KAT500 tuning & K3 power control
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Hi all,
For a while I have been quite concerned with the way my K3's power control behaves when tuning a previously unknown antenna frequency with the KAT500. The KAT500 hunts *a lot* and the K3's power output goes more or less crazy as a result. I have an LP-100A in line and it's not unusual for me to see a K3 power output of 60W or more when done tuning (tuning power is set at 20W as recommended). Is this healthy for the K3? Knut - AB2TC |
Re: KAT500 tuning & K3 power control
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I don't think you are seeing 60 true watts. The watt meter probably measures accurately with a 1:1 SWR or 50 ohms resistive. Since the SWR is what is jumping all over the place what you are seeing is the meter jumping due to the SWR changes. Now the voltages might jump in concert with the SWR but if you tune at low power as recommended this should not be a problem.
73, phil, K7PEH PEH's iPad On May 28, 2013, at 2:24 PM, ab2tc <[hidden email]> wrote: > Hi all, > > For a while I have been quite concerned with the way my K3's power control > behaves when tuning a previously unknown antenna frequency with the KAT500. > The KAT500 hunts *a lot* and the K3's power output goes more or less crazy > as a result. I have an LP-100A in line and it's not unusual for me to see a > K3 power output of 60W or more when done tuning (tuning power is set at 20W > as recommended). Is this healthy for the K3? > > Knut - AB2TC > > > > -- > View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/KAT500-tuning-K3-power-control-tp7574383.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 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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Hi,
I don't think that's true. When tuning is finished the LP-100A sees the final SWR which is a good one, less than 1.5:1 and should be able to display the true power out of the K3. Unless the LP-100A has a really strange problem, which I doubt, the K3 power output is truly at levels way above the selected 20W tuning power. Knut - AB2TC
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Re: KAT500 tuning & K3 power control
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Ok, if what you say is true, then you should also be able to see the input line power or current jumping all over the place too. Otherwise, you are violating the conservation of energy. So, is the input power also jumping in a like fashion? Voltage jumps can occur without violating the conservation of energy but power is indeed energy per unit time.
PEH's iPad On May 28, 2013, at 2:48 PM, ab2tc <[hidden email]> wrote: > Hi, > > I don't think that's true. When tuning is finished the LP-100A sees the > final SWR which is a good one, less than 1.5:1 and should be able to display > the true power out of the K3. Unless the LP-100A has a really strange > problem, which I doubt, the K3 power output is truly at levels way above the > selected 20W tuning power. > > Knut - AB2TC > > > Phil Hystad-3 wrote >> I don't think you are seeing 60 true watts. The watt meter probably >> measures accurately with a 1:1 SWR or 50 ohms resistive. Since the SWR is >> what is jumping all over the place what you are seeing is the meter >> jumping due to the SWR changes. Now the voltages might jump in concert >> with the SWR but if you tune at low power as recommended this should not >> be a problem. >> >> 73, phil, K7PEH >> >> PEH's iPad >> >> On May 28, 2013, at 2:24 PM, ab2tc < > >> ab2tc@ > >> > wrote: >> >>> Hi all, >>> >>> For a while I have been quite concerned with the way my K3's power >>> control >>> behaves when tuning a previously unknown antenna frequency with the >>> KAT500. >>> The KAT500 hunts *a lot* and the K3's power output goes more or less >>> crazy >>> as a result. I have an LP-100A in line and it's not unusual for me to see >>> a >>> K3 power output of 60W or more when done tuning (tuning power is set at >>> 20W >>> as recommended). Is this healthy for the K3? >>> >>> Knut - AB2TC >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> View this message in context: >>> http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/KAT500-tuning-K3-power-control-tp7574383.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: > >> Elecraft@.qth > >>> >>> 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: > >> Elecraft@.qth > >> >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > > > > > > -- > View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/KAT500-tuning-K3-power-control-tp7574383p7574387.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 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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Hi,
I have not monitored the input current while it's tuning, but I have no doubt that it's jumping up and down like crazy, too. The power supply, a Kenwood KPS-15, has no problem handling ordinary speech, so I have no doubt it can handle these fluctuations without sagging the voltage. I doubt very much it's a power supply problem. Knut - AB2TC <quote author="Phil Hystad-3"> Ok, if what you say is true, then you should also be able to see the input line power or current jumping all over the place too. Otherwise, you are violating the conservation of energy. So, is the input power also jumping in a like fashion? Voltage jumps can occur without violating the conservation of energy but power is indeed energy per unit time. PEH's iPad On May 28, 2013, at 2:48 PM, ab2tc <[hidden email]> wrote: > Hi, > > I don't think that's true. When tuning is finished the LP-100A sees the > final SWR which is a good one, less than 1.5:1 and should be able to display > the true power out of the K3. Unless the LP-100A has a really strange > problem, which I doubt, the K3 power output is truly at levels way above the > selected 20W tuning power. > > Knut - AB2TC > > > Phil Hystad-3 wrote >> I don't think you are seeing 60 true watts. The watt meter probably >> measures accurately with a 1:1 SWR or 50 ohms resistive. Since the SWR is >> what is jumping all over the place what you are seeing is the meter >> jumping due to the SWR changes. Now the voltages might jump in concert >> with the SWR but if you tune at low power as recommended this should not >> be a problem. >> >> 73, phil, K7PEH >> >> PEH's iPad >> >> On May 28, 2013, at 2:24 PM, ab2tc < > >> ab2tc@ > >> > wrote: >> >>> Hi all, >>> >>> For a while I have been quite concerned with the way my K3's power >>> control >>> behaves when tuning a previously unknown antenna frequency with the >>> KAT500. >>> The KAT500 hunts *a lot* and the K3's power output goes more or less >>> crazy >>> as a result. I have an LP-100A in line and it's not unusual for me to see >>> a >>> K3 power output of 60W or more when done tuning (tuning power is set at >>> 20W >>> as recommended). Is this healthy for the K3? >>> >>> Knut - AB2TC >>> <snip </quote> |
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