AMPLIFIERS/ TUBES OR TRANSISTORS?

[Sonar]

My questions are pertaining to base station amplifiers built for the amateur /ham radio hobby.
After 27 + years off air it has been quite a shock in so many aspects but it was the transistors used in amplifiers that seemed to be the biggest change. Are tubes antiquated and
If so why are they still employed in amplifiers?
Most builders of tube amps often advertise them as "The Most Modern Amp On The Market".
Taking into consideration they employee what many consider an Antiquated way to obtain rf amplification how could they be so advanced?
It's soon to be my turn to purchase my first amplifier that wasn't built by Palomar, d&a etc etc.
Is there any advantage to transistors over tubes or visa versa? Ps I'm not sure why but I find it difficult to refer to transistors as pills.

 

[n8fgb]

The difference between solid state and tube anymore is more personal preference. Tube amps will be a little more forgiving. YOU can buy an ALS1300 or an AL800 for about the same price. They will both do 1200 watts PEP. The tube will tune into a higher swr then the 1300. The 1300, though, to change bands you just turn the selector.
So the choice is convenience, or an amp that can be more forgiving.
Rich

 

[Sonar]

The difference between solid state and tube anymore is more personal preference. Tube amps will be a little more forgiving. YOU can buy an ALS1300 or an AL800 for about the same price. They will both do 1200 watts PEP. The tube will tune into a higher swr then the 1300. The 1300, though, to change bands you just turn the selector.
So the choice is convenience, or an amp that can be more forgiving.
Rich

That's something I must absolutely consider. I Have yet to put my antenna up to the proper height and until then don't know if I'll still have an SWR problem. Even if the SWR comes down to an acceptable level I don't know if it will ever be 1.1 : 1.
Your point makes it a no brainier for someone like myself who's never had good luck with swr readings.
This is why I ask these questions. Thanks . 73

 

[WMS]

Just stick to Personal Preference...
There will be as many Opinions as there will be Responders...

One can use an Antenna Tuner to FOOL any SWR Meter...

I know Guys that build RF Amplifiers that use Metal / Ceramic RF Tubes with Handles on them.... Can you hear me now ??? Good.... LOL...

I only have an Amp that uses a Pair of 3-500Z Tubes shown in my Avatar... ???
I'm not worthy...

All that Power is of little use if one does not have a Proper Antenna... Then there's Location, Location, Location... All that Power is of little use, if you can't hear the Person on the other end... MANY things to Consider....

 

[Sonar]

Just stick to Personal Preference...
There will be as many Opinions as there will be Responders...

One can use an Antenna Tuner to FOOL any SWR Meter...

I know Guys that build RF Amplifiers that use Metal / Ceramic RF Tubes with Handles on them.... Can you hear me now ??? Good.... LOL...

I only have an Amp that uses a Pair of 3-500Z Tubes shown in my Avatar... ???
I'm not worthy...

All that Power is of little use if one does not have a Proper Antenna... Then there's Location, Location, Location... All that Power is of little use, if you can't hear the Person on the other end... MANY things to Consider....

I have more amps than I care to admit to.
Unfortunately their all Cb amplifiers.
I purchased my ft 950 without taking into consideration my swr issue.
I will not be making an amplifier purchase until my antenna is as good as it could be (swr wise).
I own six tube amplifiers and two straight 4 x 1446.
None worthy of an ft 950.
Not that the 950 is a top of the line hf but I will not use it to drive the only amp I own that can be driven by it.
That would be the Palomar 300 a.
It just doesn't seem right.
Even if I've no license and will be using the ft 950 as a cb radio.
I will be using an amp worthy of such a nice Cb.
After all that's what it is to me.
I've been down the ticket thing before but after listening to some 10 and 40 meter qso's on my dx 300 I've decided to be happy working 11 meters.
I enjoy it immensely and m looking forward to doing it with what is the best transceiver I've ever used/owned.
You've made some excellent points. I'm still curious all the advantages or disadvantages between tubes and transistors as far as amplifiers go.
Thanks. 73

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

I've been down the ticket thing before but after listening to some 10 and 40 meter qso's on my dx 300 I've decided to be happy working 11 meters.

