On the subject of quieter fans, any thoughts on a quieter fan for the
amp? I do a lot of AM and a quieter fan would be nice - else the amp
will get relocated to a different location in the shack.
Bill W2BLC K-Line
__
Elecraft mailing
During a normal rag chew after three or four minutes, the temp on my
KPA500 hits 70 degrees and the fans are at full blast. It is difficult
to hear over the fan noise even when using headphones. Running 480 watts
out (verified on a calibrated wattmeter) on 20 meters. SWR is 1.0:1.
Is this norm
*/I have been so happy with the pair of Noctua fans I put on the back of
my K3 very very quite moves a lot of air,
so I looked for a way to help my KPA500 cool better because Noctua does
not make a fan that will work as a replacement for the fan on the amp.
What I did was get a *helper* fan tha
Has anyone replaced the fan in the KPA500 with a quieter one? If so, could
I get the model number? You can contact me off-list if you like, my email
is correct on QRZ.
Thanks,
Joe N9VX
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Home: http://mailman.qth.n
Is there any harm in setting the fan at level 2 and just leaving it
there? I would think the fan might wear out a little faster, but how
much faster? The reason I ask is that when the fan control is set to
NOR I find that the fan eventually...and understandably... kicks into
a super high speed whin
I do the same thing for the same reason when operating FT8 (40 watts out)
but at fan speed 1 - the temp then never goes even close to where it would
normally turn on (50C). In fact, I wish there was a speed half of what 1 is
for lower noise and probably the same effect.
John AE5X
https://ae5x.blog
I think about the only real solution for the fan noise on the KPA500 is to
remote it.
From: Bill
To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Sent: Saturday, February 11, 2017 7:46 PM
Subject: [Elecraft] KPA500 fan
On the subject of quieter fans, any thoughts on a quieter fan for the
amp? I
Bill,
Have you considered (or already done) setting the minimum fan speed to 2 (or
3)? Doing this helps delay the onset of higher fan speeds. Of course, long
duration AM transmissions this may not help, but I have notice it help on
lower duty-cycle modes.
73,
Bruce, N1RX
___
*/ I put a Noctua NF-A9x14 PWM pusher fan on the inlet this helped a
bit,with a typical over during a cw rag chew at 28 wpm delays the onset
of high speed by a couple of minutes depending on the temp in the shack.
With the big fan on the back *off* my idle temp is 31c with *no* the
helper fa
Is loud fan noise common with smaller solid state amps? I have read
complaints about the SPE Expert 1.3k loud fan noise and the new Flex Power
Genius sounds pretty loud in the demo video. I have the fan on my KPA500
set to 4 (if I recall correctly) and it is pretty quiet however setting it
one spe
In running my KPA500 on FT-8 mode at about 400 watts output, what is the
recommended setting for Fan CTL? I usually keep it in NORmal but have
tried other settings. I watch the TEMP and see that it gets above
65ºC. The fan speed increments up and down as the temperature changes
accordin
I have never been on FT8 mode and I rarely use my KPA500 so take this with
a grain of salt. I would set the fan to a speed that provides some air
flow without being annoying. Perhaps speed 2 or 3, if I recall correctly.
This should at least delay it turning on the noisier higher speed speed
fan and
Interesting post from Wayne regarding the low fan noise from the
KPA1500. So, I have to ask about fan noise and the KPA500.
Background: I run my KPA500 all the time - my K3 is a 500 Watt XCVR.
From time to time, in particular during AM operation, the fan comes on
and moves right on up in the n
WELL, I SOLVED THE FAN NOISE ON MY KPA500. HAVING HAD SOLID STATE AMPS IN THE
PAST I LIKE TO RUN THE FAN AT THE LOW NUMBER ONE SPEED. I'VE BEEN BUGGED ABOUT
SOME FAN NOISE WHICH I'M SURE WOULDN'T BOTHER OTHERS BUT DID ME. I WENT TO
RADIO SHACK AND GOT A PACK OF GROMMETS. I USED THE SMALL 5/1
If set to NOR, the KPA500 fan will switch to speed 1 at 50C, speed 2 at 55C
etc.
If set to speed 1 manually, temperature rise will be slower and it will take
longer to reach 55C or even 60C.
