[Elecraft] Self-fusing liquid electrical tape

[Ed Tanton]

I have always-in this order-done the following to a new ground rod 
installation: 1) application of an appropriate anticorrosive spray to the 
ground rod; 2) attach whatever wires; 3) when all is snug, wrap it all with 
self-fusing rubber tape with at least an inch of overlap at each end of the 
wrap; 4) wrap all of the fused rubber tape with plastic electrical tape, 
adding ~ an inch at each end of the wrap; and finally 5) add a 
comprehensive layer of "liquid electrical tape" to the entire tape assembly.
Once this is accomplished, you will have a sealed attachment that will 
provide an excellent, long-term connection between the ground rod and the 
wire(s) provided by the the fused tape AND the way the liquid electrical 
tape will fuse the plastic electrical tape as it dries/cures.

I mention all this as a response to the question about the use of liquid tape.
I did all this working on the ground rods and radials connected under my 
HyGain HyTower.


Ed Tanton N4XY
Marietta, GA


Ed Tanton
Marietta, GA


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Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline

[John]

After taping up the feed point connection on my LFA, I coated

it with liquid tape.  Did some maintenance on it 6 years later

and the connection was still secure and showed little evidence

of UV deterioration.

John.


On 03/06/2020 9:52 p.m., donov...@starpower.net wrote:

Hi Jim,


I've had good success with liquid electrical tape, but I use it only
as a last resort when Scotch 130C and Scotch 33 or 88 can't
be used


73
Frank
W3LPL

- Original Message -

From: "Jim Brown" 
To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Sent: Thursday, June 4, 2020 4:25:24 AM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline

On 6/3/2020 4:26 PM, donov...@starpower.net wrote:

But I never use Scotchkote
because UV very quickly destroys it.

Frank,

Do you have experience with Liquid Electrical Tape? We've been using it
to seal exposed ends of choke splices for a year or two, not enough to
see issues if there are any. Our applications are the dipole centers
with chokes and inline chokes as we showed in the 2018 Cookbook.

73, Jim K9YC
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Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline

[Dave Cole]

I always use Scotch 130, (self fusing tape), first, then Scotch 88.  I 
cut the tape down the long axis, and it opes up like a peanut, leaving 
no residue or old tape.


73, and thanks,
Dave (NK7Z)
https://www.nk7z.net
ARRL Volunteer Examiner
ARRL Technical Specialist
ARRL Asst. Director, NW Division, Technical Resources

On 6/3/20 12:48 PM, Buck wrote:
Electrical tape, then the self-fusing tape, then electrical tape.  The 
first layer of electrical tape makes it easier to removing the fusing 
tape later


Buck, k4ia
Honor Roll
8BDXCC
EasyWayHamBooks.com

On 6/3/2020 12:58 PM, Clay Autery wrote:
I've got to get to class, but there are a NUMBER of different methods 
and procedures that are used.


Self-fusing tape properly applied covered by top-quality electrical 
tape to protect the self-fusing tape from UV...

There are specific points on installation that you want to observe.

Someone will chime in with deatil or a reference to a procedure...  If 
not, I will do it later... Class in 3 minutes.


73,

__
Clay Autery, KY5G
(318) 518-1389

On 06/03/20 10:35, Peter Dougherty wrote:
No, and I wasn't sure how to accomplish this. It's stainless 
hardware, but
I'm guessing I should probably wrap the feedpoint up in 
self-annealing tape

and Scotch 88 just to be safe.

  - pjd

-Original Message-
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net 
 On

Behalf Of Dave Cole
Sent: Wednesday, June 3, 2020 7:27 AM
To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline

Hi,

Is the open end of that feedline where it connects to the antenna
weatherproofed?

73, and thanks,
Dave (NK7Z)
https://www.nk7z.net
ARRL Volunteer Examiner
ARRL Technical Specialist
ARRL Asst. Director, NW Division, Technical Resources

On 6/2/20 8:15 PM, Peter Dougherty wrote:

HI all,

A postscript to the problem. First off, a huge thank you to the many
replies received. I was fortunate that the problem was not in the 
KPA-1500

as I'd originally feared.

Much troubleshooting within the past few days. Originally the amp was
"iffy" on the old M-squared 6m5, and problematic (faulting) during 
damp or
wet weather. This prompted the replacement of both the antenna and 
feedline.
The hard faults were still occurring, until it was suggested the 
Ten-Tec
238 tuner that I was using exclusively for the built-in antenna 
switch was

now the issue. I took this out of line today, and lowered the tower to
fine-tune the LFA's feed point and now everything is humming along just
nicely. The KPA-1500 is happy at 1.5 kW and showing an SWR of 1.2 in dry
conditions. I will keep my fingers crossed that the wet weather 
expected in

the next day or so won't bother it all that much.
The final step was to move the 6m feedline from the secondary inlet 
box to
the main antenna switch on the big tower. The downside here is I now 
have an
additional 70 feet of BuryFlex in the line, so I'm guessing a total 
of about
1.5 to 1.7dB of feedline loss. This is something I would like to 
address in

the future with an eye to dropping it below 1dB.

Screencaps:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1y4vyd17pbgq8ty/6m%20via%20the%20antenna%20s
witch.png?dl=0

And

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5x8n0bum4nwcxqp/6m%20LFA%20-%20SWR%20after%2
0tuning.png?dl=0

And for the balun discussion, this is what's in place, before the
double-walled heat-shrink was applied:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/18pgthl67rtq3bl/2020-05-31%2017.51.08.jpg?dl
=0

   - pjd

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Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline

[Dave Cole]

Use Scotch 130, better than rescue tape.

73, and thanks,
Dave (NK7Z)
https://www.nk7z.net
ARRL Volunteer Examiner
ARRL Technical Specialist
ARRL Asst. Director, NW Division, Technical Resources

On 6/3/20 11:50 AM, Phil Kane wrote:

On 6/3/2020 8:35 AM, Peter Dougherty wrote:


No, and I wasn't sure how to accomplish this. It's stainless hardware, but
I'm guessing I should probably wrap the feedpoint up in self-annealing tape
and Scotch 88 just to be safe.


Rescue Tape to the rescue.   - also available from the
Amazing place.

Originally developed as a repair tape, it's stretchable, self-sealing,
high insulation rated, UV resistant, comes in several colors for easy
ID, and no residue when removed.  I had several antenna feed points
wrapped with it and after 10+ years the connectors underneath were as
bright and shiny as they were when first installed.

73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane
Elecraft K2/100   s/n 5402

 From a Clearing in the Silicon Forest
Beaverton (Washington County) Oregon
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Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline

[donovanf]

Hi Jim, 


I've had good success with liquid electrical tape, but I use it only 
as a last resort when Scotch 130C and Scotch 33 or 88 can't 
be used 


73 
Frank 
W3LPL 

- Original Message -

From: "Jim Brown"  
To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net 
Sent: Thursday, June 4, 2020 4:25:24 AM 
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline 

On 6/3/2020 4:26 PM, donov...@starpower.net wrote: 
> But I never use Scotchkote 
> because UV very quickly destroys it. 

