Adding the Ameritron AL-80B to the shack

The Ameritron AL-80B on the left, and my SB-221 HF amplifier on the right.

Note: Thanks for some even more recent additions to the radio room, these amplifiers are currently for sale (as of October 30, 2018)

The prime contest seasons are behind us and ahead of us, so we’re in what I like to consider the summer doldrums. I have enjoyed a couple of weeks of downtime following the big WPX CW contest at the end of May.

Since then, I’ve been in station-building mode. Nothing major, I guess, but it sure has been an interesting couple of weeks as I have been addressing the shortage of HF amplifiers.

In addition to a fantastic Heathkit SB-221 amplifier, I have now added an Ameritron AL-80BX amplifier. This does 160M, which the SB-221 doesn’t do.

I like the that the AL-80B is still manufactured and sold in stores – which means parts and advice should be readily available if ever needed.