[Elecraft] Cool your KX3 (fredem)

[Phil Wheeler]

Jim,

There are activities other than contesting, such 
as PSK31, which involve high duty cycles.

Many of us operate portable using external 
batteries. Heating may be academic with the 
internal batteries anyway, since the voltage 
limits the power available.

Phil w7ox

On 5/3/14, 12:26 AM, Jim Brown wrote:
> On 5/2/2014 5:43 PM, Don Wilhelm wrote:
>> IMHO, the heatsink is an improvement to the KX3 
>> for those who do continuous duty data modes and 
>> want to operate at power levels in excess of 5 
>> watts. 
>
> Yes, and equipment cooling is always a good 
> thing. However -- note that the KXPA100 provides 
> power gain of 16 dB, so it takes only 2.5W from 
> the KX3 to get 100W out.
>
> Another point. Even a contester who constantly 
> CQs doesn't transmit for more than 4-8 seconds 
> at a time and listens for 2 or 3 (if he doesn't 
> listen for at least that long, he's a poor 
> operator), and if he's making QSOs, the other 
> guy is transmitting half of the time. And RTTY 
> is the only keydown contesting mode. Also, the 
> WSJT family of keydown modes like JT65, JT9, 
> PSK441, and so on, transmit for 48 seconds and 
> listen for 72 seconds. Finally, if you're 
> transmitting for more than a minute or two at a 
> time with RTTY or PSK, the other operator is 
> probably bored to death with your brag tape.
>
> To me, the value of that extra heat sink would 
> be to allow me to run the KX3 barefoot closer to 
> 10W in those keydown modes. But for portable 
> operation, the limitation is battery, not heat.
>
> 73, Jim K9YC