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K3 tune button

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Steve Walter WA3A

K3 tune button

I recently acquired a tube amplifier and find tuning with a fast string of dits works best. Of course I can use the built in keyer but I like the idea of the tune button putting out dits instead of steady carrier. Is this something anyone else would use? I use the tune button constantly for adjusting my 3 balanced tuners as well. Normally I have tune mode set to 5 watts. DIT MODE would be also have adjustable power levels.
Yes I know there are external pulsers available. Just fishing to see if theres enough interest with solid state no tune amps becoming more routine.
Steve WA3A

Gary Hinson

Re: K3 tune button

"External pulser" here is a paddle for my keyer - gives dots and dashes in
any pattern on demand. TUNE's plain carrier is handy though.

73
Gary

> -----Original Message-----
> From: [hidden email] [mailto:elecraft-
> [hidden email]] On Behalf Of Steve Walter WA3A
> Sent: Wednesday, 26 October 2011 11:59 a.m.
> To: [hidden email]
> Subject: [Elecraft] K3 tune button
>
> I recently acquired a tube amplifier and find tuning with a fast string of
dits
> works best. Of course I can use the built in keyer but I like the idea of
the
> tune button putting out dits instead of steady carrier. Is this something
> anyone else would use? I use the tune button constantly for adjusting my
3
> balanced tuners as well. Normally I have tune mode set to 5 watts. DIT
> MODE would be also have adjustable power levels.
> Yes I know there are external pulsers available. Just fishing to see if
theres

> enough interest with solid state no tune amps becoming more routine.
> Steve WA3A
>
> --
> View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K3-
> tune-button-tp6930851p6930851.html
> Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
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Don Wilhelm-4

Re: K3 tune button

In reply to this post by Steve Walter WA3A

Steve,

You are correct that the FINAL tuning of an amplifier with adjustable L
and C controls should be done at full power, but I see no need for those
"pulsers" - do a preliminary adjustment with a low TUNE power, and then
do a quick "touch-up" at the full power level - that only takes a couple
seconds for the final tuning.
We hams have been tuning amplifiers at full power for ages and ages,
long before "pulsers" became available, and that is how we did it - get
close with low drive to the amp and touch it up at full power it works
every time, and no harm to the tubes (unless you dally at the full power
touch-up).

73,
Don W3FPR

On 10/25/2011 6:59 PM, Steve Walter WA3A wrote:

> I recently acquired a tube amplifier and find tuning with a fast string of
> dits works best. Of course I can use the built in keyer but I like the idea
> of the tune button putting out dits instead of steady carrier. Is this
> something anyone else would use? I use the tune button constantly for
> adjusting my 3 balanced tuners as well. Normally I have tune mode set to 5
> watts. DIT MODE would be also have adjustable power levels.
> Yes I know there are external pulsers available. Just fishing to see if
> theres enough interest with solid state no tune amps becoming more routine.
> Steve WA3A
>
> --
> View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K3-tune-button-tp6930851p6930851.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:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>