Frank, 

Do you have experience with Liquid Electrical Tape? We've been using it 
to seal exposed ends of choke splices for a year or two, not enough to 
see issues if there are any. Our applications are the dipole centers 
with chokes and inline chokes as we showed in the 2018 Cookbook. 

73, Jim K9YC 
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Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline

[Jim Brown]

On 6/3/2020 4:26 PM, donov...@starpower.net wrote:

But I never use Scotchkote
because UV very quickly destroys it.


Frank,

Do you have experience with Liquid Electrical Tape?  We've been using it 
to seal exposed ends of choke splices for a year or two, not enough to 
see issues if there are any. Our applications are the dipole centers 
with chokes and inline chokes as we showed in the 2018 Cookbook.


73, Jim K9YC
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Re: [Elecraft] Line In/Out Isolation Transformer

[Jim Brown]

On 6/3/2020 3:10 PM, Bill Gillenwater wrote:

Does it hurt to have the audio going through two 1:1 isolators or should I just 
use a plain audio cable?


If you've practiced the power and bonding recommended in my tutorial on 
the topic, you don't need ANY transformers, not even the ones in the K3.


http://k9yc.com/GroundingAndAudio.pdf

73, Jim K9YC
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Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline

[Jim Brown]

On 6/3/2020 9:58 AM, Clay Autery wrote:
Self-fusing tape properly applied covered by top-quality electrical tape 
to protect the self-fusing tape from UV...


This is what I and several friends have been doing for a while, and we 
think it works well. The self-fusing tape we use is Rescue Tape. The 
covering tape is Scotch 88. It's also FAR easier than 3M mastic tape to 
open up if you need to change something.


73, Jim K9YC
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Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline

[hawley, charles j jr]

I have used a very thick non migrating silicone vacuum grease on the UHF 
connectors in the past to waterproof them. I put some on the threads and on the 
rear of the center section that the barrel pushes against. They have been up at 
40 feet in all kinds of weather for 30 years with no problems. I considered 
tape, etc. but it seemed that if some water got in, it would have difficulty 
getting out. Better to not provide a container for water.

Jack BMW Motorcycles
Chuck KE9UW
c-haw...@illinois.edu

Sent from my iPad

> On Jun 3, 2020, at 2:50 PM, Buck  wrote:
> 
> Electrical tape, then the self-fusing tape, then electrical tape.  The first 
> layer of electrical tape makes it easier to removing the fusing tape later
> 
> Buck, k4ia
> Honor Roll
> 8BDXCC
> EasyWayHamBooks.com
> 
>> On 6/3/2020 12:58 PM, Clay Autery wrote:
>> I've got to get to class, but there are a NUMBER of different methods and 
>> procedures that are used.
>> Self-fusing tape properly applied covered by top-quality electrical tape to 
>> protect the self-fusing tape from UV...
>> There are specific points on installation that you want to observe.
>> Someone will chime in with deatil or a reference to a procedure...  If not, 
>> I will do it later... Class in 3 minutes.
>> 73,
>> __
>> Clay Autery, KY5G
>> (318) 518-1389
>>> On 06/03/20 10:35, Peter Dougherty wrote:
>>> No, and I wasn't sure how to accomplish this. It's stainless hardware, but
>>> I'm guessing I should probably wrap the feedpoint up in self-annealing tape
>>> and Scotch 88 just to be safe.
>>> 
>>>   - pjd
>>> 
>>> -Original Message-
>>> From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net  On
>>> Behalf Of Dave Cole
>>> Sent: Wednesday, June 3, 2020 7:27 AM
>>> To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
>>> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline
>>> 
>>> Hi,
>>> 
>>> Is the open end of that feedline where it connects to the antenna
>>> weatherproofed?
>>> 
>>> 73, and thanks,
>>> Dave (NK7Z)
>>> https://www.nk7z.net
>>> ARRL Volunteer Examiner
>>> ARRL Technical Specialist
>>> ARRL Asst. Director, NW Division, Technical Resources
>>> 
>>> On 6/2/20 8:15 PM, Peter Dougherty wrote:
 HI all,
 
 A postscript to the problem. First off, a huge thank you to the many
>>> replies received. I was fortunate that the problem was not in the KPA-1500
>>> as I'd originally feared.
 Much troubleshooting within the past few days. Originally the amp was
>>> "iffy" on the old M-squared 6m5, and problematic (faulting) during damp or
>>> wet weather. This prompted the replacement of both the antenna and feedline.
 The hard faults were still occurring, until it was suggested the Ten-Tec
>>> 238 tuner that I was using exclusively for the built-in antenna switch was
>>> now the issue. I took this out of line today, and lowered the tower to
>>> fine-tune the LFA's feed point and now everything is humming along just
>>> nicely. The KPA-1500 is happy at 1.5 kW and showing an SWR of 1.2 in dry
>>> conditions. I will keep my fingers crossed that the wet weather expected in
>>> the next day or so won't bother it all that much.
 The final step was to move the 6m feedline from the secondary inlet box to
>>> the main antenna switch on the big tower. The downside here is I now have an
>>> additional 70 feet of BuryFlex in the line, so I'm guessing a total of about
>>> 1.5 to 1.7dB of feedline loss. This is something I would like to address in
>>> the future with an eye to dropping it below 1dB.
 Screencaps:
 https://www.dropbox.com/s/1y4vyd17pbgq8ty/6m%20via%20the%20antenna%20s
 witch.png?dl=0
 
 And
 
 https://www.dropbox.com/s/5x8n0bum4nwcxqp/6m%20LFA%20-%20SWR%20after%2
 0tuning.png?dl=0
 
 And for the balun discussion, this is what's in place, before the
 double-walled heat-shrink was applied:
 https://www.dropbox.com/s/18pgthl67rtq3bl/2020-05-31%2017.51.08.jpg?dl
 =0
 
- pjd
 
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>>> __
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>>> Post: 

[Elecraft] KPA1500 power per frequency bin

[Andy Durbin]

"The K3 has only one way to communicate with the KPA500 and KPA1500, that being 
Auxbus. There is no communications on this path that allows setting of specific 
power levels in the K3 - there is only the OP/STBY that simply selects either 
the K3 high power (STBY) or low power (OPER) modes. You have to set those 
levels in the K3. Simply put, the communication paths and protocols do not 
exist for the KPA1500 to set specific power levels in the K3."

