I don't know if you can really eliminate operator error just yet. Since you just started nine months ago, I would take the sax into a shop that has a professional player on staff and ask them to play test the horn to see if they have the same result. If they have the same tuning issues then that would be the ultimate proof that its the sax and not the operator. Even better would be to get a lesson from a professional and have them play test your horn in the lesson with a tuner. At nine months in, you really should see someone to make sure you're not setting in any bad habbits (maybe something not even related to the tuning issue). No offense meant by that, but I can tell you from teaching experience that bad habbits just get more and more difficult to break the longer you do them. If it is something with your embouchure, a good teacher will be able to help you fix it. Best of Luck!!

Cheers,
     Mark Overton
     www.saxquest.com