[Elecraft] [K3] Speaker output amp kaput

[JAMES ROGERS]

Bill,
	Look at your K3 manual page 53. and note the menu item AF LIM. After  
seeing the posts on the amp failure, I immediate set this to limit the  
AF output to safe levels as I frequently operate without the AGC being  
ON (digital modes).  I have mine set to 20, just arbitrary, half way  
between 17 and 23. I also try to remember to reduce the RF gain to the  
S meter indicating S9 before turning off the AGC. It is not a cure for  
the "fragile" nature of the AF amp device but hopefully it will save  
me from a similar fate. I am glad to know that if I do blow mine up,  
the headphones will still work.

73s  Jim, W4ATK
On Oct 6, 2010, at 1:19 PM, Bill VanAlstyne W5WVO wrote:

> I recently fried (I believe) the speaker amplifier in my K3,  
> apparently by
> just turning off the radio and turning it back on too quickly.  
> Perhaps the
> fact that the AGC was disabled at the time might have had something  
> to do
> with this, though that is just a guess. I accidentally turned off  
> the K3 by
> pushing the POWER button by mistake, and, cursing my klutziness,  
> immediately
> pushed the button again to turn it back on, as I was in the middle  
> of a QSO.
> The radio came back on -- but sans speaker. It has been dead ever  
> since.
> Configuration settings have been double-checked. It's not a  
> catastrophe for
> me, because I normally use headphones anyway, but I'd like to get it  
> fixed.
>
> Since I'm not reading every post on the list these days, I have  
> probably
> missed something about this, because I dimly recall seeing some  
> subject
> headings about the speaker amplifier. I didn't read these. Is this a
> user-replaceable part? If so, what is involved?
>
> And if this part is blowing up regularly, why is it so fragile? Is  
> there
> something that can be done to better protect it?
>
> My K3 was recently (couple months ago) updated at the factory with all
> applicable mods.
>
> Bill W5WVO
> New Mexico
>
>
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