[Elecraft] Beware, Make Sure Your Amp Is In Standby If You Turn On the K3

[Tom W8JI]

<<Sometimes I'll walk way from my tube amp and leave it in 
standby mode and
turn off my K3. Well, a few weeks ago I forgot to put it in 
standby and I
came back to the radio from working on my antenna outside 
and the swr was
changed which was set on the tuner. When I turned on my K3, 
I damaged the
amp. I forgot that when you first turn on the K3 that it 
transmits a signal
(the clicking sounds when it fires up)   for about a second 
or so and
damaged my amp because of a high swr. Never again I will 
leave the amp
without putting it in standby. Very costly mistake.  The amp 
was set at 1100
watts.  To make a long story short, I had the tubes replaced 
along with
other things in the amp and power supply. I could have 
bought that new P3
for the amount of money that I spent for my error. Now that 
new P3 will be
on the back burner for a while. >>

I do not believe the K3 actually transmits RF, although it 
does close the amplifier relay line connection RF never 
appears. Mine activates the amp briefly, but does not 
actually transmit RF.

You must have had something else going on. What type of 
amplifier do you have?

73 Tom