Category: Test Equipment

  • LDMOS Amplifier Testing Setup

    LDMOS Amplifier Testing Setup

    Here’s the testing setup. The enclosure is “universal” and different pallets get dropped into it. In the pic you can see the exciter (Flex 6300), spectrum analyzer, power supply, dummy load, RF power meter, ammeter and oscilloscope. Hiding in the back is a inline RF sampler. The way I test and develop these amps is…

  • Transmission Line Transformer Testing

    Transmission Line Transformer Testing

    Jerry Sevick, W2FMI (SK) called this the “Soak Test.” He used it to run real power through the TLT network to check efficiency. It’s a pretty simple test whereby you simply run significant power through the TLTs and measure the temperature rise in the cores. If they get hot, they are not as efficient as…

  • 50dB HF RF Sampler

    50dB HF RF Sampler

    I’ve been using the LPC1 RF Sampler that came with my LP100A wattmeter to sample RF to my Spectrum Analyzer. This is an extremely high quality sampler. However, I can’t use my wattmeter while using the coupler as a sampler. Thus this project was born to build a high quality “lab grade” RF Sampler. Following the…

  • Flex 6300 Output Spectrum

    Flex 6300 Output Spectrum

    Here’s the spectrum of the FLEX 6300 transceiver at 7.18Mhz, 100W into a dummy load. Looking all the way out to to 35Mhz, so I could capture to the 5th harmonic. Looking out that far did me no good because there are NO harmonics at all! I realize this is a lot easier to accomplish…

  • SSA3000X Series Spectrum Analyzer

    SSA3000X Series Spectrum Analyzer

    This Spectrum Analyzer came in last week. Looking forward to now actually seeing what these LPFs and Amplifiers are doing. RF is invisible, ya know! Now I can finally run through some TLT and biasing experiments I have had in my head for a long time now. No sense experimenting if you really can’t see…