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Author Topic: K7DYY Super Senior  (Read 30230 times)
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WA8DRZ
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« on: January 20, 2012, 12:34:10 AM »

After several months of thinking about it, I have today commited to K7DYY for one on his Super Senior AM Transmitters.  It should arrive in mid-February.

Does anyone have any suggestions about what to do, or not to do, while getting it set up and running on-the-air?  I have read all the messages in the archives here and am really hoping for some hints so I can be up and running with minimum hassles.

Tnx,
Craig WA8DRZ

 
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KX5JT
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John-O-Phonic


« Reply #1 on: January 20, 2012, 01:11:48 AM »

What are your concerns?  Methinks this should be really straightforward.  It's a solid-state rig.  Just follow the instructions very closely and make sure it sees a 50-ohm load before keying it up.  Give it proper ventilation because I'm sure it generates a fair amount of heat being a legal limit transmitter.   

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AMI#1684
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« Reply #2 on: January 20, 2012, 05:50:16 AM »

Craig you are our canary in the coal mine  Wink

Serioiusly, it seems to me that you just need to do the usual things--have a big dummy load, a wide response receiver for listening to your tx audio when you key the rig and modulate it into the DL, and an oscilloscope.   I'd watch the audio peaks and it's my understanding those rigs really like to work into as low a vswr as possible. 
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ke7trp
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« Reply #3 on: January 20, 2012, 11:50:47 AM »

Thats a really neat transmitter. They sound good too.  Dont worry about heat, Its class D. It runs cool.

Do you have plans for audio?

You can use the processor board that fits under a D104 and keep things simple. I use this and it really works great.  The board gives you a 600 ohm output to feed any rack gear or the SSR directly.

If you want even better sound you will want a studio microphone of some sort and a preamp.  Its hard to recomend a microphone as they really range in price.  My favorite is the Blue spark.  But lower end mics like the MXL also sound great. 

Most of these mics will need phantom power so you will need some kind of preamp that has phantom power built in to power the mic.  To get serious, you will want an EQ.

Dont forget the microphone boom.  I use the booms off ebay. They are great quality and cost about $60.

Rather then have an entire rack full of cables and gear for my audio setup, I got a voice channel.  Voice channels contain the preamp, phantom power, EQ, Compressor, limiter, expander all in one box. 

There are low end solutions like Behringer and higher end solutions from APHEX.  I use the ART voice channel and really love it. Its a good balance of price and performance.

You can use a transciever for the reciever with the SSR.  Its best to have a good reciever. The bands are crowded and your going to need it!

C
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flintstone mop
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« Reply #4 on: January 20, 2012, 01:24:27 PM »

AXE the creator of the Senior AM transmitter if he has fixed the problem of isolation of the AC mains from the ins and outs of the TX.
Past creations were a big PITA if you did not use an isolation transformer and BAD things would happen if you connect external devices to the TX. Mainly the PTT lines. Audio and RF out seemed free of this problem.

The performance is outrageous!!! Great TX
I have an K7DYY 80 meter Class D TX. The entire 80M band, no tuning, and 180 watt carrier outpooot.
VERY nice TX audio
Fred
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Fred KC4MOP
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« Reply #5 on: January 20, 2012, 02:41:23 PM »

I have a friend here locally that run it. It sounds awesome and there have been no problems. Like anything else, read the instructions till you understand them completely.
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WA8DRZ
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« Reply #6 on: January 20, 2012, 08:14:48 PM »

Gentlemen, thank you for all the comments and tips.  Let me give a little more detail about my plans.
I have several R-390A receivers as well as two Ten Tec RX-330 commercial boxes, so I think that I am OK there.  I have a scope (USM-117, good to 5 mc.) and plan to use it - with a dummy load until I am happy with what I see.  My dipole shows an SWR of 1.7 on 3870; Bruce says 1.8 max, so I have an antenna tuner on the way to reduce it just to be on the safe side.
I plan to use a D-104 with Bruce's processor board in the base, at least as a start.  Other audio gear may follow.
I have tried to work some of the West coast gang on 3870, however my old Raytheon marine SSB xcvr is apparently not adjusted for AM as I get reports of very weak audio.  I will have to pop the cover and see if there is an adjustment that will help with that, if I get time before the Super Senior arrives.

73,
Craig WA8DRZ
Redwood City, CA
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ke7trp
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« Reply #7 on: January 20, 2012, 09:44:53 PM »

Craig, I wonder why you cant get the SWR on the dipole down by trimming it or other means.  Adding in a tuner is going to add alot of loss and many tuners on the market will not take Full legal limit AM.  At any rate, I hope you got one hell of a tuner comming.

C
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flintstone mop
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« Reply #8 on: January 21, 2012, 07:11:57 AM »

Agreed that a lot of run-of-the-mill tuners will not handle AM.
We have a thread on AMFONE to build a HB tuner.

http://www.amwindow.org/tech/htm/160smallants.htm



And you can find more info about it and building details by searching "K1JJ TUNER"

If you have patience, you can find the old heavy weight tuners from DENTRON. MT 3000 or 3KA that will tune anything and handle AM legal limit. Several folks here, use Dentron. Then the old Johnson Matchbox ( 1kw) flavor.
The toy MFJ tuners will not handle legal limit AM.

ATTACHED is a good antenna that serves Frank "AHE" The Slab Bacon very well.