I can understand that there is no way for the KPA1500 to command the K3 to a 
specific power setting based on frequency.  However, that is not required for 
the K3 to set drive power based on current frequency.  The K3 knows the current 
TX frequency.  The K3 would have to host an array of bin frequency definitions 
each with an associated power level (or each with multiple power levels).  
That's a LOT more data sets than the current "by band" power mapping.   It's 
quite possible the K3 does not have the required spare memory but I don't see 
that the current interface prevents this being implemented.  What am I missing?

As has been mentioned - shouldn't be too difficult to do this with an external 
Arduino based controller.

73,
Andy, k3wyc



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Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline

[donovanf]

Dave, 


Try Josh's technique, you won't regret it. But I never use Scotchkote 
because UV very quickly destroys it. 


73 
Frank 
W3LPL 
- Original Message -

From: rocke...@gmail.com 
To: "Josh Fiden" , "Elecraft Reflector" 
 
Sent: Wednesday, June 3, 2020 11:08:51 PM 
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline 

A layer of friction tape is also a good way to keep the connectors sticky free. 

Dave wo2x 


-Original Message- 
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net  On 
Behalf Of Josh Fiden 
Sent: Wednesday, June 3, 2020 4:35 PM 
To: Elecraft Reflector  
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline 

To make it come off *really* clean, I like to put the 1st layer of vinyl tape 
sticky side out. Then self-fusing tape, another layer of vinyl tape (3m 33+ or 
88). And because overkill is never enough, paint with some Scotchkote last! 

73 
Josh W6XU 

Sent from my mobile device 

>> On Jun 3, 2020, at 12:50 PM, Buck  wrote: 
> Electrical tape, then the self-fusing tape, then electrical tape. 
> The first layer of electrical tape makes it easier to removing the 
> fusing tape later 

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Re: [Elecraft] Line In/Out Isolation Transformer

[Joe Subich, W4TV]

Does it hurt to have the audio going through two 1:1 isolators or
should I just use a plain audio cable?


There is a minimum level of distortion in a transformer.  I would
use simple audio cables and avoid the additional transformer(s) -
particularly since the KIO3/KIO3B interfaces use high quality
transformers to minimize the distortion.

73,

   ... Joe, W4TV


On 2020-06-03 6:10 PM, Bill Gillenwater wrote:

I want to run sound card audio to the K3. I see that the K3 has isolation 
transformers built into the Line In and Line Out jacks. My audio cables have an 
isolation transformer that I built in for use with other radios and 
applications.  Does it hurt to have the audio going through two 1:1 isolators 
or should I just use a plain audio cable?

Thanks,
Bill K3SV





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Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline

[rocketnj]

A layer of friction tape is also a good way to keep the connectors sticky free. 

Dave wo2x


-Original Message-
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net  On 
Behalf Of Josh Fiden
Sent: Wednesday, June 3, 2020 4:35 PM
To: Elecraft Reflector 
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline

To make it come off *really* clean, I like to put the 1st layer of vinyl tape 
sticky side out. Then self-fusing tape, another layer of vinyl tape (3m 33+ or 
88). And because overkill is never enough, paint with some Scotchkote last!

73
Josh W6XU

Sent from my mobile device

>> On Jun 3, 2020, at 12:50 PM, Buck  wrote:
> Electrical tape, then the self-fusing tape, then electrical tape.  
> The first layer of electrical tape makes it easier to removing the 
> fusing tape later

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Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline

[Peter Dougherty]

For PL-259 or Type-N to female connections outside my standard practice is
either double-wall marine grade heat shrink, or Scotch-130 self-annealing
tape (probably the same stuff as the 3M 2155) and the marine grade heat
shrink. 

We had a line of storms headed this way after I read your post, and I
decided to lower/tilt the tower over, and I wrapped the screw ends of the
balun with Scotch 130 and Super 88. Not sure what got into me when I put the
antenna up; I guess I figured SS hardware shouldn't be a problem in the
elements, but yeah, better safe than sorry.

 - pjd

-Original Message-
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net  On
Behalf Of Walter Underwood
Sent: Wednesday, June 3, 2020 1:10 PM
To: Elecraft Reflector 
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline

I use the weatherproofing described here. I think this practice has a long
history in telephone wiring. It is a detailed walk-through of what you
described.

https://static.dxengineering.com/pdf/WeatherProofingCoax-TechTip.pdf


wunder
K6WRU
Walter Underwood
CM87wj
http://observer.wunderwood.org/ (my blog)

> On Jun 3, 2020, at 9:58 AM, Clay Autery  wrote:
> 
> I've got to get to class, but there are a NUMBER of different methods and
procedures that are used.
> 
> Self-fusing tape properly applied covered by top-quality electrical tape
to protect the self-fusing tape from UV...
> There are specific points on installation that you want to observe.
> 
> Someone will chime in with deatil or a reference to a procedure...  If
not, I will do it later... Class in 3 minutes.
> 
> 73,
> 
> __
> Clay Autery, KY5G
> (318) 518-1389
> 
> On 06/03/20 10:35, Peter Dougherty wrote:
>> No, and I wasn't sure how to accomplish this. It's stainless 
>> hardware, but I'm guessing I should probably wrap the feedpoint up in 
>> self-annealing tape and Scotch 88 just to be safe.
>> 
>>  - pjd
>> 
>> -Original Message-
>> From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net 
>>  On Behalf Of Dave Cole
>> Sent: Wednesday, June 3, 2020 7:27 AM
>> To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
>> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline
>> 
>> Hi,
>> 
>> Is the open end of that feedline where it connects to the antenna 
>> weatherproofed?
>> 
>> 73, and thanks,
>> Dave (NK7Z)
>> https://www.nk7z.net
>> ARRL Volunteer Examiner
>> ARRL Technical Specialist
>> ARRL Asst. Director, NW Division, Technical Resources
>> 
>> On 6/2/20 8:15 PM, Peter Dougherty wrote:
>>> HI all,
>>> 
>>> A postscript to the problem. First off, a huge thank you to the many
>> replies received. I was fortunate that the problem was not in the 
>> KPA-1500 as I'd originally feared.
>>> Much troubleshooting within the past few days. Originally the amp 
>>> was
>> "iffy" on the old M-squared 6m5, and problematic (faulting) during 
>> damp or wet weather. This prompted the replacement of both the antenna
and feedline.
>>> The hard faults were still occurring, until it was suggested the 
>>> Ten-Tec
>> 238 tuner that I was using exclusively for the built-in antenna 
>> switch was now the issue. I took this out of line today, and lowered 
>> the tower to fine-tune the LFA's feed point and now everything is 
>> humming along just nicely. The KPA-1500 is happy at 1.5 kW and 
>> showing an SWR of 1.2 in dry conditions. I will keep my fingers 
>> crossed that the wet weather expected in the next day or so won't bother
it all that much.
>>> The final step was to move the 6m feedline from the secondary inlet 
>>> box to
>> the main antenna switch on the big tower. The downside here is I now 
>> have an additional 70 feet of BuryFlex in the line, so I'm guessing a 
>> total of about
>> 1.5 to 1.7dB of feedline loss. This is something I would like to 
>> address in the future with an eye to dropping it below 1dB.
>>> Screencaps:
>>> https://www.dropbox.com/s/1y4vyd17pbgq8ty/6m%20via%20the%20antenna%2
>>> 0s
>>> witch.png?dl=0
>>> 
>>> And
>>> 
>>> https://www.dropbox.com/s/5x8n0bum4nwcxqp/6m%20LFA%20-%20SWR%20after
>>> %2
>>> 0tuning.png?dl=0
>>> 
>>> And for the balun discussion, this is what's in place, before the 
>>> double-walled heat-shrink was applied:
>>> https://www.dropbox.com/s/18pgthl67rtq3bl/2020-05-31%2017.51.08.jpg?
>>> dl
>>> =0
>>> 
>>>   - pjd
>>> 
>>> __
>>> 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 
>>> d...@nk7z.net
>>> 
>> __
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Re: [Elecraft] Line In/Out Isolation Transformer

