I had an out of warranty repair on an Acom 1000 amplifier done by John at Island Amplifier. The service (from initial phone call), through troubleshooting, to shipment back was beyond exceptional. To say it was first-rate, would be an understatement.
This amplifier is 160-6 meters and has a 4CX800 (GU74B Svetlana) single final tube. His feedback throughout the repair process from initial contact and diagnosis all the way through shipping it back was outstanding.
The amp was 2 years old and had a High-Voltage transformer fail. This is, unfortunately, a common failure point with some of the Acom amps, especially if used in digital modes without the add-on external cooling fan. John ordered the transformer from Bulgaria (Acom) and installed the external fan kit, while he had the amp apart (at my request)
The personal nature of the service John provided, and the evident technical expertise were both exceptional. The pricing, both parts and labor were more than fair.
The time to repair and return was very reasonable considering the availability of parts these days, and even the delay from Bulgaria was eased by the honest and effective communication throughout the wait.
A very comprehensive band by band performance summary was included with the return of the amp. It included all the important amp parameters such as Input (RF Drive), Plate Voltage, Screen Current, Plate Current, Output power , Antenna VSWR (Dummy Load), and many others. It is a wealth of performance data that I have never had on an RF amp before.
I highly recommend anyone needing amp repair use John (Island Amplifier). You will receiver excellent service, competent repair and fair pricing. There is no downside.
73, Hasan, N0AN
Island Amplifier KF6I Amp Repair - Great Service!
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As of Dec 9, 2013: ONLY BUYERS AND SELLERS directly involved with a transaction can post here. Do not post replies in any topic if you are not the buyer or seller in the transaction being discussed! If you believe you can help the buyer or seller, please use the Private Message system to communicate with them. NOTE: if you have been scammed by someone pretending to be a ham, please post in the Scammer Reports forum instead. See viewtopic.php?f=2&t=136 for additional rules.