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EXPERT 1.3K-FA

1. 1 ON turns on unit 2 OFF turns off unit when held down for three seconds 3 DISPLAY toggles between display pages 4 POWER switches output power from MAX MID LOW 5 OP toggles back and forth between Standby Operate modes 6 SET used to program the amplifier 7 used to program the amplifier 8 used to program the amplifier 9 INPUT selects one of the two inputs of the amplifier 10 BAND switches bands manually downward in frequency 11 BAND switches bands manually upward in frequency 12 ANT switches the antennas for every single band 13 CAT shows the current CAT interface setting 14 TUNE starts the automatic tuning process 15 4 used for manual tuning 16 Cb used for manual tuning 17 L used for manual tuning 18 used for manual tuning 19 TX red LED illuminates during transmission 20 OP yellow LED illuminates when the amplifier is in Operate state 21 ON green LED illuminates when the amplifier is 22 SET green LED illuminates during programming 23 TUNE yellow LED illuminates during tuning 24 AL red LED illuminates when there is an alarm 25 LCD DISPLAY 26 AIR FILTER GRID Page 8 of 87 1 2 Rear Panel 3 D m Da d amp INPUT 1 connectors for four available antennas 2 2 connector for SO2R operations 3 INPUT connector
2. CI V INTERFACE CT 17 The plug from the amplifier should be connected to a port of the CT17 or similar device The transceiver should be connected to another port The following types of connections as described in sections 14 2 14 3 and 14 4 are common for Kenwood Yaesu TEN TEC Flex Radio and ELECRAFT links The DB 15 connector side of the amplifier remains the same On the opposite side of the cable it is necessary to connect only the GND and RX 232 RX TTL to the cable PC Radio In this way the interrogation to the transceiver is no longer requested by the linear but is requested by the PC The linear analyzes only the data exchanged In this case DO NOT CONNECT the TX 232 TX TTL of the linear because it would create conflict in the software and could damage the hardware as well see following figures Page 47 of 87 Ra 14 2 RS232 Interface User manual Expert Amp 1 3K FA KENWOOD OR YAESU RADIO CONNECTOR 5232 5 x E 6 RX232 A d TX232 9 X 217 5 10 30 RS232 110 2 x 5 GND O PC CONNECTOR 12 50 130 60 14 TO 15 80 DB15M 14 3 5VTTL Kenwood Interface KENWOOD SF RADIO CONNECTOR 10 6 x 90 TTL 20 00 RX TTL Ail 30 TXTTL KEN TTL 11 0 4 C GND 20 a p 13 60 TTL INTERFACE 14 v 80 WM DB15 M Pa
3. a i n d 38 12 5 Ten Tec Fler Radio Elecrali EE __ __ 38 CAT iaia 38 ALC 39 12 6 Transceivers or otber Brands are 40 13 OTHER CONNECTIONS 41 13 1 ALC Relay COMMECH ONS EN ITI m 41 13 2 41 13 3 Co necuons ii ile E 42 13 4 AUS er 44 13 5 PORT 9 nia 45 BOER 45 RTT cicoria 46 Serial connection to a standard PC RS 232 port for remoting use 46 14 TRANSCEIVER CONTROLLED WITH ccscciccsatinimossdanicnsivacionasesntacaupevbesdsecubeesavedannespenteatayewneveseduns 47 Page20f87 0 00000 0 14 1 kom lt n T 47 14 2 ede PAS ETATS MES RA 48 14 3 5V TTL Kenwood Interface 48 14 4 5V TTL Yaesu Interface 49 15 USE OF THE USB 5232 PORTS 50 15 1
4. 60 40 RADIO CONNECTOR TO 15 80 12227 DB15M The radio connector may be a DB 9 or DB 25 male connector or female connector read the specific manual Verify from the manual if the RTS CTS link is necessary CAT 5V TTL Interface 3 RX TTL TX TTL KL RX GND 40 GND 12 C RTS 13 CTS 40 RADIO CONNECTOR TO renna DB15M The connector is described in the transceiver s manual Verify if the RTS CTS link is required by the transceiver Page 37 of 87 Ra Expert Amp 1 3K FA BANDA BANDB j BAND DATA Interface 20 106 30 110 60 GND 12 SO 130 60 7 ine BANDC BANDD 80 Le DB15M GND BANDA BANDB BANDC BAND RADIO CONNECTOR Using Band Data instead of CAT use the four digital signals Band A Band B Band C Band D from the transceiver Refer to the transceiver s manual 12 5 Ten Tec Flex Radio Elecraft CAT RS232 Interface RXD GND TXD TX 232 RX 232 GND RTS CTS RADIO CONNECTOR a User manual Expert Amp 1 3K FA The radio connector may be a DB 9 or DB 25 male connector or female connector read specific manual Verify from the manual if the RTS CTS link is required ALC with Flex Radio Since all Flex Radio equipments has
5. an analog ALC input the maximum power limits for the transceiver must be programmed in order to avoid the EXPERT s overdrive protection system intervention These settings have to be done while in OPERATE Mode according to the following For every ham band three settings are allowed storage memories One setting for MAX mode One setting for MID mode One setting for LOW mode The following table shows an overall vision of these settings Band 160m 17 Preset Preset Preset Preset Preset Preset Preset Preset Preset Preset Preset Max Max Max Max Max Max Max Max Max Max Max Preset Preset Preset Preset Preset Preset Preset Preset Preset Preset Preset Mid Mid Mid Mid Mid Mid Mid Mid Mid Mid Mid Preset Preset Preset Preset Preset Preset Preset Preset Preset Preset Preset Low Low Low Low Low Low Low Low Low Low Low The user has to set for every band of interest the power limit concerning the input power needed To do that using the keyboard he must set a parametric value having the format PC xxx where xxx is a numerical value having a range from 000 to 100 which represents the transceivers power output expressed in percentage LOW This value will appear just over the BAND label of the Status Bar This value is related to the tuned band and to the selected power modes of MAX MID and LOW The following picture shows as an example Power Cont
6. 232 RL File Edit View Tools Help Organize Include in library Sharewith Wew folder Pictures Date modified My Videos Saved Games 4 Searches 188 Computer Network DANE Ee _TPTgTgqo UN 1 CDM20600 7 5 2014 08 47 File folder S 10 22 2009 17 17 Application extens ftdZxx 10 29 2008 17 59 H File 23 KB ftdzxx lib 7 2 2014 17 46 LIB File 9 KB Once opened FT 232 folder will show the above contents Page 59 of 87 ______ Expert Amp 1 KFA A very important part of the installation procedure is the CDM20600 folder which contains among the other files the CDM20600 exe Windows application as highlighted in the picture below CDM20600 QU J A KTerm Package 1 0 FT 232 RL CDM20600 Search 20600 File Edit View Tools Help Organize Ej Open Wew folder Saved Games Date modified Type Jd Searches Computer coy Local Disk C 12 31 2009 11 47 Application 11 CDM 2 06 00 WHOL Certified 12 31 2009 11 19 Compressed zipp 877 KB CDM 2 06 00 Release Inf 12 31 2008 11 50 Rich Text Format 58 KB Local Disk D 2 1 ic orma x T AN232R 03_DriverPrelnstallation 12 31 2009 11 21 Adobe Acrobat D 225 KB cow Microsoft Offic zx ASUS WebStor 71 2 This application has been specially designed for a correct i
7. My Videos E ad FT 232 RL 1 5 2014 10 59 File folder Bh Saved Games i DA fEdZxx dil 10 22 2009 17 17 Application extens 202 KB earches Computer i KTerm 232 7 4 2014 17 06 A de T KB Network KTerm USB 7 4 2014 17 07 Application 555 sl DANTE 10110 4 Where FT 232 RL is a folder containing the USB drivers and an automatic installation program which must be run just once to prepare the operating environment which sorts out everything needed such as the USB drivers and their support files on the Windows host system KTerm_USB exe is the remote control application that can be launched only after having installed the USB drivers properly ftd2xx dll is a support library file for the KTerm USB exe application It must be accessible by KTerm_USB exe application so it is required to be either manually copied into the same folder of the application or into another system wide folder e g C Windows System32 which is one of the most used repositories for libraries and application support files KTerm_232 exe is the remote control application specially designed to establish a connection using the devoted RS 232 serial port which is available on the rear panel of the linear amplifier This application does not require any preparation related to FT 232 RL drivers since it uses the proprietary Windows resources FT_292 RL x LEL tmp KTerm Package 1 0 FT 232 RL 653 Search
8. B x File View Help E CAN T OPEN SERIAL LINK 21082 The very first time KTerm 232 exe is launched a notifying pop up message like the one in the picture above is shown This is for just warning the user that there is still no valid RS 232 port being set on the application itself Page 72 of 87 To correct this click OK on the pop up window and select File Virtual Com Port setting as shown in the following picture Discommeri itr 5 Firmware Update OFF LINE W 733 H 205 2 The above menu item makes it possible to access the following dialog box which allows a direct setting of the desired COMx serial port for connecting to the EXPERT 1 3K FA COM Part NONE Advanced settings Cancel If the number of an unused COM is unknown proceed as the following page Page 73 of 87 User manual Expert Amp 1 3K FA With all your serial resources properly connected proceed to the Control Panel gt gt gt Hardware and Sound gt gt gt Device Manager and choose a serial COM listed in the hardware configuration that is not used by other applications File Edit View Tools Help Control Panel Home Devices and Printers Adda devie Adda printer Mouse ay Device Manager System and Security AutoPlay Wetreork and Internet 4 Change default settings for media or devices Play CDs other media automatically
9. Easy transportation A sturdy nice looking carry bag is supplied for QSY FIELD DAY DX PEDITIONS etc Certifications CE N B These specifications are subject to change without notice Page 54 of 87 18 DIAGNOSTICS During normal operation this sophisticated monitoring system continuously monitors several measurements directly acquired from internal test points When a dangerous situation occurs a serious alarm message is raised and the amplifier is switched from OPERATE to STANDBY The user can either restore immediately the Main Display Page by pressing the DISPLAY key or wait for the visual alarm time out expiration about 10 seconds The following table shows all the system s alarm messages that are recorded in the Alarm History stack Message Description SWR EXCEEDING LIMITS Protection for SWR greater than 3 1 INPUT OVERDRIVING Protection for excessive input power EXCESS OVERHEATING Protection because the internal temperature has exceeded safe limits The following table shows all the dynamic warning messages that are not recorded in the Alarm History stack Message Description Band not allowed or not set ANTENNA NOT AVAILABLE TX ANTENNA NOT AVAILABLE In the selected band is set only an antenna for STEADY OUTPUT POWER Appears when a continuous signal is transmitted in EXCEEDING LIMITS After 15 sec the amplifier will switch automatically to MID INTERNAL OVERHEATING
10. ji SOCIET PER L ELETTRONICA s r l EXPERT 1 3K FA 1 3KW SOLID STATE FULLY AUTOMATIC LINEAR AMPLIFIER USER S MANUAL ETE 379 750 1125 1500 12 5 25 57 5 50 1454 BAND RNT CAT OUT SUR TEMP 20 m 1 ICOM MAS 1 08 37 C 3 2 4 di 1 0 Index INPORTAN E seit inte 4 PRECAUTIONS eres eran 4 IN O iA 7 1 PANEL DESCRIPTION 8 1 1 A EE 8 1 2 9 2 GENERAL INFORMA LION iano 10 2 1 o rs piena drenante 10 2 2 loput nani 10 2 3 CAL NEMINEM 10 3 INTERCONNECTION WITH THE TRANSCEIVER 6 12 4 USE OP THE LINEAR AMPLIFIER 13 4 1 SO2R Single Operator Two Radio anaa aE ai Ea AR aiiai 14 4 2
11. Fully solid state Up to 1 5 1 3 typ KW pep SSB CW out 50 MHz included MAX MID 800 W or LOW 450 W power selected according to the operator s SSB CW power requirement for digital modes and for linear protection automatic No warmup time immediately ready Virtually limitless life of the amplification device Only one LD MOSFET used Automatic Antenna Tuner built in Capable of matching 3 1 SWR on HF and 2 5 1 SWR on 6 meters Capable of program controlling 4 antennas 50239 connectors Program up to 2 antennas for each band Management of SteppIR Ultrabeam antennas tunable Also measures the SWR of the antenna and cable system Bands Antennas Tuning conditions are changed in 10 msec Bands Antennas and Tuning conditions are managed so that in 5 only the exciter is passed through to the output Max attenuation 0 8 dB ATU bypass capable Available without ATU allowing significant savings SO2R Two inputs available 50239 connectors High power gain up to 14 5 dB In OPERATE the required drive power is automatically set with the ALC connection And in STANDBY the exciter is Page 53 of 87 automatically reset to full power Very clean and low distortion output Spurious emissions FCC compliant 3rd order distortion two tone test from 30 to 35 dB typ Input 50 ohm always perfectly matched The same protection is realized in two different ways Via hardware circu