Then it cools down more quickly. Maybe not a bad idea to leave it at speed 1
all the time, the noise is hard
Just did the first voltage test on #153. Basically I turned it on to
check that the tap is the right one, then turned it off. The fan ran
for over 15 min before I turned it on again (which shuts the fan
down) How long should it go before shutting down? Repeated the
procedure and tapped "
Got a question (problem?) regarding the fan in my KPA500. I'm driving the amp
at 29 watts from a Kenwood TS-890S. The amp is connected to a KAT500, which in
turn is hooked to a 30 foot tall Zerofive flagpole vertical. The tuner has
provided me with a nice 1.2:1 SWR, as displayed on the amp. The
"The issue: The fan comes on in a very short time - less than 20 seconds - and
the temp display runs up to 50+ degrees. If I start calling CQ or get into a
QSO, it doesn’t take long for the temp to show over 60 degrees and the fan is
running at max."
Max fan speed of a KPA500 is setting 6. Wit
>...I spent a lot of time making my KPA500 much quieter by modifying it...
Please post your experiences, Don.
During the SS CW, I was (for the first time) conscious of the fan noise
when it went into 'high gear' during extended CQs. It did make the weak
sigs more difficult to copy (even through my
One thing I tried during a recent contest was to set FAN CTL = 1 during
the contest, or at least whenever I was CQing. The noise level stayed
constant instead of jumping up and down with the PA temperature, and a
constant noise level is easier to cope with. Outside of contests, I set
FAN CTL =
To:
Sent: Thursday, September 03, 2015 11:58 AM
Subject: [Elecraft] KPA500 fan noise
During a normal rag chew after three or four minutes, the temp on my KPA500 hits
70 degrees and the fans are at full blast. It is difficult to hear over the fan
noise even when using headphones. Running 480 watt
ea, I have considered ordering a
replacementtop for the KPA500 and opening up the slits and putting a screen in
their place.
From: Arthur Nienhouse
To: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Sent: Friday, September 4, 2015 9:50 AM
Subject: [Elecraft] KPA500 fan noise
*/I have been so happy wit
Art:
Thanks for the info on the helper fan. I just bought one from the
Amazon link you provided. Strangely enough, heat is never a problem
here in the summer as the Central
Air always keeps the shack cool (Basement). During the winter is when
the shack gets warm as the furnace runs quite a bit
Hi Joe,
Not exactly the answer to your question but possibly useful. I received a
fan replacement from the factory because my fan started making noises in
speeds 1 and 2 after about 6 months. It sort of sounded like an overhead
single engine airplane. Surprisingly that particular noise dissappeare
John,
It is good to hear that you have had success with a fan setting of 2.
Like most mechanical components, there is a wearout time, but I suspect
it is in the vicinity of 1000 to 5000 hours. That is a lot of operating
time.
If you are concerned about wearout, just turn the KPA off (or stan
John et al:
With my KPA500 and SSB rag chews I keep the fan on NORMAL. It does
cycle on and up from time to time. When operating digital modes at 400
to 500 watts, I set the fan to 1. It still does move to higher speeds
during transmissions as the TEMP gets to 60 degrees or so. Then drop
Normally, I don't use my KPA500, as I like to run the low power status
in contests. BUT, when I do kick in the amplifier, I immediately set
the fan level to 5, if it's going to be an extended period of
operation.
The amp is located about 1 foot above and 4 feet away from my head, I
use RadioSport
"Its to bad a replacement fan for the KPA500 from Noctua can't be found
these are well engineered fans moving more air and quietly"
Is the fan in the KPA500 a 92mm fan? Noctua makes a 92x92x25 mm fan...
__
Clay Autery, KY5G
MONTAC Enterprises
(318) 518-1389
On 2/12/2017 2:22
Noiseblocker does too (92x92x25), which I prefer due to color. :) I have no
idea if this is the correct size for the KPA500, I don't have one, and
can't vouch for doing the mod. BlackSilentPro would be the model I've used
in past fan replacements on switches and such. Disclaimer, I have no idea
how
On 7/3/2018 6:24 AM, Bob McGraw K4TAX wrote:
In running my KPA500 on FT-8 mode at about 400 watts output, what is
the recommended setting for Fan CTL? I usually keep it in NORmal
but have tried other settings.
Nearly all of my FT8 operation is on 6M, where the KPA500 is least
efficient, a
I run my KPA500 remotely... very remotely
There are times when I am running at full power in a carrier mode that I
turn the fan on high manually. Which is pretty funny when it is blowing
-10C air through it.
Then, when I am done, I turn it down.
But.. there are times when I actually get to the
On 7/5/2011 11:50 AM, Richard Squire - HB9ANM wrote:
> If set to speed 1 manually, temperature rise will be slower and it will take
> longer to reach 55C or even 60C.
