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K3 and AMP

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Robert 'RC' Conley

K3 and AMP

I wish to purchase an Amp either new (or new to me ) to use with my K3/100.
Are there any that I should avoid and will I need interfacing circuitry
Thanks RC kc5wa

--
"ETERNAL VIGILANCE" is the price of FREEDOM.....Thomas Jefferson
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N0AZZ

Re: K3 and AMP

Well I have 2 different amps for my 2 K3's and both work very well. It
depends on how much power you want for a 500w amp I love the Elecraft KPA500
it integrates with the K3 like a glove. All you have to do is QSY on the
radio and the amp follows with it every time and it's the same size as the
K3 and it weighs 26#. I was able to purchase mine pre-owned only 6 mo old
for a very good price from a wanted to buy ad on QTH.COM. It has worked
flawless and looks like new not a blemish, so they can be found used. This
amp works as well as my Yaesu VL-1000 did with my FTDX-5000MP in this case a
500w radio the K3 but no tuner.

For my other K3 and a Legal Limit++ amp I use an Alpha 87A Auto Tune amp.
All you do with it is attach the coax and the key out line from the radio to
amp your done it loaf's at 1500w key down any mode for however long you need
it to.

Only amps I would avoid...MFJ's!!

73,
Fred/N0AZZ

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Robert 'RC' Conley
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2012 9:34 AM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: [Elecraft] K3 and AMP

I wish to purchase an Amp either new (or new to me ) to use with my K3/100.
Are there any that I should avoid and will I need interfacing circuitry
Thanks RC kc5wa

--
"ETERNAL VIGILANCE" is the price of FREEDOM.....Thomas Jefferson
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Gary Smith-2

Re: K3 and AMP

In reply to this post by Robert 'RC' Conley

RC,

Maybe. If you get a very old amp you may have difficulties with the
keying circuit. More knowledgable people then I am will need to help
you with that. You'll only know that when you investigate the
specific amp. Not all older amps are an issue; I have a 30 year old
Alpha 77SX and run directly from the K3 key out to the Alpha's "Relay
in" and it works great. (I'd asked here regarding any specific
interface problems before buying this specific amp)

If you use CW and like QSK, you'll want that to be a factor in your
amp and get an amp with QSK. If not, it won't much matter except a
QSK relaying system will always be quieter than the non-QSK versions.
You might not like a loud click when you transmit or it may not
bother you in the least, that's your call.

73,

Gary
KA1J

> I wish to purchase an Amp either new (or new to me ) to use with my K3/100.
> Are there any that I should avoid and will I need interfacing circuitry
> Thanks RC kc5wa
>
> --
> "ETERNAL VIGILANCE" is the price of FREEDOM.....Thomas Jefferson
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>

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Joe Subich, W4TV-4

Re: K3 and AMP

> Maybe. If you get a very old amp you may have difficulties with the
> keying circuit. More knowledgable people then I am will need to help
> you with that.

Heath SB-200, SB-220, (and variants), Yaesu FL1200 (and variants),
Drake L4, and Kenwood TS-922 are all issues due to either negative
relay controls, AC relay controls or a high current spike on relay
opening.

The smart thing to do is to measure the relay line on any amp you
might suspect - if the key up voltage is negative, AC or < +24V
you will need a buffer or will need to add a "soft key" circuit to
the amplifier. Also measure the relay current with the amp keyed
as you will not want to see more than about 100ma to prevent issues
with inductive kick on relay release.

73,

... Joe, W4TV

On 10/24/2012 11:13 AM, Gary Smith wrote:

> RC,
>
> Maybe. If you get a very old amp you may have difficulties with the
> keying circuit. More knowledgable people then I am will need to help
> you with that. You'll only know that when you investigate the
> specific amp. Not all older amps are an issue; I have a 30 year old
> Alpha 77SX and run directly from the K3 key out to the Alpha's "Relay
> in" and it works great. (I'd asked here regarding any specific
> interface problems before buying this specific amp)
>
> If you use CW and like QSK, you'll want that to be a factor in your
> amp and get an amp with QSK. If not, it won't much matter except a
> QSK relaying system will always be quieter than the non-QSK versions.
> You might not like a loud click when you transmit or it may not
> bother you in the least, that's your call.
>
> 73,
>
> Gary
> KA1J
>
>> I wish to purchase an Amp either new (or new to me ) to use with my K3/100.
>> Are there any that I should avoid and will I need interfacing circuitry
>> Thanks RC kc5wa
>>
>> --
>> "ETERNAL VIGILANCE" is the price of FREEDOM.....Thomas Jefferson
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> Elecraft mailing list
>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>>
>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>>
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>

Jim Brown-10

Re: K3 and AMP

In reply to this post by Robert 'RC' Conley

On 10/24/2012 7:34 AM, Robert 'RC' Conley wrote:
> I wish to purchase an Amp either new (or new to me ) to use with my K3/100

I've successfully used K3s, both at home and other places, with KPA500,
Ten Tec Titan 425 (original, 30+ years old), Ten Tec Hercules II (a bit
newer), Alpha 87, and ACOM 1000. No issues that I'm aware of with any
of these amps.

73, Jim K9YC
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Dave Hachadorian

Re: K3 and AMP

In the past, I have used an SB-220, which has +120 VDC on the
relay keying line. No problem.

Dave Hachadorian, K6LL
Yuma, Arizona

.
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