Posted by
Don Wilhelm-3 on
Nov 02, 2006; 10:07pm
URL: http://elecraft.85.s1.nabble.com/ASTRON-PS-and-KX1-tp395046p395047.html
Jack,
The specification for the KX1 power is 7 to 14 volts with a recommendation
of 8 volts minimum.
So yes, you CAN increase the power supply voltage safely, but ask if it is
really worth it. A typical KX1 will develop about 4 watts with a 14 volt
power source, and 3.5 to 3.8 watts with 12 to 13.8 volts. There will also
be an increase in heating of the output transistor and the case may feel a
bit warmer to the touch.
An increase of 0.5 watts (from 3.5 watts to 4.0 watts) is only 0.58 dB if my
calculator did it right, and that small increase would not likely be
noticable at the receiving end. The minimum change in power level that will
increase communication effectiveness is considered 3 dB (only half an
S-unit) - and that means doubling the power - so if your current power is 2
watts and increasing the voltage brings it to 4 watts, then that is
worthwhile - anything less is not usually considered worth the expense nor
the inconvenience.
73,
Don W3FPR
> -----Original Message-----
>
> While reading the thread re: charging batteries I saw the note
> re: adjusting
> the Astron.
>
> It occured to me that I could bump the ouput up from 13.8 to the "legal
> limit" for my KX1. The goal of course is "more power" out!
>
>
>
> Is this a bad idea? I say "bad" because I know that many will say that
> small increases in power are not of much value given the nature
> of decibels
> and the human hear, but unless this is a "bad" idea, I prefer to
> experiment
> and see what results I get!
>
>
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