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KX3 bricked by F/W upgrade attempt

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W4GRJ

Re: K3 KPA500 power on 24/7

My question is technical not financial.... I just wanted opinions of which is best for the equipment on 24/7 or not.... Maybe the answer is it doesn't matter.
Jack
W4GRJ

On Nov 17, 2014, at 5:40 PM, norrislawfirm2 <[hidden email]> wrote:

Why would you want to leave it on? It's just wasting power, though being Elecraft, not much. I turn everything off, ground all antennas, and switch the k-line into a dummy load. Even for the demands of EME the K3 and XV-144 are stable in 20 minutes.

I once had the K3 go into a runaway state where it started transmitting on a 12 mhz frequency I use to listen to marine cw during the annual Night of Nights. Smoke escaped. Elecraft Support was baffled, but it has never reoccured (after the K3 was repaired). It could have been my PC.

I leave the K3 unattended when it is running WSPR, but I don't understand what the upside is to leaving everything on when there are known and unknown downsides, static discharges for example.

Stuff Happens.

73

Eric WD6DBM

Sent on a Sprint Samsung Galaxy S® III

-------- Original message --------
From: w4grj
Date:11/17/2014 5:47 AM (GMT-08:00)
To: [hidden email]
Subject: [Elecraft] K3 KPA500 power on 24/7

What are opinions of leaving my K3 and KPA500 on 24/7 or should they
be powered on and off for daily use?
Jack
W4GRJ

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Stephen G4SJP

Re: K3 KPA500 power on 24/7

Jack,

I suspect that it really doesn't matter too much - components these days
are far less susceptible to turn-on shock.

Were the electrical energy free, I would probably leave it all on. And all
the lights, heating etc, but that's a different matter as we all know :-)

Now, according to something I've read today on the BBC website, if your
guys over at the skunkworks at Lockheed-Martin can pull off their fusion
reactor as they hope, we _shall_ be able to leave it all on without regard
to cost/global warming etc! I wish them luck with that! Looks very
interesting.

73, Stephen G4SJP

On 17 November 2014 23:16, W4GRJ <[hidden email]> wrote:

> My question is technical not financial.... I just wanted opinions of
> which is best for the equipment on 24/7 or not.... Maybe the answer is it
> doesn't matter.
> Jack
> W4GRJ
>
>
> On Nov 17, 2014, at 5:40 PM, norrislawfirm2 <[hidden email]>
> wrote:
>
> Why would you want to leave it on? It's just wasting power, though being
> Elecraft, not much. I turn everything off, ground all antennas, and switch
> the k-line into a dummy load. Even for the demands of EME the K3 and
> XV-144 are stable in 20 minutes.
>
> I once had the K3 go into a runaway state where it started transmitting on
> a 12 mhz frequency I use to listen to marine cw during the annual Night of
> Nights. Smoke escaped. Elecraft Support was baffled, but it has never
> reoccured (after the K3 was repaired). It could have been my PC.
>
> I leave the K3 unattended when it is running WSPR, but I don't understand
> what the upside is to leaving everything on when there are known and
> unknown downsides, static discharges for example.
>
> Stuff Happens.
>
> 73
>
> Eric WD6DBM
>
>
> Sent on a Sprint Samsung Galaxy S® III
>
>
> -------- Original message --------
> From: w4grj
> Date:11/17/2014 5:47 AM (GMT-08:00)
> To: [hidden email]
> Subject: [Elecraft] K3 KPA500 power on 24/7
>
> What are opinions of leaving my K3 and KPA500 on 24/7 or should they
> be powered on and off for daily use?
> Jack
> W4GRJ
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
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>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> Message delivered to [hidden email]
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
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>
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> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> Message delivered to [hidden email]
>

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Don Wilhelm-4

Re: K3 KPA500 power on 24/7

In reply to this post by W4GRJ

Jack,

From what I know about solid state electronics, it does not make much
difference in the life of the gear. The Mean Time Between Failure for
any component is so great (mostly 100,000 hours or more) that it is only
a minor consideration.

Of greater concern is "what can happen during idle periods" - such as a
lightning or other static event that can cause damage. That can happen
whether the equipment is powered or not. So, when the transceiver is
not in use, switch the antenna connection to a dummy load is a good
preventative measure. Yes, lightning surge paths can be other than the
antenna, they can come in on the AC power lines or the telco line (read
as computer connections), but a connected antenna is the most likely
'gatherer' of lightning and static charges.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 11/17/2014 6:16 PM, W4GRJ wrote:
> My question is technical not financial.... I just wanted opinions of which is best for the equipment on 24/7 or not.... Maybe the answer is it doesn't matter.
> Jack
> W4GRJ
>
>
>

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Richard S. Leary

Re: K3 KPA500 power on 24/7

In reply to this post by Stephen G4SJP

Stephen & Eric,
FWIW. I spent 3 years stuffing 2 shilling coins in my Mother-In-Law's electric meter box in Nottingham (1959-62). That was always fun. My rate here is $0.0503 KW/Hr. And we have so much less static than CA. Sorry folks, my 2 cents, back to the hole.

73,
Rick, W7LKG

-----Original Message-----
From: Elecraft [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Stephen Prior
Sent: Monday, November 17, 2014 14:51
To: Elecraft
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 KPA500 power on 24/7

Anyone who, for no really good reason, leaves anything on 24/7, must be paying far less for their electricity than we do over on this side of the Atlantic!

73 Stephen, G4SJP

On 17 November 2014 22:40, norrislawfirm2 <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Why would you want to leave it on? It's just wasting power, though
> being Elecraft, not much. I turn everything off, ground all antennas, and switch
> the k-line into a dummy load. Even for the demands of EME the K3 and
> XV-144 are stable in 20 minutes.
>
> I once had the K3 go into a runaway state where it started
> transmitting on a 12 mhz frequency I use to listen to marine cw during
> the annual Night of Nights. Smoke escaped. Elecraft Support was
> baffled, but it has never reoccured (after the K3 was repaired). It could have been my PC.
>
> I leave the K3 unattended when it is running WSPR, but I don't
> understand what the upside is to leaving everything on when there are
> known and unknown downsides, static discharges for example.
>
> Stuff Happens.
>
> 73
>
> Eric WD6DBM
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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 Message delivered to
> [hidden email]