Welcome to the new FlexRadio Community! Please review the new Community Rules and other important new Community information on the Message Board.
Need the latest SmartSDR, Power Genius, and Tuner Genius Software?

SmartSDR v3.3.32 and the SmartSDR v3.3.32 Release Notes | SmartSDR v2.7.6 and the SmartSDR v2.7.6 Release Notes
SmartSDR v1.12.1 and the SmartSDR v1.12.1 Release Notes
Power Genius XL Utility v3.6.24 and the Power Genius XL Release Notes v3.6.24
Tuner Genius XL Utility v1.1.8 and the Tuner Genius XL Release Notes v1.1.8
If you are having a problem, please refer to the product documentation or check the Help Center for known solutions.
Need technical support from FlexRadio? It's as simple as Creating a HelpDesk ticket.

Is it possible to transmit with a Flex 6400 at less than 1 watt?

David N4IW
David N4IW Member ✭✭
in FLEX-6000 Signature Series

I use my Flex 6400 to run WSPR from time to time. I usually set the Tx Power to 1 watt and am heard literally all over the world. I would like to try even lower power but I can’t see how to do this and do not think it is possible. The fields where you set the power will not accept a decimal number lower than 1. Anyone know if this can be done?

Best Answers

  • KD0RC
    KD0RC Broomfield, COMember, Super Elmer Moderator
    Answer ✓

    Hi David, there are a couple of options depending on how low you want to go.

    One thing that you can do is set the output power to one watt. Now use an attenuator to reduce it further. The problem is that to receive, you either need a separate antenna, or a way to switch out the attenuator.

    Another way, if you want really low power, is to use the transverter output to get from .1 mW to 10 mW out (-10 dBm to +10 dBm). The normal antenna switching in the Flex will let you use this method for transmit and receiving on the same antenna.

  • Mike-VA3MW
    Mike-VA3MW Administrator, FlexRadio Employee, Community Manager, Super Elmer, Moderator admin
    Answer ✓

    Another way is to set the radio to 1% and then reduce the audio drive in DAX or WSJT to the level you want. You will then have to measure your RF power with a QRP watt meter.

    73

  • Martin AA6E
    Martin AA6E Member ✭✭✭
    Answer ✓

    You can insert a transmit attenuator that stays in the line in receive. That won't make much difference, especially on the lower HF bands.

    73 Martin AA6E

Answers

  • David N4IW
    David N4IW Member ✭✭

    Thanks Len @KD0RC and @Mike-VA3MW.

  • David N4IW
    David N4IW Member ✭✭

    Thanks everyone for your comments. I followed @Mike-VA3MW ‘s advice and was able to achieve my goal of 100-200 mW simply by turning down the drive in DAX. I also tried turning down the power slider in WSJT-X and this worked as well but only for awhile. I found that it would revert to 100% on its own for some reason. Since the DAX method worked I never tried to figure out why the slider would move on its own. Again, thanks for your comments.

Leave a Comment

Rich Text Editor. To edit a paragraph's style, hit tab to get to the paragraph menu. From there you will be able to pick one style. Nothing defaults to paragraph. An inline formatting menu will show up when you select text. Hit tab to get into that menu. Some elements, such as rich link embeds, images, loading indicators, and error messages may get inserted into the editor. You may navigate to these using the arrow keys inside of the editor and delete them with the delete or backspace key.

Comment As ...

Categories