[Elecraft] PSK31 Power Level

Parker Buckley pbuckley at woh.rr.com
Sun Feb 25 18:02:00 EST 2007


Elecrafters,

 

Don has been coaching me off-list through installation of one of his fixed
audio output kits, which I've had around here for many months, un-built.
All went well, except the audio through my computer was distorted.  I
eventually tracked it down to the K2 DSP gains being set too high.  I was
getting away with that in the basic K2, but the fixed audio unit doesn't
like being pushed that hard.  I've now carefully reset the DSP gains to get
the same audio level with DSP and with DSP bypassed.  Everything is working
great.  I'm now reminded of a nagging question since the last time I strayed
from CW to PSK 31.  I've read numerous places about setting the power level
(mine is a QRP K2) to five watts for continuous use like PSK.  Does that
mean five watts for single tone like CW, or five watts average as the two
tones warble back and forth?  I'm using a WM-2 wattmeter in the output.
Running about 10 watts single tone, I get about five watts warbling and a
single ALC bar flickering.  Is this okay, or should I back it down to five
watts single tone?  I thought this question might be of interest to a wider
audience.

Parker

WD8JOL  K2 #2636

 

...back to work tomorrow, and peace for Don.

 

 



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