Just set up this exact system. It has its quirks and a learning curve, but it's now running FT8 well enough to reach Europe (and Tokyo!) on a long-wire from a Midwest urban (i.e. noisy) environment. With nearby AM stations blaring (blathering) away, I had to add K9DP's low end filter. I do also mostly use the outstanding R1CU alternative firmware for the X6100; so, with perseverance and patches, this is a really an inexpensive way into HF, and it's especially relevant for those that want to combine radios with computers (the X6100 is essentially and SDR unit). The PA50 is just a solid piece of equipment. The $60 AT-100M does its job, but it takes some learning and care (no problem at that price point). Thanks very much for the video. Update: My PA50 died after about two months of operation - SWR alarm. Online fixes didn't work (at least for long). This amp has so much going for it; maybe a revision will come out.
Great. Thanks. I bought the amp after your last video but haven't had any real time with it. Good to see an SSB demo of it and hoping to hit a park next weekend.
Thank you for the video. I have been eyeing up the Mico PA 50 however I am concerned that the relays within it may produce a back emf that could potentially damage a transceiver. This has been a known issue with other cheap PA's. As there are no circuit diagrams available it is hard to determine whether this is potentially a problem. Do you have any idea?
Hello Phillip, the Micro Pa50 does indeed have back emf protection on the relay coils so there is nothing to worry about. In my opinion it is very well made and designed. I have just measured the harmonic performance and it is better than -40dBc on all bands. Check out this video where a guys pulls it apart and shows the relay protection: th-cam.com/video/-Jc6PbE-rA0/w-d-xo.html
@@philipwells2793 Nope not exactly the same but very similar - here is another video of the actual PA50 I have but it doesn't specifically show back emf diodes but I am sure they will be there as whoever designed the PA new what they were doing and would not have missed out something as fundamental. Personally if you are really bothered buy one and check - if by some very slim chance they are not fitted just fit them. th-cam.com/video/l0ZKhWmPn8k/w-d-xo.html
What would be a noticeable effect of back EMF? I just got my PA50 and I noticed that sometimes when keying up - especially on CW - my IC-705’s SWR meter will very briefly “spike” all the way to the right before returning to its usual 1.5:1 value. It doesn’t happen every time I hit the key but when it does happen it coincides with the amp’s TX relay engaging.
@@chriswei2kI just got the amp as well using it with a tx-500 and noticed the exact same issue. Sometimes the radio swr meter goes really high even though the amp says swr is good. I thinking there is some type of feedback into the radio from the amp! What say you @dave68cat Thanks!
excellent video, thanks for posting. When you go mobile how do you provide power to run all three pieces? Do you bring along one external battery for all three? Or do you use the internal battery for the 6100? Or do you run some off the cigarette lighter? thanks again for posting.
Hello there - my car turns off the cigarette lighter sockets after about five minutes. So I added a piggy back fused cable into the fuse board in the driver foot well and ran the cable up under the drivers seat terminating in a cigarette socket - I power everything from that including the charger for the Surface Pro 4 I use for logging contacts
Have you seen some other videos where they soldered a 33ohm resistor on the board? I think I’m gonna try that out. They claim it fixes the high SWR detection problem.
So if you add the cost of the three items, radio, tuner and PA, and compare it to a 100w radio, what's the cost difference. What's the advantage of this setup over a 100w radio? IC7100, IC7300 will do the same, with a simple resonant antenna.. and if you are using the Hamsticks you won't need a tuner. So I'm trying to understand the advantage of the X6100 which has only 10w and having the "cute and nice" additional gear.
Hi there, you could use a 7300 as you say but it is not as portable. I like the X6100 as I use it for QRP in the car or in a backpack often without the PA & tuner. Then sometimes I use the PA & tuner. I can't really put the 7300 in a back pack or use it in the car easily. So for me the X6100 + PA + tuner is the most flexible portable setup
Excellent demonstration! Can this setup be used with an iPad for logging and digital modes? Would the amp work with the Xiegu G90? Thank you! David AE4LH
Hi David, yes I see no reason why not. The X6100 exposes a CAT interface and both digital and analog audio. You would have to check with the G90 as I am not familiar with this radio but as long as CAT / audio is available it should work
Hello Godfrey - no you can't use the XIEGU internal tuner. The radio is seeing the input to PA50 which is a near perfect 50R load. The PA50 output sees the antenna and so this is where the tuner needs to be placed betwween the PA50 and the antenna. You cannot tune "through" an active amplifier.
