TRANS WORLD COMMUNICATIONS, INC, mA Subsidiary of Datron Systems, Inc. TWSO0A LINEAR AMPLIFIER OPERATOR'S & TECHNICAL MANUAL INSWORLD for communications Manual Part No. TWSO0A-MS 304 Enterprise Street — Publication #991011 Escondido, CA 92025, U.S.A. Printed: April 1990 Phone (619) 747-1079, Telex 695-433 Revision F Fax (619) 741-1658,WARRANTY Trans World Communications, Inc. (TWC) warrants that new TWC equipment has been manufactured free of defects in design, material and workmanship. If the equipment does not give satisfactory service due to defects covered by this warranty, TWC will, at its option, replace or repair the equipment free of charge. ‘The warranty is for a period of 90 days from the date of installation. In the event that the equipment is ‘not installed within 90 days of factory shipment, satisfactory evidence of the installation date must be submitted. LIMITATIONS: This warranty does not cover physical damage caused by impact, Tiguids or gases. Defects caused by lightning, static discharge, voluge transients, or application of incorrect supply voliages are specifically ‘excluded from this warraniy. RETURN OF EQUIPMENT - USA: ‘The equipment shall be returned freight prepaid to the Service Department, Trans World Communications, Inc., 304 Enterprise Street, Escondido, Califomia 92025. The equipment should be packed securely, as, ‘TWC will not be responsible for damage incurred in transit. Please include a letter containing the follow- ing information: 1. Model, serial number, and date of installation. 2. Name of dealer or supplier of equipment. 3. Detailed explanation of problem. 4, Return shipping instructions. ‘TWC will return the equipment prepaid by United Parcel Service, Parcel Post or truck. If alternate ship- ping is specified, freight charges will be made collect. RETURN OF EQUIPMENT - FOREIGN: Write for specific instructions. Do not return equipment without authorization. It is usually not possible to clear equipment through U.S. Customs without the correct documentation. If equipment is retuned ‘without authorization, the sender is responsible for all taxes, customs duties and clearance charges. LIMITED PARTS WARRANTY: ‘This warranty shall cover all parts in the equipment for a period of 12 months from the date of installa- tion, subject to the previous conditions and limitations. ‘The parts will be replaced free of cost. The labor charges will be made at the current TWC hourly service rate. PARTS REPLACEMENT: If itis not practical, or the purchaser does not want to return the equipment to the factory, this warranty is limited to the supply of replacement parts for a period of 12 months from the date of equipment installa- tion. “The following instructions for the supply of replacement parts should be followed: 1. Retum defective parts prepaid to: Parts Replacement, Trans World Communications, Inc., 304 Enterprise Street, Escondido, California 92025, 2. Include a letter with the following information: ‘a) Part number(s). ») Serial number and model of equipment. ©) Date of installation. Parts retumed without this information will not be replaced. In the event of a dispute over the age of the replacement part, components date coded over 24 months prior will be considered out of warranty.SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS GENERAL This product and manual must be thoroughly understood before attempting installation and operation. To do so without proper knowledge can result in equipment failure and bodily injury. CAUTION! Before applying ac power, be sure that the equipment has been properly configured for the available line voltage. Attempted operation at the wrong voltage can result in damage and voids the warranty. See the ‘manual section on installation, EARTH GROUND AIL TWC products are supplied with a standard, 3-wire, grounded ac plug. DO NOT attempt to disable the ground terminal by using 2-wire adapters of any type. Any disconnection of the equipment ground causes a ‘potential shock hazard that could result in personal injury. DO NOT operate any equipment until a