On Aug 14, 2010, at 9:45 PM, Jeff DePolo wrote: > I disagree. I would accept the notion that the transmitter may not be > "happy" (and I put that in quotes not to mock you, but becuase I can't come > up with a better word either) because it is not *properly matched* when > looking into a 50+j0 load. This indicates a deficiency in the amplifier; if > it were designed and working right, it *should* make rated power when > terminated in a 50 ohm load on-channel.
Okay, I'd love to go off on a side tangent here for a moment. (By the way, loving the discussion. Learning from it.) Jeff, out of all the PAs you've seen out there, both commonly used and not-so-common... which ones (in your opinion) are properly designed (when "working right")? I have this feeling that most, if not all, have various problems... but you've seen a heck of a lot more of them in-service than I have. Which ones behave the best, as regards to this other discussion that's going on about making them "happy". In other words, which ones have you bought/used that you hooked up, and forgot about them completely because you knew they'd "just work". I ask, because this is always the kind of mature, well-developed tech I'm looking for. Price is still a factor, but when you find something that "just works"... it's truly grand in the tech world, for all sorts of reasons that tend to degrade what something was intended to be, vs. what it really ended up being. I'm also curious to see if your recommendations are new gear, or 20+ year old gear. I really like MASTR II Stations, but I will admit to some consternation over how the PAs *sometimes* act. We've had 'em run for a decade, and we've had 'em pop like light bulbs every few months. Yes, the problem is often in the duplexer/feedline/antenna system when this happens, but it's also often subtle and not exactly easy to find. I'm wondering to myself, (and now "out loud")... "Is there a PA out there that wouldn't have "cared" or been "un-happy"? Bonus points for it monitoring its own "happiness" and turning on an alarm light, closing a contact, etc. Is the answer to this question the Crescend amps perhaps? How did their acquisition of Vocom affect their quality? I haven't looked lately, did they mix up the model line and keep the Vocom stuff? Just some questioning thoughts, not very well thought out, at almost 1AM... -- Nate Duehr, WY0X [email protected]
