The 1K-FA it's really touchy when driven without ALC. I have some experience driving it also with the PROIII and the FT-950, with the respective ALC well connected and it works more easily for sure.
I could confirm and say as mine yours words and opinions from my side.
I gained some compromise setups band by band after all my intense usage with my poor dipoles in a restricted town shack with a condo roof for aerials. It's not easy and during contest, at night, ... those happenings that you could easily leaved me so disgruntled that I was ready just for the bed.
As I reached a good compromise, with the driver left a 50% and the main power output control done via the TX gain with heavy steps, I never tried, for example, a software utility called DDutil by K5FR. It could be, if you have any interest or just curiosity about, interesting to have a look here:
http://k5fr.com/ddutilwiki/index.php?title=Linear_Amplifier_Management
This is not to convince you to get back on FLEX, but just to say that yours problem isn't only yours. As somebody other have a managed to find out a solution.
Actually all the major players are using a SDR core well surrounded by more traditional layout for ours toys. All this is more perfectible over time and with some investment. Also I hope that the market would permit to gain for us the ability to use ours best traditional setups with all the needed and seamless useful new features. The time will tell all to us.
By now I would still continue to use my beloved FLEX, brought by me, and a guXX brought in by another operator for the multi single club station IQ1RY. Those vacuum tubes are steady as a rock and not touchy at all when driven even at full legal power for limited test purposes. At home I will stay more low, as US legal power will light neighborhoods lights and would illegal here. RTTY at 300/400W it's mine limit, 500W is the Italian hamradio operator limit for any class, not mobile.
You know Daniel it's kind alike the food: each one, name one, have it's way to be better cooked around the seasons of the year not only by it's nature and kind. Flavor are different each time.
Next time you will operate a FLEX I hope to be by myself operating a FT-9000 and my 1K-FA. It would be a real pleasure IMHO. I just have to find where are all mi mics, anyway one the right will suffice ... If I just could remember where I stored all of those. ;-)
73 de iw1ayd Salvo
on response of ---
Re: [FTdx-9000] Re: Flex-500A
Thank you so much for your input. I read all that you wrote with great interest.
I am happy to hear that the SDR platform has worked well for you. One of my
greatest problems with the Flex-5000A set up is the lack of an ALC circuit. I
have an SPE Expert linear which is VERY "touchy" in terms of input wattage. When
there is an ALC circuit, it works like a charm, but without it, I find the
linear constantly shutting down with one fault or another. I have tried several
approaches. I may try one of the other Flex radios again in the future, perhaps
the even the next generation. They are always updating and upgrading. I am sure
that there will be other Flex platforms which will be a bit less clumsy. Their
panoramic display is 2nd to none. Hopefully Yaesu and Icom will come up with a
panoramic display like the Flex.
Well, thanks so much for sharing your experience!
Daniel -- W3DCB