Oh so you are another one of "those" are you? You know the kind I mean. The ones that hear a few QSO's they don't like and then paint everyone with the same brush instead of listening to EVERYTHING. Sure 40m has it's shit-fest and there are a few bad apples out there but they are the minority by far. You REALLY wouldn't want to hear my take on 11m based on what I hear on the band.

 

[Sonar]

Oh so you are another one of "those" are you? You know the kind I mean. The ones that hear a few QSO's they don't like and then paint everyone with the same brush instead of listening to EVERYTHING. Sure 40m has it's shit-fest and there are a few bad apples out there but they are the minority by far. You REALLY wouldn't want to hear my take on 11m based on what I hear on the band.

No! My take on the qso's heard on 10 and 40 weren't bad or negative in any way and I didn't say they were.
On the contrary I enjoyed most of what I heard .
It sounded very much like what I hear on 36-40 LSB and maybe more so on the "freehand " where I actually prefer to do my dx'ing.
I actually enjoy rag chewing above channel 40 also.
The qso's I heard on the amateur radio bands were little different from the one's I hear on Cb and above.
I just don't see a license bettering my experience.
I did hear somethings on 40 and 10 that surprised me a bit.
It was probably because of a preconceived notion i had of ham radio.
The ft 950 I purchased is the first amateur radio I've ever owned and who knows maybe with time my thoughts about getting a ticket might change.
It also doesn't help to hear so many ticket holders operating from 27.365-just below the Ten meter band.
I also noticed lots of newly ticketed locals never seem to budge fro 38 LSB.
With all that said I guess I don't feel like I'm missing much.
That could change but for now I'm content. 73

 

[n8fgb]

Oh so you are another one of "those" are you? You know the kind I mean. The ones that hear a few QSO's they don't like and then paint everyone with the same brush instead of listening to EVERYTHING. Sure 40m has it's shit-fest and there are a few bad apples out there but they are the minority by far. You REALLY wouldn't want to hear my take on 11m based on what I hear on the band.

You will find a lot more good ops on ham radio than cb.To give a example, I worked an op at his deer camp in Texas, we talked deer hunting in Michigan and Texas for about 30 minutes. And I now have an open invitation to hunt hog in Texas. A CB'er is just happy top hear his "number".
Rich

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

You will find a lot more good ops on ham radio than cb.To give a example, I worked an op at his deer camp in Texas, we talked deer hunting in Michigan and Texas for about 30 minutes. And I now have an open invitation to hunt hog in Texas. A CB'er is just happy top hear his "number".
Rich

If that was directed at me you are preaching to the choir on that one. LOL

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

No! My take on the qso's heard on 10 and 40 weren't bad or negative in any way and I didn't say they were.
On the contrary I enjoyed most of what I heard .
It sounded very much like what I hear on 36-40 LSB and maybe more so on the "freehand " where I actually prefer to do my dx'ing.
I actually enjoy rag chewing above channel 40 also.
The qso's I heard on the amateur radio bands were little different from the one's I hear on Cb and above.
I just don't see a license bettering my experience.
I did hear somethings on 40 and 10 that surprised me a bit.
It was probably because of a preconceived notion i had of ham radio.
The ft 950 I purchased is the first amateur radio I've ever owned and who knows maybe with time my thoughts about getting a ticket might change.
It also doesn't help to hear so many ticket holders operating from 27.365-just below the Ten meter band.
I also noticed lots of newly ticketed locals never seem to budge fro 38 LSB.
With all that said I guess I don't feel like I'm missing much.
That could change but for now I'm content. 73

Well I apologise if I was wrong but youy sure made it look that way. Again I will say that obviously you have missed A LOT if you based your decision on some QSO's you heard on 10 and 40m. 20m alone has SO MUCH MORE to offer than 11m does in siomple DX alone. If ragchews is your thing 18 and 160m offer a lot of that regionally. If you want other things out of amateur radio try EME (Earth-Moon-Earth) where you literally bounce your signal off the moon or try meteor scatter where you bounce your signal off ionized meteor trails or try some digital modes or...or...or....

 

[fourstringburn]

Is there any advantage to transistors over tubes or visa versa? Ps I'm not sure why but I find it difficult to refer to transistors as pill

Sound wise, not really. I will challenge anyone to a blindfold test because CB or Ham is not HI-FI audio where the sheen from tube amps is only marginally noticeable. Guitar players in the music world make the same arguments.