12. Hardware and Sound E Sound i Programs VE Adjust system volume Change system sounds Manage audio devices User caus and Family v Power Options Satety Change battery settings Change what the power buttons do Appearance Require a password when the computer wakes Change when the computer sleeps Clock Lanquage and Region Adjust screen brightness Ease of Access i Display n Make text and other items larger smaller Adjust screen resolution Connectto a projector Connect to an external display Realtek HD Audio Manager Device Manager ioj x File Action View Help 7 E dante 1011CX E Batteries Computer Eea Disk drives EM Display adapters Bi Human Interface Devices Ea IDE ATA ATAPI controllers m Imaging devices 1 25 Keyboards Mice and other pointing devices Monitors pj Metwork adapters 672 Ports amp LPT y Prolific USB to Serial Bridge g Processors H Sound video and game controllers ML System devices m 8 Universal Serial Bus controllers In case the USB to RS232 serial converters are being used as shown in the picture above please proceed as explained below to check all the COM ports polled by the system To check a COM port identifier related to any given adapter disconnect it from the USB socket of the PC and detect which COM item disappear
13. INH 10 RX TTL 30 TX TTL 110 KEN TTL 46 GND 12 RELAY 50 ALC 130 TX INH 60 BAND A 14 BAND DATA P BAND C 15 BAND D 8 DB15 F pin n pin name Description 1 RX 232 Used on KENWOOD and YAESU transceivers for the link with a 9 TX 232 RS 232 connection 2 TX INH Open collector normally OFF it stops transmission when grounded ON 10 RXTTL Used on Icom KENWOOD and YAESU transceivers for the 3 TX TTL CAT 5V TTL connection 11 Connect to GND if 5V TTL KENWOOD connection 4 GND Signal ground 12 RELAY Connected in parallel with the RCA phono RELAY connector 5 Connected in parallel with the RCA phono ALC connector 13 TX INH Normally to gnd 550 ohm it stops transmission when 12V 6 DATAA Bit A of Band Data digital switch of band for YAESU 14 Bit B of Band Data digital switch of band for YAESU 7 DATAC Bit C of Band Data digital switch of band for YAESU 15 DATAD Bit D of Band Data digital switch of band for YAESU 8 REMOTE ON Applying a voltage from 9 to 15 VDC turns the amplifier ON Using the above information an appropriate cable for your transceiver s may be constructed Or you might wish to order a correctly made up cable when you order your amplifier from your local distributor New connectors are included with the amplifier The transceiver connectors called Radio in the next diagram are usually supplied with
14. chapter of this manual select the model of the transceiver and then select the baud rate almost always 4800 If the model isn tin the list select Band Data and read the CONNECTIONS chapter of this manual For new transceiver models not listed select FT 2000 9000 or try Kenwood TEN TEC Make the CAT connection read the CONNECTIONS chapter of this manual and follow the menu instructions FLEX RADIO Make the CAT connection read the CONNECTIONS chapter of this manual and follow the menu instructions ELECRAFT Make the CAT connection read the CONNECTIONS chapter of this manual and follow the same indications as for KENWOOD Note When using the CAT link check that the baud rate of your transceiver is set to the same value as the amplifier Page 28 of 87 OLA User manual Expert Amp 1 3K FA c MANUAL TUNE Allows you to tune the amplifier manually However achieving a better setting than that obtained by automatic tuning is very unlikely MANUAL TUNE ON BANK A 21 275 MHz SUB BAND 118 1 1 68 pH 1 87 5 PFtHi M oet your exciter to transmit a continuous RTTY or CW signal Then press the 4 L L gt 4 C C gt keys until you obtain the minimum SWR The operating frequency and the sub band are also shown on the Display d DISPLAY Adjusts the backlight and the contrast of the display e BEEP On acoustic warning alarms operate and a bee
15. d occ Rh j n my e 9 LY ey XB e lo oj 9 A X 5 po TRANS CENER e a oa gm m QR d AHT AMT AMT ANT INPUT IHPLIT 1 E SEE USER MANUAL e EXC Quae amp fg 3 oo amp B AS X A gt 2 ES m E d a A p e e B d a DEF ila USE PORT RELA Le 7 e ate AUMENTATION a 110 255VAC The diagram shows the connections with one transceiver only To connect the second transceiver repeat the same connections using the port IN 2 For the ALC and RELAY connections use the shielded cable supplied with phono RCA connectors For the CAT connection this cable needs to be made by the owner or purchased for the many different transceivers available to be connected This cable may also be made to include ALC RELAY ON OFF read the CAT CONNECTIONS chapter of this manual For all other information about connecting a transceiver please refer to the transceiver s manual Note You should not use the separate RELAY and ALC phono connections if they have been implemented through the DB15 CAT connectors Page 12 of 87 4 USE OF THE LINEAR AMPLIFIER Block diagram IMPLIT 1 INPUT 2 SUR The position of the contacts as shown in the diagram is t
16. Appears when the internal temperature reaches 75 C 167 F The amplifier automatically switches to the next lowest power level HIGH SWR ANTENNA When the antenna SWR is over 3 5 1 the auto tuner is ATU BYPASS Since the tuner is bypassed it is not possible to match automatically or manually NO INPUT POWER The tuner can not work at such a low input power uer cat n work as spon a tow dapas ponot CAN T SWITCH OFF The amplifier does not turn OFF by the keyboard because POWER HELD BY REMOTE it is kept ON by a remote device transceiver or USB port AMPLIFIER PROTECION In all remaining cases Page 55 of 87 19 TABLE BAND TABLE SUB BAND CENTRAL FREQUENCY SUB BAND ae pee pee La 3950 149 3970 190 3990 91490 spamo 65 5913 16 s338 6 s363 68 64 sets 170 Umm mem I o o tp rase rem enm pere eres eren um penes onas O ae pei raters name Note sub band Central frequency KHz Page 56 of 87 20 APPENDIX 1 REMOTE CONTROL Overview With reference to that described in Section 15 USE OF THE USB RS 232 PORTS this appendix contains the following sections SW installation KTerm_USB exe usage KTerm_232 exe usage Firmware update The host PC must have a minimum of a correctly installed Windows XP operating system or a newer release of Microsoft
17. BIT A BIT B BIT C BIT D GND BIT 01 GND BIT D2 BIT A1 EN 1 BIT A2 EN 2 BIT B1 BIT B2 RLY 2 BIT C1 12 Vcc BIT C2 INPUT 1 INPUT 1 INPUT 1 INPUT 1 Description INPUT 1 0 not connected with ANT 1 connected with ANT INPUT 1 TX state GND BITA BIT B BIT C BIT D INPUT 2 INPUT 2 INPUT 2 INPUT 2 1 RX state INPUT 2 not connected with ANT 1 connected with ANT INPUT 2 O state GND 1 RX state OUT 12 VDC 0 2 max WARNING SPE 15 not responsible for any failure resulting from misuse of hardware interfaces Page 44 of 87 13 5 PORT Connector This connector provides a Data about the ANT port in use each output is open collector b RS 232 port for connection to a controller of a tunable antenna RS 232 port for remoting use as an alternative of USB port 10 BIT 6 BIT B af 8 232 TUNEABLE ANTENNA To TXD 8 232 REMOTING USF 36 TXD 8 232 TUNEABLE ANTENNA 80 8 232 REMOTING USF 4 12 Yee 9 2 BIT C 50 GND DBS F 5232 port Tunable RS232 port Tunable Antenna 4 When connecting to a control box of a tunable antenna a suitable cable should be wired SteppIR cable EXPERT 2K FA SteppIR Control Box PORT connector DATA IN connector DB 9 M DB 9 F Page 45 of 87 Ultrabeam cable EXPERT K FA Ultrabeam Control Box PORT connector RS 232 connector DB 9 M
18. DB 9 Note WARNING these types of antennas sometimes need several seconds to adjust to resonance Transmitting with high power while the antenna elements are still moving may cause damage to the antenna and the linear To avoid this danger you can utilize some circuitry that inhibits the PTT during the movement of the motors such as tuning relays that are available from the antenna manufacturers This solution ts highly recommended Serial connection to a standard PC RS 232 port for remoting use EXPERT 2K FA STANDARD PC PORT connector RS 232 connector DB 9 M DB 9 F 232 7 21 RX 23218 3 TX PC 5 GND GND 5 Note WARNING SPE is not responsible for any failure resulting from misuse of hardware interfaces Page 46 of 87 14 TRANSCEIVER CONTROLLED WITH If the transceiver is controlled with a PC using the CAT utility the link with the amplifier can be made as described in the following paragraphs Note BEWARE SPE assures only the direct connection between the Linear and the transceiver The use of external control software could create malfunctions that must be resolved by the provider of such software and 15 totally the responsibility of the owner operator 14 1 Icom CI V Interface DB45F ICOM LINEAR N __ gt RADIO CONNECTOR 14
19. In case the user wants to restore the original size preset lying behind any F1 F5 key you must select the Fx preset and then press the Ctrl Fx key combination on his PC keyboard When KTerm_USB exe gets launched an automatic Connect command also starts and if a USB link to the linear amplifier was already active it should have shown a result similar to the picture sequence above In case this doesn t happen there s also a chance to try connecting by using the File Connect menu item or by using its equivalent Ctrl Q shortcut key The final visual result will be a bright backlight display and a function keys enabling of the virtual keypad Page 63 of 87 a User manual Expert Amp 1 3K FA In case the EXPERT is already switched on after the connection established by KTerm USB exe an immediate update on the current display contents will result However if the EXPERT linear was already switched off it would be turned on by using the ON virtual key on the application keypad oimilarly all the other virtual keypad keys perform the same actions as their equivalent mechanical keys forming the real front panel keyboard of the EXPERT 1 3K FA EXPERT 1 3K FA Basic keypad On Off Ctrl J a a Full keypad On Off Ctrl K DII 408 e Fully Automatic Display Preset 1 Fi X i Display Preset 2 F2 E ta v Display Preset 3 Fr Display
20. Preset 4 F4 Display Preset 5 F5 ON LINE F3 W 733 205 USB ID Not KTerm USB Keypad INPUT ANT 4L DISPLAY 4 gt ON BAND gt 4 C POWER SET ve a The View menu is also equipped with the useful Home and Park items which have been specially designed to allow an automatic repositioning of the application along the PC desktop area In more detail e Home Ctrl H This item positions the display window to the upper left corner of the desktop area and aligns the keypad to its bottom edge e Park Ctrl N This item leaves the display window where it currently stays and just aligns the keypad to its bottom edge The above described operations could be helpful whenever a quick and safe repositioning of the application windows is desired Page 64 of 87 The Basic keypad in View menu allows you to to reduced size keypad having fewer keys than the complete keypad which could be useful when no setting actions are required on the linear amplifier KTerm USB JKeypad OPERATE POWER INPUT ANT TUNE DISPLAY Note The keypad types both Full and Basic are certainly very useful since they both can be directly accessed using the mouse pointer It is helpful to know that all the operations allowed using the virtual keys can be also performed using short commands direc
21. Remote 51 15 2 51 16 ae A TR ni 52 17 CHARACTERISTICS SPECIFICATIONS 53 18 DAGNO RT T 55 19 T BEE no e E 56 20 APPENDIX 1 REMOTE CONTROL M Metro 57 20 1 ASOT Insia AION iride tarare 57 202 Kiem USB 62 eared ai iaia laid iii oi eni 72 Remote ON OFF USERS 2 ana i 77 203 DPR O RCA 79 21 GENERAL RESTORE aiar 83 22 WARRANTY TERM aan 84 REPAIR TORN cioe 86 Page 3 of 87 Congratulations for choosing the SPE EXPERT 1 3K FA solid state linear amplifier It is small powerful covers all the amateurs bands from 1 8 to 54 MHz including WARCs and where permitted is able to work on 5 MHz 60 m and 70 MHz 4 m completely automatically and remotable Being only 7 5 Kg 16 5 Ibs it is perfect for use in the shack and is superior to none for DXpeditions All operating conditions frequency antenna tuner etc are controlled from your transceiver The operator needs to only
