[Elecraft] KAT 500 Loses Match

[Michael Reynolds, NO6O]

Actually, I was only putting around 200 into the antenna, and it's doing 
fine.  I've been continuing to make digital contacts without the amp and 
tuner.  The antenna works great for me.  I reached 50 countries during 
the past few weeks of testing.  Fortunately, I fully understand what was 
going wrong.

Michael, NO6O


On 2024-01-14 1:03 PM, David Gilbert wrote:
>
> Fully agree.  The specs for the CHA-250B say a maximum of 75 watts for 
> digital modes ... i.e., continuous duty modes.  That pretty much says 
> what the actual heat dissipation capability is.  If he was trying to 
> put 500 watts into his antenna in almost any mode, it is probably 
> toast ... figuratively and literally.
>
> Dave AB7E
>
>
> On 1/14/2024 8:17 AM, Morgan Bailey wrote:
>> The Cha250 b is NOT an antenna capable of greater than 100 watts for any
>> length of time. It is a 5:1 unun hooked to a 23 foot aluminum 
>> radiator. It
>> needs to be 30 feet in the air and if that happens it will function 
>> like a
>> vertical OCFD. Still it is only good for 100 watts. When running a tuner
>> with the KAT500 and KPA500 you are heating up the puny unun and the 
>> cores
>> are totally being fried. Plus the reactance probably is generating high
>> voltage on the short radiator causing arcs across any of the many
>> connections inside the matching section. A guy fried a base section 
>> and I
>> have it in the garage. That is your problem. I have owned 2 of the 
>> antennas
>> and as such they work in a pinch and work well for fast POTA activation
>> with 100 watts but other than that they are pretty much a megga 
>> compromise
>> antenna. You would be way better off with a 998 mfg remote tuner and 
>> a 43
>> foot vertical over a radial field. Check out the Zero5 antennas for the
>> cheapest durable 43foot vertical solution. 73, Morgan NJ8M
>> BS + MS + $2.98 = COFFEE
>> Real Life Experience = Priceless, says the man who set his back yard on
>> fire with a breadboard tuner loading a 160 meter inverted L with 1000
>> watts. LOL
>>
>>
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