Recommended power setting

Dave N2OA

This is probably a question for a Flex employee but is there a "sweet spot" for power output when running the Flex 6000 series. I have a 6600 and have a choice of how much power to run into the input of an amplifier. I know there can be issues with low power on some radios and others where turning the power down doesn't make them run any cooler.

Bottom line. If I have a choice, is there a recommended power output setting?

Tim - W4TME

This is a good question. The FLEX-6000 PA is tested for spurious emissions and IMD at full power. But I routinely use less than 50W of drive with my amp with no ill effects. Turning down the exciter drive will make the FLEX-6000 run cooler too.

VE7ATJ_Don

I know this may sound like an obvious answer, but I would suggest the lowest possible setting that will reliably key the amplifier and provide the output you require. There is a duty cycle for the Flex 6xxx finals where it kicks in additional fan speed to keep things cooler, but I've never hit it running SSB on 100W. People running FT8 or other digital modes may have a different experience.