22. YES WAS THE DRIVING POWER OF THE TRANSCEIVER SET AT THE MAXIMUM LEVEL 0 YES IF NO WHAT POWER OUTPUT WAS SET ON WHICH BAND DID THE FAULT DID YOU CHANGE BANDS ANTENNA IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THE FAULT HAPPENED YES PLEASE WRITE THE TRANSMISSION MODE SSB OW QSK DIGITAL MODE FM FOR HOW LONG BEFORE THE FAILURE DID YOU SWITCH ON THE AMPLIFIER THE AMPLIFIER WAS IN THE LOW MID MAX WHICH WAS THE INPUT USED INPUT 1 INPUT 2 WHICH WAS THE TEMPERATURE OF THE AMPLIFIER 2 WHAT FAULT INFORMATION WAS DISPLAYED ON THE LCD WHICH WAS THE MAINS VOLTAGE AT THE MOMENT OF THE BREAKDOWN OTHER INFORMATIONS Page 86 of 87 User manual SPE s r l Via di Monteverde 33 00152 Rome Italy Tel 390658209429 Fax 39065820964 7 E mail info linear amplifier com Website http www linear amplifier com Page 87 of 87 Expert Amp 1 3K FA
23. antennas the ATU may not be necessary In order to reduce the initial price one can buy the Expert 1 3K FA without the ATU option If necessary one can install the ATU later 48 Canalso be used on 5 MHz and 70 MHz Where permitted the Expert 1 3K FA can provide the full power on 5 MHz 60 m and 600 W with about 10 W input on 70 MHz 4 m It should be noted that although permitted these bands may have power limitation follow the laws of the country in which one operates On 60 m the ATU can be used while on 4 m the ATU this is always by passed Page 20 of 87 Di EXTERNAL GROUND CONNECTION WARNING Before connecting an external ground as described below check with a qualified electrician that your national wiring codes permit such a connection To reduce BCI and other RF problems it is best to connect the amplifier to a good RF ground note that the RF ground is different to the electrical ground necessary for the prevention of electrical shock The inductance of such a connection needs to be low so the connection to ground should be as short and direct as possible Large section copper conductors should be used for this purpose Terminating the earth connection with a small metal plate is suggested The best solution is to have several ground stakes driven into the ground and these ground stakes need also to be tied to your main grounds Often good results can be achieved using correct earthing clamp
24. band selecting the ANT 1 ANT 2 ANT 3 ANT 4 connector If you don t have an antenna for a particular band set to This setup allows you to preset up to 2 antennas for the same band Page 27 of 87 The selected antennas can be switched using the ANT key while working either in the OPERATE or in the STANDBY mode and there is no transmission in progress If you want to bypass the Tuner on a certain band and for a certain antenna just press the TUNE key and you will see a b next to the box To remove the bypass just press Tune again b CAT Allows you to program the amplifier to accept control commands from specific transceiver types You should refer to your transceiver user manual to ensure that it is correctly programmed to handle such a link SET CHT INTERFACE IMFUT 1 THESU ELECEHFT KENWOOD FLESCRADIO EXIT SEI 1 gt 1 SELECT SET 1 CONFIRM Choose the brand of transceiver or function For the proper link wiring see CONNECTIONS in this manual NONE Select this option when there isn t a link with the transceiver Then only the amplifier frequency counter will be used ICOM Set to CI V protocol You also need to choose the baud rate which is usually 9600 KENWOOD You have to choose the baud rate almost always 9600 YAESU If you use the CAT connection read the CONNECTIONS
25. chip that is known as ID String Property That is a sequence of 8 alphanumeric characters programmed by the FT232RL s manufacturer during the production process of their components which is something similar to the MAC address peculiar to any PC LAN card It is important to understand that this unique coding parameter does not allow addressing ambiguity when correctly applied to FDTI chips that are connected to the same USB bus Preliminary programming for ID string property with KTerm USB exe This special setting based upon an easy self learning procedure must be performed once however only after having put the Expert 1 3K FA into an OFF LINE state Then select File Configure USB connection from the main menu as shown in the picture below T KTerm USB Rel 1 01 File View Help Connect Ctrl Q Configure USB connection OFF LINE 733 205 USB ID Not enabled Page 67 of 87 A dialog window will pop up KTerm_USB Configure connection x device ID string 3 Cancel Press the Acquire ID string key marked inthe picture above in order to start the ID string characters acquisition process across the USB data link This is a guided self learning procedure In case more than one USB communications is linked to the system directly or indirectly thru an external USB hub the following notification pop up window will be shown 3 There is more than 1 USB
26. device linked to the system Please disconnect all but the EXPERT linear amplifier and try pressing Acquire ID string again In such a case the user should disconnect all other devices except his EXPERT amplifier and to retry again using the acquisition procedure above described In case the user detaches all of the connected devices including the linear amplifier the KTerm USB exe acquisition system will notify the user by showing the following self explaining pop up message WA There is no USB device linked to the system Wi Please connect an EXPERT linear amplifier and try pressing Acquire ID string again Page 68 of 87 The following pop up notification message will be displayed when successful connection via USB occurs xi E USB ID string A400F1MZ has been correctly acquired thru the USB data link The picture above shows the acquisition report of a device that its ID String Property is A400F1MZ As explained earlier this parameter is unique to any given specific chip so it doesn t allow duplicates among other components from the same manufacture As soon as the notifiation message is validated using its OK key the dialog box previoulsy popped up will appear properly filled in as the following picture shows KTerm USB Configure connection x device ID string 1 Enable ID Addressing Page 69 of 87 Once the user validates the data acqu
27. difference produces a protection trip and a consequent alarm There are three types of protections alarms a SIMPLE This is the most common case An acoustic warning beep sounds but no operator intervention is required as the control system automatically restores the correct operating conditions b SERIOUS When automatic system recovery is not possible e g the temperature climbs over the limits due to obstruction of the fans SWR is too high etc In this case the amplifier switches back to the standby state and the alarm message gets stored Normally transmission will continue with the exciter only FATAL lf the amplifier is in the b state but one CPU has a fault or it can t continue operating or some fault appears in the power supply module then the amplifier will be turned OFF with no further warning To restart the amplifier the main switch in the rear panel has to be switched to O and then to the I position Note Itis possible to read the alarm history in the standby mode using SET and then ALARMS LOG keys To empty the alarm stack press TUNE and OPERATE keys together For further details please consult the next paragraphs Note If the acoustic alarm is very frequent during transmission the possible causes should be investigated Note Before the temperature limits are reached 75 C the output power will change From MAX to MID automatically and then possibly from MID to LOW so that transmission w
28. move the frequency tuning knob on the transceiver It is possible to connect it to every transceiver available on the market as it is extremely user friendly and is a product that is the best in its class IMPORTANT Read this instruction manual carefully before attempting to operate your new linear amplifier The warranty will be invalidated in the case of non observance of these instructions Please keep this manual available as it contains important safety and operating instructions for your SPE EXPERT 1 3K FA The manual may be subject to changes and updates therefore please always refer to the updated version available on the website www linear amplifier com The English language version is the official one PRECAUTIONS Explicit definitions DEFINITION WORD Risk of danger of fire or electric shock to people WARNING Possible damage to the amplifier NOTE Serious problems if not observed Danger of fire or electric shock for the operator damage to the equipment AN WARNING DO NOT disconnect an antenna from the amplifier during transmission electric shock or fire is possible N WARNING DO NOT modify the internal wiring of the amplifier Any modifications will invalidate the warranty and may reduce the performance of the linear amplifier or damage it Page 4 of 87 Before using the linear amplifier compare the value of voltage of the local mains supply network with the value
29. necessary to rewire the plug due to relocation in a different country please ask for advice from a qualified electrician To fit the plug 20 A minimum rating below 120V AC 10A minimum rating above 120V AC proceed according with the following fig blue white pe green rown black You should observe all precautions in accordance with national legislation The amplifier is supplied by a power supply that automatically adapts between 100 and 255 VAC 47 63 Hz In some particular cases mains that are 100 to 120 VAC the power in MAX may be reduced somewhat In the case of a FATAL alarm the power supply is locked To restore the linear switch to OFF for about 30 seconds via the rear switch then back ON Page 23 of 87 8 TUNER ATU WHERE FITTED The amplifier has an automatic tuner that handles load mismatches up to 3 1 VSWR 2 5 1 for 6 The amplifier contains a look up table with all the permitted bands For tuner management antenna data and other working data are stored Every band has a sub band set and for each of those data related to the antenna and auto ATU tuning is stored The CAT and the frequency counter detect the operating frequency and the correct sub band Due to the stored data the tuner and the antenna are automatically set correctly As described earlier see item 4 6 the amplifier has two different memory banks It is possible to use the two different presets when the amplifier o
30. the display Then return to the STANDBY mode Page 30 of 87 Similarly if BAND DATA is connected check that the amplifier follows band changes of the transceiver If it does not do so then verify that your programming or your link has been correctly made c Use of the Automatic Tuner Internal ATU To complete the programming it is necessary to match the antennas to the amplifier by operating the TUNE function read the TUNER chapter of this manual We recommend that you select each band with proper antenna and then program the tuner for the sub bands within which you will operate Refer to the table in section 19 of this manual to select the appropriate sub bands for your operating preferences You are strongly advised to proceed with the utmost accuracy not just match the current frequency but all the sub bands that you are likely to use Matching all the antennas on all bands that are available allows you to enjoy all the features of the automatic linear To program the sub bands proceed as follows 1 For every band find the central frequency in the table of each sub band refer to section 19 of this manual Then set the transceiver to that frequency 2 Next set your transceiver to transmit a continuous tone RT TY FM 3 Then press the TUNE key and then the PTT The procedure for automatic tuning will start You will hear the ATU relays operate and when they stop the SWR will be at a minimum Som