@@dave68cat Thanks so much for the response, and great information! I'm still thinking I'm going to buy this setup, but just wanted to make sure I didn't screw it up. Subscribed.
GM DR OM, Why would you use another antenna tuner if the Xiegu 6100 has one? TNX for sharing great setting I'm taking a lot of your ideas for my Trusdx radio
Hello there - the X6100 is driving the Micro PA50 and this is the load it will see. The INPUT to the Micro PA 50 is a near perfect 50 ohm non-reactive load and therefore the X6100 internal tuner is of no use here. However the output of the Micro PA 50 observes the antenna which may need to be matched hence the external tuner between the micro PA 50 and the antenna. The X6100 cannot tune "through" the Micro PA 50 as it is an active device. Hope that answers the question ?
Hi Russell, yeh sure - I didn't post links on FB as I think it's againsts the rules for the X6100 site - advertising. fr.aliexpress.com/item/1005004740432217.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.11.7b6c5e5bNO2qcB&gatewayAdapt=glo2fra fr.aliexpress.com/item/1005004675891386.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.5.7b6c5e5bNO2qcB&gatewayAdapt=glo2fra
Hi there, you only need to connect the RF from the radio to the Micro PA. You do not need a control cable. The Micro PA automatically detects the band and switches in the correct filters. So again, no control cable required.
Did you adjust the X6100 mic settings ? Mine clips on voice peaks and I can't find a way to stop it doing this. It seems to cut out the loud parts of words spoken into the mic. I need to fix this before connecting the micro PA50 !
Thanks David. Mine sounds strange on voice peaks. At first I thought my receiver was getting overloaded and hitting the agc hard but apparently that is not the case. @@dave68cat
Interesting set up you have ,similar to mine. You are only supposed to transmit up to 5w into micro pa 50. Have you managed to go over the 5w input ok.
I am using atu100 which is similar to yours, but on that you have to use a minimum of 5w to tune. So the chances of me using both together are difficult.
@@digitalanaloguehamradio I have found that I only need anout 2-3W into the micro PA50 in order to get full power. In order to tune, as shown in the video, I first disable the PA by long pressing the function button then tune and long press again to re-enable the PA
😲 wow looking on Amazon theres a lot of them. Im looking for the same toys your playing with. Any help. Is it usb battery in tuner? Manufacturer RepelKy?
One other question regarding the amplifier. I have the Xeigu 6100 also and could you tell me if you are using the acc. cable to control band changes? If so where can I get one? Thanks again 73 Roger
Hello Roger, no I didn't find the need to use the ACC cable. The PA50 detects the band automatically and switches very quickly. So I just connected RF to the PA50 and power. The AT-100 tuner needs only RF as it has an internal battery which lasts ages
Hello Michael, the PA-50 only draws about 6-7A so I simply use the 120W (10A) cigarette/cigar power socket in the centre console of the car. The AT-100M has an internal battery and the X6100 I power from an external 6Ah LiPo battery I used to use for a quadcopter I built but no longer fly
@@dave68cat So because you are driving it say with 5 watts SSB and using the internal battery for the 6100 , then I say a Lithium 9 amp battery is more than enough to use while taking the radio hiking etc...
@@AA5MC I power the 6100 from an external 6Ah battery. The PA-50 is drawing 6-7A continuous when say using a constant carrier input like AM/FM but obviously when using SSB the average current consumption will be much less so I would think an external 9Ah battery would last several hours powering the PA-50
Hi Roger, the radio drives the amplifier which is a near perfect 50 ohm load so you can turn off the radio tuner. The output of the amplifier needs to be matched to the antenna so the amplifier drives the external tuner and the tuner drives the antenna.
