[Elecraft] K3 & ALS 600

[Jim Brown]

On Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:59:23 -0600, Steven Pituch wrote:

>I do not use ALC with my ALS600 and my K3.

You're doing it right. Modern power amps do not need ALC except as 
"belt and suspenders" protection when something goes wrong (by 
modern, I mean those made in the last 30 years). 

The right way to drive a power amp is to control output by setting 
drive level from the transceiver (in this case, the K3) AND 
carefully tune the power amp for maximum output as read on a meter 
in line with the antenna. The combination of these actions minimizes 
distortion products from the power amp. 

Setting the transceiver to more than the needed drive power and 
depending on ALC to reduce the drive often causes the amp to be 
overdriven, so it produces distortion (splatter, harmonics). Not 
nice. 

73,

Jim K9YC