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[K6BRN]

You clearly implied it did not, which is part of the communications. 

Ridiculous - I implied no such thing. Apparently you inferred it.

My writing it quite precise. Notice the "as long as" conditional phrase? I didn't say "it doesn't need it because". Quite a difference! As I said, you should become a more discriminating reader. I typically won't be writing verbose, third grade reading level paragraphs to appeal to a lazy reader.

Actually it doesn't as long as any of the exemptions of 97.315(b) apply.

- Glenn W9IQ

Ok Glenn.  You have the ability to make me smile, and not in a vindictive sort of way. 

I will offer this ridiculous bit of insight.  In an imperfect world, the ability to resolve ambiguities due to imperfection is a required skill, based on context, probability and intuition (which I believe is a backgound thought process built on a maximum entropy, best fit thought process).  Perfection itself is a perception.

Much of life is like that.  You don't have to be perfect to be a valued person.  Just be comfortable with yourself and always try your best.

You may not agree with this, but its a proven approach that actually works.

And perhaps you already know that.

Brian - K6BRN

[VE7RF]

Likewise, since it is being sold or done as a work for hire you will need FCC Certification prior to sale... the reason the Mercury III amp was a kit for so long was the need for FCC Certification prior to a ready to go product being offered.

Grover,

Actually it doesn't as long as any of the exemptions of 97.315(b) apply. Particularly note exemption (3):

(1) The amplifier is constructed or modified by an amateur radio operator for use at an amateur station.

(2) The amplifier was manufactured before April 28, 1978, and has been issued a marketing waiver by the FCC, or the amplifier was purchased before April 28, 1978, by an amateur radio operator for use at that operator's station.

(3) The amplifier is sold to an amateur radio operator or to a dealer, the amplifier is purchased in used condition by a dealer, or the amplifier is sold to an amateur radio operator for use at that operator's station.

- Glenn W9IQ

Glenn,

Transmitters cannot be offered for sale without FCC certification.  Amplifiers made by a ham for use by another ham is a grey area I would not like to get into. Also, there is NO evidence that this amp is being built for a ham... and plenty to suggest that it is for a pirate application. There are precious few antennas out there that can handle 10kW that are not commercial TV and, with that sort of power and a directional antenna (10 dBi ) you need about 300' of distance between any people and the antenna....

Lots of pirate activity on 6 meters??


--Shane
WP2ASS / ex KD6VXI

Shane, these guys just  crack me right up.  'Pirate activity' on 6M lol....just about choked on my coffee.   May as well call it a.... 'channel 1' amp.     (since TV was ch2-13..and channel '1' was where the 6m boys  hang out on 50-54 mhz....ok, that's a private joke at best).  I can't stop laughing.

  Grover sez...."There are precious few antennas out there that can handle 10kW that are not commercial TV"
 You're not serious are you ?
 
Let's do the high level junior high school maths.  (note, may take 30 seconds).

10 kw into 50 ohms  =             14.142 amps + 707 Vrms  (1 kv peak).   

 A simple dipole would suffice, ditto with a vertical, or a yagi.

No engineering degree in rocket science required here folks, it's all  really old news.  Just use the correct coax for the job (like  SFT-600 for any rotor loop...which is the Teflon version of  LMR-600), and correct connectors. (7-6 DIN   or  1 5/8"  EIA  flange connectors.  And  7/8" (or bigger) heliax for main coax run.   For yagi's, use an OWA design, with no matching device.  No conventional CM choke used. Bond the shield to the boom, (via a bulkhead connector + alum bracket to boom)....  exactly a physical quarter wavelength  from the feedpoint, minus 3%.  The 3% redux is cuz of the C between boom and shield of coax.

Ok, I just save you $5k in..... 'engineering consulting fees'.   You are welcome.

[KD6VXI]

Jim,

I wish I could easily post pics on here.  I'd put up the power supply I worked on a couple years ago.

1200A service supplied it.  12Kv at 12A CCS.  You can literally sit inside the cabinet.  It's currently running a quad of 4CX15000s, but was built for the 3CW100K which is currently being built.

This is fed to an OWA 8 element.  The only problem he has is at night when the humidity climbs.  Arcs like crazy over 45K carrier.  During the day it's insane the power he can run.  I haven't been out to that xmitter in a couple years and I know he's moved since then.  I do believe he has 2000A service now in preperation of the water cooled tube being finished.

