Re: [Elecraft] KXPA Power Output
Re: "WRU nailed it. I missed it in the original posting. You're losing 1.7 volts in 8ft of that "#14 wire"." That's why Walter is known as "wunder"! <> I missed it, too :-( Mark ars: KE6BB Original message From: Kevin Stover <kevin.sto...@mediacombb.net> Date: 04/17/2016 4:18 PM (GMT-08:00) To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] KXPA Power Output WRU nailed it. I missed it in the original posting. You're losing 1.7 volts in 8ft of that "#14 wire". That's about as bad as it gets. Why didn't you use the power cable supplied with the amp? I believe it's #12. What kind of power supply is running the amp? It has to be 25 amps peak *minimum*, I'd say continuous. What else is being run on the same power supply? On 4/17/2016 4:19 PM, Walter Underwood wrote: >> On Apr 17, 2016, at 11:44 AM, Art Nienhouse <ka9...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> My rest voltage is 14.1 the key down voltage is 12.4 […]. the 14 gauge zip >> power cable is what comes with a 100watt Icom the length is 4 foot there is >> no loss here that I can see to cause this low power output. > And there is your problem. The KXPA100 specs say "100 watts at 13.8 V”. It > won’t produce 100W at 12.4V. > > A 1.7V drop under load is very large. The power supply and wiring cannot > supply the required current without dropping the voltage. > > Eight feet of 14 gauge wire will have 0.9V drop at 24A. The electricity has > to travel over both conductors of the 4 foot wire, which is why we use 8 feet. > > It looks like you have some additional problems beside the small power supply > cable. Maybe there is resistance in the connectors (poor crimp? not seated?). > Maybe the power supply won’t reliably supply 25A. Maybe the line voltage or > house wiring has an issue. > > I would recommend at least 10 gauge wire and keeping the cables short. > PowerWerx offers some useful pre-built cables at good prices. > > https://powerwerx.com/adapter-extension-cables > > wunder > K6WRU > Walter Underwood > CM87wj > http://observer.wunderwood.org/ (my blog) -- R. Kevin Stover AC0H ARRL FISTS #11993 SKCC #215 NAQCC #3441 --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to rv6am...@yahoo.com __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] KXPA Power Output
Sure. If I were buying a supply today I'd get a 35A. But the 20A was in hand and so I used it and I was just sharing my experience with it. 73 Ron AC7AC -Original Message- From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Kevin Stover Sent: Sunday, April 17, 2016 5:08 PM To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] KXPA Power Output I see your points. I'm just a little more conservative (paranoid) than others. I like a little headroom. I've got a pair of RS-35M's that are 24 and 20 years old. I can't kill em. On 4/17/2016 6:47 PM, Ron D'Eau Claire wrote: > A quality 20A peak supply is fine. For over a decade I've run a K3 and then a K3S and, when those aren't on a KX3/KXPA100 off of an Astron 20 without an issue as long as the finals see a decent SWR (current demand skyrockets as the SWR goes up). At low SWR's none of the rigs exceeds 18 to 19 amps, max. > > The 20 means 20A peak current - ICS rated (5 min on 5 min off). That Astron is rated at 16A continuous but Amateur stuff is almost never "continuous". > > Consider that 20A at 13.8VDC is 276 watts. As long as the rig is not way below 40% overall efficiency there will be no problem. > > That's using a quality linear supply. I'm not so casual about a switcher or a cheaper supply. > > I use the Elecraft supplied power cables on everything. > > 73, Ron AC7AC > > -Original Message- > From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of > Kevin Stover > Sent: Sunday, April 17, 2016 4:19 PM > To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net > Subject: Re: [Elecraft] KXPA Power Output > > WRU nailed it. I missed it in the original posting. > You're losing 1.7 volts in 8ft of that "#14 wire". That's about as bad as it gets. > Why didn't you use the power cable supplied with the amp? I believe it's #12. > What kind of power supply is running the amp? It has to be 25 amps peak *minimum*, I'd say continuous. What else is being run on the same power supply? > > __ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email > list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to > kevin.sto...@mediacombb.net > -- R. Kevin Stover AC0H ARRL FISTS #11993 SKCC #215 NAQCC #3441 --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to r...@cobi.biz __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] KXPA Power Output
