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[AMPS] Amplifier Experiments!

To: <amps@contesting.com>
Subject: [AMPS] Amplifier Experiments!
From: jono@webspun.com (Jon Ogden)
Date: Sun, 24 May 98 14:26:29 -0500
>> First I put in my original supressor design.  This consisted of 3 3watt 
>> metal film resistors in parallel with about 70 Ohms or so total 
>> resistance.
>
>What is the inductance of the resistors? Can you measure it?

Haven't measured it.  I probably could, but it's a good question.
>
>> nH inductance.  I had earlier tried more than one turn, but the resistors 
>> kept burning up.  
>
>Alternative solutions:
>
>1.) You could have added capacitance in series with the resistors to 
>reduce 10 meter current, while using the large suppressor inductor. 
>In the AL-1200 amplifier, an intentionally inductive resistor is 
>series resonated at 100 MHz, the frequency where the tube likes to 
>oscillate. This series resonant suppressor is then placed 
>across the standard inductor.
>
>2.) The inductor could use less turns, and be PARALLEL resonated at 
>80 MHz.  Then the resistors (assuming they have zero reactance would 
>series load the anode with their entire resistance. This solution is 
>offered in some 4-1000 articles.
>

Definitely good suggestions.  I'll think about it.  For number one what 
value cap would one add in series?  I haven't seen that before.

>> Anyhow, on 10 meters, I was able to get out about 1200 watts with about 
>> 95 watts in.
>> 
>> Then I decided to key the amp but provide no input signal.  I then varied 
>> the tune and load controls to see if I could make the amp oscillate.  As 
>> I decreased tune C down close to its minimum value, plate and grid 
>> current took off.  I had made an oscillator!  So obviously my supressor 
>> design did not work!
>
>No band switch failure? No bent filaments or blown grids? No HV 
>arcs or exploding chokes or meters? What happen to the catastropic 
>explosions due to an oscillation we can't even see?

Well, it would be difficult for my bandswitch to fail as it is a big B&W 
coil/bandswitch unit.  And no, no other stuff.  I did have a weird thing 
happen that blew out some resistors a couple of weeks ago.  But it turns 
out that the tube was bad.  IMHO, it had to have been an oscillation with 
"unseen" stuff, but again, it was a bad tube.

No, none of the strange stuff happened.  Just an increase in plate and 
grid current as I tweaked the caps with no input signal......
>
>> Next I took replaced my supressor design with supressors I had built from 
>> an AG6K kit.  Put them in.  Power out was not about 1050 Watts.  So I did 
>> have about 150 watts of loss in the supressors.  And I am using 3 runs of 
>> nichrome wire after the supressors to the blocking caps.  Anyhow, the GDO 
>> dipped at 80 MHz, but much, much less dip.  I put the dip coil in 
>> *exactly* the same place as previously.  Then I did the same zero signal 
>> experiment.  No oscillations occured regardless of the tune and load C 
>> combinations.  The amp was completely stable.
>
>Another way to skin a cat, but with addition loss at the desired 
>frequency.
> 
Yes, it's true.  I am going to try a couple of other things this 
afternoon.

>> So Rich's supressors work far better then mine.  Am I concerned about 150 
>> Watts?  Well, it's less than 1.5 dB so  probably not.  And actually I 
>> think I can get more power out on 10 m if I could get a little more load 
>> C.  It's fully meshed when I tune up and pretty much stays that way.
>
>What king of load cap do you use that is fully meshed on ten meters, 
>or is the amp a "ten meter only" amp?

It's a standard 4 section cap.  No idea of it's value though since I 
didn't build the amp originally.  It seems to like to operate near the 
meshed position a lot of the time.  Maybe I am not tuning the amp up 
correctly.  15 meters has a false tune point when the cap is meshed but 
tunes up better when you decrease the capacitance about half way.  Maybe 
I am doing the same thing on 10.  It's a 80 thru 10 amp, BTW.

73,

Jon
KE9NA



-------------------------------------
Jon Ogden
KE9NA

http://www.qsl.net/ke9na


"A life lived in fear is a life half lived."


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