Hi to the group. I promised to let you folks know what I came up with on my friends KX3, KXPA100, and the R9 vertical.
He got the KX3, KXPA100, and KPA500 back from Elecraft all repaired. I put the station together and this time set all 120 frequency-SWR memories at the 20 watt level. They all set up OK and at that point we went to lunch feeling good that all the problems were gone. We came back and started using the KPA500 on various frequencies. Any frequency we tried from 20 meters to 6 meters worked just fine at the 500 watt level. On 40 meters any power over 400 watts would give a fault on every piece of equipment (KAT500, KPA500, KXPA100 and an ANT ERR on the KX3. On 80 meters the faults would come on at anything over 300 watts. I felt the faults were quite violent so that more than likely explains how all three pieces of equipment got destroyed. I studied the R9 which I put together last fall. On 17 meters through 6 meters there are stubs for each band and no loading coils involved. On 20 meters there is a trap so again no loading coils. On 40 meters there is a trap and a loading coil and on 80 meters there is another trap and loading coil. I noticed on 40 and 80 I could get them to tune to low SWR with the KAT500 but if I started sending my call the KPA500 would start showing more power and soon go into the violent fault. Years ago I had a hustler vertical that would change the matched frequency as the coil heated up and I think this R9 is doing the same thing. Our solution is to run no more than 400 watts on 40 meters and no more than 300 watts on 80 meters. The specs for the R9 say it can handle 1500 watts and I suspect it can on the higher bands but at least this antenna can not on 40 or 80 meters. I came home and tried my camping KX3 and KXPA100 with my KAT500 and Hy-Gain HY-Tower vertical and it seems to work well in any of the memory position which I earlier set with my K3S and KPA500 so I feel we have isolated the problem to the R9 my friend is using. If anyone is able to use an R9 at higher power on 80 or 40 please get back to me and let me know how you are doing it. To everyone else thank you for the band width and suggestions. I consider this closed. 73 Ken W0CZ w...@i29.net Sent from my iPad > On Jan 25, 2017, at 1:45 PM, Kenneth Christiansen <w...@i29.net> wrote: > > Hi to the group > > I have a friend with the following equipment. > KX3 with built in tuner. > KXPA100 with built in tuner. > KPA500 > KAT500 > 50 ft of LMR400 coax > R9 vertical. > The KPA500 is not in the circuit at this time. > We try to tune the KPA500 using the station set for 20 watts and a hand key. > The KXPA100 often kicks out. The SWR of the KAT500 changes quite a bit over a > tuning cycle and I think that is what is causing the trouble. > > Is anyone else using this combination of equipment and can give us some guide > lines on setting up each piece of equipment and a procedure to tune up the > KAT500 without hurting the KXPA100? > > Thanks to anyone that can help as this has turned into an expensive problem > that has destroyed three pieces of equipment. > > Ken. W0CZ > w...@i29.net > > Sent from my iPad > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > Message delivered to w...@i29.net > ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