As I said, that’s true if you occasionally drive high SWR loads. There’s no downside in normal operation. And with a supply like the Astron, if you accidentally overload it, all you need do is cycle the power switch. 73 Ron AC7AC From: Walter Underwood [mailto:wun...@wunderwood.org] Sent: Sunday, April 17, 2016 5:05 PM To: Ron D'Eau Claire; Elecraft Reflector Subject: Re: [Elecraft] KXPA Power Output Glad that a 20 A supply works for you, but the specs say: "12-15 Vdc (13.8 V nominal), at least 24 A peak capacity. About 1 mA parasitic drain current whenever dc power is connected.” So for the least problems, make sure that your supply can deliver 24 A peak, not 20 A peak. wunder K6WRU Walter Underwood CM87wj http://observer.wunderwood.org/ (my blog) On Apr 17, 2016, at 4:47 PM, Ron D'Eau Claire <r...@cobi.biz> wrote: A quality 20A peak supply is fine. For over a decade I've run a K3 and then a K3S and, when those aren't on a KX3/KXPA100 off of an Astron 20 without an issue as long as the finals see a decent SWR (current demand skyrockets as the SWR goes up). At low SWR's none of the rigs exceeds 18 to 19 amps, max. The 20 means 20A peak current - ICS rated (5 min on 5 min off). That Astron is rated at 16A continuous but Amateur stuff is almost never "continuous". Consider that 20A at 13.8VDC is 276 watts. As long as the rig is not way below 40% overall efficiency there will be no problem. That's using a quality linear supply. I'm not so casual about a switcher or a cheaper supply. I use the Elecraft supplied power cables on everything. 73, Ron AC7AC -Original Message- From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Kevin Stover Sent: Sunday, April 17, 2016 4:19 PM To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] KXPA Power Output WRU nailed it. I missed it in the original posting. You're losing 1.7 volts in 8ft of that "#14 wire". That's about as bad as it gets. Why didn't you use the power cable supplied with the amp? I believe it's #12. What kind of power supply is running the amp? It has to be 25 amps peak *minimum*, I'd say continuous. What else is being run on the same power supply? __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to wun...@wunderwood.org __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] KXPA Power Output
I see your points. I'm just a little more conservative (paranoid) than others. I like a little headroom. I've got a pair of RS-35M's that are 24 and 20 years old. I can't kill em. On 4/17/2016 6:47 PM, Ron D'Eau Claire wrote: A quality 20A peak supply is fine. For over a decade I've run a K3 and then a K3S and, when those aren't on a KX3/KXPA100 off of an Astron 20 without an issue as long as the finals see a decent SWR (current demand skyrockets as the SWR goes up). At low SWR's none of the rigs exceeds 18 to 19 amps, max. The 20 means 20A peak current - ICS rated (5 min on 5 min off). That Astron is rated at 16A continuous but Amateur stuff is almost never "continuous". Consider that 20A at 13.8VDC is 276 watts. As long as the rig is not way below 40% overall efficiency there will be no problem. That's using a quality linear supply. I'm not so casual about a switcher or a cheaper supply. I use the Elecraft supplied power cables on everything. 73, Ron AC7AC -Original Message- From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Kevin Stover Sent: Sunday, April 17, 2016 4:19 PM To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] KXPA Power Output WRU nailed it. I missed it in the original posting. You're losing 1.7 volts in 8ft of that "#14 wire". That's about as bad as it gets. Why didn't you use the power cable supplied with the amp? I believe it's #12. What kind of power supply is running the amp? It has to be 25 amps peak *minimum*, I'd say continuous. What else is being run on the same power supply? __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to kevin.sto...@mediacombb.net -- R. Kevin Stover AC0H ARRL FISTS #11993 SKCC #215 NAQCC #3441 --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] KXPA Power Output