@@dave68cat Thank you for your quick reply. You video was fantastic and one of the reasons I purchased the amplifier which I just received. Now I have the tuner you showed on my to buy list. Thanks again. Roger W8RLP
@zanado11 Hi Roger, thanks for the positive feedback. You can try the amplifier driving the antenna directly. If the antenna SWR is better than 2:1 the amplifier should be fine
Hi there, you cannot use the X6100 ATU as the X6100 sees the input of the PA50 which is a near perfect 50 ohm non reactive load and so the X6100 ATU is disabled. However the output of the PA50 observes the antenna and therefore may need to be matched hence the external ATU. The X6100 ATU cannot tune "through" and active power amplifier
I understand internal ATU becomes disabled, not having much luck with my X6100 I reside in the mid-west all I get on the X6100 is NVIS distance (w/ G5RV dipole) type comms, so I been looking for a linear solution for this radio that may be compact to be placed into a go backpack, Thanks again, Great video by the way!!!@@dave68cat
The antenna tuner must be the last item in your RF chain between radio (e.g. transceiver) and antenna system. Thus, after the antenna tuner is transmission line (baluns or loading coils too) and the antenna. A typical station with transceiver, amplifier, SWR meters, antenna tuner should be in this order: Transceiver Amplifier SWR Meter Tuner Antenna System
No this is not correct - the order is X6100 -> amplifier -> tuner -> antenna. The tuner is there to match the antenna to the output of the amplifier. The amplifier must drive a well matched load - ideally a pure non-reactive 50ohm. The tuner will not achieve a perfect match but anything resulting in an VSWR better than 2:1 will be fine.
Very nice and thorough video David. Question for you. is the Micro PA 50 in between the ATU and the x6100, or is the ATU in between the Micro PA 50 and the x6100? I ordered both units to use with my x6100 based on your video and am waiting for them to ship. I can't wait for them to arrive! 73
Hi David - the X6100 drives the Micro PA50. In order to not trip the PA50 over SWR protection it needs to drive a well matched load and so the ATU is placed between the PA50 and the antenna. So as in the video we disable the PA and therefore protection, then use the ATU to match the antenna. Now when the PA50 is enabled it sees an almost perfect load with very low SWR 1:1 being a perfect 50 ohm non reactive match. The PA50 must see/drive a low SWR load otherwise power is refected back into the PA which is bad news for it's output stage and could ultimately prove fatal.
@@DL1JH hello there - the X6100 is driving the Micro PA50 and this is the load it will see. The INPUT to the Micro PA 50 is a near perfect 50 ohm non-reactive load and therefore the X6100 internal tuner is of no use here. However the output of the Micro PA 50 observes the antenna which may need to be matched hence the external tuner between the micro PA 50 and the antenna. The X6100 cannot tune "through" the Micro PA 50 as it is an active device. Hope that answers the question ?
Please help !!!! I was going through all the functions by pressing the button. I even did the 8 times to disable the protection. I pressed the button 8 times again but there is nothing on the display that that indicates that it went back into protected mode. Did I permanently disable the protection?
Hi there, I found unlimited mode made no difference and my PA still trips out with high SWR and over power even when unlimited mode is apparently enabled
@@dave68cat Maybe the unlimited mode resets after powering down and restarting. In any case, the protection is working now. I am using my amplifier with the Hermes Lite 2 SDR. I am using the auto sensing from the RF, no cable to interface from the radio to the amplifier. I am a bit concerned about using it this way and even more so now that I see a strange thing happening at the end of each transmission. It looks like the amplifier continues to transmit for a second after each transmission. I can see that my recieve is attenuated or possibly even nonexistent during this brief transition. I am concerned that it may damage my transceiver.
@@4150CHF Hi there, I think you are correct and the unlimited mode does disable after a power cycle - I'll try later. I have not noticed a continuation of transmision at the end. I am only using SSB and therefore even if the PA was still active there would be very little power out without modulation. I have been using the PA with my Xiegu and not had any issues at the end of the transmission. Are you sure it is the PA which remains active and not that it is still being driven from the radio ?
@@dave68cat There is a small indicator on the right that can be set by pressing the button twice. Available options are BKIN, 100,, 200, 300, 400, … 1000, 2000, 3000. It seems to indicate a continuation of PA activation (in milliseconds maybe?) after sensing the end of drive from exciter. The lower the number, the shorter the delay of deactivation of PA.
