[Elecraft] [Elecraft-K3] K3S to be discontinued

[Joe Subich, W4TV]

On 2019-11-04 7:34 PM, W2xj wrote:
> One could always have a modular approach which is how other 
> industries approach this.
Sure, a modular approach would work well ... a 12V/60W PA or
a 40V/200W PA that would plug into the same space.  Not exactly
rocket science.

 > BTW, predistortion   is common practice is a number of industries.

Yes, I'm very familiar with predistortion - it was common in analog
UHF TV transmitters 30+ years ago and integral to broadcast HDTV
today.  Still, proper setup was not something for an "appliance
operator" and tracking changing operating conditions (e.g., fading
batteries) takes a lot of computational horsepower.  On top of that,
predistortion works best when the amplifier chain is not pushed for
every last fraction of a watt of output - best results will always
be obtained when the PA chain is reasonably clean to start with.

73,

    ... Joe, W4TV


On 2019-11-04 7:34 PM, W2xj wrote:
> One could always have a modular approach which is how other industries approach this. Broadband combiners are not that complicated. BTW, predistortion   is common practice is a number of industries.
> 
> Sent from my iPad
> 
>> On Nov 4, 2019, at 5:03 PM, Joe Subich, W4TV <lists at subich.com> wrote:
>>
>> On 2019-11-04 4:44 PM, Scott Manthe wrote:
>>> Elecraft's design philosophy dictates that their radio be capable of
>>> portable/field operation, so that's how they design their radios.
>>> They're lightweight, efficient, and operate off 12 volts.
>>
>> If that's the design philosophy, limit the power output to 60 W PEP.
>>
>> Elecraft already have *two* other 12V capable radios - the KX2 and KX3 -
>> of one doesn't count the K2.  *WHY* create another dirty 12V radio
>> ("active predistortion" is not the solution) when one can have a clean
>> 60W radio at 12V or a clean 200W radio at 40V?
>>
>> Build a DC-DC supply for the 40V PA stage if one wants to run it from
>> an automobile electrical system (or install a separate 48V alternator,
>> regulator and battery specifically for the PA stage).
>>
>> Increasing transmit IMD by a factor of 40 just to operate the radio
>> at 100 W PEP on a 12 battery is unconscionable given today's state
>> of the art.  It was different when 48V transistors/FETs were not
>> available but that ship sailed almost 20 years ago.
>>
>> 73,
>>
>>    ... Joe, W4TV
>>