Glad that a 20 A supply works for you, but the specs say: "12-15 Vdc (13.8 V nominal), at least 24 A peak capacity. About 1 mA parasitic drain current whenever dc power is connected.” So for the least problems, make sure that your supply can deliver 24 A peak, not 20 A peak. wunder K6WRU Walter Underwood CM87wj http://observer.wunderwood.org/ (my blog) > On Apr 17, 2016, at 4:47 PM, Ron D'Eau Claire <r...@cobi.biz> wrote: > > A quality 20A peak supply is fine. For over a decade I've run a K3 and then a > K3S and, when those aren't on a KX3/KXPA100 off of an Astron 20 without an > issue as long as the finals see a decent SWR (current demand skyrockets as > the SWR goes up). At low SWR's none of the rigs exceeds 18 to 19 amps, max. > > The 20 means 20A peak current - ICS rated (5 min on 5 min off). That Astron > is rated at 16A continuous but Amateur stuff is almost never "continuous". > > Consider that 20A at 13.8VDC is 276 watts. As long as the rig is not way > below 40% overall efficiency there will be no problem. > > That's using a quality linear supply. I'm not so casual about a switcher or a > cheaper supply. > > I use the Elecraft supplied power cables on everything. > > 73, Ron AC7AC > > -Original Message- > From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Kevin > Stover > Sent: Sunday, April 17, 2016 4:19 PM > To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net > Subject: Re: [Elecraft] KXPA Power Output > > WRU nailed it. I missed it in the original posting. > You're losing 1.7 volts in 8ft of that "#14 wire". That's about as bad as it > gets. > Why didn't you use the power cable supplied with the amp? I believe it's #12. > What kind of power supply is running the amp? It has to be 25 amps peak > *minimum*, I'd say continuous. What else is being run on the same power > supply? > > __ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > Message delivered to wun...@wunderwood.org __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] KXPA Power Output
A quality 20A peak supply is fine. For over a decade I've run a K3 and then a K3S and, when those aren't on a KX3/KXPA100 off of an Astron 20 without an issue as long as the finals see a decent SWR (current demand skyrockets as the SWR goes up). At low SWR's none of the rigs exceeds 18 to 19 amps, max. The 20 means 20A peak current - ICS rated (5 min on 5 min off). That Astron is rated at 16A continuous but Amateur stuff is almost never "continuous". Consider that 20A at 13.8VDC is 276 watts. As long as the rig is not way below 40% overall efficiency there will be no problem. That's using a quality linear supply. I'm not so casual about a switcher or a cheaper supply. I use the Elecraft supplied power cables on everything. 73, Ron AC7AC -Original Message- From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Kevin Stover Sent: Sunday, April 17, 2016 4:19 PM To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] KXPA Power Output WRU nailed it. I missed it in the original posting. You're losing 1.7 volts in 8ft of that "#14 wire". That's about as bad as it gets. Why didn't you use the power cable supplied with the amp? I believe it's #12. What kind of power supply is running the amp? It has to be 25 amps peak *minimum*, I'd say continuous. What else is being run on the same power supply? __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] KXPA Power Output
WRU nailed it. I missed it in the original posting. You're losing 1.7 volts in 8ft of that "#14 wire". That's about as bad as it gets. Why didn't you use the power cable supplied with the amp? I believe it's #12. What kind of power supply is running the amp? It has to be 25 amps peak *minimum*, I'd say continuous. What else is being run on the same power supply? On 4/17/2016 4:19 PM, Walter Underwood wrote: On Apr 17, 2016, at 11:44 AM, Art Nienhousewrote: My rest voltage is 14.1 the key down voltage is 12.4 […]. the 14 gauge zip power cable is what comes with a 100watt Icom the length is 4 foot there is no loss here that I can see to cause this low power output. And there is your problem. The KXPA100 specs say "100 watts at 13.8 V”. It won’t produce 100W at 12.4V. A 1.7V drop under load is very large. The power supply and wiring cannot supply the required current without dropping the voltage. Eight feet of 14 gauge wire will have 0.9V drop at 24A. The electricity has to