Well, it finally happened!! I made the huge absent-minded mistake!! Luckily, NO issues! Here's the story. Was talking skip yesterday using my Stryker 955 with the upgraded finals, and my Texas Star DX-500V . I scanned the band a little after dropping down from 27.425 and ended up listening to Jerkwad Sherman on 19 for a bit. Yes, flipped it over to AM so I could hear the guys reaming on him. Well, without thinking, I struck up a conversation with one of the guys, and spoke for about 10 to 15 minutes with him before my heart climbed into my throat. YES!! I had forgotten to drop my power or turn my amp off. Back and forth, for a 10 or 15 minute period, I was slamming that 500v with an 11 watt carrier and full swing of about 80 to 90 pep. I immediately lifted the key, felt the sides of the amp, and twisted the know to LSB on the radio. Moved to another channel and checked out the amp for possible issues. NONE. All works as intended and the case remained cool. Crisis averted!! What I can't figure out is how the magic smoke stayed inside. I can safely say that I will never do this again!