The 6100 does have an in built tuner but you can't tune an antenna through an active power amplifier. You need an external tuner between the power amplifier and antenna
Hello Serge, yes sure here are the links to where I purchased both the PA50 and external ATU www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004740432217.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.11.77c818023uksPi www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004675891386.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.5.77c818023uksPi
Just set up this exact system. It has its quirks and a learning curve, but it's now running FT8 well enough to reach Europe (and Tokyo!) on a long-wire from a Midwest urban (i.e. noisy) environment. With nearby AM stations blaring (blathering) away, I had to add K9DP's low end filter. I do also mostly use the outstanding R1CU alternative firmware for the X6100; so, with perseverance and patches, this is a really an inexpensive way into HF, and it's especially relevant for those that want to combine radios with computers (the X6100 is essentially and SDR unit). The PA50 is just a solid piece of equipment. The $60 AT-100M does its job, but it takes some learning and care (no problem at that price point). Thanks very much for the video.
Update: My PA50 died after about two months of operation - SWR alarm. Online fixes didn't work (at least for long). This amp has so much going for it; maybe a revision will come out.
Brilliant. Just getting into the hobby... and I like the x6100 for a shack radio... but not the wattage. This shows options!
Well done video, I have an AT-10 and a PA50, have not used the PA50 yet, this was a great introduction to the amp, thank you for taking the time!
Hi Daniel, you are welcome and thanks for the feedback - I think you will enjoy the PA50 and ATU combination they appear to both work really well !
Just ordered the PA50 and an AT100. I'm going to set it up and give it a try. Thanks for this video! 73!
Great. Thanks. I bought the amp after your last video but haven't had any real time with it. Good to see an SSB demo of it and hoping to hit a park next weekend.
It's a great little PA - if you find the SWR protection trips out because of poor antenna match the AT-100M ATU is a perfect solution
@@dave68cat I will probably buy that because I don't have one which is a good enough reason in this hobby :)
Hi david, thank you just bought 1 off the AT-100 m tuners hope to have in hand soon,Pieter nz
Very helpful as my micro50 is on its way. Iam hoping to use it with my qcx mini.
Nice video good to know when I pass my intermediate test I will have more power on my x6100 thanks
Thorough review and demonstration!! Thanks for your hard work putting this video together
Thank you for the video. I have been eyeing up the Mico PA 50 however I am concerned that the relays within it may produce a back emf that could potentially damage a transceiver. This has been a known issue with other cheap PA's. As there are no circuit diagrams available it is hard to determine whether this is potentially a problem. Do you have any idea?
Hello Phillip, the Micro Pa50 does indeed have back emf protection on the relay coils so there is nothing to worry about. In my opinion it is very well made and designed. I have just measured the harmonic performance and it is better than -40dBc on all bands. Check out this video where a guys pulls it apart and shows the relay protection:
th-cam.com/video/-Jc6PbE-rA0/w-d-xo.html
@@dave68cat that video is for a different pa
@@philipwells2793 Nope not exactly the same but very similar - here is another video of the actual PA50 I have but it doesn't specifically show back emf diodes but I am sure they will be there as whoever designed the PA new what they were doing and would not have missed out something as fundamental. Personally if you are really bothered buy one and check - if by some very slim chance they are not fitted just fit them.
th-cam.com/video/l0ZKhWmPn8k/w-d-xo.html
What would be a noticeable effect of back EMF? I just got my PA50 and I noticed that sometimes when keying up - especially on CW - my IC-705’s SWR meter will very briefly “spike” all the way to the right before returning to its usual 1.5:1 value. It doesn’t happen every time I hit the key but when it does happen it coincides with the amp’s TX relay engaging.
@@chriswei2kI just got the amp as well using it with a tx-500 and noticed the exact same issue. Sometimes the radio swr meter goes really high even though the amp says swr is good. I thinking there is some type of feedback into the radio from the amp! What say you @dave68cat
Thanks!
how does it work in CW and QSK? Do you hear the relay? If yes, it's no option for me.
excellent video, thanks for posting. When you go mobile how do you provide power to run all three pieces? Do you bring along one external battery for all three? Or do you use the internal battery for the 6100? Or do you run some off the cigarette lighter? thanks again for posting.
Hello there - my car turns off the cigarette lighter sockets after about five minutes. So I added a piggy back fused cable into the fuse board in the driver foot well and ran the cable up under the drivers seat terminating in a cigarette socket - I power everything from that including the charger for the Surface Pro 4 I use for logging contacts
Have you seen some other videos where they soldered a 33ohm resistor on the board? I think I’m gonna try that out. They claim it fixes the high SWR detection problem.