travel over both conductors of the 4 foot wire, which is why we use 8 feet. It looks like you have some additional problems beside the small power supply cable. Maybe there is resistance in the connectors (poor crimp? not seated?). Maybe the power supply won’t reliably supply 25A. Maybe the line voltage or house wiring has an issue. I would recommend at least 10 gauge wire and keeping the cables short. PowerWerx offers some useful pre-built cables at good prices. https://powerwerx.com/adapter-extension-cables wunder K6WRU Walter Underwood CM87wj http://observer.wunderwood.org/ (my blog) -- R. Kevin Stover AC0H ARRL FISTS #11993 SKCC #215 NAQCC #3441 --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] KXPA Power Output
Make sure the 3db attenuation switch on the back is set to out/auto, not in. Had the same problem myself the other day. David On Sat, Apr 16, 2016 at 7:29 PM, Tom Fieldwrote: > I'm having difficulty getting more than about 70 to 80 watts out of the > KXPA 100. I have it connected to a KX3 with the Elecraft cable and have > gone through the calibration procedure as outlined in the owners manual and > in Fred Cady's excellent book. > > For Example if I go through the calibration procedure on 40 meters, > It appears to show a drive level of 5 watts to achieve 75 watt output. > If I transmit into a dummy load, with the power setting at 100 watts, > I have a drive power of about 2.6 watts and an output power of about 70 > watts as shown in the KXPA Utility. > > Am I missing something? > > Tom > KN6DR > __ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > Message delivered to orma...@corenode.com > __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] KXPA Power Output
> On Apr 17, 2016, at 11:44 AM, Art Nienhousewrote: > > My rest voltage is 14.1 the key down voltage is 12.4 […]. the 14 gauge zip > power cable is what comes with a 100watt Icom the length is 4 foot there is > no loss here that I can see to cause this low power output. And there is your problem. The KXPA100 specs say "100 watts at 13.8 V”. It won’t produce 100W at 12.4V. A 1.7V drop under load is very large. The power supply and wiring cannot supply the required current without dropping the voltage. Eight feet of 14 gauge wire will have 0.9V drop at 24A. The electricity has to travel over both conductors of the 4 foot wire, which is why we use 8 feet. It looks like you have some additional problems beside the small power supply cable. Maybe there is resistance in the connectors (poor crimp? not seated?). Maybe the power supply won’t reliably supply 25A. Maybe the line voltage or house wiring has an issue. I would recommend at least 10 gauge wire and keeping the cables short. PowerWerx offers some useful pre-built cables at good prices. https://powerwerx.com/adapter-extension-cables wunder K6WRU Walter Underwood CM87wj http://observer.wunderwood.org/ (my blog) __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] KXPA Power Output
*/I have found that to get a correct (calibration) done using the utility and to correct a issue with my K3 KPA500 that developed 2 years after I built it .. I needed to use this dummy load for calibration. https://www.rfparts.com/dummy-loads/dummy-50/m1426.html All my other dummy loads would not let the Utility Calibrate correctly .that said. After loading the Bata firmware on my KX3 mcu2.32 dsp 1.32 I'm seeing issues with power out. I had a issue with the original first design kit I built had very low out put I called customer service was sent a new RF deck which I installed my ATU on and tested all bands were 100 or 110 watts except the 40 meter band which is where I spend 99 % of my operating on cw. On 40 the power out was around 85 w and occasionally as high as 89 watts but now I see a totally different story. Watching the operation tab in the utility while running a rag chew full QSK I see the input power bouncing from 2.6 watts to 3.1 watts on key down it maintains 3.1 watt input Forward power is 82.5 watts out reflected is .2 swr is 1.0 I'm thinking something is software has changed the behavior of the amp it is advertised as a 100 watt amp it should have no issue getting to 100 watts My rest voltage is 14.1 the key down voltage is 12.4 the power supply is set to max which is 14.1 the 14 gauge zip power cable is what comes with a 100watt Icom the length is 4 foot