Make the Micro PA-50 work for you!

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  • Опубликовано: 10 дек 2024

Комментарии • 74

  • @jakelarson9935
    @jakelarson9935 Год назад +8

    I added the 10k resistor to fix the SWR circuit and it seems to work perfectly. I highly recommend while your'e in there to pull that buzzer out and replace it with an LED. I also added a relay in parallel with the FN switch hooked up to a Pi with Node Red so when I'm operating my IC-705 remotely I can "press" the button to reset the error or "long press" to turn the PA on and off.

    • @cWatts-zv3oo
      @cWatts-zv3oo Год назад

      Are you using a half or quarter watt resistor?

    • @jakelarson9935
      @jakelarson9935 Год назад

      @@cWatts-zv3oo Think I used a 1/8W. I don't think it really matters as it's not really handling any current.

    • @cWatts-zv3oo
      @cWatts-zv3oo Год назад

      @jakelarson9935 thanks man. Is the amp still performing well for you?

    • @iu1olr
      @iu1olr Месяц назад

      any detail about your mod!?

  • @mike94560
    @mike94560 11 месяцев назад +1

    Connection chain. Antenna -> ATU -> Amp -> Rig. Bypass amp (long press on Amp button) until you tune up with just the rig. Then turn on Amp. Another important tip. The RF output drops with supply voltage. I run mine at 9 volts and get 25W out on 20m. If I run it at 13.8V it puts out 52+ watts and shuts off. My rig does not have RF output level adjust. So I just dropped the voltage to the Amp and it works fine. Less heat, longer life, etc. Works for me with no mods.

    • @KD7QOW-np9gd
      @KD7QOW-np9gd  10 месяцев назад

      That’s an interesting approach. Totally works if you have a variable power supply.

  • @jonhult5027
    @jonhult5027 Год назад +1

    Great work! Mine arrives tomorrow and looking forward to making the mod. I did read the article you mentioned even before your video and was expecting to solder to the smaller resistor. Glad you found a better alternative. Previously trained in SMD soldering so it should be a breeze. Thumbs up!

  • @Lowell-W8ISM
    @Lowell-W8ISM Год назад +1

    Thanks for video. Worked great for awhile, then started having intermittent problems. Did your 33 ohm resistor fix and also ran a better ground to the amp. Seems to be working okay now - fingers crossed. Subscribed. Keep up the good work!
    Update: It died. I was messing around with an accessory cable from the X6100 which worked fine at first, and then bam! SWR reads greater than 3 and immediately alarms - even in auto mode. Oh well. This thing had potential, and it worked great for awhile.

    • @KD7QOW-np9gd
      @KD7QOW-np9gd  Год назад

      Keep ‘em crossed! I got overzealous and blew mine up when I turned off the protection. Replacing the finals didn’t fix it. In a drawer it sits.

  • @W5BL
    @W5BL Год назад +1

    Great work! I went ahead and pulled the trigger on one. I run a Chameleon Magnetic Loop antenna so i have to get extremely precise tuning before transmitting. This will (theoretically) bump up my 705’s signal about 1 S-unit. Will be fun either way. 73’s W5BL

    • @KD7QOW-np9gd
      @KD7QOW-np9gd  Год назад

      It’s definitely a project! The nice part is if you blow up the finals the replacement transistors are dirt cheap!

    • @W5BL
      @W5BL Год назад

      @@KD7QOW-np9gdso today I successfully performed the great “SlugJob” of ‘23. Used the same resistor you did and I can report it is working flawlessly. The weird part is that it reads an swr of 1.0 no matter what band, no matter what frequency I transmit on. I mean I’m definitely not complaining but it’s kinda funny Bc I know it’s gotta be higher than that at places. I’ve only played with it a little bit but this operation completely changes this cool little PA for the Icom 705. Thanks again and 73’s.

    • @W5BL
      @W5BL Год назад

      @@deerae7460 yeah I must have fried the swr reader circuit is only thing I can think of. Literally the only thing that trips it now is feeding it too much power. Which is a good thing. I like the mod a whole lot! It’s a functional little amp now.