[W2xj]

No, it doesn’t hurt. 

Sent from my iPad

> On Jun 3, 2020, at 6:11 PM, Bill Gillenwater  wrote:
> 
> I want to run sound card audio to the K3. I see that the K3 has isolation 
> transformers built into the Line In and Line Out jacks. My audio cables have 
> an isolation transformer that I built in for use with other radios and 
> applications.  Does it hurt to have the audio going through two 1:1 isolators 
> or should I just use a plain audio cable?
> 
> Thanks,
> Bill K3SV 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad
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> 

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Re: [Elecraft] KPA1500 power per frequency bin

[Jack Brindle via Elecraft]

The K3 has only one way to communicate with the KPA500 and KPA1500, that being 
Auxbus. There is no communications on this path that allows setting of specific 
power levels in the K3 - there is only the OP/STBY that simply selects either 
the K3 high power (STBY) or low power (OPER) modes. You have to set those 
levels in the K3. Simply put, the communication paths and protocols do not 
exist for the KPA1500 to set specific power levels in the K3.

Now, I am happy to say that there is most likely an upgrade coming that will 
allow the KAP1500 (but not he KPA500) to communicate with the transceiver to 
set the power level. Of course, that upgrade is known as the K4.
The K4 and KPA1500 should work very well together.

It is kind of like the car you drive. You may want the car to have an 
autonomous feature so that it drives itself, but you will have to buy a new car 
to do that job. Me? I am saving my money and enjoying driving my old car.

The K4 is coming. I am sure you will enjoy it when it gets here!

73!
Jack, W6FB



> On Jun 3, 2020, at 2:38 PM, K8TE  wrote:
> 
> I am right there with Hank, and probably a lot of others.  It's worse when
> one has an external antenna switch which the KPA1500 can't sense so it's
> necessary to provide low power from the K3 to avoid a fault because of the
> different antenna and the tuner can provide the appropriate (already
> trained) match.  Also, switching between ANT1 and ANT2 with different
> conjugate matches often requires different power levels from the K3 (or
> other radios).
> 
> So, for operator "convenience" I find it necessary to set the K3 power level
> at the lower point to avoid faults.  Sadly, there is now way for the KPA1500
> to tell the K3 (or K4) what's going on and therefore what to do.  I'm
> attempting to become smarter with an Arduino and, hopefully, figure out how
> to automate this.  It requires a look-up table to determine frequency,
> antenna, tuning solution, for setting the exciter drive level.  So far, I
> can spell Arduino correctly four out of five times.  That is progress! 
> Next, I will plug it in.
> 
> BTW, if one's antennas demonstrate little to no reactance and a 50 Ohm
> match, this is not an issue.  That only happens in the movies and on TV
> (Last Man Standing? who needs a K-Line, obviously).
> 
> 73, Bill, K8TE
> 
> 
> 
> --
> Sent from: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/
> __
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[Elecraft] Line In/Out Isolation Transformer

[Bill Gillenwater]

I want to run sound card audio to the K3. I see that the K3 has isolation 
transformers built into the Line In and Line Out jacks. My audio cables have an 
isolation transformer that I built in for use with other radios and 
applications.  Does it hurt to have the audio going through two 1:1 isolators 
or should I just use a plain audio cable?

Thanks,
Bill K3SV 


Sent from my iPad
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Re: [Elecraft] KPA1500 power per frequency bin

[K8TE]

I am right there with Hank, and probably a lot of others.  It's worse when
one has an external antenna switch which the KPA1500 can't sense so it's
necessary to provide low power from the K3 to avoid a fault because of the
different antenna and the tuner can provide the appropriate (already
trained) match.  Also, switching between ANT1 and ANT2 with different
conjugate matches often requires different power levels from the K3 (or
other radios).

So, for operator "convenience" I find it necessary to set the K3 power level
at the lower point to avoid faults.  Sadly, there is now way for the KPA1500
to tell the K3 (or K4) what's going on and therefore what to do.  I'm
attempting to become smarter with an Arduino and, hopefully, figure out how
to automate this.  It requires a look-up table to determine frequency,
antenna, tuning solution, for setting the exciter drive level.  So far, I
can spell Arduino correctly four out of five times.  That is progress! 
Next, I will plug it in.

BTW, if one's antennas demonstrate little to no reactance and a 50 Ohm
match, this is not an issue.  That only happens in the movies and on TV
(Last Man Standing? who needs a K-Line, obviously).

73, Bill, K8TE



--
Sent from: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/
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Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline

[Josh Fiden]

To make it come off *really* clean, I like to put the 1st layer of vinyl tape 
sticky side out. Then self-fusing tape, another layer of vinyl tape (3m 33+ or 
88). And because overkill is never enough, paint with some Scotchkote last!

73
Josh W6XU

Sent from my mobile device

>> On Jun 3, 2020, at 12:50 PM, Buck  wrote:
> Electrical tape, then the self-fusing tape, then electrical tape.  The first 
> layer of electrical tape makes it easier to removing the fusing tape later

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Re: [Elecraft] ferrites for subwoofer: before or after isolation transformers?

[Nicklas Johnson]

Happy to report that the subwoofer problem got about 95% better with the
placement of ferrites immediately before the subwoofer on the power cord,
the LFE channel and the speaker channels.  It still picks up just a tiny
bit of 20m racket even with nothing connected to it, which I suspect could
be a consequence of the speaker coil picking up the signal and getting
rectified in the subwoofer's amplifier.  I think it would be difficult to
mitigate without more effort than the very small amount of sound is worth.
(I'd probably have to disassemble the subwoofer and add a new cable
between the amplifier and the speaker that took a bunch of turns through a
ferrite ring... something I'm not willing to do yet.)