Yes indeed, clobbering the SWR protection is simple but I would rather match the antenna if worse than 2:1 as opposed to Tx into a poor match
So if you add the cost of the three items, radio, tuner and PA, and compare it to a 100w radio, what's the cost difference.
What's the advantage of this setup over a 100w radio?
IC7100, IC7300 will do the same, with a simple resonant antenna.. and if you are using the Hamsticks you won't need a tuner.
So I'm trying to understand the advantage of the X6100 which has only 10w and having the "cute and nice" additional gear.
Hi there, you could use a 7300 as you say but it is not as portable. I like the X6100 as I use it for QRP in the car or in a backpack often without the PA & tuner. Then sometimes I use the PA & tuner. I can't really put the 7300 in a back pack or use it in the car easily. So for me the X6100 + PA + tuner is the most flexible portable setup
Fair comment...
Excellent demonstration! Can this setup be used with an iPad for logging and digital modes? Would the amp work with the Xiegu G90? Thank you! David AE4LH
Hi David, yes I see no reason why not. The X6100 exposes a CAT interface and both digital and analog audio. You would have to check with the G90 as I am not familiar with this radio but as long as CAT / audio is available it should work
Thanks for uploading, David. Very helpful.
Hi, about half way through the video and it occurred yo me, can't you use XIEGUs internal antenna tuner with the amplifier?
Thanks!
Hello Godfrey - no you can't use the XIEGU internal tuner. The radio is seeing the input to PA50 which is a near perfect 50R load. The PA50 output sees the antenna and so this is where the tuner needs to be placed betwween the PA50 and the antenna. You cannot tune "through" an active amplifier.
@@dave68cat Thanks so much for the response, and great information! I'm still thinking I'm going to buy this setup, but just wanted to make sure I didn't screw it up.
Subscribed.
GM DR OM, Why would you use another antenna tuner if the Xiegu 6100 has one? TNX for sharing great setting I'm taking a lot of your ideas for my Trusdx radio
Hello there - the X6100 is driving the Micro PA50 and this is the load it will see. The INPUT to the Micro PA 50 is a near perfect 50 ohm non-reactive load and therefore the X6100 internal tuner is of no use here. However the output of the Micro PA 50 observes the antenna which may need to be matched hence the external tuner between the micro PA 50 and the antenna. The X6100 cannot tune "through" the Micro PA 50 as it is an active device. Hope that answers the question ?
@@dave68cat Thanks my friend !!
Hi David, you mentioned that these were from a reputable source. Could you share where you purchased them please?
Hi Russell, yeh sure - I didn't post links on FB as I think it's againsts the rules for the X6100 site - advertising.
fr.aliexpress.com/item/1005004740432217.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.11.7b6c5e5bNO2qcB&gatewayAdapt=glo2fra
fr.aliexpress.com/item/1005004675891386.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.5.7b6c5e5bNO2qcB&gatewayAdapt=glo2fra
Which cable do you use to connect the radio to the Micro PA?
Hi there, you only need to connect the RF from the radio to the Micro PA. You do not need a control cable. The Micro PA automatically detects the band and switches in the correct filters. So again, no control cable required.
Did you adjust the X6100 mic settings ? Mine clips on voice peaks and I can't find a way to stop it doing this. It seems to cut out the loud parts of words spoken into the mic. I need to fix this before connecting the micro PA50 !
Hi Simon, no I made no adjustments to mic gain. The audio from the 6100 has always been really good either with or without the PA
Thanks David. Mine sounds strange on voice peaks. At first I thought my receiver was getting overloaded and hitting the agc hard but apparently that is not the case. @@dave68cat
Fantastic video thanks 73 from kb2uew
Thank you - very pleased you liked the video !
Interesting set up you have ,similar to mine. You are only supposed to transmit up to 5w into micro pa 50.
Have you managed to go over the 5w input ok.
I am using atu100 which is similar to yours, but on that you have to use a minimum of 5w to tune. So the chances of me using both together are difficult.
