MARS:  NNN0SHS




-----Original Message-----
From: Blind-Hams For blind ham radio operators
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of w4hc
Sent: Saturday, December 11, 2004 04:48
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Ameritron 811-H amplifier

I would like to hear some thoughts on the Ameritron 811-H amplifier,
especially from those that have used the 811. I would also like to hear from
those like myself, that have not used the 811 but have suggestions.  I tried
the Ameritron AL80-B but I had to many problems with it. I also tried the AL
1200 but it was just to big and took up to much space. I have an Amp Supply
LK-500 no tune now but it is starting to give me problems so I am looking at
the Ameritron 811-H. I usually look around for several months before I make
a move so I am just looking now. I know that some of you guys have a lot of
good info on amplifiers. If you have any suggestions on any other amp I
would be interested in hearing.

Best Wishes,


FRED ADAMS W4HC
FIGHT TRUTH DECAY