I have an SPE 2K FA that I drive with K3. I get around the noisy relay problem by using a QSK 2500 which has relays that are very quiet compared to the relays in the SPE amp.
The QSK 2500 developed a problem and I sent it back for repair. The repaired unit was promptly repaired and I was NOT billed for it. I highly recommend the QSK 2500. I also have a KPA 1500. Since I live in Florida I try to keep the heat generated by my amps to a minimum. I run the SPE 2K FA during the summer because it runs more efficiently when I don’t need full legal limit when I’m rag chewing. In October I switch over to the KPA 1500 and back to the SPE in March or April. Being able to run the SPE at a lower voltage when running less power is a big plus for me. 73..de John/K4WJ On Tue, Oct 5, 2021 at 8:15 PM Bob McGraw <rmcg...@benlomand.net> wrote: > I'm really surprised that hams would expect ALC to be used to control > power in any manner. Yes, it can control power to some small limit. > It is intended to, in general, prevent amplifier damage in the event of > a load failure or minor exciter spike or moment of excessive drive. > But to expect one to dump the transceiver output into the input of an > amp and expect to have ALC control the power.........that's old ham > lore. Not very smart operation either. > > In the past I've used the ALC output of my KPA500 back to my K3S with > ALC active. Used correctly and monitored on the K3S, you'd never know > that ALC was in the control path. On the other hand, for those that > must make that DX contact, set all knobs to the right and let the ALC > handle the rest, that really makes a mess on the band. Sounds like > crap too. > > Although the KPA500 is a bit less power than the Expert 1.3, there is no > relay clicking when running full QSK and no fan noise. I'm through with > big noisy amp relays and with wind tunnel cooling systems. > > 73 > > Bob, K4TAX > > > On 10/5/2021 5:58 PM, elecraft-requ...@mailman.qth.net wrote: > > Message: 1 > > Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2021 16:15:02 -0400 > > From: Bill Frantz<fra...@pwpconsult.com> > > To: Mike March<mikek...@gmail.com> > > Cc:elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 and Expert 1.3 > > Message-ID: > > > <r480Ps-10146i-02B923BAB0654A1BB83F7E374FAF0B06@Williams-MacBook-Pro.local > > > > > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed > > > > I have used an Expert 1.3K amp for several years with my > > upgraded K3. The short form is it works well. I got it when my > > wife won a $1000 off certificate. I knew this amp was a popular > > choice of many DXpeditions, and so worked well with the K3s they > > used and was reasonably reliable. When I got my amp, I also > > ordered a custom cable for the K3 which was delivered in the > > same shipment as the amp. > > > > I am careful to not depend on the ALC to control exciter power, > > but instead set the output power on the K3 to the right level to > > get the output power I want from the amp. I believe this > > procedure will result in a cleaner signal. > > > > I am thinking about replacing it with an Elecraft amp for two reasons: > > > > Full break in CW produces a lot of relay clicking. The > > Elecraft amps use > > PIN diodes. > > > > The level of integration between the exciter (K3) and the amp > > is much > > better. I can have my K3 operate at 100W when the amp is > > offline and at > > whatever drives the amp to the right power level when the amp > > is online > > with automatic switching. > > > > Cheers - Bill, AE6jV > > > > ______________________________________________________________ > 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 k4wj.j...@gmail.com ______________________________________________________________ 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
