[Drake] L4B opinion

[R.J.Keller]

OK, I admit it, I don't know much about linears except how they work.
There's the Drake, the Heath and the Collins, the 3 most popular of
the classic amp's. In my 32+ years of Amateur Radio, I have never
owned or operated a linear.

How does the L4B compare to the SB220? Of course the Collins in a
separate breed, the 30L1 using 811A's with lower power and the 30S1
being the high power cream of the crop. The SB200 and the 30L1 I
believe are similar only in the fact they are 1KW amps. I know the
811A's are cheaper than the 572B's but I know nothing about
performance.

I am also interested in the power requirements. I don't have 220V in
the shack or nearby. That is an important limitation if any of the
amps perform better with the higher supply voltage and lower current
draw.

My personal favorite at first glance is the L4B due to it's very
rugged design.

Any opinions, insight and technical comments are most welcome.

73, Dick KF4NS
Keep the glow!