suitable ‘ground has been established. Consult the manual section on grounding. SERVICING Servicing should only be carried out by trained personnel. To avoid electric shock, do not open the case un- less qualified to do so. Various measurements and adjustments described in this manual are performed with ac power applied and the protentve coves removed, The energy present at numerous oinsssfiient wo cause boy harm if contacter Capacitors (particularly the large power supply electrolytics) can remain charged for a considerable time after the unit has been shut off. Use particular care when working around them, as a short circuit can’ release sufficient energy to cause damage to the equipment and possible injury. To protect against fire hazard, always replace line fuses with ones of the same current rating and type (nor- mal delay, slow-blow, etc.). DO NOT use higher value replacements in an attempt to prevent fuse failure. If fuses are failing repeatedly, this indicates a probable defect in the equipment that needs attention.ra 12 13 14 1s 16 17 18 24 22 23 24 2.5 26 24 28 29 31 32 321 322 33 34 4a 42 43 44 45 46 47 TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1 - GENERAL INFORMATION Introduction Construction... ‘TransmiyReceive Switching ‘Harmonic Filtering, Protective Circuitry. Exciter Requirements sede OPtIONS rern Specifications.. SECTION 2- INSTALLATION Filter Switching Bias Adjustment. Drive Requirements SECTION 3- OPERATION On-Off Switch/Circuit Breaker Harmonic Filter Selection., Drive Level Adjustment. SECTION 4- TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION General Input Circuit... Amplifiers Output Circuit. Harmonic File Control Circuitry. Power Supply.61 Ld 21 22 23 24 25 34 32 33 4d S1 52 53 61 62 SECTION 5 - SERVICE Power Measurement... Circuitry Access Power Supply ssn Bias Circuit... Amplifier Service. General De Fault Tracing... ‘Ac Signal Fault Tracing. Amplifier Circuit Board RF Transistor Replacement... SECTION 6 - PARTS LISTS AND SCHEMATIC DIAGRAMS Introduction... FIGURES ‘TWSOOA Linear Amplifier . ‘Variations in Terminal Block Wiring to Accommodate 115- or 230-Vac Operation. Ground, Exciter and Antenna Connections to the TWSO0A. ‘TransmiyReceive and Remote Filter Selection Connection: Circuit to Provide Additional Amplifier-to-Exciter PTT Line Isolation... Filter Selection, Circuitry Examples... Front Panel Features of the TWS00A. ‘Test-equipment Setup for Adjusting Exciter Drive Level Monitoring the Output Waveform... 41 Block Diagram of TWSOOA RF Circuitry. ‘Access to the Filter Board and Main Amplifier Board. ‘Major Power Supply Components ..nn Detail of a Push-Pull Amplifier Section. ‘Schematic Diagram, TWSOOA Linear Amplifier ‘Schematic Diagram, SWR1000 Power Bridge.TABLES 1 TWSOOA Technical Specifications. Gl Parts List, TWSOOA Linear Amplifier... 62 Parts List, TWSO0A Filter Board. 63 Parts List, SWR1000 Power Bridge .....‘TW5O0A Linear Amplifier.SECTION 1 GENERAL INFORMATION 4.1 INTRODUCTION The TWSOOA linear amplifier is designed to amplify ‘medium power (50-100 W PEP output) transmitters in the 2-30 MHz range. Power gain is approximately 10 dB and ‘maximum rated power output is 500 W PEP. It operates from either 115 or 230 Vac, which is converted to ap- proximately 14 Vde by the internal power supply. The amplifier is suitable for SSB (voice) operation only. For CW, FSK or other high duty cycle use, an FSK option is available. See Section 1.9 below. 4.2 CONSTRUCTION Highly reliable operation is achieved through an all solid- stale design using eight transistors in four push-pull amplifier sections. Unlike vacuum-tube designs, all TWSOOA circuitry operates at low voltages, giving the components an extended service life and no maintenance requirements, In addition, the amplifier is completely broadband and requires no tuning or adjustment during service and instalation. ‘The amplifier is housed in an anodized aluminum cabinet. (A rack-mounted version is also available.) All power transistors are mounted on a large, finned aluminum heat sink, which forms one of the main structural members of the enclosure. The self-contained power supply is located in the base of the amplifier. All controls are mounted on the front panel, as is a large, 100-A meter that indicates total collector current. 