@@digitalanaloguehamradio I have found that I only need anout 2-3W into the micro PA50 in order to get full power. In order to tune, as shown in the video, I first disable the PA by long pressing the function button then tune and long press again to re-enable the PA
They are both great bits of equipment, but unfortunately mine is not the m model. No worries and you did a great demonstration.
Nice looks good do you connect the amp last ?
😲 wow looking on Amazon theres a lot of them. Im looking for the same toys your playing with. Any help. Is it usb battery in tuner? Manufacturer RepelKy?
Nice video. Thank you.
One other question regarding the amplifier. I have the Xeigu 6100 also and could you tell me if you are using the acc. cable to control band changes? If so where can I get one? Thanks again 73 Roger
Hello Roger, no I didn't find the need to use the ACC cable. The PA50 detects the band automatically and switches very quickly. So I just connected RF to the PA50 and power. The AT-100 tuner needs only RF as it has an internal battery which lasts ages
How did you make the cable connection between the X6100 and the Micro PA50?
There is just the RF connection between the radio and the PA50. The PA50 has auto band selection so no other cable is required
Thanks!
@@dave68cat
nice video and information David , can you tell me how you power the PA-50 when operating mobile?
Hello Michael, the PA-50 only draws about 6-7A so I simply use the 120W (10A) cigarette/cigar power socket in the centre console of the car. The AT-100M has an internal battery and the X6100 I power from an external 6Ah LiPo battery I used to use for a quadcopter I built but no longer fly
@@dave68cat outstanding thank you!
@@AA5MC No worries - have fun !
@@dave68cat So because you are driving it say with 5 watts SSB and using the internal battery for the 6100 , then I say a Lithium 9 amp battery is more than enough to use while taking the radio hiking etc...
@@AA5MC I power the 6100 from an external 6Ah battery. The PA-50 is drawing 6-7A continuous when say using a constant carrier input like AM/FM but obviously when using SSB the average current consumption will be much less so I would think an external 9Ah battery would last several hours powering the PA-50
If you work with it as a base radio does it get very warm?
This is a dump question, but, from the radio do you connect the tuner first then the amplifier?
Thanks, de W8RLP Roger. 73
Hi Roger, the radio drives the amplifier which is a near perfect 50 ohm load so you can turn off the radio tuner. The output of the amplifier needs to be matched to the antenna so the amplifier drives the external tuner and the tuner drives the antenna.
@@dave68cat Thank you for your quick reply. You video was fantastic and one of the reasons I purchased the amplifier which I just received. Now I have the tuner you showed on my to buy list. Thanks again. Roger W8RLP
@zanado11 Hi Roger, thanks for the positive feedback. You can try the amplifier driving the antenna directly. If the antenna SWR is better than 2:1 the amplifier should be fine
Can't you eliminate the ATU, as xieguX6100 comes with build in ATU? Have you done any testing with the x6100 ATU If so, what are the results?
Hi there, you cannot use the X6100 ATU as the X6100 sees the input of the PA50 which is a near perfect 50 ohm non reactive load and so the X6100 ATU is disabled. However the output of the PA50 observes the antenna and therefore may need to be matched hence the external ATU. The X6100 ATU cannot tune "through" and active power amplifier
I understand internal ATU becomes disabled, not having much luck with my X6100 I reside in the mid-west all I get on the X6100 is NVIS distance (w/ G5RV dipole) type comms, so I been looking for a linear solution for this radio that may be compact to be placed into a go backpack, Thanks again, Great video by the way!!!@@dave68cat
wiring: x6100 to TUNER to AMPLIFIER...correct?
The antenna tuner must be the last item in your RF chain between radio (e.g. transceiver) and antenna system. Thus, after the antenna tuner is transmission line (baluns or loading coils too) and the antenna.
A typical station with transceiver, amplifier, SWR meters, antenna tuner should be in this order:
Transceiver Amplifier SWR Meter Tuner Antenna System
No this is not correct - the order is X6100 -> amplifier -> tuner -> antenna. The tuner is there to match the antenna to the output of the amplifier. The amplifier must drive a well matched load - ideally a pure non-reactive 50ohm. The tuner will not achieve a perfect match but anything resulting in an VSWR better than 2:1 will be fine.
I got the Micro PA50 but the fan is so loud I hardly use
Hi thanks I will test .
