Ameritron
| Ameritron | |
|---|---|
| Type | Brand of ITU Corporation (since 2026) |
| Early parent | Prime Instruments, Inc., of Cleveland, Ohio |
| Headquarters | Originally Ohio; later Starkville, Mississippi; production moving to Linton, Indiana |
| Former owner | MFJ Enterprises (by about 1990 until 2026) |
| Amateur radio | |
| Known for | HF linear amplifiers such as the AL-811H, AL-80B, AL-1500 and ALS-600; remote coax switches |
| Status | Acquired by ITU Corporation in June 2026; ITU aimed to begin full production in Linton, Indiana, by the end of 2026; as of October 2026 MFJ still listed remaining Ameritron stock, and ITU's own store had none |
Ameritron is an American brand of HF linear amplifiers and related station equipment. Started in Ohio, it became part of MFJ Enterprises and for decades its tube and solid-state amplifiers were built in Starkville, Mississippi, along with remote antenna switches, tuners and other accessories for high-power stations. Production stopped when MFJ ended manufacturing in 2024. In June 2026 ITU Corporation of Indiana announced that it had acquired the Ameritron brand, together with the Mirage amplifier brand, and that production would resume in Linton, Indiana.
History
Ameritron began in Ohio. Early manuals for its amplifiers, such as the AL-80A, identify the company as a division of Prime Instruments, Inc., of Cleveland.
Ameritron had become part of MFJ Enterprises by about 1990, and the AL-80B, which replaced the AL-80A, was introduced under MFJ ownership. The line grew to cover amplifiers from models using several small 811A tubes up to units designed for the US legal limit, and Ameritron products were made at MFJ's plant in Starkville until MFJ ended all on-site production on May 17, 2024.
On June 9, 2026, ITU Corporation, an engineering and manufacturing company based in Dugger, Indiana, announced that it had acquired the Ameritron and Mirage brands from MFJ. Earlier in 2026 ITU had bought MFJ's Hy-Gain and Cushcraft antenna lines, and it said it was consolidating manufacturing of all four brands at a 15-acre former National Guard armory in Linton, Indiana, with full production scheduled to begin by the end of 2026.
Amateur radio products
- Tube amplifiers: the AL-811 and AL-811H, which use three and four 811A tubes; the AL-572, with four 572B tubes; the AL-80B, with a single 3-500Z, and the AL-82, with two; the AL-800 and AL-800H, built around 3CX800A7 tubes; and the AL-1200 and AL-1500. The AL-1500 uses a single 3CX1500A7 (8877) ceramic tube.
- Solid-state amplifiers: the ALS-600, introduced in the late 1990s, which produces 600 watts PEP from four power FETs, needs no tuning and comes with a separate AC power supply.
- Antenna switching: the RCS-4 and RCS-8V remote coax switches, which select between several antennas from the shack over a single feed line.
- Amplifier accessories: the QSK-5 transmit-receive switch, which allows full break-in CW with a tube amplifier, and the ARB-704 interface, which protects a transceiver's keying circuit from an amplifier's relay voltage.
- Other station equipment: the ATR-30 high-power manual antenna tuner, the ADL-2500 dummy load and the AWM-30B wattmeter.
Mirage, the companion brand sold with Ameritron in 2026, made RF amplifiers under MFJ ownership.
In the hobby today
Ameritron amplifiers are common on the used market. ITU has described the amplifiers as FCC registered and approved, and in June 2026 it said it aimed to begin full production in Linton, Indiana, by the end of 2026. As of October 2026, ITU's online store listed no Ameritron products and its website said the move from Starkville to Linton was under way. The ameritron.com address still led to MFJ's website, which still listed remaining Ameritron stock, including factory seconds.