31. ARTING FIRMWARE UPDATE ON LINE F3 W 733 H 205 USB ID Not enabled 2 A physical data transmission of the new firmware from the PC to the linear amplifier FIRMWARE UPDATE PROCEDURE FIRMWARE UPDATE IN PROGRESS 16 ON LINE F3 W 733 205 USBID Notenabled 4 81 87 User manual Expert Amp 1 3K FA 3 A final validation for the completed firmware update T KTerm USB Rel 101 FIRMWARE UPDATE PROCEDURE File View Help FIRMWARE SUCCESSFULLY UPDATED ON LINE F3 W 733 H 205 USB_ID Not enabled 2 as the last action after successful firmware update the linear amplifier performs a general auto restart operation Then after full control of the updated device is restored to both local and remote operations The user is then able to check the result of his firmware update operation directly on the LCD display both real and virtual by pressing the CAT key twice and only when in the STANDBY mode This operation will be shown on the display as below SYSTEM INFO EXPERT 1 3K FA Rel 7_r_i4_A CE FCC COMPLIANT ON LINE W 733 205 USBID Notenabled Page 82 of 87 21 GENERAL RESTORE A System General Restore can be performed by pressing the INPUT and the OFF keys together for at least one second This operation is only possible from the linear amplifier front panel physical keyboard Th
32. Band Pass Filters Set SPE BPELT leider 15 4 3 OSK Full Break In Operation ici T 17 4 4 Tunable An tives ODRTOL ecn rit 17 4 5 setung Up a Single Antenna for iaia 19 4 6 Two Possible Sets of 20 Vino T E 20 4 8 also be used MEz and 70 MHZ rieti lie 20 5 EXTERNAL GROUND CONNECTION Ex UMEN EEUU URS 21 6 ANTENNA E eM i ME 22 7 POWERSUPPEX BU ilaria 23 8 TUNER GAT WHERE BLT BD ea 24 9 PROTECTIONS liana 26 10 PROGRANMING ill 27 10 1 MUS ARR 2f 11 INITIAL OPERATION OF THE AMPLIFIER i 30 11 1 30 il lla riali 32 SUA RES RR 32 12 CONNECFION Seen ee 34 12 1 CAT _ _ _ 34 12 2 8 1 RR 35 CAT CI V Interface ieri iaia 35 12 3 Kenwood RR OR EI OA 36 CAT RS232 bear na 36 aaa ai 36 12 4 Vin i a 37 BP M es PSP nana aio 37 CANTIERI aio 37 BAND Vitti aCe
33. C connected If an output power less than 1 KW or 500 Watts is desired for best efficiency begin reducing drive from the MID or LOW power state It is not recommended to reduce the drive while in MAX or MID to an output that is close to the next lower power Setting Driving Levels a SSB Regulate the MIC GAIN of the transceiver until speaking normally into the microphone the signal peaks on the display don t quite reach the maximum rated output power Monitoring the transmission is a good way of checking your settings If there is however some distortion decrease the mike gain or decrease the power of the transceiver until a small reduction of the output power of the amplifier is seen b CW In key down you get the maximum output power automatically RTTY Digital modes SSTV and FM because all these mode have a very heavy duty cycle you should not operate It is best to use the MID or LOW power settings The sophisticated software ensures this operation d AM This transmission mode radiates a continuous carrier which is 25 of its value e g 400W AM 100W carrier power SPE recommends you always operate in MID or LOW mode for AM To get an output signal without distortion proceed as follows Transmit an AM carrier only Then with your transceiver s MIC GAIN set to zero advance the transceiver drive and do no t exceed 25 of the maximum carrier output from the amplifie
34. K FA GU v Computer v Local Disk tmp v ae Search tmp 2 File Edit View Tools Help Organize 2 Open New folder Er e Yt di Name 2 Date modified Type RE Desktop E 10 ssed zipp Downloads Na E Recent Places Open in new window Extract All AVG Shredder Open with Restore previous versions 1 ij Send to b Cut Copy Create shortcut Delete Rename Select a Destination and Extract Files Files will be extracted to this folder Show extracted files when complete The default destination folder is good for this use so complete this operation by using the Extract key as shown in the picture above This step reveals a new uncompressed folder having the same name of the original compressed one contained in the installation package Everything is contained in our work folder as shown in the picture above Page 58 of 87 Once opened the C tmp KTerm_Package_1_0 folder will show the following contents Lu n C DI J Local Disk C tmp Package 10 File Edit Tools Help Tm Include in ibra Sharewith folder 7 Pictures AJ Name Date modified Type Size
35. K you have to repeat this programming Note You may have to repeat some programming if you change antenna transceiver etc Note ATTENTION The RELAY and CAT signals in some types of transceivers are only turned ON from a transceiver MENU Refer to the user manual Note ATTENTION When the amplifier is in the STANDBY and OPERATE modes always disable the transceiver s autotuner 11 1 Initial Programming You must carry out the next steps in the sequence below a To Set Antennas Press SET and open the ANTENNA menu page Assign an appropriate antenna for the desired band If you don t have an antenna for that band input NO When all the antennas are programmed press SET to exit and go back to STANDBY b to Set CAT Press SET and enter the CAT menu page Select the transceiver brand and progress with programming according to the type of connection between the amplifier and the transceiver read the CONNECTIONS chapter of this manual At the end of programming exit and go back into STANDBY To verify the correctness of your programming press the CAT key and all the data stored will appear on the display To verify the proper CAT operation press SET and select MANUAL TUNE When moving your transceivers VFO you should see the same frequency on the display If set to None then transmitting briefly in RTTY or continuous key down CW will allow you to read the transmitted frequency on
36. T LOSE THEM b Remove the filter and clean it with care Reassemble the filter and the grid after having carefully cleaned the mechanical structure that includes them Dry filter before re installing Note Check the filter if an unexpected rise of temperature of the linear is noticed Note Never operate without the filter as dust could be deposited on the surface of the heatsink limiting its ability to cool Note To allow the most efficient heat dissipation of the power amplifier circuits large copper parts have been used Page 52 of 87 17 CHARACTERISTICS SPECIFICATIONS The smallest in its class Built in Power supply and Automatic Antenna Tuner Dimension L 28 12 P 38 11 02 W 4 72 14 96 D connectors included Approx weight without ATU is about 7 5 Kg 16 5lbs With ATU about 9 5 Kg 20 9 Ibs The most technologically advanced in the world Two powerful CPUs are used Over 30 000 lines of software for performance that cannot be found in any other amplifier Fully Automatic Easy connection with all models ICOM YAESU KENWOOD TEN TEC FLEX RADIO ELECRAFT for immediate management of the bands tuner and antennas Same performance with all makes and some homemade rigs The operator has to only move the Frequency Tuning Knob of the transceiver Wide frequency coverage 1 8 MHz to 50 MHz including WARCs Where permitted 60 m full power and 600 W typ on 4 m 70 MHz
37. X INH TX INH are also available If you use this connector to connect the ALC and RELAY lines the separate phono cables are not recommended is possible also to turn the amplifier on off by turning on off the transceiver using the REMOTE ON function The following diagrams shows how to integrate all transceiver control connections to the DB15 amplifier connector for ALC and PTT plus REMOTE ON TX INH and TX INH Check the transceiver manual for terminating that end of the cable 13 1 ALC Relay Connections TM 30 GND ner 12 RELAY SEND TX GND ALC lo 13 GND 14 C GND 15 RADIO CONNECTOR C T DB15M 13 2 Remote ON Link 4 13 8V i M GND J 15 RADIO CONNECTOR REMOTE ON 15 41 of 87 13 3 Connections TX INH TX INH All modern transceivers have a delay before the transmission to allow the linear to stabilize their relays avoiding damage to the contacts as a result of Hot Switching The Expert 1 3K FA has a settling time of less than 6 msec compatible with all modern transceivers see the manual of the transceiver some transceivers have an input called TX INHIBIT LINEAR MUTE etc which disables the transmission This input can be used with transceivers that do not have such delay or mor
38. ak In Operation The Expert 1 3K FA also allows QSK FULL BREAK IN operation Thanks to the perfect control carried out RX TX switching relays any possibility of hot switching is avoided This feature is compatible with all modern transceivers in fact the minimum delay required before a transmission is usually less than 6 msec check the manual of the transceiver In the case very remote of minor delay needed you can use the link TX INH see CAT paragraph opecial very reliable noiseless gold plated relays are used so that the vacuum relays option is no longer needed 44 Tunable Antenna Control The use of tunable antennas StepplR Ultrabeam is becoming popular These antennas vary the physical dimensions of the elements according to the operating frequency in order to ensure a perfect resonance The Expert 1 3K FA through the dedicated PORT socket linked to the antenna controller allows automatic control by tracking the tuning knob changes This dedicated link makes the following advantages possible Simplification of wiring such as the complication of adding additional wiring to the CAT connector is not necessary now Compatibility with all types of CAT The Expert 1 3K FA converts the CAT protocol so two different transceivers CATs can be used simultaneously with the same controller Thanks to the frequency counter inside the linear the antenna can be controlled also without the use of CAT Al
39. board When not in use it may disappear to make space on that screen T KTerm USB Rel 1 01 2 2 ee 0 0 0107 PA OUT 1220 File View Help I PA INPUT ANT L Lb DISPLAY 4 4 BAND BAND gt 4 Cb POWER CAT SET OFF oPERATE RT This software allows the same operation as when standing in front of the amplifier See Appendix 1 on this manual 15 2 Download The sophisticated design of the Expert 1 3K FA allows you to download any new versions of Soft Ware from the following site www linear amplifier com Please follow the easy and intuitive steps on Appendix 1 Page 51 of 87 16 MAINTENANCE The Expert 1 3K FA linear amplifier does not need internal maintenance because it has a cover without ventilation holes Since HV tubes are not used the natural attraction to dust is eliminated Therefore the user only needs to periodically check and clean the air filter on the front panel The frequency of air filter inspection depends how dusty the amplifier location is and how much it is used We recommend monthly cleaning of the filter Twice yearly cleaning of the fans with a soft brush is also recommended To clean the filter a Remove the front grid cover with the two small screws Place small screws in a secure place DO NO
40. ch the linear on leaving it set to the STANDBY mode during the firmware updating File View Help EE Firmware Sol id State vd Fullu Rutomatic Standby Under these conditions the File Firmware update menu item becomes active and after being selected it sets the EXPERT 1 3 FA into its firmware update mode FIRMWARE UPDATE PROCEDURE Page 79 of 87 After then a dialog box pops up and the user has selected a proper firmware package that data will be sent to the linear amplifier to update all its embedded functions Observe the example in the picture below where a firmware package file named has been selected T KTerm_USB Rel 1 01 Fle View Help FIRMWARE UPDATE PROCEDURE Select a lt 2 gt FIRMWARE PACKAGE file to install or CANCEL to reset Look in KTem Package 1 0 ct gt v Date modified ON LINE F3 W 733 H 205 USB_ID Not enabled 9 FT_232_RL 7 5 2014 10 59 102 0707 14 A pk2 After the necessary confirmation by the user for validating the procedure the EXPERT 1 3K FA switches its display off as the updating is being transferred to the KTerm_USB exe application Page 80 of 87 User manual Expert Amp 1 3K FA The main steps of firmware update procedure are below 1 Checking and validation of updating firmware package File View Help FIRMWARE UPDATE PROCEDURE ST
