11 meter is very quiet?

[Brother DXer]

tell me some about your rm italy please how much power to run it n all the bad to the good

I never over drive the 503. It says you can run up to 35 watts, but on ssb the Superbase puts out 18 watts pep and this gets me around 270 watts, which is more than I expected. I know you can easily get more out of this amp, but again, I don't push it. The amp works great. If it starts sounding chrunchy there's a fix that I used and it worked. It's at the end of this thread below.
"Remove the 3.3 pf capacitor where the so239 is on the input side C34 & put a 15 pf cap in its place."

Thread 'RM Italy KL 503 Crunchy'

Oct 4, 2021

Anyone have this issue with the KL503? My buddy just received his and I went to set it up for him. Instructions say 1 to 12 watts pep drive so I set up for 10 watts MAX peak and set the power knob on the amp on #4 so he didn't over power it for it's first run. Amp is peaking around 300+ pep. I went home to talk to him and the audio sux maggots. Esses are chopped, audio is crunchy, doesn't sound good at all. Wondering if we got a bad one or if it may be something else. He's running a 2980 with a D104. Without the amp the radio is clean clean clean.

• Greg T
• Replies: 78
• Forum: Amplifiers

 

[Rwb]

I never over drive the 503. It says you can run up to 35 watts, but on ssb the Superbase puts out 18 watts pep and this gets me around 270 watts, which is more than I expected. I know you can easily get more out of this amp, but again, I don't push it. The amp works great. If it starts sounding chrunchy there's a fix that I used and it worked. It's at the end of this thread below.
"Remove the 3.3 pf capacitor where the so239 is on the input side C34 & put a 15 pf cap in its place."

Thread 'RM Italy KL 503 Crunchy'

Oct 4, 2021

Anyone have this issue with the KL503? My buddy just received his and I went to set it up for him. Instructions say 1 to 12 watts pep drive so I set up for 10 watts MAX peak and set the power knob on the amp on #4 so he didn't over power it for it's first run. Amp is peaking around 300+ pep. I went home to talk to him and the audio sux maggots. Esses are chopped, audio is crunchy, doesn't sound good at all. Wondering if we got a bad one or if it may be something else. He's running a 2980 with a D104. Without the amp the radio is clean clean clean.

• Greg T
• Replies: 78
• Forum: Amplifiers

thank you.been shopping around

 

[FlyBoy50]

Working a new (new to me -1978 model) radio along with a little helper and getting the flowers. Makes me feel good about spending the $$

Let me ask, what is the difference between the KL 503 HD and the KL 503 ( which I have )? I didn't hear about the 503 HD until I already bought the plain 503, which works OK but you wonder if your missing out on something. LOL

 

[Brother DXer]

This is the best and simplest answer I found. It's from a previous post on here. And for what it's worth, you still shouldn't drive the hell out of it, regardless if it's a "HD" or not.

Regarding the KL503HD
"It has a -7db attenuator inside to make it handle more dead key. No more than 5 watt carrier & 35 swing. I wouldn’t swing no more than 25 because it doesn’t produce anymore power after 25 pep."

 

[murdog]

Sorry to the group is this a dx thread or amplifier thread ?

 

[Brother DXer]

Sorry to the group is this a dx thread or amplifier thread ?

My apologies there Mr. @murdog . Sometimes threads get a little off topic and I appreciate you jumping in here and saving us all.

But... as for DX right now. Just know that it's not very good in my part of the world. Not at all..
73

 

[Shadetree Mechanic]

When the dx is dead, we sometimes have to find something to talk about.

 

[unit_399]

Sorry to the group is this a dx thread or amplifier thread ?

Self-appointed thread police.

J.J.

 

[FlyBoy50]

Sorry to the group is this a dx thread or amplifier thread ?

OK I'll have to admit I was a bad boy and will have to bend over and get spanked for being casual instead of rigid. I should have started a whole new thread but figured this thread has been around so long for a reason. Back down in the dungeon I'll go. And Thanks Brother DXer for the quick answer !

 

[unit_399]

When the dx is dead, we sometimes have to find something to talk about.

I agree with Shadetree mechanic 100%, Flyboy. No apologies necessary. Those of us who talk Dx have used this thread to talk about whatever comes to our mind that day, even if it's only remotely connected to Dx. That's why it's lasted all these years and has over 10K posts. Your discussion about using the KL503 fits right in. If the Thread Policeman don't like, too bad for him.

 

[BC Coyote]

I haven't been on the radio much at all with it being early summer and so many non-radio things to do. But I can report that DX isn't totally dead up here, even though conditions haven't been great.

Daily pattern seems to be.....nothing in the morning, then around noon short skip from CA, OR, AZ, NM, CO, UT, ID, MO, WY etc. starts to come in. It'll fade up for an hour, then there's nothing again for a while, then an hour or two later DX fades in again for an hour, then it goes away again.. Rinse and Repeat.
Made a few surprise longer contacts in the last few days including New York, New Jersey, & Virginia. As well we still get Australia in the evening, but not every evening, and at much lower signal strength than usual.

I'm hoping conditions will improve, but I have a feeling it may stay in the current pattern until late summer or fall.......

 

[FlyBoy50]

I agree with Shadetree mechanic 100%, Flyboy. No apologies necessary. Those of us who talk Dx have used this thread to talk about whatever comes to our mind that day, even if it's only remotely connected to Dx. That's why it's lasted all these years and has over 10K posts. Your discussion about using the KL503 fits right in. If the Thread Policeman don't like, too bad for him.

Thanks for pulling me back out of the dungeon. LOL. Yes I thought a KL 503 or a KL 503 HD was related to and helpful in talking DX as most members in here are Aware. But guess I shouldn't kick a dead horse. By the way I turned on my radio & KL 503 and it didn't help me today with DX but I'll give it another shot tonight. Hope the Radio Gods are shining on you today !

 

[Shadetree Mechanic]

I was out in the garage today, doing spark plugs and fuel injectors on my Dad's Jeep Wrangler. The straight six is so nice to work on, everything was right on top and nothing was in the way. The injectors he got have 12 holes instead of one, supposed to really help mileage and throttle response. We will see.

Monitoring 37, I heard @unit_399 in there and went to the radio, but he was gone. I called and a guy from Florida came back and said that he heard 399 also. Stations from Georgia, Tennessee, Chicago and a few others were in there. We will keep trying.

73&51

 

[unit_399]

I fired up the base at 1:30 EST. Wanted to hear WDX226's new base. So dead on .375L that there wasn't even static. Monitoring and heard 0507 KY and had a nice QSO. Also 3648 SC, all the while calling WDX226. Just wasn't happening. Maybe manana.
73.

J.J. 399

 

[AmericanEagle575]

Planning on being on the air around 9am and 2pm today on 37 and 38 LSB, hopefully conditions will cooperate for everyone so some good Dxing can be done, etc.....hope everyone has a great Father's Day today!!!!

73