Tom

I have owned three amps in my time, all solid state.
The Yaesu FL7000 but can't recall much about it.

Yeasu Vl1000 also known as the Quadra.  This was in two units, the
amplifier, and power supply which was heavier than the amplifier unit.
These were in 19 inch format and heavy.  Although solid state, it was cooled
with long concentric fans.  Although there was no noise from the relays,
these fans were intrusive.
Having lost it in the fire, here, I had a re-think and decided to go down
the all Elecraft route although the amp wasn't then available, it was
planned.
Now I have the K3, KPA500 amplifier and KAT500 ATU.
When keying by any of the means which I use, the internal keyer of the K3,
external electronic keys (of various forms) and PC keying either through the
LPT port or Winkey, I literally hear no noise apart from the cooling fan
from time to time which is not intrusive.

73

David W Wood 
-----Original Message-----
From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Tom Behler
Sent: Sunday, February 23, 2014 3:17 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Amplifier Question

Hi, all.

 

Well, I'd now like to tap into the wisdom of the group on an issue I don't
know a whole lot about, so please bare with me.

 

As I think many of you know, I use an Ameritron AL811H tube-type amplifier
with my TS590 HF setup.  I also have an ARB704 buffer box in the circuit, to
protect the relay circuit in the TS590.

 

I'm actually very happy with the setup, although tuning the amp can be a bit
tricky at times, even with the TW1.

 

Anyway, the AL811H has a relay circuit that is rather noisy when keying and
unkeying.  This is apparent on SSB, and even more apparent on CW.  In fact,
the noisy relay circuit is one of the main reasons I don't like to use the
amp when in CW mode, due to the constant and rather annoying relay chatter.

 

My question is this:  Do solid-state amplifiers have relay circuits in them
that are as noisy, or do they tend to be quieter?

 

There is no way I have the money in my budget right now to purchase a solid
state amp, since I believe they can run into the thousands of dollars, but
I'm wondering if this might be something for me to think about in the long
term?

 

I'm looking forward to all of your observations and suggestions.

 

Tom Behler:  KB8TYJ