Yes. I have already placed a request with the Elecraft engineering team
for a firmware update that allows a more aggressive fan se
That is what the user settable base fan levels are for in the KPA500
menu. When using data modes in high duty cycle environments, feel free
to set the lowest fan level to a higher value.
73, Eric WA6HHQ
---
www.elecraft.com
On 7/5/2011 3:37 PM, Jim Brown wrote:
> On 7/5/2011 11:50 AM, Richar
Jay,
When you turn the KPA500 off the fan should run until it drains the high voltage
from the power supply capacitors, which takes about ten seconds on my KPA500
#119. It should not run for 15 minutes. I would send an email to the support
address listed on the Elecraft web site regarding that
-Original Message-
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net
[mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Jay
Sent: Saturday, July 16, 2011 1:32 PM
To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Elecraft] KPA500 Fan Question
Just did the first voltage test on #153. Basically I turned it on to
Mine does kick up speed @ 50C. I've only had an SB 200, SB 220,
Ameritron 811h & the KPA. None had the ramp up feature like the KPA.
It's the quietest of all I've had even running on it's higher speed.
When it's idling or resting vs. the the other amps...Forget abt it.
They let you know the
d that burns energy. That’s why
> the fan is running.
>
>
>
>
> -Original Message-
> From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net On
> Behalf Of James Bennett via Elecraft
> Sent: Sunday, May 14, 2023 12:24 PM
> To: Elecraft Reflector Reflector
> Subje
y, May 14, 2023 12:24 PM
> To: Elecraft Reflector Reflector
> Subject: [Elecraft] KPA500 Fan Question
>
> Got a question (problem?) regarding the fan in my KPA500. I'm driving the amp
> at 29 watts from a Kenwood TS-890S. The amp is connected to a KAT500, which
> in turn is
My setup is like yours and the response is exactly the same. Starting use on
fan speed 4 delays the temp rise for a short time. Mine has run many many
hours at temps up to 70 with no problems. Hottest on 20m and requires the
most drive on that band also.
On Sun, May 14, 2023, at 10:23 AM
My K3 into the KPA500 for over ten years . . . . The FAN REV is 1.54
(this might be software)The resting temp is 27C. When on RTTY I set
the FAN to 4. Otherwise 2 for most of the time. Knowing temperature is
the killer of electronics (short of lightning) I try to keep things cool.
For 10 y
Hi Jim!
Hope you are enjoying Idaho. I hear it is a great place to be!
The fan in the KPA500 goes to level 3 at 60 degrees. It goes to full-on at 80
degrees.
The levels are:
level 1 - 50C degrees
level 2 - 55C degrees
level 3 - 60C degrees
level 4 - 65C degrees
level 5 - 70C degrees
level 6 - 80
Yes, I think I've seen something like that but wasn't able to characterize
it succinctly. I often set the fan on 1 or 2 when operating remotely. If I
power cycle the amp, it seems to come up with KPA500 Remote saying the fan
is on 0 when in fact it's still on 1 or 2 ... I think. Two possibilities:
Rick;
I am suspecting that the remote software isn’t checking for fan control
properly.
The ^FC; command can both set and read the fan setting; the remote software
should certainly be reading it. There is a command that has not yet been added
to the KPA500 Programmer’s document to report fan spe
:-) By all means stay far away from shopping areas for the next few weeks.
They're worse after Christmas than before!
I think you're right about KPA500 Remote. Although I'm not at my KPA500 QTH
today, I just powered it up using KPA500 Remote, set fan speed to 2, power
cycled it the amp, and R
After yesterdays contest, I noticed this morning that the KPA500 fan was
still running at a high speed even though the amp had been turned off
all night by using the front "on" button. The only way the fan stops
running is if I turn the amp on with the front switch or if I shut the
amp off by
"the KPA500 fan was still running at a high speed even though the amp had been
turned off all night by using the front "on" button. The only way the fan
stops running is if I turn the amp on with the front switch or if I shut the
amp off by using the rear on/off switch. Menu setting for Fan is
"As Jack Brindle noted (and he would know), it appears to be a stuck relay."
Ok, I'll bite. How would a mechanically stuck relay be freed by cycling power?