41. ckage 10 File Edit View Tools Help Organize Open folder Music Name Date modified i Pictures a Bl Videos E or S File 5 10 22 2009 17 17 Application extens 202 7 4 2014 17 06 Application 358 KB dD AppData 7 4 2014 17 07 Application E Contacts be Desktop fili Ah dim d N Note not forget that KTerm USB exe requires full accessibility to the ftd2xx dll application extension So in case the application itself gets copied into another work folder please correct that action A good practice is to copy both KTerm USB exe and ftd2xx dll into the same work folder Page 61 of 87 20 2 KTerm_USB exe usage To test connect the USB cable from the and the linear and double click on the application s icon the USB icon symbol by using the mouse left button just to see if everything works fine It is a good idea to create a link to the application on the desktop As a result the applications main window will show up as in the following picture KTerm_USB Rel 1 0 1 loj x File View Help 733 205 ON LINE 733 205 USB ID Not enabled This is the main window of KTerm_USB exe application It is a realistic reproduction of the EXPERT 1 3K FA LCD display and it is also equipped with a pop up virtual keypad having almo
42. d to a multi band antenna The operating mode could be the following If you are operating using RTX1 on a given band e g 20m the correct antenna 1 2 3 4 is automatically selected for transmitting while RTX2 is connected to the band antenna in the RX mode on another band e g 40m If when operating on 20 m a multiplier of interest is heard on RTX2 the only action needed is to push the PTT2 in order to connect RTX2 to the 40 m main antenna at the same time RTX1 gets switched to the multiband antenna in order to receive the 20 band In place of the multiband antenna one of the antennas ANT 1 2 3 4 can be used in such a case all of them must monoband to avoid the risk of using the same antenna for RTX1 and RTX2 A careful design is needed to avoid such a harmful situation which could be devastating for the receivers This possibility is available with the optional external unit SPE SO2R1 according to the following diagram Page 14 of 87 a User manual Expert Amp 1 3K FA RTX1 RTX2 INPUT 1 INPUT 2 ANT SPE SPE EXPERT 1 3K FA SO2R1 ANT4 The SPE SO2R1 unit is controlled and powered from the AUX port of the 1 3K Note isolation between the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna must be very high and therefore very well planned Locating the antennas at some distance from each other and using appropriate band pass filters will help to achieve this In t
43. e application s side before a remote connection can be made And it may need to be changed due to a previous setting of a different baud rate The reason for this is because it is a permanent setting which is stored into a private data base system and will be recalled by the application whenever needed On the EXPERT 1 3K FA side the baud rate is automatically synchronized by the data pattern being sent to it by KTerm 232 exe upon any query to the linear As mentioned above the application usage is still the same as for the USB interface version described earlier but there are just some minor look and feel changes as shown in the picture below KTerm 232 Rel 101 210 x lle View Help EXPERT 1 3K FA Solid State Fully Automatic Stancdbu BAND HHT CAT OUT SHE 2 48 m 1 51 ICOM MID ON LINE W 733 205 Port COMI Baud Rate 115200 8 1 2 KTerm 232 Help Y INPUT ANT L DISPLAY 4 gt KG power car ser KTerm 232 o ERI PATENT Fondo TE Copyright SPE srl 2012 The use of RS 232 port becomes a necessity when the device needs to be remoted via the Internet And since most specially designed devices currently available on the market do not implement the USB port feature to being compliant to the USB front end of the EXPERT linear amplifiers Page 76 of 87 Rem
44. e generally to improve the safety of switching The Expert 1 3K FA has two outputs that can be connected to the TX INHIBIT of the transceiver a TX INH usually gnd 550 ohm stops the transmission when at a 12VDC TX INH open collector normally OFF stops the transmission when this line goes to ground ON To choose a or b as well as to enable the TX INHIBIT input refer to the manual of the transceiver TX INH Link 4 GND sO 14 5 RADIO COHHECTOR DB15 M Page 42 of 87 ITX INH Link 9 10 V 4C GHD 50 14 7 8 RADIO CONNECTOR DB15 M Note WARNING SPE is not responsible for any failure resulting from misuse of hardware interfacing Page 43 of 87 13 4 AUX Connector User manual Expert Amp 1 3K FA This connector provides data about the bands currently being switched on both INPUTs indicating which input is connected to the antenna ANT 1 2 3 4 and which is connected to the SO2R socket In this way you can know which one of the two transceivers 5 currently connected to the switched output antenna and when it is in transmission etc 10 93 20 10 3 110 46 12 5 130 6 7 14 J TO 15 0815 Pin 3 BIT A1 5 BIT B1 7 BIT C1 9 BIT 01 11 EN 1 13 RLY 1 1 GND 4 BIT A2 6 BIT B2 8 BIT C2 10 BIT D2 12 EN 2 14 RLY 2 2 GND 15 12 Vcc Each output is an open collector Note Pin name
45. e linear amplifier will switch off with a self explaining system message Then after it turns back on all of the factory defaults will be restored Page 83 of 87 22 WARRANTY TERMS SPE warrants to the original Purchaser that this product shall be free from defects of materials or workmanship SPE warrants for two 2 years from the date of original purchaser that SPE will provide free of charge all parts and labor necessary to correct defects in material or workmanship The Purchaser has only to pay all the shipping expenses for warranty service work Customers should address requests for warranty service work to the Distributor Dealer where they made their purchase As part of their reseller agreement with SPE they are responsible for service support If the Distributor Dealer has closed down or when the Purchaser moves into another area SPE will be directly responsible for warranty service at their factory in Rome The shipping expenses to and from SPE will then be paid by the customer Any repair requests to other dealers will be subject to specific direct negotiations between the customer and the dealer In order to not invalidate the warranty service the original Purchaser must complete the warranty registration card and send it to SPE no more than 30 days from the date of purchase Unless otherwise agreed the products will be delivered ex works from the factory of the seller The delivery even in the event of a return fo
46. ery dusty damp high humidity or in direct sunlight AVOID placing the linear amplifier against walls where the circulation of the air would be obstructed and the noise of the fans would be reflected toward the operator Page 5 of 87 AVOID permitting children to play with the amplifier If you do not use the linear amplifier for long time set the back main switch I O to the OFF position O Information for Users on Collection and Disposal of Old Equipment and used Batteries These symbols on the products packaging and or accompanying documents mean that used electrical and electronic products and batteries should not be mixed with general household waste For proper treatment recovery and recycling of old products and used batteries please take them to applicable collection points in accordance with your national legislation This amplifier should only be operated by persons who have an appropriate radio transmitting license You should observe your license conditions while using it in accordance with national legislation power band transmission mode etc Page 6 of 87 UNPACKING Remove the packing and carefully check the contents Please look closely for the plastic pouch containing cables fuses and connectors inside the box for your linear amplifier If you find any damage or if there are any parts missing contact your distributor dealer immediately Keeping the shipping cartons for future transportat
47. essary to transmit with an antenna and receive with a more appropriate one A unique feature allows the Expert 1 3K FA to set a receiving antenna and to control its automatic switching after a transmission starts For the selection of this antenna refer to the menu RX ANT The antenna number selected will appear followed by an r symbol e g 3r With the linear turned OFF the 1 is directly connected to ANT1 The selection of as RX ANT is not permitted in order to avoid possible damage to the transceiver or to the receiving antenna if a receiving antenna e g Beverage is connected Page 19 of 87 46 Two Possible Sets of Antennas If one has two different QTH s then they would certainly have two different antenna sets In such a case it would be useful to automatically recall data from one set to the other with no need to redo the configuration and the subsequent ATU matching every time The amplifier is equipped with two different memory banks Bank A and Bank B which one can use to store the two different configurations This feature is particularly useful if you participate in a DXpedition If one of the memory banks is set as your home station when you will come back just recall the proper memory bank 47 With or Without ATU As the standard configuration the amplifier comes with the ATU so as to have the maximum flexibility of use In some cases perfect antenna system or use of tunable
48. etimes it is possible to improve tuning by repeating this step 4 Repeat the previous steps for all sub bands of bands you wish to use 5 Repeat the previous steps for other antennas of the same band after having selected it using the ANT key Note Ifthe ALC link is not used it is very important to reduce the transceiver power to about 30 Watts during this operation The initial programming concludes after steps a b c Page 31 of 87 112 Operating You should need to take only a few precautions when using the amplifier thanks its high level of automation ALC and CAT links are highly recommended to be used If ALC is not used SPE reminds you that it is better to lose a fraction of dB in transmitted power by slightly reducing the driving power than to over drive the amplifier and have a poor quality transmission During transmission always glance periodically at the parameters on the display SPE has selected designed and adjusted them with care for your use in monitoring your amplifier SPE recommends when using the ALC link that the transceiver be set to its maximum output power as the ALC will automatically reduce the driving power to the optimum driving level To reduce the linear output if required just switch the amplifier to MID or LOW with the POWER key Of course you may also continuously regulate the amplifiers output power by changing the level of drive power from your transceiver even with the AL
49. ge 48 of 87 14 4 5VTIL Yaesu Interface YAESU RADIO CONNECTOR 10 S x amp 2 lt 9 C TTL 2 O 10 RX TTL me TXTTL y O 11 GND 4 12 50 2 R 13 6 5 TTL INTERFACE 14 7 9 80 M DB15 M Note WARNING SPE is not responsible for any failure resulting from misuse of hardware interfaces Page 49 of 87 15 USE OF THE USB RS232 PORTS Through the USB RS232 ports on the rear panel it is possible to interface the amplifier with a PC Two features are possible a To remote the linear b To download newer and updated firmware releases The USB port is recommended in order to directly link the linear with a PC In this case the Soft Ware KTerm_1 3K_USB must be used The RS232 port see 13 5 PORT Connector is more suitable for Internet use In this case the Soft Ware KTerm_1 3K_232 must be used It is not proper to use both ports simultaneously Use is restricted to being used by only one port at a time These programs can be downloaded from www linear amplifier com Note For Internet use please refer to the manual of the remoting equipment Page 50 of 87 15 1 Remote Control The software provided allows one to display two separate windows The first window provides an exact copy of the display and is adjustable in size to fit any need on the control screen The second window provides a copy of the key
50. he situation of the linear amplifier in the OFF state The linear amplifier can be used in the following way 1 OFF Only two direct connections are actuated between INPUT 1 and ANT 1 between INPUT 2 and SO2R 2 STANDBY the functions are activated band change antenna change tuner control and the transmission is from the transceiver only 3 OPERATE All the functions are activated and the transmission is using the linear amplifier Note Regulation of the exciter s power is automatically achieved through the ALC link With the ALC connected the amplifier input power in OPERATE mode is automatically adjusted to the correct driving level for the amplifier In STANDBY the exciter will pass the output power as set by its POWER OUTPUT control Without the ALC connection you have to manually adjust the exciter power to correctly drive the amplifier in order to avoid damaging the amplifier Page 13 of 87 41 SOZR Single Operator Two Radio RTX1 RTX2 INPUT 1 INPUT 2 ANTI ANT2 SO2R SPE EXPERT 1 3K FA MULTIBAND ANTENNA ANTA TRANSMITTING ANTENNAS This kind of operation is used during a contest in order to acquire as quickly as possible for example a new multiplier The following connections are needed see the diagram 1 INPUT 4 connected to the first transceiver RTX1 2 INPUT 2 connected to the second transceiver 2 3 ANT 1 2 3 4 connected to the available antennas set 4 SO2R connecte