What N8fgb said about is correct about tube amps being more forgiving is correct. Tubes can handle higher SWR levels and harmonic distortion levels that would pop SS transistors.

Solid state amps are nice for instant and even auto-band switching on some models. Plus they are light weight and usually more compact than tube amps. Tube amps are heavy and require tuning and loading with band changes and even in-band frequency changes.

Tube amps are more efficient when talking cost per watt since base units can plug into a 120V wall socket (up to 1000 watts on most models) and a SS amp will need a large power supply. However, a tube amp in standby is still running up your electric bill while a SS amp only uses a fraction of it's draw current.

Tube amps are generally easily user serviceable and even up-gradable tube wise whereas SS aren't as so.

Those are the points I have considered when choosing an amplifier. I went with the SS for both mobile (obvious choice here) and base unit. Now that I have my base station accessible via remote thru the internet, I'm glad I'm using an auto-band switching SS amp since both my radio, auto-tuner, and amplifier can be controlled remotely and operate on all bands using my laptop anywhere I have an Internet connection!

 

[Sonar]

You will find a lot more good ops on ham radio than cb.To give a example, I worked an op at his deer camp in Texas, we talked deer hunting in Michigan and Texas for about 30 minutes. And I now have an open invitation to hunt hog in Texas. A CB'er is just happy top hear his "number".
Rich

I don't think that's true at all.
I think it's easy to tell who's just looking for a contact or a rag chew session no matter where one's operating.
Sometimes I'm just looking for the quick contact and other times for a QSO particular to vehicle parking in Oslo. And have actually had that very QSO.
I have had excellent qso's with operator's from Japan to Turkey and have kept in touch with some of those people via email throughout the dead time in the solar cycle. Jon in Armagh Ireland, Frank in s Africa Abdul on the east coast of Turkey just to mention a few.
I've also made friends with stations in the states that will occasionally drop a line during the dry conditions. I really enjoy 11 meters and the "freehand".
I try my best to stay away from the pitfalls of channels that certain operator's seem to gravitate to.
I'm not saying they scare me away but if their 59 I just qsy. It definitely works for me.

 

[n8fgb]

If that was directed at me you are preaching to the choir on that one. LOL

no, not toward you

 

[Sonar]

Sound wise, not really. I will challenge anyone to a blindfold test because CB or Ham is not HI-FI audio where the sheen from tube amps is only marginally noticeable. Guitar players in the music world make the same arguments.

What N8fgb said about is correct about tube amps being more forgiving is correct. Tubes can handle higher SWR levels and harmonic distortion levels that would pop SS transistors.

Solid state amps are nice for instant and even auto-band switching on some models. Plus they are light weight and usually more compact than tube amps. Tube amps are heavy and require tuning and loading with band changes and even in-band frequency changes.

Tube amps are more efficient when talking cost per watt since base units can plug into a 120V wall socket (up to 1000 watts on most models) and a SS amp will need a large power supply. However, a tube amp in standby is still running up your electric bill while a SS amp only uses a fraction of it's draw current.

Tube amps are generally easily user serviceable and even up-gradable tube wise whereas SS aren't as so.

Those are the points I have considered when choosing an amplifier. I went with the SS for both mobile (obvious choice here) and base unit. Now that I have my base station accessible via remote thru the internet, I'm glad I'm using an auto-band switching SS amp since both my radio, auto-tuner, and amplifier can be controlled remotely and operate on all bands using my laptop anywhere I have an Internet connection!

That's what I was hoping to hear. Very excellent points.
My choice will most likely be one of the Ameritron amps.
Most likely the one with the 811's. 600 watts will be sufficient.
I need to get my antenna situation straight first.
I'm hoping I won't be asking why my swr is high with the imax above the roof but damn if I do.
Thanks.73

 

[vkrules]

Have you operated during a solar minimum !
This time next year, and for quite a few years ,you wont be talking on CB except for a few passing truckers.
Good time to consider going "Ham" or packing the gear Away.

For me the choice between tube or transistor amp would be how I'm going to use it . For mobile it would be transistor and for at home tube ,just because of the voltage requirements