Very nice and thorough video David. Question for you. is the Micro PA 50 in between the ATU and the x6100, or is the ATU in between the Micro PA 50 and the x6100? I ordered both units to use with my x6100 based on your video and am waiting for them to ship. I can't wait for them to arrive! 73
Hi David - the X6100 drives the Micro PA50. In order to not trip the PA50 over SWR protection it needs to drive a well matched load and so the ATU is placed between the PA50 and the antenna. So as in the video we disable the PA and therefore protection, then use the ATU to match the antenna. Now when the PA50 is enabled it sees an almost perfect load with very low SWR 1:1 being a perfect 50 ohm non reactive match. The PA50 must see/drive a low SWR load otherwise power is refected back into the PA which is bad news for it's output stage and could ultimately prove fatal.
@@dave68cat Thanks! That is very helpful! Again, excellent video!
@@dave68cat Hi but why do i need the external ATU device. The Xiegu X6100 has their own ATU built in. Any reason for using an external ATU?
@@DL1JH hello there - the X6100 is driving the Micro PA50 and this is the load it will see. The INPUT to the Micro PA 50 is a near perfect 50 ohm non-reactive load and therefore the X6100 internal tuner is of no use here. However the output of the Micro PA 50 observes the antenna which may need to be matched hence the external tuner between the micro PA 50 and the antenna. The X6100 cannot tune "through" the Micro PA 50 as it is an active device. Hope that answers the question ?
@@dave68cat Yes. Thanks for your good and fast explanation. Appreciate 73 DL1JH
Please help !!!! I was going through all the functions by pressing the button. I even did the 8 times to disable the protection. I pressed the button 8 times again but there is nothing on the display that that indicates that it went back into protected mode. Did I permanently disable the protection?
Hi there, I found unlimited mode made no difference and my PA still trips out with high SWR and over power even when unlimited mode is apparently enabled
@@dave68cat Maybe the unlimited mode resets after powering down and restarting. In any case, the protection is working now. I am using my amplifier with the Hermes Lite 2 SDR. I am using the auto sensing from the RF, no cable to interface from the radio to the amplifier. I am a bit concerned about using it this way and even more so now that I see a strange thing happening at the end of each transmission. It looks like the amplifier continues to transmit for a second after each transmission. I can see that my recieve is attenuated or possibly even nonexistent during this brief transition. I am concerned that it may damage my transceiver.
@@4150CHF Hi there, I think you are correct and the unlimited mode does disable after a power cycle - I'll try later. I have not noticed a continuation of transmision at the end. I am only using SSB and therefore even if the PA was still active there would be very little power out without modulation. I have been using the PA with my Xiegu and not had any issues at the end of the transmission. Are you sure it is the PA which remains active and not that it is still being driven from the radio ?
@@dave68cat There is a small indicator on the right that can be set by pressing the button twice. Available options are BKIN, 100,, 200, 300, 400, … 1000, 2000, 3000. It seems to indicate a continuation of PA activation (in milliseconds maybe?) after sensing the end of drive from exciter. The lower the number, the shorter the delay of deactivation of PA.
@@dave68cat I am certain that the radio is not the culprit. When I disable the PA and leave it in line, the problem goes away.
Has anyone measured the harmonics of this PA? Does it have any filters for individual bands? Thanks
Yes I measured the harmonics and the worst was around -40 to -43dBc depending on band. The PA does have a switched output LPF bank
Doesn't the 6100 have a built-in antenna tuner?
The 6100 does have an in built tuner but you can't tune an antenna through an active power amplifier. You need an external tuner between the power amplifier and antenna
@@dave68cat I didn’t realize that. Thanks!
Hello David, kanns Du mir bitte den Link senden wo ich den PA 50 HF Amplifire bestellen kann.
Danke & 73 Serge
Hello Serge, yes sure here are the links to where I purchased both the PA50 and external ATU
www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004740432217.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.11.77c818023uksPi
www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004675891386.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.5.77c818023uksPi
@@dave68cat
Thanks David 👍
Thanks
That contact was definitely 57 not 59. I watched the s-meter and it was s7.. oh wait, contest gain, I forgot.
RF gain was at 80% to make the waterfall look nicer. At 100% he would have been 59+
@@dave68cat Copy that 5 x 9 old man!