51. his case SPE is not responsible for any damage caused to equipment 42 Band Pass Filters Set SPE 1 To increase the isolation between the transmitting and the receiving antenna SPE offers the optional unit SPE BPF1 which must be placed between RTX1 and INPUT 1 or RTX2 and INPUT 2 of the linear The unit is controlled and powered from the AUX port Contact factory or your distributor for availability The unit automatically enables the following features 1 DXpedition Contest Multi Multi In this case the amplifier is connected to a single transceiver INPUT 1 or INPUT 2 SPE BPF1 automatically selects the filter on the band to be used in the input where the transceiver is connected while the other unrelated input is left unused Page 15 of 87 Expert Amp 1 KFA RTX SPE 1 INPUT 1 INPUT 2 ANTI ANT2 AUX EXPERT 1 3K FA ANT3 ANT4 2 Contest SO2R In this case the amplifier is connected to two transceivers and two SPE BPF1 in order to automatically select the right filters in the output of both the transceivers RTXT RTX2 INPUT 1 INPUT 2 ANT SPE ANT2 EXPERT 1 3K FA ants ANT4 SO2R These features can be possible as well with the simultaneous use of the unit SPE 502R1 use the AUX port with a Y cable Page 16 of 87 a User manual Expert Amp 1 3K FA To ensure the perfect functionality of these options the use of the CATs is mandatory 43 QSK Full Bre
52. ion is recommended Accessories included in the carton a Transport carry bag b Two cables with RCA phono connectors for ALC RELAY links c One USB standard cable Three connectors DB 15 1 connector DB 9 e CD ROM containing the user manual and the software for remoting f One 20A spare fuse g Spare air filter h Certificate of compliance and warranty form Page 7 of 87 1 PANEL DESCRIPTION 1 1 Front Panel Fully Automatic Linear Amplifier 67 ee ee 173 A ee iii HR a AAA A A ALA RETOUR Lc Hog III A A ee A EEE ER
53. isition by pressing the OK key as marked in the picture above the KTerm_USB exe internal database will be properly updated and as confirmation the application status bar will be updated as shown in the following picture GF KTerm USB Rel 101 JD x File View Help OFF HNE F3 733 H 205 USB ID A400F1 MZ When the above described steps are completed KTerm USB exe will only be able to recognize and address the EXPERT linear amplifier whose unique ID String matches the one written after the USB ID label of the picture above As explained earlier this setting is permanent So there is absolutely no need to repeat the acquisition procedure described as long as the user connects to that specific unit Of course the acquisition procedure must be restarted again in case another EXPERT linear amplifier would require to be addressed in the same selective way that is because different device has acquired by force of circumstances another ID String parameter to be reconsidered After having carried out all the setting and configuration steps listed in the earlier pages you should be all set for using the FT232RL selective addressing features as described so far All the operations tied to the Connect Disconnect menu items are still the same as in the case of the non selective addressing procedure Page 70 of 87 last note If for whatever reason all the selective addressing capabilitie
54. ith the amplifier may continue with reduced power If the temperature in LOW is allowed to rise further a SERIOUS alarm will eventually be activated and the linear amplifier switches back to STANDBY Note During a SERIOUS alarm there is an acoustic alarm for 10 sec Pressing the DISPLAY key the system switches back to STANDBY state immediately and the sound stops Note ATTENTION when FATAL alarm occurs immediately contact your reseller Page 26 of 87 d User manual Expert Amp 1 3K FA 10 PROGRAMMING The three keys SET 4 and V gt allow programming the amplifier They be used in the following way SET Use it to open a menu to validate choices and to exit from a menu page 4 V gt Use these keys to select options A green led illuminates during the programming process Programming the system is very easy You will find your programming choices confirmed by the items shown at the lower part of the display Note Programming operations are only possible int he STANDBY mode Note Programming changes take effect only after exiting from a menu page the green led turns off Pressing the DISPLAY key for more than 1 sec it will immediately exit to STANDBY with no programming effect 10 1 Ways to operate Pressing the SET key opens the menu page On the display there are the following options a ANTENNA An appropriate antenna may be assigned to each
55. its HW to assure great speed the software SW to assure great accuracy Thanks to the sophisticated software the transmit relay changeover is carried out with zero current on the contacts Full break in operation 5 Quiet operation Linear management of the speed of the cooling fans of the heatsink The amplifier develops a significant amount of heat that must be removed Therefore every precaution is used to keep the fan noise at the lowest possible level Fan noise is significantly lower than with tube type amplifiers Continuous use mode SSB CW unlimited Automatically switches to MID if in MAX a continuous signal RTTY is transmitted for more than 15 sec MID and LOW modes RT TY unlimited Switching power supply Continuously operable at inputs between 100 255 Vac 47 63 Hz 100 120 Vac may cause slightly reduced output power PFC Power Factor Correction The linear can be switched ON OFF by switching the exciter ON OFF Fully remotable With a large LCD display it is possible to have a great deal of information Watts pep out Vpa Watts Power gain Temperatures SWR after and before the ATU Input setting CAT setting Band and other indications including the alarms log Easy to operate Powerful and sophisticated software gives you a user friendly unit USB RS232 ports For remote control For new software releases download
56. l of the automatic features of the linear are ensured even in the most complex configurations Such as antennas of all kinds can be connected to the connectors ANT and the Expert 1 3K FA will choose the antennas according to the set up and will manage them according to their characteristics The CAT is recommended however if the transceiver does not have the CAT or if it has only the Band Data the Expert 1 3K FA will continue to drive the antenna with the frequency measured by the counter data collected after the first transmission Page 17 of 87 The simplest possible configuration is a single tunable antenna according to the following diagram RTX1 RTX2 CAT 1 CAT 2 SPE EXPERT 1 3K FA PORT CONTROL BOX The link is configurable for any position ANT 1 2 3 4 you want use If you have several tunable antennas up to 4 with their controllers the optional unit SPE CBU1 is needed according to the following diagram Page 18 of 87 a User manual Expert Amp 1 3K FA Control Control Control BOX1 BOX2 In this case you need to connect the unit control box outputs 1 2 3 4 respectively with ANT 1 2 3 4 antenna sockets For the selection of antennas refer to the TUN ANT item on the main menu The communication protocol used to and from the control box is Kenwood the communication speed is owner settable 45 Setting Up a Single Antenna for Reception In some cases it may be nec
57. n receive mode the operating frequency of the transceiver and then automatically controls changes of band antenna and automatic antenna tuner All modern transceivers have CAT control In older models often the analog or digital information is sent for changing bands The SPE Expert 1 3K FA thanks to an efficient frequency counter constantly monitors and verifies data coming from the transceiver This allows automatic management of bands antennas and tuner in the following ways a In all recent transceivers through the CAT connection HIGHLY RECOMMENDED b In the YAESU models that are not listed or without CAT through the BAND DATA interface Configurations a and b are recommended In older radios which do not have CAT or BAND DATA through the internal frequency counter Note In case c the CAT link with the transceiver is not needed because the frequency is detected from the transmitted signal FOR THIS REASON BECAUSE OF THE HIGH POWER IN USE IN ORDER NOT DAMAGE THE LINEAR WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND YOU TO CHANGE BANDS WITH THE LINEAR BEING SWITCHED TO THE STANDBY MODE USE THE CONDITION c ONLY IF CONDITIONS a OR b ARE IMPRATICABLE Note In some transceivers the RELAY and CAT signals are activated by menu selection refer in this case to their user s manuals Page 11 of 87 3 INTERCONNECTION WITH THE TRANSCEIVER ANTENNAS MULT IBAN D 2 d
58. nputs are selected with the INPUT key or automatically with the PTT of each transceiver The amplifier can manage up to four antennas ANT 1 ANT 2 ANT 3 ANT 4 It selects the antennas automatically The SO2R functionality is implemented by its dedicated connector 2 3 ALC RELAY CAT There are two transceiver inputs IN 1 IN 2 allowing two distinct transceivers to be connected at the same time ALC Is a negative voltage generated by the amplifier It is used to control the output power of the transceiver max in STANDBY the required power in In this way the power from the exciter will be regulated automatically without having to set it If the ALC port is not connected it is very important to manually adjust the drive from the transceiver as overdriving can cause damage to the amplifier This link is highly recommended RELAY This essential link allows the amplifier to be put in the transmit state To do that it is necessary that the inner pin of the phono connector is switched to the signal ground This is normally done by the transceiver with either a close to ground relay or an open collector transistor Page 10 of 87 User manual Expert Amp 1 3K FA On the transceiver side this link is often called SEND PTT or TX GND refer to your transceiver manual for more details This link is highly recommended Thanks to this link the linear amplifier will detect while i
59. nstallation of the specific FTDI USB drivers 50 Then double click over the red icon CDM20600 exe application and wait for its preparatory job to be completed As soon as CDM20600 exe starts running a DOS window similar to one shown in following picture will pop up for several seconds then disappearing after its automatic preparatory job is completed GAUsers PC AppData Local Temp ckz_65K4 DPInst_Mons86 exe 32 bit 05 detected GisUsers Ese_PC AppData Local Temp ckez_6SK4 DPInstxBb exe Installing driver The next step is to connect the PC and the EXPERT 1 3K FA by using the equipped USB cable and waiting for the identification of the newly created USB connection A notification window will pop up as shown in the picture below Page 60 of 87 User manual Expert Amp 1 3K FA 21 Driver Software Installation Your device is ready to use USE Serial Converter i Ready to use USB Serial Port COMM al Ready to use The USB port installation and its setting is now complete Now that this fundamental step has been successfully completed the application KTerm_USB exe remote control application can be launched For this purpose a back step to the starting uncompressed folder KTerm_Package_1_0 must be performed and double click on the application filename as indicated in the picture below 2 Package 1 0 gt Lo gt Local Disk tmp KTerm Pa
