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Beantown
Junior Member
Username: Beantown
Post Number: 22
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 06, 2004 - 9:29 am: | 
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Heres my new set up. Galaxy DX2517 with a TS 400DX which is powered by a Pyramid PK36 which is fed to a Astro plane. The radio dead keys at 1 watt on low and swings to 38. Can you have to much swing going to the amp?
Thanks,
Shane |
Highlander
Advanced Member
Username: Highlander
Post Number: 619
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 06, 2004 - 2:44 pm: |
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Sounds like whoever set up your radio ripped out the modulation limiter--not good.
Yes, you can over-drive an amp, even when you have a low deadkey. I'd say you are pushing your TS400 a little hard at 38 watts. If it were me I'd set it for a 2 to 3 watt deadkey and set it for 100 percent modulation, which should be around 6 to 10 watts of swing, maybe a little more. That amp will last for years that way, and you will have a strong, clear signal.
Some people swear by the 1 watt swinging to 40 thing, I think that sounds like dogpoop, and makes for a horribly dirty signal.
David
n9rzf |
Beantown
Junior Member
Username: Beantown
Post Number: 23
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 7:59 am: |
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Highlander,
Thanks for the response. I should have known better, had the same issue with the RM500 in my truck. My 2950DX was swinging to about 35 watts and I kept blowing fuses. Once I turned it down to about 15 watts pep it's smooth as silk and runs as cool as a cucumber! I'll turn down the 2517 tonight. I had suspected the TS400 was being pushed a tad hard!
Thanks,
Shane |
Tech548
Moderator
Username: Tech548
Post Number: 311
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 12:55 pm: |
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Good call Highlander.
Jeff. |
Wolverine
Intermediate Member
Username: Wolverine
Post Number: 233
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 4:36 am: |
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Excellent response Highlander. I've burned up a few amps in my day, sounding like Dogpoop, splattering on all channels. I call them "Growing Pains". Live and learn.
Wolverine. |
Beantown
Junior Member
Username: Beantown
Post Number: 25
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 9:30 am: |
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Highlander,
I turned my dead key down to two watts and using a steady "aaahhhh" the radio swings to about 12 watts PEP in low gear. The Texas Star seems to be real happy at those settings!  Power supply is not growning anymore, and the amp is only pulling about 22 amps from the power supply in high gear. On air reports were "can ya turn that thing down yer gunna blow my speaker" LOL! Amp in high dead keys about 85 watts and swings to about 325, and runs as cool as a cucumber! I don't like to "push" my radio equipment to it's limits, stuff just last longer and sounds better if ya know what I mean. Oh and the wife say I'm not screwing up the TV anymore! Ahhh life is good in CEF260 land once again.
Thanks for your time,
Shane |
Highlander
Advanced Member
Username: Highlander
Post Number: 622
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 1:55 pm: |
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Glad to hear you got it working the way you want it.
I've always babyed my amps, never driving them much more than 60 to 70 percent of their capacity, and they all behave themselves pretty well most of the time, lol.
I have my DX2517 paired with a Galaxy Blackface 250 base amp (2 x 2sc2290). I have it set to peak around 150 on AM and just a hair shy of 200 on SSB. For mics I use an Astatic TUP10DA-L(SuperSidebander) for ragchewing and a TUP9SP D-104 for busting pileups. Antenna right now is a CTE Top-One on the roof.
David
n9rzf |
Beantown
Junior Member
Username: Beantown
Post Number: 26
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, October 09, 2004 - 10:08 am: |
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Highlander,
We almost have the same setup! Exept my Top One is in the attic and not on the roof. I'm gunna trade an old tug-8 and a 104-m6b, that need work, for a Super Side kick today and see how this thing sounds with it. Ahhh the persuit of perfection, guess thats what keeps the hobby a hobby. Might have to buy one of those 452 that alot of people are raving about. I'm gunna move the CTE Top one outside this weekend, much to the wife refusal! lol I want to see if it brings my recieve up at all.
I seem to transmit fine through the fiberglass shingles, but I think my recieve is hindered due to it being in the attic. I wanna get it done before the CEF net on Sunday. I would really like to make a DX LSB contact with this thing! Hope to catch ya one the net!
See ya,
Shane |
Bigbob
Senior Member
Username: Bigbob
Post Number: 1801
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, October 21, 2004 - 10:46 pm: |
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Hmmm,you have to really like the DX2517 to turn it down to drive a 2 pill amp,I have same radio that D-Ks 2 swings 35 on am but never use am,it peaks at 35 on ssb and drives a boomer 400 perfect,crystal clear audio or so I've been told.The boomer has 4 sd1446 pills and runs cool as a cucumber with a peak amperage draw of 45 at 13.6 volts,always,ALWAYS make sure you have more amperage than you need,less heat and longer life of components,my power supply has 9 output transistors and a massive 60 amp transformer,I need a hand truck to move it,hehe,but seriously, I agree with highlander,the duty cycle of most amps is better suited for ssb,thus the very low dead key on am and letting your modulation drive the unit,also most people I know keep their swing on the dx2517 to 10 watts when they drive an amp and they use exclusively TSdx350s to good results.A lot of texas star fans up here.bigbob. |
Tech808
Moderator
Username: Tech808
Post Number: 3894
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, October 21, 2004 - 10:58 pm: |
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Bigbob,
Did those schematics help I sent you Bob?
Sounds like it is working great for you now.
Lon
Tech808 |
Bigbob
Senior Member
Username: Bigbob
Post Number: 1802
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Friday, October 22, 2004 - 12:20 am: |
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Yes they did and it is working very well,I will be posting again but been working 65 hours or more,no time for anything,oh well.This is my favorite section of the forum,because I love amps,still want to get some splitter/combiners and run 4 klv550s in paralell,YEEEHAAW. Bigbob |
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