I run my 950 with a foot switch.  In CW, the break-in or QSK will key the 
transmitter also, but I can always put my foot down during a CW transmission 
to hold the relaysin.  This has its disadvantages.  I don't know whether I 
have non-24 or not, but last Sunday afternoon, while running stations on 20 
CW during the ARRL contest, I probably left my foot on the switch too long 
sometimes and could have missed people calling me.  At one point I came to 
my senses and discovered that a Swiss station had taken over my frequency, 
since I hadn't called CQ there for 10 minutes or so, having nodded off.  A 
perfect example of "if you snooze, you lose."  Anyway, I try to avoid making 
the amplifier's relay chatter any more than necessary.  It is old, and I 
don't know how many cycles it has left in it.
73,


Lloyd Rasmussen, W3IUU, Kensington, MD
http://lras.home.sprynet.com
-----Original Message----- 
From: Tom Behler
Sent: Sunday, February 23, 2014 10:16 AM
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