60. ote ON OFF using RS 232 With this new software release the ON and OFF keys are fully enabled and work the same way as they work on the USB version of the application However there is a small technical detail to take into account about the ON 5 behaviour It acts on the output line of the PC RS 232 serial COM port by generating a timed positive pulse about every second or so across the link Since the PORT socket on the rear panel of the 1 3K FA isn t equipped with any DSR input line to handle this switch on signal coming from the remote control application the most suitable solution is to wire a cable branch according to the schematics in the following diagram This solution uses an already existing feature of 1 3K FA which involves the input line placed on both CAT sockets which behaves the same way as the front panel s ON key does Actually it triggers a switch on of the linear amplifier whenever a positive voltage level greater than 5Vdc is applied to it A typical application for this remote switch on line is to wire it to the 13 8Vdc power supply which powers the transceiver And a similar result can also be achieved by wiring it to DIR output line coming from a PC or from a remote device controlled by a PC running Term 2K 232 exe using the suggested external network drawn in the schematic diagram below A typical RS 232 serial port like this ens
61. p confirms keystroke Off In this condition when you press a key there is no beep feedback But for all worning conditions and alarms the acoustic warnings are still functional f START otby Sets STANDBY mode at startup Oprt Sets OPERATE mode at startup g TEMP C Displays temperature readout expressed in Celsius degrees Ies Displays temperature readout expressed in Fahrenheit degrees h ALARMS LOG Shows only the ten most recent SERIOUS alarms i TUN ANT Allows you to associate a tunable antenna to one of four ANT j RX ANT k CONFIG connectors A t highlights the selected antenna Allows you to set a single receiving antenna An r highlights the selected antenna select BANK A or BANK see item 4 6 Page 29 of 87 11 INITIAL OPERATION OF THE AMPLIFIER Before turning ON the amplifier read this manual with care The following preliminary operations are necessary 1 Be sure that the mains voltage is within the proper range of the amplifier s power supply requirements 2 Connect the amplifier to a good ground circuit 3 Connect the antennas 4 Connect the amplifier to the transceiver read the CONNECTIONS WITH THE TRANSCEIVER chapter of this manual Operate I the main switch on the back panel and press the ON key on the front panel oelect the INPUT for the transceiver and always perform programming with the amplifier in STANDBY If you change memory BAN
62. perates at two different locations Furthermore table driven management is useful to inhibit operations of the amplifier For example when an antenna for a particular band is not available All auto tuner functions remain on standby while using the transceiver only Setting of the match data to write to the tables is performed automatically by pressing the TUNE key The system will then find the correct match for minimum SWR To achieve a better match than that achieved with the automatic tune procedure which is rather unlikely it is possible to set the tuning manually by using the keys 4 C gt lt L LD When a manual tuning is performed it is possible to read the tuning value the working frequency and the associated sub band on the appropriate screen page Both types of tuning are always implemented in the STANDBY state Before starting a matching process the tuner measures the SWR of the system cable antenna if it is greater than 3 5 1 the procedure does not begin and an alarm is displayed It is possible to bypass the tuner with a specific command in order to use an external tuner NEVER USE THE INTERNAL TUNER WITH AN EXTERNAL TUNER IT COULD SERIOUSLY DAMAGE THE LINEAR IF YOU WANT TO USE AN EXTERNAL TUNER THEN DISABLE THE INTERNAL ATU The internal tuner may be bypassed as follows Totally For single band For single band and specific antenna It is always automatically bypassed With
63. r Then speak into the microphone normally setting the MIC GAIN of the transceiver until the peak output power on speech peaks is shown on the amplifier display to be no more than 0 8 KW or 400W SPE suggests you monitor your transmission closely to check that the MIC GAIN setting is correct Page 32 of 87 Note If you choose to set the output power of the amplifier by varying the output power of the transceiver the ALC connection may not be needed In this case you must be careful not to overdrive the amplifier to avoid distortion and Broadening of the channel with the ALC adjustment is automatic for maximum Linearity and Pout All functionalities remain the same as does protection You will probably need to reset your transceiver power to full power out when returning to STANDBY Note ATTENTION Never stress the amplifier with long periods in key down transmission as this can stress the amplifier components However sophisticated Soft Ware avoids transmitting a continuous signal in the MAX condition for long periods by switching to MID power Note SSB use of high compression is not encouraged as this can cause a rapid increase in the temperature of the amplifier Page 33 of 87 User manual Expert Amp 1 3K FA 12 CONNECTIONS 12 1 Connector The pin outs are shown in the schematic below The connections are the same for our 1K FA and 2K FA amplifiers 10 RX 232 90 TX 232 TX
64. r repair is understood done with the delivery of the goods to the carrier specified by the purchaser or failing that to the carrier chosen by SPE The products will travel at the risk of the purchaser even if at the request of the same one or for other causes SPE should carry out transport or choose the carrier If the original Purchaser finds some defects after having received the equipment he must immediately notify the Distributor Dealer of the defects found by sending the properly filled in REPAIR FORM Replacement of the amplifier may be done by SPE in exceptional circumstances and at SPE s complete discretion In any case no replacement will be provided if more than the twentieth day after delivery has passed In case of a purchase of a used amplifier in order to retain the warranty s validity it is necessary to notify SPE of the following data e Document for the second purchase used e Invoice for the original purchase e Serial number s n of equipment Replacement of equipment in these circumstances is not an option In any case the warranty period shall be two 2 years from the original purchase and not from any subsequent purchase Whenever the date of first sale is not well specified or is greater than one year from the date of the shipping from SPE to the Distributor Dealer the date of shipping from SPE to the Distributor Dealer will be considered the start of the warranty period The warranty does not apply either if
65. required by the amplifier turn the linear amplifier unless it has been properly grounded through the GND conductor of the mains cord Do not disconnect this under any circumstances or there is a risk of severe or fatal electric shock AN WARNING DO NOT use an extension cord with the AC power cable as if it is not correctly rated there is a risk of fire or electric shock AN WARNING DO NOT allow metallic objects or wires to enter inside the amplifier AN WARNING DO NOT obstruct the openings for cooling air at both the sides of the amplifier Ensure that no object impedes the correct operation of the fans NOT expose the linear amplifier to rain snow any liquids DO install the linear amplifier a place without good ventilation This could limit heat dissipation and the amplifier could be damaged NOT touch the amplifier with damp wet hands There is danger of electric shock Avoid opening it before you have disconnected it from the mains supply then wait at least 2 minutes for electrolytic capacitors to complete their discharge To clean the amplifier DO NOT use chemical agents like alcohol or benzene because the plastic surfaces could be damaged AVOID using the amplifier in areas with temperatures below 10 C 14 F or above 40 C 104 F AVOID using the linear amplifier in locations that are v
66. resent Always operate with the best possible matching because despite the amplifier s protection against high SWR continuous use into a mismatched load a bit lower than the protection threshold may lead to damage It is suggested that suitable static protection be given to antenna feeder cables The software allows you to select up to two antennas for the same band Note for amplifiers without ATU Foramismatch from 1 7 1 to 2 1 there is an alarm above 2 1 the amplifier is automatically switched to STANDBY Page 22 of 87 7 POWERSUPPLY PSU The power supply of the SPE Expert 1 3K FA unique in its category is switching with a PFC Power Factor Correction that allows a drastic reduction of the harmonic components in the mains in accordance with IEC 555 2 that consists of two sources The first powers all the electronic circuits the PA excluded The second powers only the PA Its output voltages are 48 MAX Pout 38 VDC MID Pout and 32 VDC LOW Pout This design was adopted as it provides maximum efficiency and therefore less heat to dissipate The power supply meets the following applicable standards UL60950 1 EN60950 1 55022 EN61000 3 2 3 61000 4 2 3 4 5 6 8 11 ENV50204 EN5502 Since the amplifier is sold all over the world the power cord does not come with any mains plug Some SPE distributors will fit the plug appropriate to your domestic supply network prior to purchase Should it be
67. rol of the 20 m band and in MAX power mode E 1125 1588 HH 2 fea oH m Pressing the arrow keys V this value can be decremented incremented until it reaches the desired value At the completion of this operation a time out period Page 39 of 87 about 3 seconds must be allowed for the PCzxxx indication to expire before another adjustment can be made The following picture is an example of the Power Control setting relative to the same band 20 m but using the LOW mode selection instead H 125 5 e uz B 12 5 25 37 5 58 i ee E E a E e I Once the correct preset has been adjusted initiate the TX mode RTTY CW to verify the output power ATTENTION It is strongly recommended to start with a low preset value e g 10 and progressively increase its value This is to avoid overdriving the linear The following empty table is suggested as a template for the FlexRadio user s Power Control adjustments 12 6 Transceivers of other Brands A special link is not necessary as the internal amplifier frequency counter will measure the input frequency and will control the amplifier Note WARNING SPE is not responsible for any failure resulting from misuse of hardware interfacing Page 40 of 87 13 OTHER CONNECTIONS On the CAT connector in addition to the CAT signals the ALC and RELAY signals are repeated REMOTE ON T
68. s connected to the main water supply pipe attention many water pipes are now in plastic DO NOT use central heating pipe work AVOID the electric circuit ground of the building to be used for 50 60 Hz safety only WARNING DO connect gas pipes because there is danger of explosion Page 21 of 87 Because this is a high power amplifier it is necessary to use properly rated antennas connectors and feed line cables Take special care with antennas using baluns and traps because balun and or trap warming can occur during periods of high power transmission and a high SWR most likely will result This dangerous situation is often not perceived by the operator because normally a measure of SWR is made when balun and antenna are not under stress or have cooled down Ensure that your baluns or antenna traps are appropriately rated A unique feature of this linear is that it not only measures the SWR after the band pass filter matching but also the SWR of the system antenna and cable This allows you to always evaluate your antenna system despite the matching and the power applied Without the ATU option always use antennas having SWR of 1 5 1 or less With the ATU the amplifier is able to overcome some mismatches of 3 1 SWR or more Be aware that with the tuner the PA is matched but with a high VSWR the cable is mismatched and there can be consequent loss of power heating and high voltages p
