Palomar 2030+ mosfets

Engineering has proven that pushing more power out of a system that is close to maxed out is a bad idea.

They actually are supposed to put out less but be more durable if you believe what they say. I put them in a 6666 and it's working great.

KneeBiter said:

I put them in a 6666 and it's working great.

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That's a relief. Main thing about the twenty-thirty plus is that it's what's available now.

Pretty well also a guarantee that the original 2030 won't be available.

73

SMILEX2692002 said:

Can the Palomar 2030+ mosfets work as a replacement for the At6666, President Lincoln 2 +, and Stryker SR 955 HPC?

Do they allow the radio to do more Peak power vs the FQP13N10 with a simple component change?

Or is it just salesmen tactic?

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If your radio is working fine leave it. All the radio's listed need is a correct factory tune and alignment. There are no magic bullets and no wonder finals.
Let's say you have a Stryker 955 and it's doing 100 watts peak. You pay some shop big money for a final swap and when done the radio now does 125 watts. Guess what, NO ONE you talk to will ever notice. You must DOUBLE your power each time to make an improvement. Even then you double your power and gain 1/2 of an S unit.

There is nothing wrong with Palomar (used to me RF Limited and Magnum) making the 2030 mosfet again. There are many radio's that use these. It's nice to have a selection or choice between the IRF520, 13N10, and the 2030 mosfet. They are all pretty close in power results.

KneeBiter said:

They actually are supposed to put out less but be more durable if you believe what they say. I put them in a 6666 and it's working great.

Click to expand...

Did you have to swap other components to make them work in the circuit? I'm curious because I've played with the 2030+ (not the old 2030)a couple of times with not a good result.

Beware of fakes available online. The 2030 is obsolete and 2030+ MOSFETs that are genuine is what you want if you change them out. Power output will usually be inline with the IRF520s and the FQP13N10. However the FQP13N10 will usually (but not always) yield a slightly higher output than the other two. The ERF2030+ is a little more tolerant of high SWR and static discharges from the antenna than the other two. If you have no problems with the ones in the radio I would not change them out if it was mine. Especially if you have to pay someone to do it. People would have less radio problems if they did not try to squeeze every last watt out of them. Imagine driving your car every where with the engine turning the highest amount of RPMs it is capable of doing. How long would it last?

Eldorado828 said:

Did you have to swap other components to make them work in the circuit? I'm curious because I've played with the 2030+ (not the old 2030)a couple of times with not a good result.

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No, I just popped them in and radio puts out as good as before and gets good audio reports on SSB.

Not planning on replacing what's just fine right now but previously toying with a junker radio I couldn't get the 2030+ to even do what the 520's would do. I've got an old 939 that might make a good candidate for a dual mosfet mod, maybe I'll give the 2030+ another shot. Having purchased several on impulse when they first arrived there's nothing to lose.

KneeBiter said:

No, I just popped them in and radio puts out as good as before and gets good audio reports on SSB.

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You might want to check the bias idling current because it would be very unlikely for two different types of MOSFET's, to have an identical gate threshold voltage. Sounding good on SSB could just as easily be the result of over bias, as it could be correct bias. You just can't tell how hard the transistor is turned on once distortion is gone, without measuring.

Shockwave said:

You might want to check the bias idling current because it would be very unlikely for two different types of MOSFET's, to have an identical gate threshold voltage. Sounding good on SSB could just as easily be the result of over bias, as it could be correct bias. You just can't tell how hard the transistor is turned on once distortion is gone, without measuring.

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Do you have any directions for the 6666 on how to check the bias? Test points for meter? Cant seem to find anything on the Anytone 6666 as far as directions to set bias. Would like to see where it sits with just the drop in. And set it if needed. Also what do you recommend for settings? Thanks

And of course Palomar is the only company currently selling matched sets, should you want to install one in something that has a single bias control for multiple transistors (cough, hack, 98VHP, cough)

If I'm not mistaken they'll shortly become a thing of the past like the dei transistors, max-mod and other things. Not sure what happened in Gig harbor Washington but what little products they were pushing are almost no more. Eric has tried for years to mimick what Sam did well but Eric just has never been consistent with even the products that did really well. Maybe he's done with it all. As it's been said throughout a many threads here, the 2030+ struck out from the beginning...

KneeBiter said:

Do you have any directions for the 6666 on how to check the bias? Test points for meter? Cant seem to find anything on the Anytone 6666 as far as directions to set bias. Would like to see where it sits with just the drop in. And set it if needed. Also what do you recommend for settings? Thanks

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You can try here...
https://www.worldwidedx.com/threads/to-anyone-who-has-adjusted-the-bias-on-an-anytone-6666.258304/

The process above is for; WHEN YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY MEANS TO READ CURRENT going to the MOSFET Finals...

You have to remove all the jumpers in the TX section - described in the link provided...

BUT, you don't have jumpers for the Finals - the Finals are "tied together" to the same source voltage back at the potentionmeter

• - but no way to know how to set the "drive voltage threshold" to make the current start to flow.

It is different for a MOSFET - for you have to still monitor current - and if you don't and just "set a voltage" - and hope for the best - well then Hope for the best because you may have set the threshold too high or not enough and you'll have operational problems and potential failures either way...

Set up your DVM to read Amps - 2A for now and pull all the jumpers in the TX section so you are not able to send any RF power into the TX amp strip...

You are going to measure a current draw at the power supply feed - as you found out you don't have "a jumper" at the Finals pair - just a pot.

Put on a dummy load at the SO-239 - 50 ohms 10W minimum

Put the DVM in line with the Positive side POWER leads, in line - series to read intake current = into the radio

• - because again voltages are making the amp section DEPENDENT on current flow - you can;t have one without the other...

Set up radio in SSB mode - Power up the radio - watch the meter for amperage draw - if you've done your homework, and read the steps at the link and turned the pot down and did the setup right - you'll see a brief surge in current then it idles to about 50mA or less - once that reading has stabilized - TX the radio.

The idle current will rise to a point then stabilize, then you adjust the pot to the POINT WHERE CURRENT RISES ABOVE the TX IDLE CURRENT "average" or TX ON level by 55mA.

• It's a difference in reading from TX idle no audio
• If you're at 0.125A or 125mA on TX - then you're looking for 0.180A or 180mA for that magic 55 number.
• Turn the pot up until you achieve that number 55 in mA RISE from TX idle.(no audio)
• Do not go above that - it can rise too quickly and make one if not both, finals blow from switching on and latching - even at DC.

This "rise" is important to know, for too much voltage applied will make the current rise too quickly and possibly blow the finals - if you "just set votlage" and not monitor the current - don't say we didn't warn you...read above...and at the link.

You are merely looking at you ammeter setting at a point in line that simply lets you see not just the radio power intake, but at idle power consumption...

• - it's idling at one level, you adjust the pot by reading the meter for that magic 55mA rise from idle draw.

Once set, you can then measure the Driver mA draw like you use a typical ammeter for, one lead to one pin of that header, the other lead to the opposite pin and in TX mode - set Driver bias current.

Do the same for the Pre-Driver too.

If that's too much to handle...remember this;
The only difference is the meter is at the power supply feed for the Final Drive current check - you can even stay in line at the power supply feed and do this step without having to mess with the pin on header to lead on DVM - you can set it back at the DVM per stage watching the meter at the power supply feed. Each stage consumes a set amount of current at it's proper idle in TX mode - you don't have to make it any harder than it already is.

Again read the link!

Tallman said:

Engineering has proven that pushing more power out of a system that is close to maxed out is a bad idea.

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Very True rant. ke8ovm.