Pirate activity on 6 meters and antennas that can't take 10kw.  The movie "Clueless" comes to mind.  Just like you're going to be selling this out of your trunk...  When from the get go, it was stated someone else was building it.

--Shane
WP2ASS / ex KD6VXI

[VE7RF]

Pirate activity on 6 meters and antennas that can't take 10kw.  The movie "Clueless" comes to mind.  Just like you're going to be selling this out of your trunk...  When from the get go, it was stated someone else was building it.

--Shane
WP2ASS / ex KD6VXI

Pretty tough to get 2 x  huge box's, weighing a total of 400+ lbs.... into the trunk of my mustang...lol.

What might work with high humidity is corona balls on the tips, then spray the corona balls with GE high voltage acrylic plastic.   Usually, at that power level, the corona balls are pretty big diam...( 2"-5")..which then affects  ele  tuning  quite a bit.    The typ machined corona balls made for 11m use, for various tip diameters, is (I think) 1.25"  to  1.5" OD...with a recessed set screw.  If the issue is at the feed point, that's a different story...still, it wouldn't be much more than 3.5 kv peak.   Again the entire feed assy could be doused in multiple coast of GE  HV spray.   Ideally, it would be in an enclosure, like nema rated and gasketed, sealed really good, with dielectric grease on the gasket...then loaded up with silica gel / desiccant.    If u wanted, a SS valve can be include on the box...then just a few psi of nitrogen.   To really do it right, 2 x valves are used..at opposite ends.  Valve #1 is open, while nitrogen pushed into the box via  valve #2.  That flushes out the existing, high humidity air.   Once flushed out, valve #1 sealed..and  box filled to  2-5 psi of dry nitrogen.

On some of the stuff at work, outside,  it was pressurized with dry nitrogen..and silica gel also used.  On inside stuff, like air dryers for cables...or coax / waveguides, it was just compressed air, but run through desiccant towers 1st.   Relative humidity was always < 3%.  Typ 10 psi dry air used on main cables.  Coax + wave guides were typ only 3 psi.

[K0UA]

How hard can it be to post a photo?  All you have to do to post a photo is to want to do it enough to learn how. If you don't want to learn how, than don't. And if you do, then do. It is all in your hands. The instructions have been posted hundreds if not thousands of times. I have done it myself so many times, I am literally tired of posting it. The last time I posted it in great detail I got a good cussing from the guy that asked. He said it wasted his time to read them. Fine. Good. I won't ever tell someone again how to post photo's.

[W9IQ]

Let's do the high level junior high school maths.  (note, may take 30 seconds).

10 kw into 50 ohms  =             14.142 amps + 707 Vrms  (1 kv peak).   

 A simple dipole would suffice, ditto with a vertical, or a yagi.

No engineering degree in rocket science required here folks, it's all  really old news. 

Simple math for sure but not correctly applied. The issue is not at the 50 ohm feedpoint of the antenna, it is at the several thousand ohms of impedance near the ends of the antennas that you suggest.

- Glenn W9IQ

[VE7RF]

Let's do the high level junior high school maths.  (note, may take 30 seconds).

10 kw into 50 ohms  =             14.142 amps + 707 Vrms  (1 kv peak).   

 A simple dipole would suffice, ditto with a vertical, or a yagi.

No engineering degree in rocket science required here folks, it's all  really old news. 

Simple math for sure but not correctly applied. The issue is not at the 50 ohm feedpoint of the antenna, it is at the several thousand ohms of impedance near the ends of the antennas that you suggest.

- Glenn W9IQ

It's a non issue with 10 kw pep out, (1kv peak)  even 20 kw pep out..(1414 V peak)..even with high humidity, fog, or rain.    The corona problems at the tips starts up at  a helluva  lot higher peak V.   Freq will also affect the corona. Simple  Loops at the ends of wire dipole ants, or machined aluminum corona balls for the tips of DE (readily available for any tip OD) typ solve any corona issues..and in some cases, lower noise a bit on RX.

