Ameritron AL-1500 8877 3cx1500a7 linear amplifier walkthru and keydown on the bench

Описание: For Educational, Scientific, Research, and Entertainment purposes. All tests were done on a dummy load.
Picked this up at a local swap a few days ago. Didn't want to leave this one laying around, plus I wanted to see what I got myself into. This is the Ameritron AL-1500 amplifier using a single 8877 (3cx1500a7) tube. Basically, Ameritron was formed when Dentron went under, then MFJ acquired Ameritron. In 2024, MFJ went under so the legacy has ended.
The AL-1500 was the King of the Ameritron line, with the AL-1200 using the 3cx1200 tube not too far behind. In 3rd, came the Ameritron AL-82. They also made other amps, including the AL811, AL572, AL-800, AL-80 and some transistor amps too. One tidbit with the AL-1500, AL-1200, and AL82, they all share the same chassis and power supply. They basically swap out the tube deck. I guess that saves them a few bananas.
The HV transformer is rated at 1800 watts continuous and 2500 watts ICAS. It is well built with good components throughout. From the manual, it can do 1500 watts out carrier (dead key) for 30 minutes, 2500 watts out carrier for 30 seconds, 2500 watts peak for 30 minutes, and 2500+ peak watts out for 30 seconds. If pushed hard, it could do 3k out peak, but not for long. I aways say the max smoke an amp can put out is 2x the plate dissipation and the plate dissipation of an 8877 is 1500 watts.
One thing I missed in the walk-thru is it has a grid current overcurrent trip protection. If the grid current is too high, the protection circuit will trip and the amp will shut down. To reset, simply switch to standby and then back to operate. It has all the normal protection circuits too. 3 minutes forced tube warmup with filament voltage only, soft start / slow start, glitch protection, and fuses.
It is a nice well-built legal limit + amplifier and if ran right, can last a lifetime. 8877 tubes are not cheap, but they can be found. I see no fault in this one, but I am still partial to the QRO-2500.