EXPERT 1.3K-FA
1.3KW SOLID STATE FULLY AUTOMATIC LINEAR
AMPLIFIER
QUICK – START Guide
(June 2017)
Страница 1: ...EXPERT 1 3K FA 1 3KW SOLID STATE FULLY AUTOMATIC LINEAR AMPLIFIER QUICK START Guide June 2017 ...
Страница 2: ...SPE Expert 1 3K FA Quick Start Guide 2 This Guide written by Dr Jeffrey A Cantor K1ZN For Expert Linears America LLC Copyright Pending 2017 ...
Страница 3: ...r 2 transceivers at 5 6 above A dual RCA phono cable provided between the transceiver and the amplifier for relay must be connected at a minimum and an ALC connection is also highly recommended CAT cable configuration for most transceivers is described in the SPE 1 3K FA manual Wiring from the CAT connectors can include the ALC and RELAY control can eliminate the need for the RCA phono cables o A ...
Страница 4: ...ed in the SPE 1 3K FA Manual Front Panel Controls o Pressing the ON button 1 above turns the unit on However note that the main ON OFF switch 11 on the Rear Panel must first be set to ON o Pressing the OFF button 2 above and holding it down for at least three seconds turns the unit off This is the only button requiring to be held for over three seconds Note the following When OFF only two direct c...
Страница 5: ...ass the output through the amplifier to the antenna that was selected The exciter s power is set by its power output control The exciter s power output will be controlled by the ampllifier s ALC when the amplifier is in Operate However without the ALC connection you have to manually adjust the exciter power to correctly drive the amplifier in order to avoid damage This is important as over driving...
Страница 6: ...r 1t will either automatically bypass the ATU and not allow it to be TUNED Removal of the b or t is necessary in order for the ATU TUNE to function o Pushing buttons 15 18 on FP C C L L can be used for manual tuning when the optional ATU is installed A Word about Antennas High power amplifiers require properly rated antennas isolators baluns connectors and feed line cables A unique feature of this...
Страница 7: ...o damage It is suggested that suitable static protection be given to antenna coax cables The software allows you to select any two of the four antennas for each band A Word about the Internal TUNER where installed The SPE 1 3K FA amplifier can be equipped with an automatic tuner that handles load mismatches up to 3 1 VSWR A little lower for 6 meters o Antenna tuning and other working data are stor...
Страница 8: ...Sub band chart which antenna has stored memories on particular sub bands o With a proper cable the CAT connections the amplifier will know to the kHz the transceiver s frequency o The 1 3K FA amplifier has two different memory banks A and B It is possible to use the two different presets when the amplifier operates at two different locations Before starting a matching process the tuner measures th...
Страница 9: ...g way o Press SET to open a menu page also to validate choices as well as to exit from a menu page o Press the keys to select options in the menu o The green SET LED illuminates during the programming process o Programming changes take effect only after exiting from a menu page the green SET led turns off o You will find your programming choices confirmed by the items shown at the lower part of th...
Страница 10: ...er is in STANDBY o Press SET to open the menu page o The SET LED green will light and you will see this page o The menu default will be on ANTENNA option The and keys will advance or step to menu choices eg antenna CAT MANUAL TUNE DISPLAY ETC o When ANTENNA is highlighted press SET again to enter the ANTENNA sub menu ...
Страница 11: ...and ANT 2 on a particular band to toggle between the programmed antennas o If you don t have an antenna assignment for a particular band select NO NO for NO antennas o You may bypass the ATU on any band and antenna by pressing the TUNE Key You will see a b next to the ANT number in the box To remove the b for Bypass just press TUNE again The TUNE key toggles the b on or off o Bypassing the ATU can...
Страница 12: ...e amplifier all band and frequency data from the transceiver If not connected using RS232 information then the amplifier will switch to the band and frequency after it receives RF from the transceiver o When the amplifier is on the correct band as evidenced by the BAND window on the DISPLAY and the amp is in STANDBY then the TUNE key can be pushed and the TUNE LED should light Then immediately you...
Страница 13: ...ove the SWR tuning go to the next paragraph Another way to use TUNE o Another way to use TUNE Adjust your transceiver s drive power level to about 20 to 30W unless you have the ALC link established If ALC is connected the ALC should drop the transceiver power to about 20 to 30 watts to use for tuning o Now set your transceiver to transmit a continuous RF signal either RTTY or FM o Press the amplif...
Страница 14: ...ve a better match than that achieved with the automatic tune procedure which is rather unlikely it is possible to set the tuning manually by using the keys C C L L o Set your exciter to transmit a continuous RTTY or FM signal o Press the L L C C keys until you obtain the minimum SWR The operating frequency and the sub band are also shown on the Display ...
Страница 15: ...will SAVE your settings Receive Only Antennas A unique feature allows the Expert 1 3K FA to set a dedicated receiving antenna and to control its automatic switching after a transmission starts o For the selection of this antenna choose the menu item RX ANT The antenna number selected will appear followed by an r symbol EG 3r With the linear turned OFF the INPUT1 is directly connected to ANT1 The s...
Страница 16: ...oftware supports both USB and RS_232 and requires a minimum of Windows XP operating systems Most hams just use the USB function o The installation package is contained in a compressed ZIP file named KTerm_Package_1_0 zip See the SPE Expert 1 3K FA User Manual for full details on installation and use Please read the DRIVER installation instructions Do not have the USB connected when installing the ...
Страница 17: ... automatic system recovery is not possible e g the temperature climbs over the limits due to obstruction of the fans SWR is too high etc In this case the amplifier switches back to standby state and the alarm message gets stored Normally transmission can continue with the exciter only o FATAL If the amplifier is in the b state but one CPU has a fault or it can t continue operating or some fault ap...
Страница 18: ...standby DO NOT TURN OFF until 40 to 50 C is achieved for cool down o When a FATAL alarm occurs immediately contact your reseller o Note that more details for the temperatures are in the Operating Manual Operating Tips o Again ALC and CAT links are highly recommended o If one relies on the Frequency Counter in the 1 3K to switch bands the purpose of the CAT connectors to help the amplifier be at it...
Страница 19: ...ood way of checking your settings If there is some distortion decrease the mike gain or decrease the power of the transceiver until a small reduction of the output power of the amplifier is seen b CW In key down you get the maximum output power automatically c DIGITAL RTTY SSTV and FM modes have a very heavy duty cycles You should not operate in MAX It is best to use the MID or LOW power settings ...
Страница 20: ...hen returning to STANDBY Never stress the amplifier with long periods in key down transmission as this can stress the amplifier components However sophisticated Soft Ware avoids transmitting a continuous signal in the MAX condition for long periods by switching to MID power In SSB use of high compression is not encouraged as this can cause a rapid increase in the temperature of the amplifier Remem...