[Elecraft] New Output Power Issue, and a new question

[Richard Fjeld]

Thanks, Bert  (nice call)

I started out to share some info with Ian, and things got interesting at my qth.

Some of your measurements are similar to mine.  Here are the details of what I found in case a person is interested:

I used a piece of red/black paired wire from my Astron to my homebrew distribution.  Without disconnecting it, I think it looks a size smaller than the wire to the K3.  I also looked at the fuse holder (buss type) and the wire on it looks smaller as well. I'm going to replace both with heavier wire. 

As for my distribution, I use ground blocks for AC power panels and mount them in plastic outlet boxes.  I solder the ends of my wires before I tighten the screws down on them. I am not opposed to bypassing the distribution blocks if need be.

I checked all my manuals for schematics, and finally downloaded them.  I printed out the first six pages.  I can see that the 12V out jack is not part of the ammeter sensing, so the P3 current can be ignored when using the K3 ammeter.

A couple replies said the current draw will vary by band.  That is good to know.

I wonder if you made your measurements on the 75/80 meter band as I did. I'm curious about your mention of the 18 amps tapering down to 14 amps thing.

I need to do as you did and measure the voltage with my DVM at the PS, the distribution blocks, and the K3 terminals.