there is no loss here that I can see to cause this low power output. If I were to install this amp in the car on the battery it would do 60 watts. I'm thinking a bit of tweaking to the firmware is necessary to set the drive power a bit higher might solve the low power issue. It's advertized as a 100 watt amp it should do 100 watts..in a car at 12 volts even. And I should not need welding cable to supply the amp it voltage from 4 ft away. Art ka9zap /* On 4/16/2016 11:33 PM, Tom Field wrote: Thanks for the replies. I have gone through the procedure again. I used the calibration procedure outlined on the Elecraft Website. Some observations. With no load I have 14.63 volts coming into the KXPA 100. With the radio and amplifier on and resting, the current is approx 0.3 Amps Steps Set the radio in the 160 meter band Set P Cal Closed the menu Set Pwr to CAL 75 Confirmed the KXPA 100 Is in bypass Pressed Tune( I assume this is the button that says transmit) Current rose to .9 Amps If I took the pressure off the button, the current stayed up until I pressed it again The display showed 2 numbers On top 1.1 Below 5.0 Pressed the button again Normal Display returned Moved on to 80 meter band Same behaviour and findings Moved to 60 meter band Same 40 meters, 30 meters, 20 meters same with approximately same current 17 meters, Current went up to 1.21 Amps 15 meters 1.24 Amps 12 meters 1.45 Amps 10 meters 1.45 Amps 6 meters Display showed 3 instead of 5 and 1.68 amps Opened the menue and turned the PA to on Set the PA back to auto set power at 75 Watts Using the KXPA Utility Input Power Forward Power 160 m 0.848 80 m 1.050 60 m 1.252 40 m 1.251.4 30 m 1.156.8 20 m 1.659.2 17 m 1.682 15 m 1.251 12 m 1.049.5 10 m 1.250.3 6 m 2.060.6 The only band that came close was 17 meters. I wonder if there is something about the calibration process. Accd to the notes from the Elecraft website "Press TUNE. The KX3 will transmit for a short while then stop. During this transmission, the KX3 and KXPA100 will determine what drive level is needed to get to 75 watts" I found if I pushed and held TUNE, it started transmitting and did not stop transmitting until I let off and pushed it again. Advice, suggestions welcome. Tom KN6DR On Sat, Apr 16, 2016 at 5:29 PM, Tom Fieldwrote: I'm having difficulty getting more than about 70 to 80 watts out of the KXPA 100. I have it connected to a KX3 with the Elecraft cable and have gone through the calibration procedure as outlined in the owners manual and in Fred Cady's excellent book. For Example if I go through the calibration procedure on 40 meters, It appears to show a drive level of 5 watts to achieve 75 watt output. If I transmit into a dummy load, with the power setting at 100 watts, I have a drive power of about 2.6 watts and an output power of
Re: [Elecraft] KXPA Power Output
Thanks for the replies. I have gone through the procedure again. I used the calibration procedure outlined on the Elecraft Website. Some observations. With no load I have 14.63 volts coming into the KXPA 100. With the radio and amplifier on and resting, the current is approx 0.3 Amps Steps Set the radio in the 160 meter band Set P Cal Closed the menu Set Pwr to CAL 75 Confirmed the KXPA 100 Is in bypass Pressed Tune( I assume this is the button that says transmit) Current rose to .9 Amps If I took the pressure off the button, the current stayed up until I pressed it again The display showed 2 numbers On top 1.1 Below 5.0 Pressed the button again Normal Display returned Moved on to 80 meter band Same behaviour and findings Moved to 60 meter band Same 40 meters, 30 meters, 20 meters same with approximately same current 17 meters, Current went up to 1.21 Amps 15 meters 1.24 Amps 12 meters 1.45 Amps 10 meters 1.45 Amps 6 meters Display showed 3 instead of 5 and 1.68 amps Opened the menue and turned the PA to on Set the PA back to auto set power at 75 Watts Using the KXPA Utility Input Power Forward Power 160 m 0.848 80 m 1.050 60 m 1.252 40 m 1.251.4 30 m 1.156.8 20 m 1.659.2 17 m 1.682 15 m 1.251 12 m 1.049.5 10 m 1.250.3 6 m 2.060.6 The only band that came close was 17 meters. I wonder if there is something about the calibration process. Accd to the notes from the Elecraft website "Press TUNE. The KX3 will transmit for a short while then stop. During this transmission, the KX3 and KXPA100 will