[Elecraft] K2 TX power cutoff?

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

Ken, KG0WX asked:
I also see "Hi Cur" flash on sometimes. I have the Cal Cur
set to 3.7A. Receive current is i0.28 on a SEC 1223 (23a) switching power
supply / backup SLA battery setup running at 13.7v.

I fixed the problem by cutting back power to 15.0w.

Q: is this normal? Is 3.7A for Cal Cur too high?

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The most obvious suggestion is to raise your current limit a bit. The
current demands go up fast as you push the rig to full power. I'm sure you
considered that and, as you probably suspected, that may not be the best
solution.

Two questions to consider are: 

 1) Are you setting the POWER for a level above what the rig will actually
produce? If you aren't sure, set the POWER to maximum and press TUNE.
Whatever power is indicated is the actual maximum power the K2 will produce
on that band. Don't set the POWER control above that point. You won't get
any additional power output. Remember, the reading you see when you adjust
the POWER control is the *requested* power, not the actual power. Setting it
above what the rig will produce does no good at all. 

 2) Do you really want to run more than 10 watts on SSB? The linearity of
the finals in the K2 decreases as the power level is raised above 10 watts.
That's not an issue on CW but if you want the cleanest signal the rig can
produce on SSB, you should limit it to ten watts. Ten watts is only 1.8 dB
below 15 watts. On most S-meters that less than 1/4 of on S-unit.

Ron AC7AC