Alpha Power 99 Specifications

Operating Manual Alpha 99 Power AmplifierMODEL 99

Specifications, ALPHA 99 Frequency Coverage: All amateur bands 1.8-29.7 MHz* plus most non-amateur frequencies 6.0-19.0 MHz and 20.0-30.0 MHz. Powe

Protective Functions: Grid and screen current limiting; trip to standby (automatic reset) for excessive VSWR or average plate current, RF arc, severe

WARNING –READ THE MANUAL CAREFULLY BEFORE INSTALLING YOUR ALPHA 99. The ALPHA 99 is extremely easy to install, but failure to carry out each procedur

Station Engineering Considerations The 99 is capable of dramatically improving the performance of your amateur station. It is important that you obse

Coax and Connectors The importance of a well constructed feedline system cannot be overstated. After all, the purpose of the amplifier is to provide

WARNING –READ THE MANUAL CAREFULLY BEFORE OPERATING YOUR ALPHA 99. The ALPHA 99 is extremely easy to operate, but failure to carry out each procedure

good lightning arrestor, and it’s good practice to disconnect and ground antenna feedlines, and to disconnect AC power, when the equipment is not in

Section 2 Overview of Amplifier Capabilities It is extremely important to thoroughly review the Installation and Operation sections of this manual b

Section 3 Unpack and Prepare for Operation (Refer to Figures. 1-5, pages 13, 19, 21) Carefully unpack amplifier and transformer. Inspect both for p

Radio Alpha Products Inc. ® Alpha 99 18 an absolutely essential part of the cooling system. Make sure the chimneys are straight and fully

Manual Alpha 99 Rev 1.doc i

Radio Alpha Products Inc. ® Alpha 99 19 NOTE: Do not operate amplifier without the cover in place and all cover screws installed. Do not

Radio Alpha Products Inc. ® Alpha 99 20 If the same circuit also supplies a transceiver drawing peak line current of 5A and a lamp drawin

Radio Alpha Products Inc. ® Alpha 99 21 Figures 2 - 4 - Transformer Installation

Section 4 Amplifier/Station Interconnections See figure 5 Coaxial Cable Types & Connectors Connect the transceiver RF output to the ALPHA 99 RF I

99 ALC potentiometer may be set accordingly. While driving the amplifier, adjust the ALC pot to limit maximum transceiver output as desired. We rec

Section 5 Initial Set-up and Tuning Control Functions (See front cover photo) BAND Use to select amateur band desired (in MHz). TUNE Sets out

Radio Alpha Products Inc. ® Alpha 99 25 POWER: overdrive and flattopping. A switch-selected bargraph monitors three additional functio

Radio Alpha Products Inc. ® Alpha 99 26 other amplifiers. ALC The 99 grid current limiting circuits provide substantial tube protection

Radio Alpha Products Inc. ® Alpha 99 27

Radio Alpha Products Inc. ® Alpha 99 28 1. Tuning Up for Operation at 1,500 Watts RF Output Preset BAND, TUNE, and LOAD controls to the

ALPHA POWER PRODUCTS ALPHA 99 Operating Manual Warnings posted in this manual should be read and thoroughly understood by users. Failure to

Radio Alpha Products Inc. ® Alpha 99 29 7. Adjust LOAD control to place the illuminated TUNE LED at the “V” mark on the TUNE scale. 8.

Use and Maintenance Tubes The 4CX800A/GU74b tubes used in the ALPHA 99 are very rugged and normally operate with a large margin of safety. They sh

Manual Alpha 99 Rev 1.doc 31Cover interlocks are intended only as back-up protection against accidents. Never depend on them! Always disconnect

Manual Alpha 99 Rev 1.doc 32

Radio Alpha Products Inc. ® Alpha 99 33 Preventive Maintenance The amplifier interior, particularly high voltage areas, should be cleane

Section 7 Troubleshooting Hints *NOTE: FCC rules do not permit new amateur amplifiers to be operable on 24-30 MHz as delivered within the US and poss

Radio Alpha Products Inc. ® Alpha 99 35 1) Low voltage power supply problem. 2) Defect or damage on control board. Amplifier turns o

Radio Alpha Products Inc. ® Alpha 99 36 Amplifier transmits but red GRID LED often lights. 1) Amplifier overdriven or underloaded; red

Radio Alpha Products Inc. ® Alpha 99 37 microphone or key cable, or other unshielded station patch cables. 4) Poor station RF ground.

Radio Alpha Products Inc. ® Alpha 99 38 Figure 6 – Simplified Chassis Schematic

DISCLAIMER Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Information provided by Radio Alpha Products Inc.® is

Radio Alpha Products Inc. ® Alpha 99 39 Figure 7- Display Board ABX-X400

Radio Alpha Products Inc. ® Alpha 99 40 Figure 8 – Control Board ABX-X401

Radio Alpha Products Inc. ® Alpha 99 41 Figure 9 – Control Board ABX-X401 Page 2 of 2

Radio Alpha Products Inc. ® Alpha 99 42 Figure 10 – T/R Status Board, Multimeter Switch and Switch Matrix Board

Radio Alpha Products Inc. ® Alpha 99 43 Figure 11 – Power Supply Board

Radio Alpha Products Inc. ® Alpha 99 44 Figure 12 – HV Filter and Screen Supply Board

Radio Alpha Products Inc. ® Alpha 99 45 Figure 13 – T/R Status Board and Multimeter Switch

Radio Alpha Products Inc. ® Alpha 99 46 Figure 14 – Output Wattmeter Board

Radio Alpha Products Inc. ® Alpha 99 47 Figure 15 – Center Partition Board

Radio Alpha Products Inc. ® Alpha 99 48 Figure 16 – Tube Deck BCX-X413

iv

Radio Alpha Products Inc. ® Alpha 99 49 Figure 17 – Wiring Harness

Radio Alpha Products Inc. ® Alpha 99 50 ALPHA PRODUCTS WARRANTY RADIO ALPHA PRODUCTS, INC WARRANTS AS FOLLOWS EACH NEW ALPHA/POWER AMATEU

Radio Alpha Products Inc. ® Alpha 99 51 UNDER PROVISIONS OF THE FEDERAL MAGNUSON-MOSS WARRANTY ACT, THIS WARRANTY POLICY IS CLASSIFIED A

Manual Alpha 99 Rev 1.doc 52

Manual Alpha 99 Rev 1.doc 5Table of Contents Introduction 7 General Description of the ALPHA 99 Amplifier 7 Equipment Shipped 7 Safety: Installa

Manual Alpha 99 Rev 1.doc 6Fuses 31 Plate Overcurrent Relay 31 Idling Plate Current And Electronic Bias Control (Ebs) 31 RF & Mistuning Prote

Section 1 IMPORTANT! Critical precaution during installation of your Alpha 99: While the cover is removed to install the power transformer, make s

This operating manual holds information, cautions and warnings that must be followed to ensure safe installation and operation. Read Section 1 before