69. s are no longer needed to open a connection to an EXPERT linear thru its USB link they can be temporarily disabled The next operation is quite easy to perform After having recalled the Configure USB connection dialog box using its specific item contained into the File menu using your mouse click on the Enable ID Addressing option as shown in the following picture and confirm this entry using the OK button FIO device ID string Acquire ID string cancel You will see this new setting in the application status bar with the Not enabled attribute following the USB_ID label as shown below OFF LINE F3 W 733 H 205 USB ID Not enabled 7 e o Page 71 of 87 User manual Expert Amp 1 3K FA 20 3 KTerm 232 usage To start running the KTerm 232 exe application it is necessary to go back into the KTerm Package 1 0 uncompressed folder and select the related filename as shown in the picture below Local Disk tmp KTerm Package 1 0 File Edit View Tools Help Organize Open New folder MyMusic Name E Pictures Saved Games 7 5 2014 10 59 10 22 2009 17 17 1 4 2014 17 06 7 4 2014 17 07 A suggestion is to create link to the application and place it on the Windows desktop A double click using the left button of the mouse on the application icon should render a result as the one shown in the following picture Ki 232 Rel 104
70. s from the proposed list after this configuration change Page 74 of 87 In that case use the detached COM port ID to properly the Virtual Port dialog box as shown in the picture below and then reconnect the serial adapter so that it can be accessed by the application KTerm_232 Virtual Com Port Cancel The available selection range spans thru the COM1 COM256 set which can be accessed using the framed slider control placed above the OK and CANCEL keys After the COM port setting is validated by pressing the OK key all the other communication parameters become set as follows Baud rate 115200 Bit per character 8 Parity check No Stop bit 1 Also the Baud rate setting can be changed by pressing the Advanced settings if needed 232 Rel 1 01 File View Help KTerm 232 Virtual Com Port KTerm_232 Advanced settings X Parity Baud Fate 115200 9 Data Bit The Baud rate setting can be selected by using the available slider control marked in the picture above Page 75 of 87 9600 baud e 14400 baud 19200 baud 28800 baud 38400 baud e 57600 baud 115200 baud And then by pressing the OK button All the other framing and parity parameters can not be changed by the user because they are set by the program initialization It should be noted that the Baud rate setting is needed to be set on the KTerm 232 ex
71. s operating system such as Windows Vista Windows 7 with a typical minimum of RAM and hard disk space 20 1 SW Software installation The installation package is contained in a compressed ZIP archive named KTerm_Package_1_0 zip which requires to be expanded into a work folder and then processed as described This package is included in the accessory CD or can be downloaded from our website at www linear amplifier com Once the compressed archive KTerm_Package_1_0 zip has been stored into a work folder it must necessarily be expanded that is all the files therein contained must be extracted and properly placed into the host system In this example the compressed archive KTerm Package 1 0 2 has been placed into a folder named tmp which is in turn located on the local disk unit C as shown in the picture below tmp lolx Search tmp 3 lt gt Computer Local Disk tmp File Edit View Tools Help Organize Open folder a Favorites 55 Date modified Type Size Desktop E Package 1 0 7 5 2014 0915 Compressed zipp d Downloads Recent Places Next step is the archive expansion This can be obtained by selecting the filename and then right clicking over it A local menu will appear with Extract All this process will automatically sort unzip and sort the files Page 57 of 87 User manual Expert Amp 1 3
72. s to connect two exciters 4 FANS 5 IN 1 ALC RELAY CAT connectors for exciter 1 6 IN 2 ALC RELAY CAT connectors for exciter 2 7 PORT connector 8 USB connector 9 AUX connector 10 ON main switch 11 AC mains power cable 12 GND ground connection Page 9 of 87 2 GENERAL INFORMATION Read the specific chapters for more details 2 1 Power supply The amplifier uses a switching power supply that will automatically adapt to any voltage that is between 100 and 255 Vac The main switch I O is located on the rear panel In the O position all the internal circuitry is powered off in the I position red led ON some internal voltages are now present allowing for you to turn ON or turn OFF the linear amplifier in one of the following ways a Using the ON OFF keys on the front panel b Applying removing 9 15 VDC on pin 8 of the CAT connector see note below Using the USB port and the management software is possible to download this software from the website www linear amplifier com Note When turned ON almost all transceivers output 13 8 VDC With this voltage the linear amplifier can be turned automatically ON OFF at the same time as the transceiver Note The fuse is located inside the amplifier remove the lower cover 2 2 Input Output The linear amplifier has two inputs INPUT 1 INPUT 2 to which you can connect two transceivers of any brand or type These i
73. st the same look and feel as the real keypad placed on the front panel of the linear amplifier To activate deactivate this keypad the user must check uncheck the View KeyPad On Off menu item as shown in the following screen snapshot Home display amp keypad Ctrl H Park keypad near display Basic keypad On Off Full keypad On Off Display Preset 1 Display Preset 2 v Display Preset 3 Display Preset 4 Display Preset 5 KTerm USB Keypad INPUT ANT 4L DISPLAY 4 4 BAND BAND 4 c POWER CAT SET OFF e L he ad Page 62 of 87 a User manual Expert Amp 1 3K FA The View menu also contains five items related to the application window size presets which can be either selected by the menu itself or by their equivalent F1 F5 shortcut keys Feel free to test all the View menu options in order to find an optimal and comfortable vision of the display main window T KTerm USB Rel 1 01 File View Help ON LINE F3 W 733 H 205 USBID Notenabled The display window can easily be resized That is either enlarged reduced by acting on the right bottom corner of the window Also by using the mouse as shown in the picture above and in the same way as any other window resizing operation
74. the certificate of the first purchase invoice is missing the s n is undecipherable falsified or to any defect that SPE determines is due to Page 84 of 87 1 Improper maintenance repair by persons not authorised by SPE to carry out such work including the installation of parts or accessories that do not conform to the quality and specifications of the original parts 2 Misuse abuse neglect or improper installation user s manual non observance 3 Carelessness accidental or intentional damage SPE warrants aforesaid items only and the Purchaser shall have no remedy and no claim for incidental or consequential damages It is mandatory when sending SPE equipment to be repaired to enclose Invoice of the original purchase Document of the second purchase if any Particular agreements between retailer and Purchaser or particular obligations imposed in other countries are matters for the local retailer and not for SPE In the event of dispute 5 court of competent jurisdiction will apply By purchasing SPE equipment the Purchaser declares his acceptance of the above warranty terms Page 85 of 87 REPAIR FORM CONNECTION STATE AT THE MOMENT OF THE BREAKDOWN TRANSCEIVER MODEL CAT CONNECTION YES O NO IF YES INDICATE THE ITEM HEADING IN THE USER S MANUAL IF NO BAND DATA INTERFACE YES ANY LINK MEO m WAS THE ALC CONNECTED
75. the only receiving antenna set With tunable antenna set On 70 MHz band Note The tuner like all analog circuits introduces a loss 0 8 dB max that may vary with tuning conditions The power meter of the amplifier does not show this loss as the Page 24 of 87 power is measured at the tuner input where the load resistance is always constant 50 ohm Do not expect external power meters to match the displayed power ATTENTION When the amplifier is either in the STANDBY or in the OPERATE mode always disable the automatic tuner in your transceiver On the display next to the number of the antenna in use the following indications may appear Below identifies those meanings see specific chapters ATU bypassed t tunable antenna n m r receiving antenna Page 25 of 87 9 PROTECTIONS ALARMS The SPE EXPERT 1 3K FA has a sophisticated protection system that constantly monitors and controls the amplifier s most important parameters The main parameters are Temperature of the heatsink max min voltage on the PA max PA current SWR reflected power max voltage RF on the tuner input power The protection system is carried out in two different ways 1 Through hardware circuits to ensure minimum intervention time 2 Through software with a combined action of the two to ensure the maximum precision The two results get constantly compared every
76. the transceiver Page 34 of 87 User manual Expert Amp 1 3K FA For connections to the Radio connectors please refer to the transceiver operating manual 12 2 Icom CAT CI V Interface 10 9 20 10 oem L gt RADIO CONNECTOR 30 10 4C GND 12 50 13 6 C 14 5 RT 700 AM La 80 DB15M This interface is standard for all the Icom models equipped with CAT The cable always terminates into a 3 5 mm mono plug It is possible to use a stereo plug according to the figure above Page 35 of 87 12 3 Kenwood RS232 Interface RX 232 ILES Pe RXD RX 232 XD _____ 22 GND GND RTS ___ RADIO CONNECTOR The Radio connector could be DB 9 or DB 25 male connector or female connector read the specific manual In the manual also verify if the RTS CTS link is necessary CAT 5V TTL Interface rh 7 GND RTS CTS RADIO CONNECTOR DB15M The connector is described in the transceivers manual Verify if the RTS CTS link is required by the transceiver Page 36 of 87 User manual Expert Amp 1 3K FA 12 4 Yaesu CAT RS232 Interface 232 o OT RXD 11 22 10 XD 30 11 40 3 GND GND 12 RTS SO 13
77. tly typed on the PC keyboard The following one is the shortcut keys table 1 3 Equivalent shortcut key Function key from the PC keyboard INPUT lt L Ctrl L L gt L lt BAND Ctrl B BAND gt B lt C Ctrl C C gt DISPLAY D lt gt ON N POWER P CAT T SET S OFF F OPERATE O Page 65 of 87 User manual Expert Amp 1 3K FA Please bear in mind that the OFF command as accessed from the virtual keypad or by shortcut key that it always asks for a confirmation to its amplifier shutdown operation by showing the dialog form below AR Term USB Page 66 of 87 Selective addressing thru the USB port Note When trying to connect the linear amplifier to a PC some problems could occur because other peripherals sharing the same USB internal hub may conflict with it To avoid this kind of conflict it is necessary to go to selective addressing This options has been designed to allow selective addressing of an EXPERT linear amplifier connected to any given PC USB port In contrast to similar devices using the popular FT232RL USB microcontroller where the typical way for providing selective addressing of a specific device is based upon its serial port ID parameter e g COM1 2 etc our method is based upon a unique feature of the popular FTDI
78. ures output voltage levels spanning from 6 5Vdc USB to serial adapters and up to 11Vdc standard RS 232 ports whose circuit is based upon the popular MAX232 line driver EXPERT linear STANDARD PC PORT connector R amp 232 connector DB 8l DB S F TX 2321 7 2 PC 232 8 J TA_PC 4 DTR 5 5j GND PC EXPERT linear CAT connector 1K5 0 25AN REMOTE GHD 4 Page 77 of 87 about the DTR link behaviour Even thought this circuit seems to work correctly when driven by software it could cause unexpected switching on of a connected linear amplifier having its rear panel s mains switch enabled when the linked PC re boots or when an external serial device e g a USB to serial adaptor is physically connected The reason for this odd behaviour is related to some uncontrolled OFF to ON transitions of a DIR output line So please take this unpleasant side effect into account when using this kind of branch in external links Page 78 of 87 ______ Expert Amp 1 KFA 20 4 Firmware update A very useful feature of the KTerm USB exe KTerm 232 exe applications is one that enables software updating of the built in firmware in the linear amplifier To update the linear amplifier it is necessary to use a suitable PK2 firmware file which must be downloaded from our website www linear amplifier com and then stored into a proper working folder owit

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