I've been test driving my new Alpha 87A for the past week. Dick is right:
once you try it, you'll wonder how you got along without it. It's damn-near
a miracle to see the amp switch from 160 to 10-meters in less than a couple
seconds, find the right segment match and allow you to keep sending without
missing a beat.
I own two other Alphas: the 77Dx and PA-70V vapor-cooled amp. Although the
87A is radically different from these brute-force amps, the 87A fits right
in with ETO's two flagships.
Having only had the amp for less than week, I cannot comment on long-term
reliability However, after a cursory review of the mechanical and
electrical construction technique, this amp should be reliable for an awful
long time. This is my first multi-tube/electrolytic cap amp and generally,
I stay away from them. However, this amp is the only amp that will allow
me to operate remote control with my Kachina 505DSP and was purchased in
preparation of my newly deployed "superstation" on the Atlantic Ocean,
featuring a 190-foot tower, Force12 C51XR on a 51-foot boom, and a K8UR
switched four square array on 160-meters. (Are hurricane straps an option
on the 87A?)
I anticipate a completion date of June 1 for the entire remote operation and
I'll be looking for signal reports upon completion. I am particularly
interested in 160-meter test results running full power.
Two observations: 1) the amp cabinet seems to resonate with a slight buzz
when keying (is this normal?), and 2) I sure wish the power cord was
detachable using their previous method of using high-current Cinch-Jones
plugs!
Anyway, I'm sure many of you already know the virtues of this amp. It only
took me ten years to discover it.
73,
-Paul, W9AC
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