[Elecraft] How far can the KPA1500 amp be from the PS?

kstover at ac0h.net kstover at ac0h.net
Sat Apr 28 18:27:00 EDT 2018


Ed,

I live in a 4 level split. Not a good situation for my knees and running power lines.
I assume the breaker box is on an outside wall. Here is what I did .

I went outside.
My shack in on level three, half buried in soil. Ground level comes up to just below the windows.
I had an electrician look at the situation and we decided to run the power for that room in conduit...outside.
It's 25 feet from the power panel in the basement to the shack.

The conduit is connected to the house just below the siding on concrete. Some very large conductors fill the conduit and make their way along the bottom of the house to a point just past the first stud in a closet in the shack. The panel is installed there and I have 2 240V 20A lines and 3 120V  20A lines

It's just like running power to an outbuilding or garage except the building Is a particular floor of the house.

It got painted when the house got painted last year and it just disappeared.

-----Original Message-----
From: elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net <elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net> On Behalf Of Dauer, Edward
Sent: Saturday, April 28, 2018 1:09 PM
To: Dave AD6A <dave at ad6a.com>; elecraft at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] How far can the KPA1500 amp be from the PS?

Placing both PS and amp where the 220 VAC outlet is accessible is possible; but then I wouldn't be able to see the amp while operating, which I would like to do.  Wouldn't feel comfortable with a 1500 watt amp running way out of sight.  It would also then be in the kitchen on a floor above.  Not aesthetically the best that way, either.

As I described in reply to one other suggestion:

The "shack" is a spare bedroom in the lowest (of three) level of the house, which because it is built into a hillside and therefore half of it is below grade, has 12 inch concrete walls and a six inch (as I remember it) concrete floor covered only with a carpet and carpet pad.  The ceiling of that room is finished as is the entire interior.  The problem with snaking a line through the walls from the distribution box which is on a deck above ground level is that the entire space between the inside side of the concrete and the drywall is filled with cellular foam insulation.  It was, when we had it built, the recommended way to go for the mountain climate.  I did think to have a conduit put through the wall to allow antenna feedline coax to go through; but the electrician who was there said there is now no way to get a 220 line through the walls without major destruction.  I might bring it overhead (between the finished ceiling of the lower level and the floor of the next level up) but then to get it down to a usable level in the "shack" would require a conduit running down the inside wall surface.  That may be what I will have to do . . .

Or maybe Tesla's idea could be resurrected -- a big inductor inside and a transmitting power source out in the yard. I believe the Wardenclyffe Tower was originally planned for Colorado Springs, only 40 miles from the operating QTH.  Some parts might still be available.

Any other ideas from those who know about these sorts of things?

Tnx,

Ted, KN1CBR

On 4/28/18, 8:55 AM, "Dave AD6A" <dave at ad6a.com> wrote:

    Why not just use the amp as-is near the 220V outlet and run longer RF coax cables to the amp from your operating position?
    
    Dave
    AD6A
    
    Sent from my  iPhone X
    
    On Apr 28, 2018, at 6:54 AM, Dauer, Edward <edauer at law.du.edu> wrote:
    
    The KPA1500 Manual states that “the power supply can be operated remotely” and that the supplied cables are 66 inches long.  It does not say how far apart, beyond the 66 inches, the PS and the amp can be without affecting performance or creating other issues.  
    
    Does anyone know?  There are apparently three cables – the main HV, the 15-pin control, and the 12VDC phono plug cable for remote turn-on of the amp.
    
    Thoughts, anyone?
    
    Thanks, as always,
    
    Ted, KN1CBR            
    
    ______________________________________________________________
    Elecraft mailing list
    Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
    Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
    Post: mailto:Elecraft at mailman.qth.net
    
    This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
    Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
    Message delivered to dave at ad6a.com
    

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:Elecraft at mailman.qth.net

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to kstover at ac0h.net



More information about the Elecraft mailing list