Hi Phil The times you would need a heatsink is when running PSK31, RTTY, AM and FM. These are all continuous duty and make the KX3 produce heat faster than it can be dissipated. I tend to rag chew on PSK31 so I added the large heat sink by VE7FMN to my KX3. I had to run a 3 inch fan before to work PSK31 but now with that heat sink I do not need the fan. I did use Radio Shack Heat Sink Compound 276-255 under the two final transistors and under the new heat sink. I don't know if it is needed but after 35 years of doing that kind of work I consider that to be standard procedure.
I never had any problem running CW or SSB with the KX3 causing overheating although I understand if you place the KX3 in bright sun lite it will overheat even in receive mode. That is because the black color absorbs sunlight heat. I have had other equipment such as handy talkies get too hot under the same sunlight conditions. I hope this information helps. If you work only SSB and CW don't worry about it. if you work a continuous duty mode I think VE7FMN has the best heat sink and he sure worked well with me as I do not belong to Pay Pall so he had to accept a money order. We exchanged several E-Mails and as I said he was great to do business with me. 73 Ken W0CZ w0cz at i29 dot net Sent from my iPad > On May 21, 2014, at 11:39 AM, Phil Hystad <[email protected]> wrote: > > When do you need the heatsink? Is this primarily for DATA modes? > > I use my KX3 at 10 watts when in the shack and I use it portable at 5 watts > or 10 watts when I carry along my external Li battery packs. > > I have never noticed any overheating and I believe that it is because I don't > do any DATA modes at all. About 99 percent of my portable work is CW only -- > and usually not very many ragchews thus briefer QSOs. > > So, is this product primarily for DATA mode users? > > 73, phil, K7PEH > > > >> On May 21, 2014, at 9:09 AM, Howard Hoyt <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> Doug Ellmore/NA1DX wrote: >> >>>> I received my PAE-Kx31 heatsink from Fred VE7FMN ([email protected]) >> >> Fred and I haven't formed a joint partnership yet, so you have a heatsink >> from one or the other of us! lolol >> >> Both do the job vis-a-vis JT65 with differing attributes otherwise. >> >> Cheers! >> >> Howie - WA4PSC >> www.proaudioeng.com >> mfgr of the PAE-Kx31 Heatsink Kit >> >> ______________________________________________________________ >> Elecraft mailing list >> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >> Post: mailto:[email protected] >> >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >> Message delivered to [email protected] > > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:[email protected] > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > Message delivered to [email protected] ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to [email protected]
