Stryker modulation in ref to TS 500DX amp.

[LeapFrog]

I've never aligned a radio like that, you may find that you have better results if you adjust your AM high-power setting, so that when the knob is up quite a ways (or max) the radio only puts out a low amount of dead key, like 2 watts

(because of the internal adjustment, this will prevent you from overdriving amplifier) then adjust your AMC from that point, it may perform better.
If you do it like I explained in the previous post, your results may not be pleasing.

like I said I have no prior experience with a radio like this, so you will have to experiment for the best results, one could say that you are looking for swing!..
{Please make sure the mic gain is maxed out before continuing, lol}

The relation to RF power knob and internal adjustment for max is important, take note how changing the internal one affects the range of RF power knob. A radio will peak-out differently depending on these adjustments alone.
(Some radios have an AM High and AM Low pots, 2 pots affect the range of the carrier knob)

Find the AMC/Modulation pot, once you know you have it, MAX it out, your goal is to set the dead key to a low level, around half to one watt w/e the amp likes w/ the RF knob all the way up 1 watt, or try it the other tune so knob is low and u have 1 watt, see which configuration is better for max PEP w/ an AUDIOOOO test, watching the wattmeter and takin' notes!

And turn the radio into a snarling beast, an over-modulating horse that is made of fire charging forth from the gates of hell, armed with harmonic fury best suited for key-downs, thy wattmeter shall swingith I say!.......

Then you have to tame that beast, reign it in, and use the force of the AMC action to keep it inline, adjust V10 to calm it.

If your meter is only reading average, please don't expect some song & dance miracle like performance from this process.

Your carrier and amc adjust points are not going to stop the radio from working, if you are careful, so you can play around a little bit, watch the watt meter dance, do this all with the bare radio, then once it's "set straight", you can see how little carrier the amplifier really needs to run!


Happy DX'ing!

 

[Limeybastard]

I've never aligned a radio like that, you may find that you have better results if you adjust your AM high-power setting, so that when the knob is up quite a ways (or max) the radio only puts out a low amount of dead key, like 2 watts

(because of the internal adjustment, this will prevent you from overdriving amplifier) then adjust your AMC from that point, it may perform better.
If you do it like I explained in the previous post, your results may not be pleasing.

like I said I have no prior experience with a radio like this, so you will have to experiment for the best results, one could say that you are looking for swing!..
{Please make sure the mic gain is maxed out before continuing, lol}

The relation to RF power knob and internal adjustment for max is important, take note how changing the internal one affects the range of RF power knob. A radio will peak-out differently depending on these adjustments alone.
(Some radios have an AM High and AM Low pots, 2 pots affect the range of the carrier knob)

Find the AMC/Modulation pot, once you know you have it, MAX it out, your goal is to set the dead key to a low level, around half to one watt w/e the amp likes w/ the RF knob all the way up 1 watt, or try it the other tune so knob is low and u have 1 watt, see which configuration is better for max PEP w/ an AUDIOOOO test, watching the wattmeter and takin' notes!

And turn the radio into a snarling beast, an over-modulating horse that is made of fire charging forth from the gates of hell, armed with harmonic fury best suited for key-downs, thy wattmeter shall swingith I say!.......

Then you have to tame that beast, reign it in, and use the force of the AMC action to keep it inline, adjust V10 to calm it.

If your meter is only reading average, please don't expect some song & dance miracle like performance from this process.

Your carrier and amc adjust points are not going to stop the radio from working, if you are careful, so you can play around a little bit, watch the watt meter dance, do this all with the bare radio, then once it's "set straight", you can see how little carrier the amplifier really needs to run!


Happy DX'ing!

Cheers Leapfrog, I certainly hope to DX with you also sometime soon.

I am going to leave the hi and low power pots alone. Since I think the current setup is a good compromise for my needs, meaning I like to also be able to run the radio without amp which I find myself doing often.The only thing I changed was the two modulation pots, to get a bit more modulation from stock.
The radio peaks at 60W pep or so currently with deadkey of 19W, ( stock figures ), but with RF power at bare min on the knob, it keys at 4W and peaks to 40 pep ( this setting gives me the 100W to 400W on TX star ). All those figures with echo off.

 

[LeapFrog]

Very good, I had not realized you where already at the 4 to 1 ratio, and I am glad it is working well for you!

73

 

[Limeybastard]

Very good, I had not realized you where already at the 4 to 1 ratio, and I am glad it is working well for you!

73

Somethings a bit shady though. LOL The current draw at about 400 pep or under is only 27 or so Amps. I think maybe the PEP mode on meter aint working right. However with the same meter using RMS, the peak modulation reads 300 watts with same given amperage on PSU.

 

[LeapFrog]

What is the current demand with the dead carrier?

You're not asking the amplifier to put out huge numbers for long, only on voice peaks so perhaps, the "issue" is that the instantaneous current demand cannot be registered on your meter accurately? How do you have the ammeter in-line, or is this some type of clamp-on style you are using?

 

[Limeybastard]

What is the current Demand with the dead carrier?

You're not asking the amplifier to put out huge numbers for long, only on voice peaks so perhap, the "issue" is that the instantaneous current demand cannot be registered easily on your meter? How do you have the ammeter in-line or is this some type of clamp-on Style?

Dead key at 100W is approx 22Amps on PSU.

 

[LeapFrog]

Dead key at 100W is approx 23Amps on PSU.

