[Elecraft] Which meter to trust?

[Bob McGraw K4TAX]

Different metering systems will have different attack and release times.  Most won’t be able to  follow the voice envelope accurately.   

It is best to use steady state carrier when measuring power.   500 watts of carrier is the same as 500 watts PEP. 

If your transceiver drives the amp to 500 watts output with 20 watts, then the correct drive power for SSB is also 20 watts.  The K3S feature of PWR PER BAND is excellent in this regard. 

73
Bob, K4TAX


Sent from my iPhone

> On Feb 7, 2020, at 2:24 AM, Craig Buck <radiok4ia at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> A man with two watches never knows what time it is
> 
>> On Fri, Feb 7, 2020, 1:12 AM Paul Braiman via Elecraft <
>> elecraft at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
>> 
>> Putting my brand new KPA-500 through its paces and I’m noticing a
>> significant difference between the peak power displayed on the amp, and the
>> peak power displayed on a Telepost LP-700 station monitor.  With the amp
>> peaking at 500 watts, the LP-700 will often show peaks in the 600+ watt
>> range. The trapezoidal display on the LP-700 does not show any
>> non-linearity during such operations.
>> 
>> Is this then simply a difference in how the power is metered?
>> 
>> As always, your collective wisdom is both appreciated and valued.
>> 
>> Paul, W2PIR
>> 
>> Dare Mighty Things.
>> -Jet Propulsion Laboratory
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