1.3 TRANSMIT/RECEIVE SWITCHING Switching to the transmit mode is achieved by simply grounding the control line. Normally, this line is con- nected in parallel with the exciter push-to-talk (PTT) switch, In the receive mode, amplifier circuitry is bypassed, which provides direct connection of the antenna to the receiver. When off, the amplifier is bypassed for Doth transmit and receive functions. 1.4 HARMONIC FILTERING Six computer-designed, low-ripple, Chebyshev low-pass filters are used to provide excellent harmonic rejection. ‘The frequency range is divided into six bands and the cor- rect filter for each must be selected. Provision is made for automatic selection by the exciter circuitry, or manual oe selection by the front panel switch (optional in desk-top ‘models only). 1.5 PROTECTIVE CIRCUITRY A high-speed, 75-A magnetic circuit breaker is provided in the de power supply. This effectively protects the amplifier against short circuits, overdrive and mismatches. ‘To protect against thermal damage, an internal cooling fan is provided. When a heat sink temperature of 60°C is reached, the fan will automatically switch on, turning off again at 53°C. 1.6 EXCITER REQUIREMENTS Input impedance of the amplifier is SO ohms, which provides a good match to all exciters. The drive require ment is 50 W PEP, which is easily met by most equip- ‘ment. Since the amplifier faithfully reproduces the input signal, itis important that the exciter be spectrally clean, ‘or amplifier output will be similarly impure. Although amplifier harmonic output is substantially reduced by the ‘output filters, it is desirable that exciter harmonics be sup- pressed by a minimum of 25 dB. . 1.7 OPTIONS For best system performance, it is desirable that an amplificr-output derived ALC system be used. The op- tional TWC SWR1000 forward/reverse power bridge has been specially designed for this purpose. Consult Section 2, Installation, for more information. NOTE ‘The SWR1000 is standard equipment on all TWC HF ‘communications systems incorporating the TWSO0A amplifier. 1.8 SPECIFICATIONS Amplifier specifications are listed in Table 1-1. These specifications are the standards or limits against which the amplifier can be tested. 1.9 FSK OPTION ‘The FSK option should be installed in any system where there is a high duty cycle such as FSK or CW operation,TABLE 1-1, ‘TWS00A Technical Specifications. OPERATING FREQUENCY: POWER OUTPUT: INTERMODULATION DISTORTION (2-24 MHz) @ 500 W PEP: HARMONIC FILTERS: HARMONIC OUTPUT: INPUT/OUTPUT IMPEDANCE: DRIVE REQUIREMENTS: POWER REQUIREMENTS: TRANSMIT/RECEIVE SWITCHING: COOLING: POWER SUPPLY PROTECTION: FUSES: ‘STANDARD CABINET VERSION: RACK-MOUNT VERSION: 2-30 MHz. 500 W PEP minimum, 500-600 W PEP typical. FSK Option - 400 W Average CW/FSK. -32 dB 3rd order. 5-pole, Chebyshev low-pass. -43 dB or better. 50 ohms (S0-239 connectors). 50 W PEP. 116/230 Vac, 50/60 Hz, single phase. Grounded control line. Amplifier is bypassed when switched off, Convection-cooled heatsink with supplemen- tary forced air. 75-A, high-speed magnetic circuit breaker. (115 V) 15 A; (230 V) 7A. Size (WHD): 44 x 20 x 33 cm. Weight: 21 kg Size (WHD): 48 x 29 x 33. cm, Weight: 19.5 kg. NOTE: All specifications measured with line voltage of 115 or 230 Vac measured at amplifier under load.SECTION 2 INSTALLATION 2.1 PLACEMENT ‘The amplifier may be placed on any flat surface adjacent to the exciter or in any other convenient location. Make ssure that it is kept out of direct sunlight and other sources of heat. To allow proper air flow, the cooling vents in the base and sides of the amplifier cabinet must NOT be ob- structed, 2.2 AC POWER CONNECTION IMPORTANT! Check the voltage requirements of your amplifier before applying ac voliage. The amplifier must be properly con- figured for the local ac mains or damage can occur. Set- up