  • @ronlewkowicz9656
    @ronlewkowicz9656 Год назад +1

    Well, I didn't do this mod as I don't have an SWR issue and I never disabled the protection mode as protection seems like a good idea. Regardless after about 3 months the amp went to a dead short. Customer service told me the finals were damaged and gave me the go ahead to replace them. I ordered a bunch since they are cheap and put in a new pair. Short was fixed so hooked it back up. As soon as the power supply was switched on the amp went to dead short again. Tried another new pair, same result. So it seems something in these blows that then causes cascade failure or the IRF530. Anyway I haven't been able to fix it and won't be buying another.

    • @KD7QOW-np9gd
      @KD7QOW-np9gd  Год назад

      Yeah, mine blows finals now too. I don’t want to take the time to figure out why so it’s sitting in a drawer.

    • @M0UAW_IO83
      @M0UAW_IO83 Год назад

      Given these things use switching FETs which are designed to turn full on rather than have a nice linear behaviour I'd probably want to wind down the gate bias voltage all the way before powering it back up after replacing them or they'll let the magic smoke out easily. @@KD7QOW-np9gd

    • @mrtechie6810
      @mrtechie6810 Год назад

      So you would not recommend this amp?
      I'm thinking of getting the Hermes Lite 2, which is 5W maximum output.

    • @ronlewkowicz9656
      @ronlewkowicz9656 Год назад +1

      @@mrtechie6810 I guess the answer would be it depends. I'm still not sure why mine blew up. Sure I accidentally forgot to switch the tuner once or twice and hit the SWR protection shut off and leaned in a little too close to the mic a few times and hit the high power protection shut off, but I assume that is what the protection is for. Lot's of people run these without issue. The developer has setup a private facebook group now so you can actually contact him and get assistance, get new firmware and so on. So some issues are now fixed in firmware and other improvements to hardware made in a new PA50+ model. If you can be very careful maybe it won't blow up. If you want to use this outdoor for POTA, SOTA probably worth looking at. In the shack I found the fan noise to be very, very loud and for this reason would be enough on it's own to not buy another.

    • @ronlewkowicz9656
      @ronlewkowicz9656 Год назад +1

      @@mrtechie6810 BTW I highly recommend the Hermes Lite 2.

  • @bloguetronica
    @bloguetronica Год назад

    However, the main reason is, why buying an IC-705, when you can buy a Yaesu FT-891 which offers good value for the money? That amplifier can't really hold producing 50W. However, it is great for testing contacts in QRP mode.

    • @KD7QOW-np9gd
      @KD7QOW-np9gd  Год назад +1

      Totally agree! In fact, I just carry my FT-891 to summits and it's less hassle than trying to carry this thing.

    • @bloguetronica
      @bloguetronica Год назад

      @@KD7QOW-np9gd Indeed. Less components to carry, and the FT-891 does 100 W easily and it is very forgiving. I have that radio myself and I just love it.

  • @russlee130
    @russlee130 7 месяцев назад

    with mine after many hours of deliberation and much trial and error i firstly connected a 1.1 balun to my ic 705 and that knocked the swr down, then i unplugged the fan and Bingo swr 1.00 but at 40 watts it gets hot quickly so i tried many options and 30 to 32 watts max it now runs ft8 all day and the temp never goes above 45deg , the fan in my opinion is causing the swr mismatch

    • @KD7QOW-np9gd
      @KD7QOW-np9gd  7 месяцев назад

      Huh. That's interesting and I would never have guessed. Can't argue with success, though. Glad you found a solution!

    • @russlee130
      @russlee130 7 месяцев назад

      There has been a change since I did this. I have added a new sunon 60mm silent fan to the top of the unit after drilling many small holes . Only when I place a fan to the back of the unit close to the input and output does the SWR rise. This is why I love radio 😂

  • @K4LXY-k4p
    @K4LXY-k4p Год назад

    Where do I find the manual?

  • @godfreydebouillon8807
    @godfreydebouillon8807 7 месяцев назад

    Bought the PA50+ for XIEGU g90. Anyone know what chord is needed for the ACC Port?

    • @KD7QOW-np9gd
      @KD7QOW-np9gd  7 месяцев назад +2

      I tried a 3.5mm TRS and it didn't work. Not sure if that port actually does anything.

  • @barrykery1175
    @barrykery1175 Год назад

    Good informative video. It's an interesting little amp. Thanks for the SWR resistor mod. Did you hook up the PTT line from the 705 to the amp?
    Barry, KU3X

    • @KD7QOW-np9gd
      @KD7QOW-np9gd  Год назад

      I tried the ptt line and it did nothing, even with the amp in icom mode.