Andy, k3wyc
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Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listi
I believe the issue you describe is the same one I am in the process of
correcting in that the power connection for the fan would not seat properly. I
called Elecraft and spoke with a tech and we determined that the pins had an
over run of solder down into the channel blocking full seating of th
I’m wondering if anyone else has had this problem? When I shut down the KPA500
from the front panel the cooling fan turns on and instead of shutting down it
continues to run until I turn the power off on the rear panel. When I turn the
back panel power switch on again the fan immediately come
.net On
Behalf Of jerry
Sent: Sunday, July 14, 2019 1:23 PM
To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Elecraft] KPA500 fan won't shut off
After yesterdays contest, I noticed this morning that the KPA500 fan was still
running at a high speed even though the amp had been turned off all night by
That means the power is not shutting off. We bleed off the capacitor charge
through the fan at front panel shutdown, which is why you hear the fan run for
normally a short time.
Turn off the KPA using the rear pane switch and call tech support in the
morning. They need to look into this one.
7
Jerry:
Maybe clarify. I think Jack's concern is that your fan was running even
with the power off. That's not the case, right? The fan just came back on
full when you turned the power back on?
Try Menu, scroll down to FAN CTL and make sure that say NOR. If it has a
number instead, you somehow ac
ginal Message-
> From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net On
> Behalf Of jerry
> Sent: Sunday, July 14, 2019 1:23 PM
> To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
> Subject: [Elecraft] KPA500 fan won't shut off
>
> After yesterdays contest, I noticed this morning that the KPA500 fan was
&
Kevin -
As I read Jerry's post, I believe his fan was running even after the amp
had been shut off all night long... and the only way to get it to stop
running at full speed was to either turn the amp on... or turn off the
power switch on the rear. He also stated that the menu setting was set to
N
Cool. I saw "turned off all night" and it surprised me the fan was left
running full speed the whole night.
I'm interested in the outcome.
Kev
On Sun, Jul 14, 2019, 3:13 PM David Bunte wrote:
> Kevin -
>
> As I read Jerry's post, I believe his fan was running even after the amp
> had been shut
Dinner on Andy?
Your analysis is spot on. When the KPA is requested to shut down it does some
housekeeping, saving various things and putting the amp into a safe condition,
including setting the 60V to off. It then sets the fan for full speed operation
to bleed off the 60V power and waits for t
"It then sets the fan for full speed operation to bleed off the 60 V power and
waits for the power button to be released."
I don't think fan is set to high speed to bleed down the 60 V supply. I think
it is set to low speed but may revert to high speed when the firmware shuts
down with 60 V is
Folks,
Has there been any further word on this fault? I have just had the same
thing happen to me and am wondering if it could be the same issue?
Regards,
Grant VK5GR
--
Sent from: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/
__
Elecraft ma
What is the value in the menu for FAN CTL? If at NOR then the fan
should be off until the temp hits about 50º C. It will then increment
up one speed value about every 5 degrees temp increase. What is the
TEMP value showing? Should be about room temp or 22 to 25 C
73
Bob, K4TAX
On 11/2
FAN CTL = NOR
FANs are idle while the amp is turned on - amp ambient temp was 27C at the
time (it was powered up and had been idle for about 20 minutes).
I then turned the amplifier off via the front panel push button. I would
have expected the FANs to start up for about 10 seconds as they discha
Does the mains switch on the rear panel shut the fan off?
I would next reload the firmware.
Bob, K4TAX
Sent from my iPhone
> On Nov 25, 2019, at 8:50 PM, VK5GR wrote:
>
> FAN CTL = NOR
>
> FANs are idle while the amp is turned on - amp ambient temp was 27C at the
> time (it was powered up
Reload the firmware.
73 Eric WD6DBM
On Mon, Nov 25, 2019, 6:51 PM VK5GR wrote:
> FAN CTL = NOR
>
> FANs are idle while the amp is turned on - amp ambient temp was 27C at the
> time (it was powered up and had been idle for about 20 minutes).
>
> I then turned the amplifier off via the front pane
That won’t do any good. The main firmware has shut down at that point. The fan
is running because the relay is stuck, which is not something that firmware can
fix.
Call tech support.
73!
Jack, W6FB
> On Nov 25, 2019, at 7:49 PM, Eric Norris wrote:
>
> Reload the firmware.
>
> 73 Eric WD6DB
qth. net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] KPA500 fan won't shut off
Reload the firmware.
73 Eric WD6DBM
On Mon, Nov 25, 2019, 6:51 PM VK5GR wrote:
FAN CTL = NOR
FANs are idle while the amp is turned on - amp ambient temp was 27C at the
time (it was powered up and had been idle for about 20 mi
VK5GR
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* Eric Norris [mailto:norrislawfi...@gmail.com]
> *Sent:* Tuesday, 26 November 2019 2:20 PM
> *To:* VK5GR
> *Cc:* elecraft@mailman qth. net
> *Subject:* Re: [Elecraft] KPA500 fan won't shut off
>
>
>
> Reload the fi
"Ok, I'll bite. How would a mechanically stuck relay be freed by cycling
power? "
Never mind. I should have checked my notes first. Stuck K1 in the PSU would
seem to fit the symptoms.