is accomplished by properly connecting wires to the terminal block, as shown in Figure 2-1. Access to the ter- minal block is gained by removing the four retaining screws located on each side of the unit and removing the case, Note that there is no case on rack-mount versions. ‘Also be sure to install the proper fuse, Fl, according to the ac voltage chosen, Comect values are: 7 for 230-Vac and 15 A for 115-Vac operation. The fuse is accessible from the rear panel. Although the rated supply voltage is 115/230 Vac, the amplifier will operate properly with supply voltages from 115-120 or 230-240 Vac. 115V ney 230V REMOVE JUMPER FIGURE 2-1. Variations in Terminal Block Wiring to Accommodate 115- or 230-Vac Operation. 24IMPORTANT! ‘Operation at lower-than-rated supply voltages will result in reduced RF power output. 23 GROUNDING ‘X separate ground connection is recommended to prevent unwanted RF currents from circulating in the amplifier chassis and wiring. These currents can induce feedback and distortion in the exciter and cause RF burns when the ‘equipment is touched. This ground connection is essential if the antenna is located close to the amplifier. Grounding should be provided as shown in Figure 2-2. A ‘grounding post on the back panel is used for this purpose. Use a heavy-gauge copper wire or strap for the connection, and keep it as short and direct as possible. A good ground can be made by driving a 2-meter rod into moist soil, or bby making the connection to a cold water pipe. 2.4 ANTENNA CONNECTION Output impedance of the amplifier is 50 ohms, and a heavy-duty coaxial cable (RG-8/U or similar) should be used for connection to the antenna or the antenna tuner (Figure 2-2). A PL-259 UHF connector must be fitted to the cable end (see Appendix A). Make sure that itis securely soldered and tightened, as peak RF currents will reach 2-3 A at full output. 2.5 ANTENNA MATCHING ‘The linear amplifier is suitable for use with any antenna or antenna tuner having a nominal 50-ohm impedance and ‘600-W power handling capability. Correct antenna impe- dance matching is extremely important if the amplifier is to deliver rated power output. Unlike tube-type amplifiers, the TWSOOA is completely broadband, with no wning adjustments of any kind. Therefore, it is not possible to compensate for any mis- ‘match in the antenna system, This characteristic must be clearly understood if satisfactory results are to be achieved. Output transformers in the amplifier have been designed for a 50-ohm resistive load, and will not deliver full power into a substantial mismatch. For example, consider that RF voltage at the output essentially remains constant, regardless of load. With a power output of 600 W into a 50-ohm load, the output voltage is 173 Vaois E = P x R). ‘The same voltage across a 100-ohm toad (VSWR = 2:1) ‘equals only 300 W, or half power (P = E*/R). Similarly, if the load is less than 50 ohms, the amplifier will automatically current limit and output will be less than rated. Antenna matching should be checked carefully by using a VSWR indicator in the coaxial cable to the antenna, The antenna or tuner should be adjusted for the lowest possible reflected power. Although an exact match is desirable, the ir will operate satisfactorily with a VSWR of 1 Operation with a 2:1 VSWR will result in substantially re- ‘duced output, and it is recommended that this level not be exceeded. 2.6 EXCITER CONNECTIONS ‘Two connections to the exciter are always required: RF inpot and transmivreceive control (Figure 2-2). A third connection is needed for remote selection of the harmonic filters, and is essential on all rack-mounted versions. Input to the amplifier is made through a 50-ohm coaxial RF INPUT FROM EXCITER TO ANTENNA OR ‘S0cKET OR REMOTE SWITCH eer 1s wee \ swOAT AS POSSE (nese ‘une na-/v on tws00n Pruetooee aubtnien & Len ewnrooo COLD WATER 2-M GROUND OPTIONAL oe 9 Reverse Power Roce To Ac mans Tosxare ro excren iecescont FIGURE 2-2. Ground, Exciter and Antenna Connections to the TWS00A. 22cable (RG-S8/U or similar), which is terminated in a PL- 259 UHF connector. Grounding the PTT line switches the amplifier from the receive to the transmit mode. Connection to this line is made at Pin 10 of the remote socket, S03, located on the ‘back panel Figure 2-3). Grounding can be achieved by a relay in the exciter or through the microphone PTT switch. Operating voltage for the PTT line is 12 Vde at 140 mA. If the microphone PTT switch is used to key both the ex- citer and the amplifier, interaction can sometimes result In this event, a simple but effective circuit can be used to provide the necessary isolation (Figure 2-4). 