[Elecraft] K3/100 input voltage and TX IMD

[Don Wilhelm]

Ian,

Your comment is worthy of consideration, but OTOH, I am of the 'old 
school' - amateur radio operators traditionally have not been bound by 
power limits imposed by the firmware, and many would be quite displeased 
if it were limited in the K3.

We are supposed to share the bands as gentlemen and operate our 
equipment in such a manner as not to annoy our fellow hams.  That does 
require a knowledge of our equipment, especially its limitations.

I am fully aware that there are more and more 'appliance operators' on 
the ham bands who do not know the limits of their transmitters, and the 
only thing they seem to understand is the upper limit of the power 
knob.  There is a name for those operators - I call them "LIDS".  While 
that term is usually applied to those who practice bad operating 
protocol, I choose to apply it also to those who operate their equipment 
improperly.  RTFM is a requirement to know your equipment, but then I 
was schooled as a young engineer and made to understand that is a VERY 
important task

73,
Don W3FPR

Ian Maude wrote:
> Don Wilhelm wrote:
>   
>> Jim,
>>
>> You mention that the TX IMD gets worse when run at 120 watts.
>> The K3 is specified at 100 watts.  If you run at 120 watts, it is 
>> entirely possible  that the TX IMD will then not be as specified.
>>
>> I don't understand why hams expect performance when a transmitter is 
>> pushed beyond it specifications. 
>>
>> Why should I expect a transmitter specified for 100 watts to operate 
>> within its other specs at 120 watts?  I don't because that is 
>> unreasonable!  Trying to squeeze the last drop of power from a 
>> transmitter has long been known to create splatter and distortion 
>> products.  Please don't do that.
>>   
>>     
> This was what I was saying in my post the other day Don.  If the rig 
> does not have good IMD over 100W and Elecraft say we should not run it 
> over 100W, why does the radio allow me to turn it up?  IMHO, the power 
> level on SSB should stop at 100W.  It is fine probably on CW to run 120W 
> but on SSB and possibly datamodes, it should stop at 100W.  It is only 
> software.
>
> 73 Ian
>   
>