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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 1
Solid State Kilowatt AmplifiersA tutorial on how to annoy your neighbors with modern LDMOS transistors
Which bands will we explore here?
• 2m, 222MHz and 70cm
• 6m (winter 2013/14)
• HF through 6m (spring 2014)
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 2
Can You Build One of These?Sure, why not?
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 3
Another version
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 4
BIG LDMOS devices are availableAt “reasonable” cost
– Freescale and NXP (Phillips)• MRFE6VP1K25H - 1.25kw (Freescale) HF to
~300MHz• MRFE6VP5600H – 600w (Freescale) HF to 450
MHz• BLF578XR -1.25KW (NXP) HF to ~300MHz• BLF184XR – 600w (NXP) HF to 450MHz (new
device, unverified)
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 5
Measured Performance
• 6m, 2m and 222MHz– 1.25kw part produces 1kw at P1db, and
up to 1.35kw at P3db– Efficiency is >70% at P1db
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 6
Measured Performance70cm
• 1.25kw part produces ~350w with low efficiency– 600w part
produces 500w at P1db with 53% efficiency
– Two of the 600w parts produce 1kw at P1db with 53% efficiency
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 7
Where to Find Design Info
• Manufacturer reference designs• Dubus magazine• QST and QEX magazine• Web sites
– www.w6pql.com
– F1JRD– Many others
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 8
Critical Parts
1. LDMOS distributors• Newark Electronics www.newark.com
(Freescale)• RFMW Limited http://www.rfmw.com/ (NXP)
• Digikey www.digikey.com• Mouser www.mouser.com
• Richardson RFPD www.richardsonrfpd.com(Freescale)
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 9
Critical Parts
High power RF capacitors– Metal Micas
• Mouser• Digikey• Communication Concepts www.communication-
concepts.com/
– SMT micas (CDE MC series)• Mouser
– Coaxial matching capacitors• Self-made
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 10
More Critical Parts
Inductors and transformers• Communication Concepts• Mouser• Self-wound RF chokes and transformers
Coax (special stuff, 10, 12, and 25 ohm)• Communication Concepts• RF Elettronica www.rfmicrowave.it• EBay (50 Ohm RG401,RG402, RG316, RG142)
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 11
More Critical Parts
Terminations• Richardson RFPD• RFMW Limited (Florida RF labs terminations)• EBay
High power RF resistors and attenuators• Richardson RFPD (ATC attenuators)• Newark (Johanson attenuators)• Mouser (high power resistors for attenuators)
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 12
More Critical Parts
Relays and transfer switches• RFPARTS (www.rfparts.com) - Tohtsu, Dow Key• Surplus Sales of Nebraska - Tohtsu, Dow Key• EBay• WWW.W6PQL.COM (input relay board)
PC boards• Communications Concepts• RFHAM• WWW.W6PQL.COM
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 13
More Critical Parts
Copper spreaders• RFHAM• WWW.W6PQL.COM
Aluminum heat sinks• www.heatsinkusa.com• WWW.W6PQL.COM (fully machined to accept
spreaders)
Cabinets and panels• www.frontpanelexpress.com
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 14
Design Cautions
1. All bands• Use good quality PC board substrate• Matching components (capacitors)
• Best capacitor for matching is coaxial
• Instability due to low frequency gain• Gate components
2. Bias stability (thermal drift)• LDMOS IDQ thermal drift
• Use of thermistors for stabilization
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 15
OK, you have an RF Deck
Now what?
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 16
Block diagramFor a completeDesktop amplifier
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 17
Flange-Mount Attenuators
• Available in 3,6,10,20 and 30 db packages (availability varies)
• Made by ATC and Johanson
• 100 watt package
• Requires transistionboards
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 18
A more flexible option
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 19
Attenuator setup
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 20
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 21
Low Pass Filter
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 22
Low Pass Filter
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 23
Filter Passband2m setup
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 24
Low Pass Filterwith dual directional detector
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 25
Low Pass Filterwith dual directional detector
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 26
Low Pass Filterwith dual directional detector
1. Coupler will sample both forward and reflected power levels
2. Each band can be configured for correct signal levels
• On-board attenuators set the correct signal levels for the detector diodes
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 27
Coupler Responsecoupling across VHF/UHF bands
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 28
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 29
Antenna Relays (output)Transfer switchDow Key model 412
SPDT model 402
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 30
Antenna Relays (output)SPDT – Tohtsu model CX600NL
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 31
Relay Measurements (CX600NL)insertion loss
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 32
Relay Measurements (CX600NL)return loss
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 33
Relay Measurements (CX600NL)isolation
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 34
Antenna Relays (input)
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 35
Relay Specs (CX120A)insertion loss
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 36
Relay Specs (CX120A)return loss
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 37
Relay Specs (CX120A)isolation
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 38
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 39
Control Board Functions• Sequencer
– Prevents hot-switching the antenna output relay
• DC power gate– VDD and bias (event 2)
• Fan control
• Reverse power lockout (high VSWR)• Over-temp lockout
• Sequenced LNA power feed and drive power gating if required (event 3)
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PNWVHFS conference October 2013
W6PQL 40
Coming soon to a band near you
• K2OP – 160 thru 6m– 650w on 160m– 1kw+ on 75m thru 10m– 950w on 6m– Broadband transformer design
Very complex switching and filtering, as you can imagine
– Harmonic content is as high as -9dbc on some bands• Thus, a complex output filter is required…the prototype is
working well now– Combination LPF and diplexer