EDIT: I checked the K7DYY website and that is a lovely TX!!! WOW legal limit and hi-fi audio and continuous coverage on 80 and 160!!! Worth every penny.
Fred

* SLAB SHORT ANT.pdf (483.04 KB - downloaded 331 times.)
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Fred KC4MOP
WA8DRZ
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« Reply #9 on: January 21, 2012, 11:00:28 AM »

Re: antennas
KE7TRP, yes, I could probably trim my dipole except that it would then have higher SWR on other parts of the band!
Fred: Thanks for the pointers on tuners.  I have a Ten Tec 238 on the way which both Ten Tec and other hams that have one say will handle the power. (I would not go near the likes of MFJ.)

Craig
WA8DRZ
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K5UJ
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« Reply #10 on: January 21, 2012, 12:27:15 PM »

assuming the load and feedline are unbalanced the 238 is okay except for your 375 w. on 160 m. where the fixed value caps are marginal disk ceramics that may struggle with the continuous current from your rig.   For my unbalanced loads on 160 and 75 I had to throw together an ugly L network tuner from a Unique Wire Tuner augmented with RF doorknobs and a bigger Cardwell cap.  The Johnson roller inductor is okay up to 5 A.  Some guys go into the 238 and modify it with doorknobs; I didn't bother with that and sold mine and made the one in the photo.  In radio no one sees how bad your gear looks (people here are um, battle hardened  Cheesy )  You can try yours on 160 because it's possible you may not use the fixed value caps (unlikely) or, you may use all of them in which case the current gets divided across them and you may not see drift or heating.   I think most of the difficulty with them is with QRO continuous duty modes like RTTY so it's possible you may not have any trouble (I like overkill--next comes 1 MHz micas and a 10 A gates inductor).


* Ltuner_upgrade5.jpg (1253.08 KB, 3648x2736 - viewed 1058 times.)
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flintstone mop
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« Reply #11 on: January 21, 2012, 12:40:43 PM »

My rememberance of a Ten Tec Huh that I had at one time. A little similar to the 238 was the fixed cap problem Rob mentions for 160M.
A 30 foot high full sized or zig zag dipole on 160M will draw a lot of RF amps through that tuner at 375 W.
Give it a try, even 150 watts of carrier is sufficient on 160M.
I don't know your layout for antenna. Height above ground is important!!
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Fred KC4MOP
ke7trp
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« Reply #12 on: January 21, 2012, 01:43:44 PM »

238 go boom.

C
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WA8DRZ
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« Reply #13 on: January 21, 2012, 02:07:28 PM »

I don't have an antenna for 160M right now so I will just start on 75/80.

By the way, the latest 238 has 3 caps in parallel at each switch position (for a total of 12) in an effort to reduce that current heating problem.

I'll report here when I get it all running.
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K5UJ
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« Reply #14 on: January 21, 2012, 03:57:17 PM »

I forgot TT makes a new and improved 238.  I don't know much about it except that I saw a bigger air variable cap in it.

Use as much air variable and as few disk ceramics as possible.  GL
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flintstone mop
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« Reply #15 on: January 22, 2012, 08:08:15 AM »

I don't have an antenna for 160M right now so I will just start on 75/80.

By the way, the latest 238 has 3 caps in parallel at each switch position (for a total of 12) in an effort to reduce that current heating problem.

I'll report here when I get it all running.


OK FB
80M should be no problem.
I have a new wish list...............but do not have the $1400  Shocked

Fred
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Fred KC4MOP
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« Reply #16 on: January 22, 2012, 01:53:15 PM »

This is the gutz of my beefy-assed single-ended "hole in the wall" tuna.
It takes whatever I throw at it and never complains.


* tuna capz1.jpg (649.89 KB, 1280x856 - viewed 691 times.)

* tuna gutz.jpg (820.78 KB, 1280x856 - viewed 951 times.)

* tuna capz2.jpg (721.71 KB, 1280x856 - viewed 688 times.)
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The Slab Bacon
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« Reply #17 on: January 22, 2012, 01:54:53 PM »

One more


* tuna face.jpg (780.73 KB, 1280x856 - viewed 875 times.)
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flintstone mop
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« Reply #18 on: January 22, 2012, 04:21:52 PM »

Frank do you work for SHEETZ???
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Fred KC4MOP
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« Reply #19 on: January 23, 2012, 08:49:24 AM »

Frank do you work for SHEETZ???

HUH???  Huh  Huh
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flintstone mop
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« Reply #20 on: January 23, 2012, 10:39:33 AM »

Frank do you work for SHEETZ???

HUH???  Huh  Huh
The titles on your photos.........end in "Z". There is a popular gas-and-go place named SHEETZ and they add Z's to all of their advertising

http://www.sheetz.com/main/

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Fred KC4MOP
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« Reply #21 on: January 23, 2012, 11:58:11 AM »

Frank do you work for SHEETZ???

HUH???  Huh  Huh

I thing we need a major decoder ring to figure out what the MOP man is saying!!!!  New language?  CW is easier.... Wink
73,
Joe W3GMS
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The Slab Bacon
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« Reply #22 on: January 23, 2012, 12:15:26 PM »

I see, said the blind man to his deaf wife
as he picked up his hammer and saw...............
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ke7trp
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« Reply #23 on: February 10, 2012, 09:27:59 PM »

I just wanted to say that I heard AB7KT out of nevada tonight on his new Super senior.  I can honestly say that rig is up there with the top 10 ten I have heard. Super clear, Super talk power.  Amazing for the size.  BC quality with more talk power then most. 

wa8rz did you get yours yet?
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WA8DRZ
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« Reply #24 on: February 11, 2012, 03:04:00 PM »

Still waiting...
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