On a yagi, the DE will be the issue, not the parasitic els, but not always, depending on design.   Another method used on DE yagi tips is 2-4" long, solid alum cylinders, with the exposed end machined into a 1/2 sphere.   The hardcore eme folks will grind off the sharp edges of  all the ele tips.  The GE HV spray works superb too.   Corona is just stripping electrons right out of the air, typ from sharp edges. Get rid of the sharp edges, or replace with a sphere,   or 1/2 sphere usually works.  The HV spray just insulates the tips from the air.   Ele caps will also sometimes work.   I don't like plugging the ends of eles on yagi's.   Get water inside the ele, and it's retained inside...and freezes. Typ the ends of the else sag a bit, so water migrates towards the sealed tips.    I used to use caps on each end of the booms...and when taking one yagi down, it had gallons of water inside the boom..go figure.

Even 1.5 kw = 390 V peak..at the feed point.   At the tips of the ant, the peak V is sky high. With just 600 watts cxr..fed into my old 204BA, sitting on wooden saw horses, hold a 4' fluorescent light tube parallel to the DE tip, and it lights up like a searchlight...and that was at 12 noon in summer.

Theories abound, including NEC etc, on exactly how much peak V is at the tips of a full size DE, or a shortened (loaded) DE.  I never found any consensus, since the results varied from A-Z.  So have no real clue as to how much V is actually at the tips.  I don't see too many issues on the tips of AM broadcast towers, and they typ use just tower sections.

[K6BRN]

Hey guys ...  per an earlier suggestion by K0UA, I'm all for the photos of the amp in operation, with the creators next to it, and a happy one of the attached antenna with a chirping sparrow on the end for scale.  Carbonized sparrows would be BAD.

As anyone from Missouri knows, seeing is believing!  Not that I don't believe you, I just like pictures. 

This has REALLY gotten silly!

Brian - K6BRN

[W9IQ]

It's a non issue with 10 kw pep out, (1kv peak)  even 20 kw pep out..(1414 V peak)

I am not questioning the efficacy of the antenna, just the application of the math. Your math above still needs some editing if you are concerned about the maximum vpeak voltage on the antenna.

- Glenn W9IQ

[VE7RF]

It's a non issue with 10 kw pep out, (1kv peak)  even 20 kw pep out..(1414 V peak)

I am not questioning the efficacy of the antenna, just the application of the math. Your math above still needs some editing if you are concerned about the maximum vpeak voltage on the antenna.

- Glenn W9IQ

At the 50 ohm feedpoint, with a 1:1 swr, nope.  At the tips of the DE,  assume it's gonna be sky high.

[VE7RF]

10 kw CCS on 6M..using the 3CX-6000A7...Part 4.

Ok, for you folks waiting with bated breath, here is the next rip roaring U tube installment.

Here, in Part-4, the lower rear panel holes are punched out, then the myriad of jacks, fuse holders, 100 amp rated 'super con' connectors  installed, etc.   The 100 amp rated...'super con' connectors  are used for the 7.0 vac @ 79 amp filament xfmr output.  Another pair of super con connectors will be installed directly below, in  Box #2, which contains the  B+ supply, and also the fil xfmr, variac for fil xfmr, etc, etc.  (Due to 6-8 amplifiers in for repair, the 6M amp project is worked on as time permits).

Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpkwb4Pk9CE

[KD6VXI]

Here's the supply and line section.

I'll have to go back and look for more pics.  I had these handy.  I'm waiting for the owner to OK me posting pics of his amp.  He has said no in the past, but....  Doesn't hurt to ask.

Guys running stuff this size generally don't want it getting out what they have.

--Shane
WP2ASS / ex KD6VXI

[K6BRN]

No pics, Shane.

But the chassis is starting to take shape, per youtube.

You really should include some snazzy, color engraved graphics on the front panel.  I always did and the customers always seemed to appreciate it.

Guys running stuff this size generally don't want it getting out what they have.

  Yes ... well... (see discussions above)

Brian - K6BRN

[KB8VUL]

Just watched the video.  See a couple things I have questions about.  First is the distance from the HV connectors to the bottom place and bottom cover,  it just looks a bit close.  And, putting the banana jacks next to the 7KV supply line.  Again, it seems kind of close.  7KV will jump a pretty good distance. 

[KD6VXI]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/riXAmk9ZrjptjZv79