  • @brianfields4479
    @brianfields4479 Год назад

    Can anyone advise me of a better fan to use, as mine is so noisey, I cannot hear the rx, even with phones on.

    • @KD7QOW-np9gd
      @KD7QOW-np9gd  Год назад

      I noticed the fan is way less obnoxious outside. Before I blew up the finals, I found this amp to be completely unusable inside because of the fan noise.

  • @K4LXY-k4p
    @K4LXY-k4p Год назад

    No manual came with mine. Where do I get one?

    • @KD7QOW-np9gd
      @KD7QOW-np9gd  Год назад

      Great question! I have no idea!!!

    • @KD7QOW-np9gd
      @KD7QOW-np9gd  Год назад +1

      @@ScottGibson178 Tried it. Only found some directions on their ebay posting.

  • @mx1209
    @mx1209 Месяц назад

    So is that a 33 ohm or 33k?

    • @KD7QOW-np9gd
      @KD7QOW-np9gd  9 дней назад

      33 ohm. Try putting the new firmware on this amp before doing this mod. I don't know where to find it, but supposedly it fixes this problem.

  • @greene_hu
    @greene_hu Год назад

    What a good idea! So You just lowered the resistance by 30 ohms, and that's it?

    • @KD7QOW-np9gd
      @KD7QOW-np9gd  Год назад

      That's it! It's not the most elegant solution, but it's effective.

  • @bigshafe
    @bigshafe Год назад

    Thanks for information. I'm not very electrically inclined but I've heard about a relay input from the 705 to protect it? Is that a concern with this amp?

    • @KD7QOW-np9gd
      @KD7QOW-np9gd  Год назад +1

      It’s not a concern if you just use the RF sense and don’t hook up a control cable. I never got the control cable to work anyway, so it’s not something I’d worry about. Honestly, I wouldn’t buy this amp unless you’re electrically inclined and you like working on stuff. I’ve blown out two sets of finals on mine and it just sits in a drawer now.

    • @bigshafe
      @bigshafe Год назад

      @@KD7QOW-np9gd thanks for the info. Soldering and working on stuff isn't a problem for me, just the electrical stuff. I'm more mechanically inclined. Thanks for the videos.

  • @philipwells2793
    @philipwells2793 Год назад

    Do you know the current draw @50w and on receive?

    • @KD7QOW-np9gd
      @KD7QOW-np9gd  Год назад

      I've never measured it, but I've run 100 watts SSB with a 6 AH battery for multiple activations and not had a problem.

  • @Philip-KA4KOE
    @Philip-KA4KOE Год назад

    Where did you get this amp?

  • @jensspiess3239
    @jensspiess3239 Год назад

    Mine amplifiere has operating point >> C-operation

    • @KD7QOW-np9gd
      @KD7QOW-np9gd  Год назад +1

      I think their quality control is very inconsistent. Some people are getting working units with no problems while others are getting a box of gremlins.

  • @TheMicrofox
    @TheMicrofox Год назад

    Why does someone design a PA that stops working at 28.5 MHz instead of 30 MHz.
    That's complete nonsense.

    • @KD7QOW-np9gd
      @KD7QOW-np9gd  Год назад

      Because the person who “designed” this didn’t know a lot about RF design. They just added a programmable chip and a display to an existing analog design that was never intended for this purpose.

    • @KD7QOW-np9gd
      @KD7QOW-np9gd  Год назад

      @@wdycsqcsqwdy If I was going to design an amplifier, I'd design one that works as advertised or else I wouldn't put it up for sale! Why can't you just admit that this product has serious problems and then fix it? Do you really think we're all just stupid?

  • @germanjohn5626
    @germanjohn5626 Год назад

    Defeating a safety feature....not smart.

    • @CPLBSS88
      @CPLBSS88 Год назад +1

      let me guess, you also go exactly 1 mph under the speed limit, and are a proud card holder of the "lowest common denominator" club? 😂

    • @KD7QOW-np9gd
      @KD7QOW-np9gd  Год назад

      Which transistors did you replace them with? I think this would be a great candidate for some robust transistors.

    • @ra4fkz377
      @ra4fkz377 4 месяца назад

      @@KD7QOW-np9gd Тоже сгорели выходные транзисторы, работали неустойчиво, сигнал на пиках был рваный. Буду менять на другие транзисторы - IRLZ24N.