[Elecraft] Elecraft at Dayton

[Doug Faunt N6TQS +1-510-655-8604]

   Date: Mon, 19 May 2008 08:13:09 -0700 (PDT)
   From: Chris Kantarjiev K6DBG <cak at dimebank.com>



   > You can always drive a linear amp with a QRP signal, but under FCC
   > rules, producing more than 480 watts out with 15W in is prohibited for
   > a type-accepted amplifier (15 db gain).

   Of course! Too much blood in my caffeine stream. But if there were, say, a
   convenient attenuator pad that could be bypassed by a motivated amateur...

IIRC, "easily modified" was in the older rules, but that seems to only
apply to CB coverage now.  

   > err, why not just build up another KPA-100 and leave it with the
   > KPA800?

   No reason, really, aside from cost (which might pale in comparison to the
   KPA800!)

Yep.   I suspect the KPA100 is really necessary, though, since it's got
filtering approriate for that level of output power and I think there
might be a problem with just amplifying the QRP level signal to real
QRO, without adding the extra filtering.  I suspect other know the
details on this better than I.

   Mostly, I guess, I hope that any such amp will be as well integrated with
   the K2 as the K3.

Note that the KPA800/1500 was first shown with the K2, and was closely
integrated at that time.  

Rumor:  I've heard that the amp worked really well mostly, but there was a
problem that caused much failure of the expensive power devices.

73, doug