why is it all these people who own a ts500v are seeing 700w pep.....
i drove mine one time with 75w to only see a stronger 500w pep... thats it i tried hitting it with 125w still with only seeing 500w
700 pep.
I do not have the exact e mail from the shop that set my 500 up any more, but to the best of my memory, 720 watts on a bird 43-P ( peak reading kit) into a dummy load on the bench, with a solid 14 volt power supply.
The Power leads have been upgraded to 8 gauge and the fuse holders bypassed to prevent any voltage drop.
And I am sure that was the limit without driving the amp into the twilight zone because they where a reputable shop that did not like seeing garbage out of anything.
I might be off a bit, but there is another member that got his 500 at the same time from the same shop, and I will ask him this afternoon.
You said before you were using a Radio Shack meter that is not peak reading, I know it has a switch that says pep but it is not really pep........
if you are seeing 500 watts on a avg reading meter, it is fine.
I am sure you know that 125 in it too much, and you took a risk and got lucky, it very well could have become a paperweight.
2sc2879`s are getting expensive.
As you start pushing things, then you must be careful with reflect in your antennas system.....as limits are reached, every one of you ducks must be in a row or you risk damage.
500 watts will really talk about anywhere you want if the band is open and another 200 watts will make little difference, really, ask these guys here on the forum, they will tell you.
If you really really need more than that I suggest you sell the amp you have, and add some more to it and buy a larger amp, or if you are using it as a base amp, spend some coins on a better antennas system.
You are already at the point where for the dollars spent, you will see better return on gain in the antenna system.
the added benefit of a better antenna system is it allows you to hear better as well.
Using a larger amp requires more current, and a host of other things you need to think about.
And if you need to see the meter move that much ( and it is on a base set-up) you should forget the solid state stuff and find a tube that will do what you want.
I mean this in the best way.....stop watching the watt meter.... I am not trying to be a butt head at all.
Set up the amp, make sure your antenna is working properly, and take the watt meter out of line....
One good thing about the DX 500V is it has a meter on the front, (yes it is not a watt meter, it only shows relative power)once you have the system running fairly well, the meter on the front of the amp can tell you if something is amiss.
You will get used to seeing the amp key at a certain spot, and swing about the same all the time, if you notice the on board meter doing something goofy
then you need to break out the SWR/power meter and check to see what it is.
Don`t let your watt meter drive you to blowing up a good amp
It is never a good idea to run any equipment to it`s limit.
73
Jeff
On Edit, this is SSB mode