[Elecraft] Vacuum Relays and 30 WPM QSK

[WILLIE BABER]

I have worn out vacuum relays in qsk amps too (replaced only one time in my 12 year-old Alpha 99).  In fact, qsk with vacuum relays is not really qsk in that a vacuum relay is not as fast and silent as what I experienced using Alpha 89, which had switching diodes in it. Alpha 89 to me is the only qsk amp I have used (at ny4a).  You could, in fact, hear been characters at 30 wpm.  

I was disappointed when I purchased my first vacuum relay amp, Alpha 99.  Alpha 99 was defined as qsk but it didn't switch like an Alpha 89.  Seems silly now but since Alpha 99 was defined as "qsk" I expected it to behavior like Alpha 89.   

I even looked around for awhile for an Alpha 89, but then learn how easy it is to blow the diodes in Alpha 89--many owners replaced those expensive diodes, once blown, with vacuum relays.  So, I just decided to run "almost qsk" compared to Alpha 89.

73, Will, wj9b  

CWops #1085
CWA Advisor levels II and III
http://cwops.org/

--------------------------------------------
On Mon, 2/27/17, Jim Brown <jim at audiosystemsgroup.com> wrote:

 Subject: [Elecraft] Vacuum Relays and 30 WPM QSK
 To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
 Date: Monday, February 27, 2017, 9:28 PM
 
 On Sun,2/26/2017 3:04 PM,
 Guy Olinger K2AV wrote:
 > But even though
 the K3 is cycling TX/RX very fast the 8410 is not banging
 > the vacuum relay to death trying to follow
 30 wpm dits. 30 wpm QSK*does*
 >
 significantly shorten relay time to failure. Contesting,
 I've worn some out
 > in less than a
 year.
 
 I own three very nice
 vintage Ten Tec amps that use vacuum relays. All 
 of them came to me used, and I've replaced
 those relays in each amp at 
 least once.
 After a few rounds of that, I stopped running QSK with those
 
 amps. :) I'd like to hear from others
 having experience with vacuum 
 relays and
 QSK at contesting speeds. I mostly work between 28 and 32
 
 WPM. The original equipment relays were
 Jennings, and I've mostly used 
 Gigavac
 as replacements. I haven't had to replace one since
 giving up on 
 QSK about 8 years ago, but I
 really would like to run QSK. Have I made 
 the right decision to avoid it when running
 with a vacuum relay?
 
 73,
 Jim K9YC
 
 
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