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Re: [Amps] Lightning strike - Alpha 77Sx grid issue

To: Amps@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [Amps] Lightning strike - Alpha 77Sx grid issue
From: "Gary Smith" <Gary@ka1j.com>
Reply-to: Gary@ka1j.com
Date: Sun, 01 Dec 2019 00:23:50 -0500
List-post: <mailto:amps@contesting.com>
Jim,

Thanks for that, I'll check them out. 

I do have a long standing issue with the 
watt meter being damaged & have one of 
Island Amplifier's replacements to go in. 
I was going to wait for a snow day to do 
it but as long as I'm in it, I'll do it 
now. That said, the forward works pretty 
much, the reflected is exaggerated but it 
is no different today than before. The 
only meter function I use is the grid and 
I keep a close watch on that.

I appreciate your info as to R211 & R214, 
I'll be sure to investigate them.

It's nice to have this old fashioned PCB 
to work with, everything is accessible 
with good spaces between components.

73,

Gary
KA1J

> Gary,
> If you´re sure the other multimeter functions are working, then
> check the switch contacts, R214(1K) and R211 (4.7 ohms). There isn´t
> much else that could go wrong. The grid current is measured by
> monitoring the voltage drop across R211. If other multimeter functions
> (plate voltsge, ALC, forward power, etc, are showing a problem,
> however, then you´ll likely have to dig a bit deeper to find the bad
> component. 73, Jim w8zr
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
> > On Nov 30, 2019, at 5:46 PM, Gary Smith <Gary@ka1j.com> wrote:
> >
> > The day before Thanksgiving I was
> > listening on 160 & lightning hit close to
> > the antennas. Heard a sizzle in the shack
> > and lost a few things. Guess Polyphasers
> > in the coax and a good ground isn't enough
> > to dodge the bullet.
> >
> > Among the things damaged were the LP-100A,
> > the P3 Wattmeter, Computer BIOS, GPSDO and
> > now I find the grid metering is not
> > working on the Alpha. When putting the amp
> > to the load/tune settings I have written
> > down, it performs normally and my signal
> > report was 59+ with excellent audio.
> >
> > All the other meter functions are working
> > as before but not the grid metering. When
> > I transmit the grid goes to .7 MA and
> > stays there unless I increase the input
> > power significantly and then it raises.
> >
> > Adjusting the load does not affect the
> > meter but if I increase the load out of
> > limits, the ALC meter does light and then
> > goes out when I back off the load. It
> > appears the ALC is still intact.
> >
> > I'm not enough of an engineer or tech to
> > adequately understand the schematic, but
> > looking at circuit board CB-2, the control
> > board, I see Q202 & Q203 as well as a few
> > diodes are in the metering path. I have no
> > way to test the transistors but they are
> > inexpensive enough I can just replace
> > them.
> >
> > I made a 3 page PDF of the schematic for
> > the push switch for grid and the control
> > board.
> >
> > http://doctorgary.net/grid-circuit.pdf
> >
> >
> > The entire pdf manual is here at Alpha RF
> > systems
> >
> > https://tinyurl.com/sndumoa
> >
> >
> > Any suggestions for what I might check
> > would be greatly appreciated.
> >
> > 73,
> >
> > Gary
> > KA1J
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Amps mailing list
> > Amps@contesting.com
> > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/amps
> 



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