(The question about the isolation transformers came up because the
subwoofer must necessarily plug into a different outlet than the receiver
due to its placement, and the answer is to add the ferrite as close to the
amplifier as possible, on both ends, so necessarily after the isolation
transformers, right up against the subwoofer is the place to go.)

Adding ferrite to all the speaker wires, the LFE channel, and the power
cord at the receiver as Dave (NK7Z) suggested got rid of the small
amount of noise that was being picked up on other channels, so I'd call
that piece a total success.  Because of the way our AV cabinet is arranged,
I needed the ferrites to be a little bit closer to the wall than to the
receiver, so I gave the wire leading to the receiver several twists on its
way for those last few feet.

In all cases I was able to get at least 7 turns through the clamps I
bought... they were pretty good hefty sizes.

Incidentally, Mouser has very good prices and reasonably priced shipping on
Fair-Ride material 31 clamp-ons, and it pays to buy in bulk-- 10 costs the
same as 7.  They also vacuum-seal and bubble-wrap the hell out of it so it
arrives intact.

Leaving this message so it's searchable by the next person.  As always, I
appreciate all the help and suggestions from everyone.

   Nick

On Sat, 23 May 2020 at 17:01, Nicklas Johnson  wrote:

> I certainly agree.  And of course there's no "one size fits all" for RFI
> problems.  I think it's somewhat likely I have multiple problems going on
> here too; I noticed, for example, that even when it's completely
> disconnected from all its audio inputs, I can still hear a little racket on
> the sub; it may need a hefty ferrite on the power cord, or I suppose it's
> always possible it's picking up 20m from the speaker coil, then rectifying
> that.  I won't know until I get some appropriate ferrites delivered to test
> out (mid-week).
>
> Sadly, it seems like most consumer-grade audio equipment is optimized more
> for cost than for design quality and RFI suppression, even equipment that's
> supposed to be "high-end."  And then sometimes you can buy a piece of cheap
> gear and it rejects RF better than high-end stuff.  Kind of a crap shoot.
>
> I appreciate all the suggestions and pointers.  In the absolute worst
> case, I can always play on another band when my better half wants to watch
> a movie or play a game, too.
>
>Nick
>
>
> On Sat, 23 May 2020 at 16:39, Dave Cole  wrote:
>
>> All of Jim's material is like gold for RFI suppression.
>>
>> 73, and thanks,
>> Dave (NK7Z)
>> https://www.nk7z.net
>> ARRL Volunteer Examiner
>> ARRL Technical Specialist
>> ARRL Asst. Director, NW Division, Technical Resources
>>
>> On 5/23/20 2:02 PM, Nicklas Johnson wrote:
>> > Thanks, Dave.  A very good point about the amp picking up stray RF off
>> > the cable and returning it as audio; I'll be sure to clamp down on both
>> > ends.
>> >
>> > It's definitely not a new problem, and I've used Jim's recommendations
>> > to much success in the past.  In fact, I referenced it again today
>> > because I couldn't remember which mix of Fair-Rite was the right one.
>> >
>> > Nick
>> >
>> > On Sat, 23 May 2020 at 10:58, Dave Cole > > > wrote:
>> >
>> > I would put the ferrite material as close to the speaker as
>> possible,
>> > and as close as possible to the amp...
>> >
>> > It is important you also protect the amp from stray RF.  If the
>> speaker
>> > cable is picking up RF, and feeding it back into the audio amp
>> output
>> > stage, you can get rectification within that stage in the amp, thus
>> > feeding actual audio, (not RF), back down the speaker cable into the
>> > speaker(s), and then you start hearing things on the speaker(s).
>> >
>> > I had a ham friend living 700 or 800 feet from me-- when he lit off
>> his
>> > KW, I would hear SSB in the speakers, even with the amp off, and
>> > unplugged.  This was happening via the method above.
>> >
>> > See Jim's paper on quieting things down:
>> >
>> > http://www.audiosystemsgroup.com/RFI-Ham.pdf
>> >
>> > 73, and thanks,
>> > Dave (NK7Z)
>> > https://www.nk7z.net
>> > ARRL Volunteer Examiner
>> > ARRL Technical Specialist
>> >

Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline

[Buck]

Electrical tape, then the self-fusing tape, then electrical tape.  The 
first layer of electrical tape makes it easier to removing the fusing 
tape later


Buck, k4ia
Honor Roll
8BDXCC
EasyWayHamBooks.com

On 6/3/2020 12:58 PM, Clay Autery wrote:
I've got to get to class, but there are a NUMBER of different methods 
and procedures that are used.


Self-fusing tape properly applied covered by top-quality electrical tape 
to protect the self-fusing tape from UV...

There are specific points on installation that you want to observe.

Someone will chime in with deatil or a reference to a procedure...  If 
not, I will do it later... Class in 3 minutes.


73,

__
Clay Autery, KY5G
(318) 518-1389

On 06/03/20 10:35, Peter Dougherty wrote:
No, and I wasn't sure how to accomplish this. It's stainless hardware, 
but
I'm guessing I should probably wrap the feedpoint up in self-annealing 
tape

and Scotch 88 just to be safe.

  - pjd

-Original Message-
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net 
 On

Behalf Of Dave Cole
Sent: Wednesday, June 3, 2020 7:27 AM
To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline

Hi,

Is the open end of that feedline where it connects to the antenna
weatherproofed?

73, and thanks,
Dave (NK7Z)
https://www.nk7z.net
ARRL Volunteer Examiner
ARRL Technical Specialist
ARRL Asst. Director, NW Division, Technical Resources

On 6/2/20 8:15 PM, Peter Dougherty wrote:

HI all,

A postscript to the problem. First off, a huge thank you to the many
replies received. I was fortunate that the problem was not in the 
KPA-1500

as I'd originally feared.

Much troubleshooting within the past few days. Originally the amp was
"iffy" on the old M-squared 6m5, and problematic (faulting) during 
damp or
wet weather. This prompted the replacement of both the antenna and 
feedline.

The hard faults were still occurring, until it was suggested the Ten-Tec
238 tuner that I was using exclusively for the built-in antenna switch 
was

now the issue. I took this out of line today, and lowered the tower to
fine-tune the LFA's feed point and now everything is humming along just
nicely. The KPA-1500 is happy at 1.5 kW and showing an SWR of 1.2 in dry
conditions. I will keep my fingers crossed that the wet weather 
expected in

the next day or so won't bother it all that much.
The final step was to move the 6m feedline from the secondary inlet 
box to
the main antenna switch on the big tower. The downside here is I now 
have an
additional 70 feet of BuryFlex in the line, so I'm guessing a total of 
about
1.5 to 1.7dB of feedline loss. This is something I would like to 
address in

the future with an eye to dropping it below 1dB.