2.7 FILTER SWITCHING IMPORTANT! ‘The correct low-pass filter for the operating frequency must be selected to avoid excessive harmonic emission and possible damage to the amplifier. ‘The TWSOOA incorporates 6 filter bands to cover the operating frequency range of 2-30 MHz: 2-3, 3-5, 5-8, 8- 13, 13-20 and 20-30 MHz. Filter selection can be made $03 REMOTE SOCKET $03 CONNECTIONS PINNO. FUNCTION 2-3 MHz 3-5 MHz 5-8 MHz 8-13 MHz 13-20 MHz 20-30 MHz 7.8.9 —— GND 10 PTT oaorone FIGURE 2-3. Transmit/Receive and Remote Filter Selection Connections. 1N4001 OR SIMILAR TO EXCITER = »>— PTT LINE MIC PTT SWITCH oro /17 To TW500A ag Ji] $03 PIN 10 14001 Of SIMILAR FIGURE D4, Circuit to Provide Additional Amplifier-to-Exciter PTT Line Isolation. 23either by using the front-panel switch, or by grounding the appropriate pin on remote socket SO3 (Figure 2-3). If remote switching is used, the contacts should be rated 10 hhandle 12 Vdc at 140 mA. Note that the front panel filter switch is not installed on the rack-mount version. Most transmitters have an extra section ganged to the channel switch for remote control of an amplifier or other accessory. Frequency-synthesized HF transmitters often have a switching contact coupled to the "MH2” logic line that can be used to provide automatic filter selection, Refer to Figure 2-5 for examples of filter-selection cir- cuitry. (In some complex systems it may be necessary to provide a diode control matrix to control filter selection, Contact the factory for additional information.) 2.8 BIAS ADJUSTMENT ‘The forward bias adjustment is properly set at the factory and normally should not need adjustment. However, a large variaion in line voltage may necessitate a slight readjustment. ‘To check ifthe bias is set properly, ground the amplifer PTT line with NO DRIVE APPLIED, and monitor the fontpanel meter, Tt should read 35. +0.5 A. If not, tum to Section 5.5 for instructions. 2.9 DRIVE REQUIREMENTS CAUTION! . ‘The normal drive level for full output should not exceed 50 W! Care must be taken to not overdrive the amplifier, which can destroy the expensive power transistors and void the warranty. IF the exciter is capable of exceeding 100-W output, it is recommended that some means be used to restrict the power level. For best system performance over a wide range of fre- quencies, itis desirable to utilize an automatic level con- trol (ALC) system to dynamically limit drive power. The preferred method is to generate an ALC voltage from the amplifier output, which is then fed back to the exciter. ‘One such device for this purpose is the TWC SWR1000 forward/reverse power bridge. This is a specially-designed sensing device that can be Configured to provide a positive voltage either proportional or inversely proportional to the forward power level. Use of the SWR1000 is shown in Figure 2-2. Refer to Figure 6-2 in Section 6 for a schematic diagram of the SWR1000. When the SWR1000 is installed and used with a com- patible transceiver like the TWC TW100, then setting the overall system power output is quite easy. After the sys- tem is installed and hooked up as shown in Figure 2-2, the "ALC" adjustment on the SWR1000 is used to set the power. The operating frequency should be set for 15, MHz, the transceiver keyed in CW mode, and the SWR1000 "ALC" screwdriver adjustment turned until the RF power output is 400 watts as read on a Bird thruline walimeter with the amplifier terminated in SO ohms. No other adjustment is required.