Carl--
Alpha/Power amps can be keyed by the transceiver in the classical
way--but they also have keyer input/output lines so you can plug in your
KEYER directly into the amp and the amp will then key the radio. This
allows silent QSK with some radios that have noisy amp-keying relays
and can solve some timing issues if the transceiver puts out RF before
it decides to send the relay signal to the amp.
This gives some flexibility to keying that most other amps lack. Alpha/Power
uses this scheme with the Kenwood TS-850 when doing live
demonstrations at ham conventions. The TS-850 has a noisy relay and
so the amp is keyed and the amp then keys the radio with the radio's
relay turned off. Makes for silent QSK operation.
The Alpha 87A combined with a big antenna can be a lot of fun
when operated on CW in the QSK mode. You can often hear
your own backscatter echoes and this allows you to turn the beam
for best echoes and has been used many times by me and by my
guest ops to extend the JA runs for another 30 minutes or so as
the propagation goes into skew path.
73--John W0UN
73--John W0UN
At 04:45 PM 2001-06-26, carl seyersdahl wrote:
>In the world of transmitters and amplifiers, it seems it has always been
>standard procedure to control the amplifier via a relay or other circuit in
>the transmitter(exciter). In modern solid state exciters this generally
>requires a fast switching amplifier circuit, which of course doesn't seem to
>exist. Why then is the system not reversed, ie: make the amp control the
>exciter?? this seems to me to be a simple answer to "hotswitching" amps.
>most exciters today have "accessory connectors" which nearly always contain
>a separate transmit control connection.
> any comments on this??? P.S. I built an amp that way and had no trouble
>with slow switching!!
> carl / kz5ca
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