Alpha Power 99 User manual

Operating Manual
Alpha 99
Power Amplifier
MODEL
99

Manual Alpha 99 Rev 1.doc
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ALPHA POWER PRODUCTS
ALPHA 99
Operating Manual
Warnings posted in this manual should be read and thoroughly understood by users.
Failure to perform procedures properly may result in amplifier damage, fire hazard, or
electric shock.
©Radio Alpha Products Inc.
6185 Arapahoe Road • Boulder, CO 80303
Phone [phone] • Fax [phone]
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DISCLAIMER
Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Information provided by Radio Alpha
Products Inc.® is believed to be correct and reliable. However, no responsibility is assumed by Radio Alpha
Products Inc., unless otherwise expressly taken. Companies, names, and data used as examples are fictitious,
unless otherwise noted.
No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic,
or mechanical, for any purpose without the express permission of Radio Alpha Products, Inc. Radio Alpha
Products, Inc. may have patents or pending patents, trademarks copyrights, or other property rights covering
the subject matter in this document. The furnishing of this document does not give you license to these
patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property, except as expressly written in any license
agreement form.
Radio Alpha Products Inc.
6185 Arapahoe Road
Boulder, CO 80303-1401 USA
Read this entire manual and all other publications pertaining to the work to be performed before you install,
operate, or maintain this equipment. Practice all product safety instructions and precautions. Radio Alpha
Products, Inc. provides information on its products and associated hazards, but it assumes no responsibility for
the after-sale operation of the equipment or the safety practices of the Owner or User. See Warranty and
Notices Appendix.
©Copyright 2002 by Radio Alpha Products Inc.
All rights reserved.
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Manual Alpha 99 Rev 1.doc
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Table of Contents
Introduction 7
General Description of the ALPHA 99 Amplifier 7
Equipment Shipped 7
Safety: Installation and Operation 7
Specifications, ALPHA 99 9
Before Installing Your Alpha 99 11
AC power Source 12
Antenna 12
Coax and Connectors 13
Air Flow 13
RF Safety 13
Before Operating Your Alpha 99 14
Figure 1 - Top View 15
Carefully unpack amplifier and transformer. 17
AC Primary Connections & Amplifier Grounding. 17
Install the transformer. 17
AC Primary Connections & Amplifier Grounding 18
Power Cord Connections 19
RF Grounding 20
Replacing the Amplifier Cover 20
Internal Blower/Auxiliary Fan 20
Amplifier/Station Interconnections 22
Coaxial Cable Types & Connectors 22
T/R Control Cable 22
ALC 22
Figure 5 - Alpha 99 Rear panel 23
Control Functions 24
Turning on the amplifier: 26
Table 1 – Preliminary Tuneup Settings 28
Tubes 30
Interlocks 30

Manual Alpha 99 Rev 1.doc
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Fuses 31
Plate Overcurrent Relay 31
Idling Plate Current And Electronic Bias Control (Ebs) 31
RF & Mistuning Protection 31
Preventive Maintenance 33
Figure 6 – Simplified Chassis Schematic 38
Figure 7- Display Board ABX-X400 39
Figure 8 – Control Board ABX-X401 40
Figure 9 – Control Board ABX-X401 41
Figure 10 – T/R Status Board, Multimeter Switch and Switch Matrix Board 42
Figure 11 – Power Supply Board 43
Figure 12 – HV Filter and Screen Supply Board 44
Figure 13 – T/R Status Board and Multimeter Switch 45
Figure 14 – Output Wattmeter Board 46
Figure 15 – Center Partition Board 47
Figure 16 – Tube Deck BCX-X413 48
Figure 17 – Wiring Harness 49
ALPHA PRODUCTS WARRANTY 50

Sectio
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IMPORTANT!
Critical precaution during installation of your Alpha 99:
While the cover is removed to install the power transformer, make
sure that the tubes are properly installed as described in Section 2.
Failure to do this may cause severe damage or destruction of both
tubes. Such damage is not covered under warranty.
Introduction
General Description of the ALPHA 99 Amplifier
The ALPHA 99 is a self-contained HF Linear power amplifier capable of continuous
operation at 1500 watts peak power output on SSB, keyed CW, SSTV, RTTY, digital
modes or FM, with no time limit. If periods of “continuous-key-down” carrier
operation will exceed 5 minutes, or if the amplifier is to be operated from 50 Hz AC
source, the optional auxiliary cooling fan available from Radio Alpha Products must be
installed to avoid possible damage not covered by the warranty.
Owner Assistance
Assistance is available from Alpha Power Customer Support at 303.473.9232 x.. 141,
or by fax at 303.473.9660, or by email at alpha-service@Radio Alpha Productsinc.com.
Equipment Shipped
The Alpha 99 amplifier ships in two cardboard cartons. One carton holds the power
transformer and weighs 43 pounds; the second carton contains the amplifier and
weighs 38 pounds.
Safety: Installation and Operation
The Alpha 99 amplifier is designed to meet international safety standards and FCC
regulations. However, one should always remember that the equipment works with
high voltages that are LETHAL!
Manual Alpha 99 Rev 1.doc
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This operating manual holds information, cautions and warnings that must be followed
to ensure safe installation and operation. Read Section 1 before attempting to unpack
or operate the amplifier.
Warnings: What Not to Do
 Never open the amplifier case without unplugging the unit from
the wall outlet.
 Never stick objects into holes in the case.
 Never touch an antenna during transmission.
 Never attempt to turn on the amplifier without the cover in place.
 Never turn the amplifier back on after a hard fault without waiting
at least 20 seconds.
 Always resist the temptation to immediately hit the ON button
after the amplifier faults to power off.
Warnings posted in this manual should be read and thoroughly
understood by users. Failure to perform procedures properly may
result in amplifier damage, fire hazard, or electric shock.
Radio Alpha Products Inc. ® Alpha 99
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Specifications,ALPHA99
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.
Power Output: 1500 watts peak all modes, including
SSB, CW and continuous or modulated
carrier. Carrier operation (e.g., A0,
RTTY or FM) for more than 5 minutes
at or near maximum rated power
requires use of the auxiliary cooling fan
accessory.)
Drive Power: 50 to 60 watts nominal for rated output.
Power Gain: Nominally 14 dB, a power increase of 25
times.
Input Impedance: 50 ohms nominal, unbalanced; VSWR
<1.5:1.
Output Impedance: 50 ohms unbalanced.
Maximum Load VSWR: 2:1 at full rated power output.
VSWR Trip: Automatic standby when reflected
power >250 watts.
Intermodulation Distortion: 30 dB below rated output.
Harmonic Output: <-60 dBc.
Tubes: Two Svetlana 4CX800 ceramic-metal
tetrodes.
Cooling: Full-cabinet, ducted forced air using
cushion-mounted centrifugal blower.
Automatic Level Control (ALC): Negative from 0, adjustable.
Primary Power: 190-250 or 90-130 VAC nominal, 50-60
Hz, fused at 20 amperes.
Power Transformer: 3+ kVA with strip-wound Hipersil core.
Radio Alpha Products Inc. ® Alpha 99
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