determine what drive level is needed to get to 75 watts" I found if I pushed and held TUNE, it started transmitting and did not stop transmitting until I let off and pushed it again. Advice, suggestions welcome. Tom KN6DR On Sat, Apr 16, 2016 at 5:29 PM, Tom Fieldwrote: > I'm having difficulty getting more than about 70 to 80 watts out of the > KXPA 100. I have it connected to a KX3 with the Elecraft cable and have > gone through the calibration procedure as outlined in the owners manual and > in Fred Cady's excellent book. > > For Example if I go through the calibration procedure on 40 meters, > It appears to show a drive level of 5 watts to achieve 75 watt output. > If I transmit into a dummy load, with the power setting at 100 watts, > I have a drive power of about 2.6 watts and an output power of about 70 > watts as shown in the KXPA Utility. > > Am I missing something? > > Tom > KN6DR > __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] KXPA Power Output
Regarding the procedure in the KXPA100 Owner's manual, does the output indicate 75 watts when you set the power for 75 watts as the procedure states? Was that done into a good 50-ohm dummy load? How does it behave on other bands? Remember the calibration must be done on each band and you will need to reset the POWER control for CAL 75 on 50 MHz. 73, Ron AC7AC -Original Message- From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Tom Field Sent: Saturday, April 16, 2016 5:30 PM To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: [Elecraft] KXPA Power Output I'm having difficulty getting more than about 70 to 80 watts out of the KXPA 100. I have it connected to a KX3 with the Elecraft cable and have gone through the calibration procedure as outlined in the owners manual and in Fred Cady's excellent book. For Example if I go through the calibration procedure on 40 meters, It appears to show a drive level of 5 watts to achieve 75 watt output. If I transmit into a dummy load, with the power setting at 100 watts, I have a drive power of about 2.6 watts and an output power of about 70 watts as shown in the KXPA Utility. Am I missing something? Tom KN6DR __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to r...@cobi.biz __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] KXPA Power Output
You need to do the 70 watt cal with at lest 14 volts at amp power pole. And use biggest and shortest cable to minimize losses. Same power setup for operation. Sent from my iPhone ...nr4c. bill > On Apr 16, 2016, at 8:29 PM, Tom Fieldwrote: > > I'm having difficulty getting more than about 70 to 80 watts out of the > KXPA 100. I have it connected to a KX3 with the Elecraft cable and have > gone through the calibration procedure as outlined in the owners manual and > in Fred Cady's excellent book. > > For Example if I go through the calibration procedure on 40 meters, > It appears to show a drive level of 5 watts to achieve 75 watt output. > If I transmit into a dummy load, with the power setting at 100 watts, > I have a drive power of about 2.6 watts and an output power of about 70 > watts as shown in the KXPA Utility. > > Am I missing something? > > Tom > KN6DR > __ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > Message delivered to n...@widomaker.com __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] KXPA Power Output
Look at the actual voltage into the KXPA100 during transmit. This can happen if the voltage is below 13.8-14. I had to adjust my Astron 35 amp as at 13.5V I saw almost the same thing. -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/KXPA-Power-Output-tp7616454p7616455.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
[Elecraft] KXPA Power Output
I'm having difficulty getting more than about 70 to 80 watts out of the KXPA 100. I have it connected to a KX3 with the Elecraft cable and have gone through the calibration procedure as outlined in the owners manual and in Fred Cady's excellent book. For Example if I go through the calibration procedure on 40 meters, It appears to show a drive level of 5 watts to achieve 75 watt output. If I transmit into a dummy load, with the power setting at 100 watts, I have a drive power of about 2.6 watts and an output power of about 70 watts as shown in the KXPA Utility. Am I missing something? Tom KN6DR __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com