Screencaps:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1y4vyd17pbgq8ty/6m%20via%20the%20antenna%20s
witch.png?dl=0

And

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5x8n0bum4nwcxqp/6m%20LFA%20-%20SWR%20after%2
0tuning.png?dl=0

And for the balun discussion, this is what's in place, before the
double-walled heat-shrink was applied:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/18pgthl67rtq3bl/2020-05-31%2017.51.08.jpg?dl
=0

   - pjd

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delivered to li...@w2irt.net

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Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline

[Phil Kane]

On 6/3/2020 8:35 AM, Peter Dougherty wrote:

> No, and I wasn't sure how to accomplish this. It's stainless hardware, but
> I'm guessing I should probably wrap the feedpoint up in self-annealing tape
> and Scotch 88 just to be safe. 

Rescue Tape to the rescue.   - also available from the
Amazing place.

Originally developed as a repair tape, it's stretchable, self-sealing,
high insulation rated, UV resistant, comes in several colors for easy
ID, and no residue when removed.  I had several antenna feed points
wrapped with it and after 10+ years the connectors underneath were as
bright and shiny as they were when first installed.

73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane
Elecraft K2/100   s/n 5402

>From a Clearing in the Silicon Forest
Beaverton (Washington County) Oregon
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[Elecraft] P3 SVGA kit

[Robert A. Hughes]

Looking for a P3 SVGA kit. If anyone has one for sale, please let me know.

Thanks,

Bob Hughes
W7SNR
Cave Creek, AZ
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Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline

[Walter Underwood]

I use the weatherproofing described here. I think this practice has a long 
history in telephone wiring. It is a detailed walk-through of what you 
described.

https://static.dxengineering.com/pdf/WeatherProofingCoax-TechTip.pdf 


wunder
K6WRU
Walter Underwood
CM87wj
http://observer.wunderwood.org/ (my blog)

> On Jun 3, 2020, at 9:58 AM, Clay Autery  wrote:
> 
> I've got to get to class, but there are a NUMBER of different methods and 
> procedures that are used.
> 
> Self-fusing tape properly applied covered by top-quality electrical tape to 
> protect the self-fusing tape from UV...
> There are specific points on installation that you want to observe.
> 
> Someone will chime in with deatil or a reference to a procedure...  If not, I 
> will do it later... Class in 3 minutes.
> 
> 73,
> 
> __
> Clay Autery, KY5G
> (318) 518-1389
> 
> On 06/03/20 10:35, Peter Dougherty wrote:
>> No, and I wasn't sure how to accomplish this. It's stainless hardware, but
>> I'm guessing I should probably wrap the feedpoint up in self-annealing tape
>> and Scotch 88 just to be safe.
>> 
>>  - pjd
>> 
>> -Original Message-
>> From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net  On
>> Behalf Of Dave Cole
>> Sent: Wednesday, June 3, 2020 7:27 AM
>> To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
>> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline
>> 
>> Hi,
>> 
>> Is the open end of that feedline where it connects to the antenna
>> weatherproofed?
>> 
>> 73, and thanks,
>> Dave (NK7Z)
>> https://www.nk7z.net
>> ARRL Volunteer Examiner
>> ARRL Technical Specialist
>> ARRL Asst. Director, NW Division, Technical Resources
>> 
>> On 6/2/20 8:15 PM, Peter Dougherty wrote:
>>> HI all,
>>> 
>>> A postscript to the problem. First off, a huge thank you to the many
>> replies received. I was fortunate that the problem was not in the KPA-1500
>> as I'd originally feared.
>>> Much troubleshooting within the past few days. Originally the amp was
>> "iffy" on the old M-squared 6m5, and problematic (faulting) during damp or
>> wet weather. This prompted the replacement of both the antenna and feedline.
>>> The hard faults were still occurring, until it was suggested the Ten-Tec
>> 238 tuner that I was using exclusively for the built-in antenna switch was
>> now the issue. I took this out of line today, and lowered the tower to
>> fine-tune the LFA's feed point and now everything is humming along just
>> nicely. The KPA-1500 is happy at 1.5 kW and showing an SWR of 1.2 in dry
>> conditions. I will keep my fingers crossed that the wet weather expected in
>> the next day or so won't bother it all that much.
>>> The final step was to move the 6m feedline from the secondary inlet box to
>> the main antenna switch on the big tower. The downside here is I now have an
>> additional 70 feet of BuryFlex in the line, so I'm guessing a total of about
>> 1.5 to 1.7dB of feedline loss. This is something I would like to address in
>> the future with an eye to dropping it below 1dB.
>>> Screencaps:
>>> https://www.dropbox.com/s/1y4vyd17pbgq8ty/6m%20via%20the%20antenna%20s
>>> witch.png?dl=0
>>> 
>>> And
>>> 
>>> https://www.dropbox.com/s/5x8n0bum4nwcxqp/6m%20LFA%20-%20SWR%20after%2
>>> 0tuning.png?dl=0
>>> 
>>> And for the balun discussion, this is what's in place, before the
>>> double-walled heat-shrink was applied:
>>> https://www.dropbox.com/s/18pgthl67rtq3bl/2020-05-31%2017.51.08.jpg?dl
>>> =0
>>> 
>>>   - pjd
>>> 
>>> __
>>> 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
>>> d...@nk7z.net
>>> 
>> __
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>> delivered to li...@w2irt.net
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>> __
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>> Message delivered to k...@montac.com
> __
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> Please help support this email list: 

Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline

[Clay Autery]

I've got to get to class, but there are a NUMBER of different methods 
and procedures that are used.


Self-fusing tape properly applied covered by top-quality electrical tape 
to protect the self-fusing tape from UV...

There are specific points on installation that you want to observe.

Someone will chime in with deatil or a reference to a procedure...  If 
not, I will do it later... Class in 3 minutes.


73,

__
Clay Autery, KY5G
(318) 518-1389

On 06/03/20 10:35, Peter Dougherty wrote:

No, and I wasn't sure how to accomplish this. It's stainless hardware, but
I'm guessing I should probably wrap the feedpoint up in self-annealing tape
and Scotch 88 just to be safe.

  - pjd

-Original Message-
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net  On
Behalf Of Dave Cole
Sent: Wednesday, June 3, 2020 7:27 AM
To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline

Hi,

Is the open end of that feedline where it connects to the antenna
weatherproofed?

73, and thanks,
Dave (NK7Z)
https://www.nk7z.net
ARRL Volunteer Examiner
ARRL Technical Specialist
ARRL Asst. Director, NW Division, Technical Resources

On 6/2/20 8:15 PM, Peter Dougherty wrote:

HI all,

A postscript to the problem. First off, a huge thank you to the many

replies received. I was fortunate that the problem was not in the KPA-1500
as I'd originally feared.

Much troubleshooting within the past few days. Originally the amp was

"iffy" on the old M-squared 6m5, and problematic (faulting) during damp or
wet weather. This prompted the replacement of both the antenna and feedline.

