Skip to content
  • Register
    • 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, Tuner Genius and Antenna Genius Software?

    SmartSDR v3.8.23 and the SmartSDR v3.8.23 Release Notes
    SmartSDR v2.12.1 and the SmartSDR v2.12.1 Release Notes
    Power Genius XL Utility v3.8.9 and the Power Genius XL Release Notes v3.8.9
    Tuner Genius XL Utility v1.2.11 and the Tuner Genius XL Release Notes v1.2.11
    Antenna Genius Utility v4.1.8
    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.

    6600M with BLA350+ issues

    Member ✭✭
    edited March 7 in Peripherals & Station Integration

    I'm getting to love the 6600M w/ Maestro but running into a difficult issue. I got gifted a RM Italy BLA350+ ~300w amplifier. Got it working with just the PTT Send circuit but for some reason the BLA;s input protection circuit keeps tripping above 8w output from Maestro. I did some troubleshooting and found that when the amp is on the SWR on the 6600M would rise from 1.2:1 to 3:1 which will trip the BLA's protection circuit. Then I switched out all the coax patch cables and replaced with KMR-400 with compression PL-259 connectors. Didn't help.

    So, I removed the 6600M and installed an IC-7300 and I can crank up the output to 15w without tripping the BLA's protection and the SWR is solid.

    Thoughts?🤔

    Tagged:

    Welcome!

    It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.
    Sign In
    Register

    Comments

    • Administrator, FlexRadio Employee, Community Manager, Super Elmer, Moderator admin

      I think your 8W output is from the radio, not the Maestro. :) But, I know what you mean.

      The SWR issue is what the radio sees as being reported by the Amplifier.

      What is the TX Delay set to on the 6600M? Try setting it to about 25ms. This is delay will slow down the RF being sent by the radio to the amplifier.

    • Member ✭✭

      Yes, correct. Thanks for picking that up. Ah, TX Delay.👍️

      That may help but now I have a more serious problem😫. I decided to remove the amp from the equation altogether. I powered everything down. Removed amp power wiring to the Astron VS-35M PSU and antenna connections then reconnected just the antenna connection to the 6600M directly. Then reconnected the 6600M power cable to the power Astron PSU. As soon as I did that the PSU voltage dropped to 2VDC before I could turn it on. Just plugged it in and got that result. The 6600M didn't power up, show any lights or make any noise. Immediately unplugged it, checked all the wiring, etc. Power cycled the Astron PSU, replugged the 6600M and same results. Unplugged it again and did a smell test. Nothing burning. I then benchtested the Astron PSU and it's working fine. I tried to power the 6600M up with a Powerwerx PSU and same results. Output drops to 2VDC.

      Would this be a blown fuse situation? External inline fuse is okay. I've read the fuse is on the internal power amp board.

      Please help and advise. Thank you!

    • Administrator, FlexRadio Employee, Community Manager, Super Elmer, Moderator admin

      Not a blown fuse, but some sort of TX short. You’ll need to open a support ticket.

    • Member ✭✭

      Opened a support ticket.

    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 ...

    Welcome!

    It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.
    Sign In
    Register

    Quick Links

    Categories