1.) If you use a desktop grounding buss system, connect the station ground buss to the rear panel wing nuts.
National safety codes require the station ground electrically bond to the power mains safety ground at
the building entrance.
Do not
connect the amplifier to its own isolated ground rod or ground system.
2.) Connect the power supply to the amplifier.
3.) Connect the RELAY line to the transceiver’s
amplifier relay
,
amp
, or
tx
port. This port is defined in
radio manuals in amplifier interfacing sections. This port must pull low for transmit, and be open circuit
when receiving. Relay control voltage from the ALS-1306 is 12 volts positive with only 15 mA current.
You should always check your transceiver’s manual, but almost any standard transceiver directly
interfaces with this amplifier.
4.) Connect the RF
OUT
(output) port to the appropriate point in your station. This is the high power RF
output cable. This connection would go to your 1500-watt rated Power/SWR meter, antenna, or antenna
matching device. Good quality Mini-8 or RG-8X cables are acceptable for anything but RTTY use,
although larger RG-8 style cables are normally preferred.
Your antenna matching system, or antenna
tuner, must connect to this port.
5.) Connect the IN connector to your transceiver. Do not install any active antenna matching devices on this
port. In general the shortest and most direct cable connection is best, although high quality cables can be
very long without adverse effect on performance. RG-58/U or Mini-8 (RG-8X) style cables are
acceptable.
You should never use a tuner of any type on the amplifier input, nor should you drive this
amplifier with over 100 watts peak envelope power. Never use a non-amateur radio device with this
amplifier.
6.) The ALC line is optional. In general, the internal ALC in the transceiver is adequate for power control.
With transceiver power>100W, ALC
should
be used. The ALC monitors the RF output power and
reflected power supplied by the ALS-1306 to the load.
7.) Operate the bandswitch manually during initial testing. Do not connect band decoders, band data lines,
or computer interfaces until initial tests are completed and the amplifier is functioning normally.
Power Supply
The external power supply for the ALS-1306 is a voltage-regulated current-limited switching supply. It contains
14-volt positive and negative supplies, as well as dual 50-volt 25-ampere continuous (30-ampere peak) fully
current-limited supplies. Each PAM (power amplifier module) in the ALS-1306 operates from independent 50-
volt modules, giving a total dc supply rating of 2500 watts average power and 3000 watts peak power to the
power amplifier modules.
Power supply to amplifier interconnections are through a heavy-duty cable using a large Cinch Jones connector.
Power Line Requirements
This amplifier ships wired for a nominal mains voltage of 230 Vac. Maximum average powerline current at full
power output is 12 amperes at 240 volts. Two 250-volt 15-ampere fuses fuse the power line. The switching
power supply automatically adapts to any mains voltage between 200 Vac and 260 Vac, and does not require
adjustments or tap changes within that range.
ALS-1306 Exihibit VIII Page 7 / 27