The hard faults were still occurring, until it was suggested the Ten-Tec

238 tuner that I was using exclusively for the built-in antenna switch was
now the issue. I took this out of line today, and lowered the tower to
fine-tune the LFA's feed point and now everything is humming along just
nicely. The KPA-1500 is happy at 1.5 kW and showing an SWR of 1.2 in dry
conditions. I will keep my fingers crossed that the wet weather expected in
the next day or so won't bother it all that much.

The final step was to move the 6m feedline from the secondary inlet box to

the main antenna switch on the big tower. The downside here is I now have an
additional 70 feet of BuryFlex in the line, so I'm guessing a total of about
1.5 to 1.7dB of feedline loss. This is something I would like to address in
the future with an eye to dropping it below 1dB.

Screencaps:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1y4vyd17pbgq8ty/6m%20via%20the%20antenna%20s
witch.png?dl=0

And

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5x8n0bum4nwcxqp/6m%20LFA%20-%20SWR%20after%2
0tuning.png?dl=0

And for the balun discussion, this is what's in place, before the
double-walled heat-shrink was applied:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/18pgthl67rtq3bl/2020-05-31%2017.51.08.jpg?dl
=0

   - pjd

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Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline

[Peter Dougherty]

No, and I wasn't sure how to accomplish this. It's stainless hardware, but
I'm guessing I should probably wrap the feedpoint up in self-annealing tape
and Scotch 88 just to be safe. 

 - pjd

-Original Message-
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net  On
Behalf Of Dave Cole
Sent: Wednesday, June 3, 2020 7:27 AM
To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline

Hi,

Is the open end of that feedline where it connects to the antenna
weatherproofed?

73, and thanks,
Dave (NK7Z)
https://www.nk7z.net
ARRL Volunteer Examiner
ARRL Technical Specialist
ARRL Asst. Director, NW Division, Technical Resources

On 6/2/20 8:15 PM, Peter Dougherty wrote:
> HI all,
> 
> A postscript to the problem. First off, a huge thank you to the many
replies received. I was fortunate that the problem was not in the KPA-1500
as I'd originally feared.
> 
> Much troubleshooting within the past few days. Originally the amp was
"iffy" on the old M-squared 6m5, and problematic (faulting) during damp or
wet weather. This prompted the replacement of both the antenna and feedline.
> 
> The hard faults were still occurring, until it was suggested the Ten-Tec
238 tuner that I was using exclusively for the built-in antenna switch was
now the issue. I took this out of line today, and lowered the tower to
fine-tune the LFA's feed point and now everything is humming along just
nicely. The KPA-1500 is happy at 1.5 kW and showing an SWR of 1.2 in dry
conditions. I will keep my fingers crossed that the wet weather expected in
the next day or so won't bother it all that much.
> 
> The final step was to move the 6m feedline from the secondary inlet box to
the main antenna switch on the big tower. The downside here is I now have an
additional 70 feet of BuryFlex in the line, so I'm guessing a total of about
1.5 to 1.7dB of feedline loss. This is something I would like to address in
the future with an eye to dropping it below 1dB.
> 
> Screencaps: 
> https://www.dropbox.com/s/1y4vyd17pbgq8ty/6m%20via%20the%20antenna%20s
> witch.png?dl=0
> 
> And
> 
> https://www.dropbox.com/s/5x8n0bum4nwcxqp/6m%20LFA%20-%20SWR%20after%2
> 0tuning.png?dl=0
> 
> And for the balun discussion, this is what's in place, before the 
> double-walled heat-shrink was applied: 
> https://www.dropbox.com/s/18pgthl67rtq3bl/2020-05-31%2017.51.08.jpg?dl
> =0
> 
>   - pjd
> 
> __
> 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 
> d...@nk7z.net
> 
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Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Service

[Dave Cole]

Thanks!!!  They are far faster than I expected given the COVID19 mess.

73, and thanks,
Dave (NK7Z)
https://www.nk7z.net
ARRL Volunteer Examiner
ARRL Technical Specialist
ARRL Asst. Director, NW Division, Technical Resources

On 6/3/20 5:23 AM, ockm...@gmail.com wrote:

Time Line as follows:

Initial email contact: 4/17
Received an RSA: 4/22
Shipped to Elecraft: 4/23
Received at Elecraft: 4/27
Shipped from Elecraft: 5/26
Received at N7TY QTH: 6/2

It took them a month to perform the necessary repairs and upgrades, not bad
considering.  Also, the Amp was receive at UPS Yuma on 5/30, however UPS
delayed the delivery until 6/2 due to a local backlog.

73 de Bruce, N7TY
Yuma, AZ
www.qsl.net/n7ty

-Original Message-
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net  On
Behalf Of Dave Cole
Sent: June 3, 2020 04:30
To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Service

Hi bruce,

It is interesting you mention this, I was just wondering how long the
backlog was for repairs due to COVID issues...  What was your tuner time
from sending it in, to getting it back?

73, and thanks,
Dave (NK7Z)
https://www.nk7z.net
ARRL Volunteer Examiner
ARRL Technical Specialist
ARRL Asst. Director, NW Division, Technical Resources

On 6/2/20 10:09 PM, ockm...@gmail.com wrote:

A few months back I won the ARRL Auction for a KPA1500.  It was my
understanding this was the one the League used to test for the QST
review on the amplifier.

   


It operated flawlessly for a few months, then I did something wrong
after doing some work to my Vertical and it stopped putting out full

power.


   


After several emails back and forth with Elecraft Service the decision
was made to send in only the RF Deck, I did.  Because of the COVID,
things took a bit longer than normal, but in the end they got it fixed
and performed some upgrades.  I received it from UPS today,
reinstalled it and all is well.

   


What I wasn't expecting however is they warranted all the repairs.  I
had mentioned in my emails that this was the amp that the ARRL tested,
I am the "second owner" and they usually only honor warranties if sent
in by the original owner.

   


Thank you Elecraft for the outstanding service, keep up the good work!

   


73 de Bruce, N7TY

Yuma, AZ

www.qsl.net/n7ty 

   


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[Elecraft] K3/P3/KPA1500 Items For Sale

[ockmrzr]

I upgraded of my two K-Line's recently and have some left over items.
"Let's Make a Deal"

 

1x - KPA1500-KWD, KPA1500 to Kenwood Radio Interface Cable set

1x - KXV3A K3 Transverter Interface module

4x - KSYN3 K3 Synthesizer module

1x - E850410, P3 Cable

1x - E850339, TMP Cable

2x - E980297, RJ-45 to DE-9S (KIO3B RS232) Cable

2x - E850824, KPA1500 PS Min Load Kit

 

If interested, let me know via direct email, n...@arrl.net
 

 

73 de Bruce, N7TY

Yuma, AZ

www.qsl.net/n7ty  

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Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Service

[ockmrzr]

Time Line as follows:

Initial email contact: 4/17
Received an RSA: 4/22
Shipped to Elecraft: 4/23
Received at Elecraft: 4/27
Shipped from Elecraft: 5/26
Received at N7TY QTH: 6/2

It took them a month to perform the necessary repairs and upgrades, not bad
considering.  Also, the Amp was receive at UPS Yuma on 5/30, however UPS
delayed the delivery until 6/2 due to a local backlog.