Without doing any math I'm going to go out on a limb say that sounds about right, might just be the meter you are using to read current draw. (Not "quick enough" to read the peaks)

I remember you had mentioned in another thread that you had the variable all the way up and maxing out the carrier, (for a hot second) this tells me your power supply is adequate!

 

[Limeybastard]

Without doing any math I'm going to go out on a limb say that sounds about right, might just be the meter you are using to read current draw. (Not "quick enough" to read the peaks)

I remember you had mentioned in another thread that you had the variable all the way up and maxing out the carrier, (for a hot second) this tells me your power supply is adequate!

Yeah too scared to do that " trick " again LOL Yes, turning up the variable even to 10W just for a few seconds increases the PSU load to well over 30A, so as you said ,it must be the delay, I think Bob also mentioned the same thing. Cheers.

 

[LeapFrog]

Yeah too scared to do that " trick " again LOL

I don't blame you .
Ask Rusty, K5IZ
(who built the power supply) if he thinks it is performing how it should.

I think your setup is probably okay, personally I'd lower the carrier even more, you remind me of myself, in that you are constantly trying to make sure you are doing it the right way, asking questions is good, but honestly I think you are over-worrying yourself.

If you can find an experienced operator, who knows a 'lil something (not just anyone), see if you can have him check your station and get an opinion from him!

I don't think there's is anything wrong, cheers!

 

[Limeybastard]

I don't blame you .
Ask Rusty, K5IZ
(who built the power supply) if he thinks it is performing how it should.

I think your setup is probably okay, personally I'd lower the carrier even more, you remind me of myself, in that you are constantly trying to make sure you are doing it the right way, asking questions is good, but honestly I think you are over-worrying yourself.

If you can find an experienced operator, who knows a 'lil something (not just anyone), see if you can have him check your station and get an opinion from him!

I don't think there's is anything wrong, cheers!

Ive never for once doubted that PSU, Rusty is a gentleman and a scholar, very nice chap indeed. As you are.

Low deadkey is showing 4W approx. My question to you is this, if one makes all these changes to couple the radio to amp, then if one wants to go barefoot per se, then what happens? Wouldnt the radio sound as we say back home shite? Meter on 200W scale

 

[LeapFrog]

View attachment 21517

Ive never for once doubted that PSU, Rusty is a gentleman and scholar, very nice chap indeed. As you are.

Low deadkey is showing 4W approx. My question to you is this, if one makes all these changes to couple the radio to amp, then if one wants to go barefoot per se, then what happens? Wouldnt the radio sound as we say back home shite?

If the modulation ratio is still acceptable, it will not sound any different (may not even need to tweak AMC if you lower deak key).

You just need 4 watts to run barefoot, 2 watts is "the standard" often given out for input drive, if you lowered the deadkey you will lose some barefoot talking power but the radio will still work just fine.

hell, on a radio like that you could probably drop the key all the way and not see over-mod.
I have ran a barefoot radio w/ 2 watts dead key... didn't get out far, but it works just fine.

 

[Limeybastard]

I don't blame you .
Ask Rusty, K5IZ
(who built the power supply) if he thinks it is performing how it should.

I think your setup is probably okay, personally I'd lower the carrier even more, you remind me of myself, in that you are constantly trying to make sure you are doing it the right way, asking questions is good, but honestly I think you are over-worrying yourself.

If you can find an experienced operator, who knows a 'lil something (not just anyone), see if you can have him check your station and get an opinion from him!

I don't think there's is anything wrong, cheers!

If the modulation ratio is still acceptable, it will not sound any different (may not even need to tweak AMC if you lower deak key).

You just need 4 watts to run barefoot, 2 watts is "the standard" often given out for input drive, if you lowered the deadkey you will lose some barefoot talking power but the radio will still work just fine.

So do you think 4W deadkey is too much for the amp?

 

[LeapFrog]

If it is four 2879's, no. that is not too much..
if they are not Toshiba, I'd aim for 20 watts per transistor max dead key, you are at around 25 watts per now, lowering the input will allow everything to run cooler, increasing your max "talk-time" by a little.

But it is probably not worth your time or trouble to decrease the key, i'm just stating how I'd run it, and i'm not always spot-on! sometimes less is more, but If I said use 0.5 watt in and let it swing w/ no AMC action you would not like how it sounds, it'd be shite as you say, loud shite, but still shite.

 

[Limeybastard]

If it is four 2879's, no. that is not too much..
if they are not Toshiba, I'd aim for 20 watts per transistor max dead key, you are at around 25 watts per now, lowering the input will allow everything to run cooler, increasing your max "talk-time" by a little. Might not be worth your time or trouble to decrease the key, i'm just stating how I'd run it, and i'm not always spot-on!

Here is what the meter shows for output of the amp with the RF power on 955hpc set to its lowest setting.
One image is 200W scale and other is 1K watt scale. Both showing approx sub 100W deadkey.

 

[LeapFrog]

View attachment 21518 View attachment 21519

Here is what the meter shows for output of the amp with the RF power on 955hpc set to its lowest setting.
One image is 200W scale and other is 1K watt scale. Both showing approx sub 100W deadkey.

Leave it alone, lol!
it's fine, you'll enjoy it, ask for some on-air radio checks, get some audio reports from the guys that sound loud and clear! "How this does 1 watt, walkie-talkie sound out there?" LOL hehe