Andy, k3wyc
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Elecraft mailing list
Home: htt
ailman qth. net
*Subject:* Re: [Elecraft] KPA500 fan won't shut off
Reload the firmware.
73 Eric WD6DBM
On Mon, Nov 25, 2019, 6:51 PM VK5GR wrote:
FAN CTL = NOR
FANs are idle while the amp is turned on - amp ambient temp was 27C at the
time (it was powered up and had been idle for a
look at here in VK I wonder? I really don’t want
>>> to have to ship it back to Elecraft for this.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Regards,
>>>
>>> Grant VK5GR
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>&g
I have not found a way to change the minimum fan speed from the utility. Am
I overlooking it?
I find that when in a qso, if the fan control is set to NOR, then sometimes
the fan kicks up really high, I can tell it is at least up to level 5. If I
have it set to level 3, then it sometimes kicks up
Hi Mark,
I had the exact same issue. It looks like pins in the manual are probably
shorter than they are in the latest kits. I put it on 2/3rds of the way and
it seemed to 'latch' in place. I finished assembling the kit and the fan was
working so I figured that was good enough.
Cheers,
Travis K
On Tue, 12 Mar 2013 13:51:46 -0700 (PDT), Bill Wiehe wrote:
> I believe the issue you describe is the same one I am in the process of
> correcting in that the power connection for the fan would not seat properly.
> I called Elecraft and spoke with a tech and we determined that the pins had
> an
As a follow-up, I see a number of response that suggest all is OK if if the
connector does not seat all the way down. Just to clarify, mine did not ever
seat a few centimeters and the connection was clearly unreliable.
Bill-W0BBI
From: Bill Wiehe
To: "elecraf
Todd;
You may need to get back to CS about this. When the KPA is powered off from the
front panel,it first shuts off the 60V supply, does some other things, then one
of the last things done is to turn on the fans. This is an important safety
feature to discharge the big power supply capacitors.
Todd:
Yes, I had that problem. It was solved by replacing a defective power
supply board after I contacted supp...@elecraft.com.
73, Carl WS7L
K3 #486 and more
On Sun, Jul 20, 2014 at 7:40 AM, T Gahagan wrote:
> I’m wondering if anyone else has had this problem? When I shut down the
> KPA500
Hi Chuck,
You could use the "Command Tester" tab, and enter a command like
"^FC5;" (without the quotes).
If seems like a valid RFE for the KPA Utility, to add a user-friendly
control for this. Maybe contact support and suggest it or maybe
K6KR is listening...
73,
~iain / N6ML
On Thu,
Why didn't I think of this? I should have realized I could handle it this
way. Works great. I tested first with ^FC3; since that is the highest
minimum speed I want and at first thought it did not work because of other
noises in the shack. But ^FC5; left no doubt!
I should have posted my query
On Thu, 17 Oct 2013 12:27:53 -0700 (PDT), W5UXH wrote:
> I tested first with ^FC3; since that is the highest
> minimum speed I want and at first thought it did not work because of other
> noises in the shack. But ^FC5; left no doubt!
But why not let the thermostatic controller do its thing? An
The reason is because then it does sometimes get up to level 5 and I prefer
to keep it below that, if using level 3 as the minimum happens to accomplish
that. Level 4 with headphones on is fine, level 5 is just a tad too
noticeable.
My only type of operation is CW, no monologues, sometimes as m
On Thu, 17 Oct 2013 13:46:46 -0700 (PDT), W5UXH wrote:
> My daily sked has had his amp for a year or more and he experiences the same
> behavior, he also leaves his at level 3 for the same reason.
Very interesting usage and heating results. You've obviously done your
homework. I think for most
Hi Gary,
Since I leave the fan at NOR most of the day, just bumping it up to
level 3 during the long qsos, the fan mostly does not run at all.
I still don't really understand why the fan sometimes kicks up a step
higher when I have it set to NOR than when I have it set to level 3. It
is not t
I too have found that setting the KPA500 fan control for a slightly higher
speed all the time means that I don't have a big thermal buildup that
causes the fan to kick into high momentarily. Once I made that adjustment
the fan hardly ever goes above the middle setting.
73, Bob, WB4SON
___
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