73 de Bruce, N7TY
Yuma, AZ
www.qsl.net/n7ty

-Original Message-
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net  On
Behalf Of Dave Cole
Sent: June 3, 2020 04:30
To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Service

Hi bruce,

It is interesting you mention this, I was just wondering how long the
backlog was for repairs due to COVID issues...  What was your tuner time
from sending it in, to getting it back?

73, and thanks,
Dave (NK7Z)
https://www.nk7z.net
ARRL Volunteer Examiner
ARRL Technical Specialist
ARRL Asst. Director, NW Division, Technical Resources

On 6/2/20 10:09 PM, ockm...@gmail.com wrote:
> A few months back I won the ARRL Auction for a KPA1500.  It was my 
> understanding this was the one the League used to test for the QST 
> review on the amplifier.
> 
>   
> 
> It operated flawlessly for a few months, then I did something wrong 
> after doing some work to my Vertical and it stopped putting out full
power.
> 
>   
> 
> After several emails back and forth with Elecraft Service the decision 
> was made to send in only the RF Deck, I did.  Because of the COVID, 
> things took a bit longer than normal, but in the end they got it fixed 
> and performed some upgrades.  I received it from UPS today, 
> reinstalled it and all is well.
> 
>   
> 
> What I wasn't expecting however is they warranted all the repairs.  I 
> had mentioned in my emails that this was the amp that the ARRL tested, 
> I am the "second owner" and they usually only honor warranties if sent 
> in by the original owner.
> 
>   
> 
> Thank you Elecraft for the outstanding service, keep up the good work!
> 
>   
> 
> 73 de Bruce, N7TY
> 
> Yuma, AZ
> 
> www.qsl.net/n7ty 
> 
>   
> 
> __
> Elecraft mailing list
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> list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to 
> d...@nk7z.net
> 
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Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Service

[Dave]

Outstanding service, as usual.

Now if ALL companies (not just ham radio) provided this level of service...

Dave wo2x

Sent from my iPad

> On Jun 3, 2020, at 1:12 AM, ockm...@gmail.com wrote:
> 
> A few months back I won the ARRL Auction for a KPA1500.  It was my
> understanding this was the one the League used to test for the QST review on
> the amplifier.
> 
> 
> 
> It operated flawlessly for a few months, then I did something wrong after
> doing some work to my Vertical and it stopped putting out full power.
> 
> 
> 
> After several emails back and forth with Elecraft Service the decision was
> made to send in only the RF Deck, I did.  Because of the COVID, things took
> a bit longer than normal, but in the end they got it fixed and performed
> some upgrades.  I received it from UPS today, reinstalled it and all is
> well.  
> 
> 
> 
> What I wasn't expecting however is they warranted all the repairs.  I had
> mentioned in my emails that this was the amp that the ARRL tested, I am the
> "second owner" and they usually only honor warranties if sent in by the
> original owner.
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you Elecraft for the outstanding service, keep up the good work!
> 
> 
> 
> 73 de Bruce, N7TY
> 
> Yuma, AZ
> 
> www.qsl.net/n7ty  
> 
> 
> 
> __
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net
> 
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> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> Message delivered to rocke...@gmail.com 
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Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Service

[Dave Cole]

Hi bruce,

It is interesting you mention this, I was just wondering how long the 
backlog was for repairs due to COVID issues...  What was your tuner time 
from sending it in, to getting it back?


73, and thanks,
Dave (NK7Z)
https://www.nk7z.net
ARRL Volunteer Examiner
ARRL Technical Specialist
ARRL Asst. Director, NW Division, Technical Resources

On 6/2/20 10:09 PM, ockm...@gmail.com wrote:

A few months back I won the ARRL Auction for a KPA1500.  It was my
understanding this was the one the League used to test for the QST review on
the amplifier.

  


It operated flawlessly for a few months, then I did something wrong after
doing some work to my Vertical and it stopped putting out full power.

  


After several emails back and forth with Elecraft Service the decision was
made to send in only the RF Deck, I did.  Because of the COVID, things took
a bit longer than normal, but in the end they got it fixed and performed
some upgrades.  I received it from UPS today, reinstalled it and all is
well.

  


What I wasn't expecting however is they warranted all the repairs.  I had
mentioned in my emails that this was the amp that the ARRL tested, I am the
"second owner" and they usually only honor warranties if sent in by the
original owner.

  


Thank you Elecraft for the outstanding service, keep up the good work!

  


73 de Bruce, N7TY

Yuma, AZ

www.qsl.net/n7ty 

  


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Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline

[Dave Cole]

Hi,

Is the open end of that feedline where it connects to the antenna 
weatherproofed?


73, and thanks,
Dave (NK7Z)
https://www.nk7z.net
ARRL Volunteer Examiner
ARRL Technical Specialist
ARRL Asst. Director, NW Division, Technical Resources

On 6/2/20 8:15 PM, Peter Dougherty wrote:

HI all,

A postscript to the problem. First off, a huge thank you to the many replies 
received. I was fortunate that the problem was not in the KPA-1500 as I'd 
originally feared.

Much troubleshooting within the past few days. Originally the amp was "iffy" on 
the old M-squared 6m5, and problematic (faulting) during damp or wet weather. This 
prompted the replacement of both the antenna and feedline.

The hard faults were still occurring, until it was suggested the Ten-Tec 238 
tuner that I was using exclusively for the built-in antenna switch was now the 
issue. I took this out of line today, and lowered the tower to fine-tune the 
LFA's feed point and now everything is humming along just nicely. The KPA-1500 
is happy at 1.5 kW and showing an SWR of 1.2 in dry conditions. I will keep my 
fingers crossed that the wet weather expected in the next day or so won't 
bother it all that much.

The final step was to move the 6m feedline from the secondary inlet box to the 
main antenna switch on the big tower. The downside here is I now have an 
additional 70 feet of BuryFlex in the line, so I'm guessing a total of about 
1.5 to 1.7dB of feedline loss. This is something I would like to address in the 
future with an eye to dropping it below 1dB.

Screencaps: 
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1y4vyd17pbgq8ty/6m%20via%20the%20antenna%20switch.png?dl=0

And

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5x8n0bum4nwcxqp/6m%20LFA%20-%20SWR%20after%20tuning.png?dl=0

And for the balun discussion, this is what's in place, before the double-walled 
heat-shrink was applied: 
https://www.dropbox.com/s/18pgthl67rtq3bl/2020-05-31%2017.51.08.jpg?dl=0

  - pjd

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